Even though this activity is mainly for 3rd and 4th grades it can be changed to work with every grade level K-6. For older grades you could change the activity to include a wider variety of shapes/concepts. For younger students you could use basic shapes and have them create a picture with them without writing the words.
This activity could be linked to writing. Students could create a picture with their shapes and then write a story about their picture. You would be connecting langauge arts with math.
For ELLs put them with a native English speaker and have the ELL make the picture but have the native English speaker write the words or story for the picture.
CCS:3.G.1
Great for learning the name of shapes. You can also incorporae following directions if you give tem steps to follow in making their creatures. You can also allow the stdents to be the leader in giving out directions to make the creatures.
2.OA.1 "Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem."
This activity can be adjusted for ELL students by giving them manipulatives to work out their problems. It can also be adjusted for gifted students by challenging them to fill their entire BINGO card, rather than just a line of numbers. This activity can be used in older age groups by providing multiplication or division flash cards, rather than addition or subtraction flash cards.
4.G.3 "Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry."
This activity can be modified for gifted students by challenging them with more cards. Encourage them to use as many cards as they would like while participating in this activity! This activity can be used with younger ages by using objects other than cards. A big picture cut into pieces would help the students visualize symmetry, as it would be more like putting a puzzle together. The leader just gets to choose in what order the puzzle is assembled! Both players could check their work by knowing if the picture looks right.
A pair of students work together for this symmetry activity. The students sit across from one another, with playing cards dealt for each student. A ruler or other dividing line separates one student's side from the other. One player starts as the leader, and places one of their cards down on the table. The player on the other side of the line follows the leader in an attempt to match the first player's moves perfectly on their side of the divider.
1.3.3 "Observe and explain that plants and animals have basic needs for growth and survival: plants need to take in water and need light, and animals need to take in water and food and have a way to dispose of waste."
This activity can be modified for ELL students by having them strictly draw pictures of their observations, rather than writing words to describe their observations. This can also be adjusted for older grades, by having them grow several different types of flowers, or by using different fertilizers to help the flowers grow. The students can then compare their effects of the different fertilizers on the same flowers.
Students can grow narcissus bulbs in the classroom, or at home! The students can then make observations or draw pictures about how the flower looks each day. Draw conclusions once the flowers are fully bloomed about how they grew!
Sticky Note: This would also be a great activity to have after calendar in the morning of a younger class who has just discussed the weather to give kids a hands-on activity about weather.
2.2.1 Construct and use tools to observe and measure weather phenomena like precipitation, changes in temperature, wind speed and direction.
Sticky Note: This would also be a great activity to have after calendar in the morning of a younger class who has just discussed the weather to give kids a hands-on activity about weather.
K.2.3 "Describe in words and pictures the changes in weather from month to month and season to season."
This activity can be adjusted for ELL students by allowing them to use only pictures for recording their observations. If the students are feeling somewhat comfortable with the new language, they can be paired with English speaking students to work together to spell and sound out words for their notebooks. This activity can be modified for older age groups by having the students make predictions about what is going to happen with the weather conditions. These students can also make predictions about why they think the seasons change.
Students can participate in this long-term activity by observing and recording the weather each week of the school term, or the school year. The students can do various activities within this long-term activity, such as measuring the amount of rain or snow, recording weather conditions, making observations in a notebook, etc. This is a great way to observe and learn the seasons!
3.1.2 "Investigate how the loudness and pitch of sound changes when the rate of vibrations changes."
This activity can be used with ELL students by having them do the activity while saying a variety of words that they need to practice learning. These words could be said in Spanish and English, both. This is a great way to use this activity in a way that is meaningful for those students. This activity can also be used with older ages by having the students record their predictions about what will happen if they use a louder voice, or a deeper pitch with the sound. The students could then compare their results with other students in the class.
Students use a bowl, plastic wrap, a rubber band, and sugar crystals to investigate sound. The plastic wrap is secured across the top of the bowl with the rubber band, and the sugar crystals are placed on top of the plastic wrap. Students get close to the bowl and say their name aloud. The sugar crystals move!
4.1.2 "Investigate the variety of ways in which heat can be generated and moved from one place to another. Explain the direction the heat moved."
This activity can be used with gifted students by allowing them to observe another candle burning in a bowl with no water present. The students can then compare and contrast the differences in the candles and the way in which they burn, and make inferences about why they believe the candles are different. This activity can be used with older age groups in the same way. The older students may be able to light their own candles as they work in groups, while still monitoring their progress.
The Challenger Center also offers Special Needs missions.
Lessons are differentiated as students will be assigned to different roles. This is a very "challenging" endeavor, and requires completion of lessons prior to the visit.
Excellent activity for grades five and up. "Students work as teams in mission control and aboard a spacecraft as they test their decision making skills and solve problems during this innovative, inquiry based, space-themed science and math simulation."
This activity could meet MANY science standards and math standards including the Design Process, The Nature of Science, and Reading for Literacy in Science. For the purpose of this assignment, I am assigning it to:
6.2.4 With regard to their size, composition, distance from the sun, surface features and ability to support life, compare and contrast the planets of the solar system with one another and with asteroids and comets.
6-8.RS.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science texts.
6-8 RS.3: Follow precisely a multi-step procedure when carrying out experiments or taking measurements.
Roughly every other year, the Challenger Center in Brownsburg gets a grant and invites us to visit for free. Unfortunately for your cohort, we went last year, but I'll invite you back next year if they get another grant. We usually go on a Saturday morning and IT IS AWESOME! I love being in Indianapolis with these fabulous resources available.
This activity addresses the third grade Physical Science standards 3.1.1, 3.1.2, and 3.1.3. It meets the core standard of Observe and describe how sound is produced by vibrations.
I like this activity because it allows students to choose where their journey will take them. Internet access is a requirement. I do not think this activity would be as dynamic if it were adapted to be just a listening activity.
ELL's could use the internet to "travel" and investigate sound in their native language. High ability learners could create an atlas to go with their journals.
2.NBT.1 Understand that the three digits of a three-digit number represent amounts of hundreds, tens, and
ones; e.g., 706 equals 7 hundreds, 0 tens, and 6 ones.
Sticky Note: This would be easy to manipulate as a game for higher grades by adding operational thinking problems to come up with the numbers for the place values.
ELL and special ed students can be paired with another student to help create a journal of observations with pictures and words dealing with the states of matter.
This activity can be used for older grades too. The students could find the densities of the solids and liquids. They could even go so far as to cook a breakfast and discuss liquids to solids as they are cooked.
The activity allows students to compare and contrast different solids and liquids. There is also a cooking portion of the activity that can be done with maple syrup.
5.4.2 "Investigate the purpose of prototypes and models when designing a solution to a problem and how limitations in cost and design features might affect their construction."
This activity can be modified for gifted students by having them make predictions or recommendations about the types of materials that could be added to the boats to improve their design and function. The activity could be modified for younger grades by having them design only two boats and decide which one is better. This would be ideal, because younger students may take more time to build and design their boats.
This has some interesting variations to our pennies in the boat activity. I like the math connection with the bidding slip and making sure they save their boats for later comparisons.
Students design and build four boats from squares of aluminum foil. Each team decides which one of their four boats holds the highest number of dice. Each team should record their findings and observations, as well as ways to improve their designs.
2.2.1
Construct and use tools to observe and measure weather phenomena like precipitation, changes in temperature, wind speed and direction.2.2.2
Experience and describe wind as the motion of the air.
Differentiation:
Allow gifted students to record the direction of wind for a week or even a few weeks. With this information discuss with the class the effects of wind direction and how it correlates to weather.
Using a container lid, scissors, a marker, a straw, and a pin students will create their own weather vanes that they can use to go outside and observe the act and direction of wind.
So many ways you can extend this activity to other grades. You could extend it for Kindergarten and 1st grade by using manipulatives instead of a deck of cards to introduce place value. You would want to give the 1st and second graders a ganizer mat when using manipulatives. For higher grades you could have the students pair up and then have to make two sets of numbers and add them together to make the highes number, or subtract them to make the lowest number. You could also do this activity using decimals to intoroduce the place value of decimals.
CCS: 3.OA.1
This activity is really neat because it can be used for all grade levels. All you need to do is vary the questions. You can also easily see who may need help in the area you are working on.
This activity can be used by younger grades by decreasing the amount of shapes used.
To make the activity harder for students have them draw their own shapes using a ruler, compass, and/or protracter. Students could also find the angle measurements of the shapes.
For students who need more help divide the shapes into their own categories so all the students will have to do is paste the shapes onto the page in their seperate categories. Students could also work in groups or pairs.
The purpose of this lesson is to help students mentally organize 19 shape names. The lesson is basically a reinforcing lesson-it should not be taught until after students have had some exposure to most of the shape names mentioned in this lesson.