Global Teacher Connect

Summer Homework on Google Maps

2013-05-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

View Travel Map - Raki Family in a larger map

I use Google apps for lots of things, but I’ve never really played with Google Maps until recently. I made a map with my 8 year old son, charting out all of the places we have traveled (see above). This summer, we will be traveling around the US and he can’t wait to see where we can add “pins”. This got me thinking that it would be a great summer homework project. Have families create a Google Map with at least one pin a week indicating where they have been. (For students who stay close to home, the pins could be as simple as the supermarket or the library.) It would go great with the summer scavenger hunt that I usually send home. (Download the summer scavenger hunt free from my blog – Raki’s Rad Resources.)

For a step by step tutorial on how to use Google Maps, feel free to stop by my blog – Raki’s Rad Resources.

Are You Teaching Global Citizens?

2013-05-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

At the ECIS Conference, I had the opportunity to see a great variety of speakers. One of the most controversial speakers was Chadran Nair. Chadran Nair is the founder of a think tank called Global Institute for Tomorrow, which helps people understand the impacts – good and bad – of globalization. He spoke for us about some of the issues facing Asia today. He believes our schools are not teaching students to be global citizens. Do you think your school is creating global citizens? Should they be? How do we go about creating global citizens? Let’s start a global discussion about it!

To see Chadran Nair’s ECIS speech in it’s entirety, stop by my blog – Raki’s Rad Resources.

Student Learning Games

2013-05-04T21:52:00.001-07:00

I recently had my students create board games. I gave them my list of Game Board Instructions (you can also download them on my site). The students worked in groups to create a game about a subject we are currently studying. I gave each group a different subject, and their job was to create a learning game involving concepts we're covering in class.

They were also responsible for coming up with detailed instructions, creating game pieces and game cards, and decorating their game board and box.

I purchased many of my materials from my favorite store, the Dollar store (see my blogs about the dollar store by clicking here and here.). Here's what I bought: small toys that were used as game pieces, pipe cleaner, googly eyes, and stickers for the kids who wanted to make their game pieces, dice, timers, spinners, white gift wrap boxes that the students used to store the game, and small cardboard jewelry boxes to hold the game pieces.

Here's an example of game pieces made with pipe cleaners and stickers.

These are some of the pieces I purchased from the Dollar Store.

One example of a game my students made was called "Fun-Cabulary." They created a game where the players spin a spinner which tells them to either act out, draw, sculpt, or explain a vocab word. Then they pick up a vocab card that has the word and definition on it, and the students have to guess the word.

They had a great time with this activity and the kids love playing each other's games! Here are some photographs of the kids' creations.

Field Trips Rock!

2013-05-04T02:24:00.001-07:00

My students, who attend the International School of Morocco, are very lucky. They live in an area (Casablanca, Morocco) that provides us with great field trip opportunities. We are currently studying Ancient Rome, so yesterday we went to see some Roman ruins and artifacts.

We started at Chellah, the site of the ancient Roman city of Sala Colonia. The kids were able to see arches, house walls, a nice Roman road, columns, a bath house and water pipes.

They were also able to see and talk about the “layering” that happens with many ancient ruin sites, as there are distinctly Arab buildings built “on top” of this site. We were able to look at mosques and mosaics and compare and contrast the Roman architecture and the Arab architecture.

After Chellah, we went over to the Archaeological Museum and saw specific artifacts, collected from the many Roman sites in Morocco, including Volubilis. We were able to see pottery, jewelry, statues and a great mosaic.

What awesome places do you get to take your students on field trips to?

Collaborative Project: Student Blogging

2013-05-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

My school - Souris Consolidated (Prince Edward Island, Canada)

I wrote a post last month about how I was just starting to get my students blogging. Since then, we are well on our way in our blogging adventures and most students are really enjoying it. Of course, there are students who don't enjoy writing, and blogging is no different for them. However, they do enjoy the freedom to play around with fonts and add photos to customize their blogs. They also enjoy the interaction with their classmates and feedback from myself, on improving their posts before publishing.

There were quite a few comments on that original post, from other teachers who were like me and wanted to have another class or two to blog with. It's almost like pen-pals, with a technological twist!

So, I've since decided to make this a collaborative project here on GTC. It's quite simple. If you have your students blogging and would like to set up something with another class, simply fill out your info on this spreadsheet Collaborative Project: Student Blogging. Have a look at the other teachers/classes who are seeking fellow students to blog with. If you find a teacher who matches what you are looking for - go ahead and email them and set something up between the two of you. Ta-da!

Here are two popular sites to choose from if you're new to student blogging. You may want to check the spreadsheet to see what most people are using!

Once your students are ready to team up with another class - the sky's the limit!

-Students can simply read and comment on students' blogs in the other class

-Students could introduce themselves and get to know those in the other class in a "Get to know you" post - this would work best for us blogging newbies, most likely.

-Students in both classes could be given the same prompt (maybe even somewhat controversial ) to respond to and then read what their classmates/the other class had to say about the topic

-Students could all write about something unique to where they live if the blogging countries are quite different

-Students could also simply write about something of interest to them - everyone may have a different topic, and again, students must read and comment on each other's blogs.

-Students could post a picture symbolizing something important to them and have students comment, guessing what the picture represents

-Students could post a riddle and have students comment, making guesses at the answer

More blogging ideas for you and your students.

So, so many options!

Feel free to connect with just one teacher or multiple, on the spreadsheet that we're compiling. We already have classes grades 1-8, in four different countries. Also, make a mental note to come back next school year (as it is getting close to the end for most of us) and see who's available to blog at that time. We're starting this LATE in the year. Imagine if we'd started it at the beginning of the school year! So many possibilities.

Even though we're just starting this now, I'm sure that the kids will still make connections, get to know each other and each other's writing voices and styles. They'll also become more comfortable with blogging as a writing format, and stronger writers in general! Writing is different when you know that there is a REAL audience - it just IS! I think that when students see that people are actually reading what they write and are commenting on it, they will be more engaged and inclined to raise the bar for their writing (that's my hope, anyway).

So, without further adieu, let the blogging begin!

If you've done this before, or are new - like me, please voice your comments, questions, concerns or potential blog post ideas below for us all to benefit from! We're here to help each other and to make the classes we teach as engaging for our students as possible. Let's harness our students' love and ever-growing aptitude for technology for our own gains - creating stronger, more purposeful writers!

Surviving the final months (or weeks) of the school year

2013-04-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

I just had to share! I am co-hosting a "School's (Almost) Out Blog Hop and Giveaway" and it has turned out REALLY well!

Our contributing bloggers have written such thoughtful posts including ideas, activities, lots of photos and even some freebies.

There is a giveaway on the go as well, with lots of teacher resources to be won and an Amazon gift card!

I have two months left this school year - finished on June 28th. What about where you teach? What ideas do you have for making it through these last months?

Let Teachers from Around the World Teach Your Class

2013-04-25T14:10:00.001-07:00

At the ECIS Technology conference, I attended a workshop on the flipped classroom and was fully intrigued. In a flipped classroom, all or some of the homework is a video or online simulation that “teaches” what you would normally teach in class. Then, in class the kids focus on activities, projects and practice problems that would generally be homework. This way, there is nobody sitting at home stuck on how to figure out a math problem, or even worse practicing doing it wrong. Stop by my blog – Raki’s Rad Resources to see how I’m using the flipped classroom model at my class at the International School of Morocco.

One of the things that I like most about using the flipped classroom model is that I am able to bring in “guest teachers” from around the world to help explain things to my students. I have the option of creating videos for them (using apps like Explain Everything and Educreations), but there are also SO many videos already available, that I have found what I need for the rest of this school year without making any myself. The majority of the videos my students are watching have come from the Khan Academy, which is an online library of over 3,000 videos on tons and tons of subjects. Other good sources of online videos include: Knowmia, Engvid, Teacher Tube, EDTed, NeoK12, and Math Playground. Each of these videos is created by someone who might explain it slightly differently than I would. So, if a student isn’t getting it with my explanation or Khan Academy’s explanation, I have a plethora of other “guest teachers” to lean on and use their explanations to help my students understand. Here is one the video my students watched for homework on Tuesday:

Division 2: Dividing into larger numbers. Introduction to long division and remainders.

Have you ever thought about flipping your classrooms and allowing “guest teachers” from around the world to help you out?

Earth Day Video Collaborative Project

2013-04-09T04:58:00.001-07:00

Hi guys, it’s Heidi Raki of Raki’s Rad Resources and I’m here to explain our newest Global Teacher Connect Collaborative Project.

Earth Day is on April 22nd. Last year for Earth Day, I hosted a Getting Rid of Plastic Bags Collaborative Project here at Global Teacher Connect. This year, I am hosting an Earth Day Video Collaborative Project focused on recycling. Each class (or a group within your class) that is participating will create a video with three parts – each part focused on one of the three R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle. Then, the class will upload their video to YouTube or Vimeo and add a link to their video here in the comments, with their grade, school and location. I have created a project sheet that I am going to use with my class, and you are welcome to use that same sheet. Download it free from my TPT store, or e-mail me at hlraki @ hotmail . com and I’ll send you it directly. You DO NOT have to use this sheet, it’s just an option to make it easier – .

Project Guidelines:

- Create a video. Videos can be created using any variety or combination of movie making or screencast programs or iPad apps, including, but not limited to: Movie Maker (on PC’s), iMovie (on Macs or iPad), Educreations (on PC, Mac or iPad), Morfo (on iPad), Explain Everything (on iPad), or Jing (on PC).

- Videos may show student faces, but don’t have to (mine won’t!) If you show student faces, please be sure to have parent permission.

- Upload the video to a site where everyone can access it. (YouTube and Vimeo are easy and free.)

- Post the link here in the comments, along with your class’ grade(s), school, and location.

- Share the other links that have been created with your class.

- Feel free to let your students leave comments for the other classes’ videos.

Flat Stanley Writing Project

2013-04-07T10:12:00.002-07:00

Connecting with other classrooms has never been easier. With a simple click we can be transported half-way around the world. One project that I do in my classroom that connects classrooms around the world is the Flat Stanley Writing Project. You can connect directly with the Flat Stanley Website here and search for a partner school. You will be contacted very quickly (I guarantee) and the collaborative project is born. I am connecting with a school in NY once again for our FS project. We created our FS templates, mail them off and waited for our buddies from NY to send theirs. Once received, I assigned each child a FS and they keep a writing journal for 5 days of all their adventures. I also ask them to take lots of photos of where they have taken their FS. This is also an excellent literacy writing project.

Our Flat Stanleys off to NY!

After our part is complete, we mail back a completed journal and their FS and we, in turn, wait for ours. We culminate the project with a Skype visit so we can see our friends in person and ask each other questions.

If you haven't already done this project, check it out. It really is alot of fun and gives children knowledge of how another student lives in other parts of the world. It is a good idea to read a few of the books beforehand so your children understand the stories.

Blogging as a Writing Format for Students

2013-04-01T16:36:00.004-07:00

I feel like I haven't been here in so long! I've missed you GTC! Where the heck did March go? Anyhow, I thought I'd just check in quickly with something that I've got planned for my class for later on this week.

I know that many of you probably use blogs as a writing format for your students. I've been meaning to get to this all year and it just hasn't happened yet. We have been having some issues with technology at the school on top of everything else (nothing new) but I'm going to give it a shot this week, anyway.

Kidblog is one of the most popular sites that I have found for students to write their own blogs. It is private, easy to manage (from the looks of it) and also has options for classes to blog with other classes.

In Health, we have been talking about stress and coping with stress. I will be having my students write a blog post about what stresses them (or kids their age) and what techniques they can use to alleviate their stress. It's a simple task, really. However, I'll be having them read and comment on at least 2 or 3 of their classmates' blogs as well. I hope that they'll enjoy the writing format as a change of pace, and perhaps gain some new ways of coping with the various stresses of being a young teenager. I also hope that they will gain even more insight into purpose and audience.

I'll let you know how this little activity goes and how the students enjoy it. I'd love to have my students write for a global audience, but with privacy issues, that can be tricky. However, with the control that Kidblog offers, it would be possible to team up with another class or classes and give a wider audience to our students, rather than just their classmates.

FYI, I teach in Prince Edward Island. Below is a shot of our town (taken last fall, there's a little snow around still). The other 2 photos are also taken in the area where I live and are just for fun! My brother and husband went kayaking a couple of weeks ago on a freakishly warm day (notice the bergs;)

Souris, PEI

Such a calm day!

Hubby on the left, little brother on the right...

Aaaaannyway...

Please, leave a comment if you'd ever be interested in teaming up to allow our students to read each others' Kidblogs. It could be very cool! I'll know by the end of the week, hopefully, if student blogging is something that I wish to do more of, or if our technology (or lack there of) is going to be my reason to say, "Not this year." I'll be sure to share the outcome and my decision, though:)

Do your students blog? What site do you use?

Technology Insights from a Global Community

2013-04-01T15:07:00.001-07:00

Recently, I was lucky enough to attend and present at a technology conference hosted by the European Council for International Schools (ECIS). The conference inspired me in so many ways and has impacted the day to day teaching that I am doing already. Just being around all those teachers from all over Europe and the Middle East was inspirational. Then, to hear the speakers and take part in the discussions, it was amazing. For more specific information on the conference, check out the notes at my blog – Raki’s Rad Resources. In the meantime, here are five of the biggest ideas I took away from the conference. Please pin your favorites to get these ideas moving around our global teaching community.

Free Easter jokes cards

2013-03-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

Why does the Easter Bunny stay fit? Because he egg-cersises!

Head over to my blog to download more Easter jokes here!

Easter in Spanish- freebies

2013-03-16T05:53:00.000-07:00

If you want to download free resources for Easter in Spanish visit my Spanish blog and get your copies there.

Classroom Elections - Voting Practice

2013-01-22T16:41:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! This is Nyla from Trinidad and Tobago. How are things in your part of the world? I understand that yesterday, some schools were closed due to the very cold weather. I had the day off to but it was not because of any snow.

Yesterday, I proudly dipped my finger into the electoral ink as I practiced my civil right to vote. In Tobago, we have island wide elections once every four years wherein in winning party gets to run the Tobago House of Assembly.

This has been a very exciting time for us and we (my fellow teachers at school and I) wanted our students to be aware of the election process. We held a mock election campaign, debate and voting on Friday. The video below is a quick snippet of the winning party's campaign speech!

You can read more about it here at my teaching blog, Nyla's Crafty Teaching.

A Year in Preview ~What Will 2013 Have in Store For You?

2012-12-30T11:22:00.001-08:00

I feel like I haven't been here on GTC for so long! Where is this school year going?

With the holidays behind us and a fresh new year ahead, many of us begin to wonder what's in store for us in the new year. It's a time for some, to make resolutions for the year ahead and for others to reflect on the year gone by.

I'd encourage you, if you haven't already, to take a few moments and think about what you'd like to accomplish with the remainder of the school year. This doesn't have to be something big - it can something as simple as getting your desk tidied. Of course, work is not (and should not) be the only thing in life. Also, have a look at your personal life and ask yourself what you'd like to make a priority for the new year. I don't like calling these things "resolutions" because no one ever keeps those. I rather think of these things as goals, to consciously work toward.

What does 2013 have in store for you?

To help you get started...

I just wrote and linked up a post on my blog, Lessons From The Middle, to a great little linky party "A Year in Preview" which is being hosted by blogging buddy Michelle, from Making It As A Middle School Teacher. Come on over and have a look at what different teachers are planning for the new year in their professional and personal lives. It may even inspire you to look ahead for yourself and make some simple, achievable goals, or to reflect on how you're doing with the last goals that you set.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Making Sense of Senseless Acts - Part 2

2012-12-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

With the tragedy of the Connecticut school shooting still weighing heavy on my heart, I was so happy to be able to share something new with my students that, once again, made me so glad I teach in a private Christian school. Even now, almost a full week after the event, I can tell it’s still on the hearts and minds of my students.

I’ve been doing my best to try and explain to them why such tragedies occur (and I’m even trying to make sense of it myself... even prompting me to write a blog post about it over the weekend). Today during our Bible lesson, we were reading about the Christmas story in the Bible and we came to the part that explains how King Herod was furious with the Magi, or wise men, whom he sent to find the Christ Child, did not return to him as he requested.

Matthew 2:16-18 says,“Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

‘A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.’”

I took a moment to point out to my students that we see an evil offense against innocent children in the Bible. I asked the kids to do their best to make a connection between King Herod’s actions and those of the shooter in Connecticut. We came to the conclusion that evil does exist in this world, and just like in the Bible, God can use that evil for good. This is just another reason why Jesus was sent to Earth and why each of us needs Jesus, a Savior.

I know there are many teachers who don’t have the same luxury as me in sharing this with their students. But I hope it helps those of you who are still struggling to find peace during this time.

I’d like to hear your thoughts and feelings about this post.

Sticker Stamps

2012-12-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here’s another holiday activity that was a big hit with my students. The kids made their very own stamps, and it was extremely simple to do.

Here’s what you’ll need:
About 8 bottle caps for each student
Large assortment of Holiday foam stickers
6-8 Red & Green Stamp Pads (I got mine at the Dollar Store).

Since I do my own recycling in the class, I begin saving bottle caps from water, Gatorade, and juices for this activity. I realized I was going to be a bit short this year, so I asked parents to donate and I received a whole lot!

The students find their favorite foam stickers and stick them to their bottle cap.

Then I had each student write a winter/holiday story using their Sticker Stampers. Here’s some examples.

Making Sense of Senseless Acts - Part 1

2012-12-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

In light of recent events, many have found themselves wondering how to make sense of the tragedy in Connecticut on Friday. I too have been struggling with this. I wanted to write this post as an encouragement to others and to possibly relate to others. Maybe some of you are having the same thoughts as I am.

Last night, our school had our annual Christmas performance. The students were told to check in with their teachers before the show started and as I was taking a mental roll call, I took a moment to watch the kids and I witnessed just how excited they were to perform. I watched proud parents snapping photographs of their child with friends and other teachers hugging newly-arrived students. In the midst of hearing a fit of giggles from students near me, I couldn’t help but think that across our country, families were mourning the loss of their loved ones and grieving for others as well.

Why did my school get to celebrate that evening and another have to endure what seems like pure Hell on Earth?

It’s tragedies like this that make people question, “Where was God?” or, “How could God let this happen?” Those are tough questions, but I believe I have some answers.

You know where God was? He was mourning the loss of each and every person affected. The only way I can answer the second question is quote the pastor of my church who repeatedly tells us, “Not everything that happens is part of God’s will.” God does not cause pain in our lives, but he does permit it so we can see His beauty and His grace. If we never struggled, how would we know what answered prayer looks like? I believe that God has a purpose beyond my own understanding. My God is the God who created the universe; He is the same God who can take an act of evil and work it in such a way that we will see prayers answered, miracles occur, and His hand at work. I know this because of the following verse:

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" -Jeremiah 29:11

If there’s one piece of advice you’ll let me give you, I’d like to encourage you to not get sucked into the media. In times of crisis we sometimes have a hard time looking away and we often look to the media for answers. If you do find yourself watching the news, looking for the latest development, be on the lookout for the heroes, and for the supporters. That’s where you’ll start to see God’s hand at work.

I’d like to hear some of your thoughts or things you’ve been mentally wrestling with yourself. Please comment below to contribute.

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

2012-12-16T07:15:00.001-08:00

Please keep all of these families in your thoughts and prayers today.

Glitter is the Herpes of Craft Supplies

2012-12-15T17:26:00.001-08:00

Have you ever heard the expression: Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies? Truer words were never spoken. While I don’t dislike glitter as much as some of my cohorts (I have a teacher friend who is literally AFRAID of glitter), I do like to avoid it for most of my kids’ crafts.

This craft, however, was unavoidable. Our school was having our annual fundraising carnival and this year’s theme was, “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” Each class was given the task of creating a game booth. One of my wonderful parent helpers suggested we do a ruby red slipper theme. I thought it was a GREAT idea and she thankfully took charge of planning the booth and informing all the parents of items we needed.

In the weeks that followed, students began bringing the items their parents signed up for. Among the items were: red paint, previously worn women’s dress shoes, and red glitter… lots and lots of red glitter. Oh boy. Right away I started preparing myself for Decoration Day (or as I will now refer to it as D-Day).

D-Day arrived. I had already planned in my head that my classroom could be considered a disaster area by the end of the day. Had I not prepared myself, I think I would have literally gone insane.

In the end, the kids ended up doing a great job and were mindful of their cleanliness. They were so excited with the finished products and had a blast with this activity.

Here are some photographs of the children and their ruby red slippers.

To Memorize or Not to Memorize

2012-11-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I am currently living in Morocco with my husband and three young sons. My two older sons (grades K and 3) go to a Moroccan school in French and Arabic. Their school requires a lot of memorization and handwriting, and very little higher level thinking and creative writing. I teach an the International School of Morocco in English. My school spends a lot of time on creative writing, exploring and building critical thinking skills. As a mother and a teacher, I often feel caught in the middle. My sons go to the school they do because I want them to learn the language, but I do wish they spent more time learning the way that I teach.

I recently read an article that got me to thinking though that some of how they are learning is making them stronger learners in some ways. My older son spends a lot of time memorizing – poems, verb conjugations, Koran verses, paragraphs about science, and the younger one is starting to come home with these same types of activities. While this sometimes seems to be a waste of time, he is practicing the skills of memorizations and visualization. When it comes time to memorize things that I think are important (like math facts), it comes a lot easier to him because he has spent time practicing this skill. In addition, he has a ton of information stuck in his memory that he can connect his new information with. Granted, his school does not seem to spend time teaching him how to make those connections, but he makes many connections on his own and my husband and I are helping him to make more connections.

In my own classroom, I am trying to use some of this to help my students. I am finding that my students who have a background in schools that focus on memorization can learn and memorize things faster. In order to build their memorizing ability, we are working on memorizing in class, using math facts, nursery rhymes, songs etc. However, in my classroom, I take the time to show students 1.) why it’s important to memorize the things we need to memorize and 2.) how to connect this memorization to other things that don’t need to be memorized.

Here are some specific places I have found to use memorization in my classroom:

Please stop by my blog – Raki’s Rad Resources for specific ideas on how to incorporate memory building ideas in your classroom.

How important is memorization in school near you?

Choose The Free Resource You’d Like Me to E-mail You

2012-11-09T04:19:00.000-08:00

Today I turn 30, and I’m trying not to think about it! So, I decided to giveaway my store. Everyone gets to choose their own present, from my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are almost 400 items to choose from. You can ask for anything from my store that is NOT a .zip folder. (Last year the .zip folders jammed up my Outlook, lol!)

All you have to do to get your present is leave me a comment telling me what you like about my blog and what present you’d like me to send you. Stop by my blog – Raki’s Rad Resources – November 9th or 10th to leave a comment and get your free gift.

Science Experiment - Pop Rocks & Soda

2012-11-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard the rumor that if you eat Pop Rocks and then drink soda, your stomach will explode? Many students have heard this before so we decided to do a little research to see if this was a myth or if it was real. Now, of course we didn’t test our experiment on human or an animal (even though one of my students willingly volunteered to be a test subject). Instead, we used soda and a balloon to represent a human stomach.

First we gathered 3 different types of soda: Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite. We made sure we used bottles of soda instead of canned soda. Then we filled 3 different balloons with an entire package of Pop Rocks.

Our class made predictions about what they thought would happen. All of the students figured out that we would witness some type of reaction, so I had the students vote on which type of soda they thought would create the biggest reaction.

Then we tested our hypothesis. We chose 1 type of soda to test first. Very carefully (and in the sink... just in case), we placed the opening of the balloon over the mouth of a bottle of soda.

Then when we lifted the other end of the balloon up, the contents inside fell into the bottle of soda. We waited and recorded our results.

After a few minutes, we noticed the balloon filling up with gas and expanding. Then we did the same to the other 2 types of soda using our remaining balloons.

The students were able to conclude that while consuming Pop Rocks and soda wouldn’t be detrimental to your stomach, it would probably make you pretty gassy.

We concluded the experiment by watching the soda and Pop Rocks candy reaction under a microscope. First we took a small granule of the candy and placed in on the slide. Then we watched through the eyepiece as I used an eyedropper to slowly add soda to the granule.

Here are some pictures of what the reaction looked like.

The purpose of completing this activity was to get the students used to using the Scientific Method. You could also use this to teach about gas, chemical reactions, or carbon dioxide. All in all, this was a wonderful experiment that I will make sure to do with my students every year.

To view more information about this experiment visit http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/poprocks

For more ideas on how to use candy during experiments (especially your leftover Halloween candy) visit http://www.science20.com/science_motherhood/top_10_scientific_uses_leftover_halloween_candy

Winter Holiday Show

2012-11-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

I teach at the International School of Morocco. We have a truly international school, with over 15 countries represented in our small student body. In order to make sure that all of the families feel included in the holiday celebrations, I created a truly multiculutral Holiday Show called Light Up the World with Celebrations. It celebrates the fact that light is often used as a way to celebrate – through candles, lanterns, fireworks, luminaries etc.

Next week, the students at my school will begin to learn our lines. Each student K5 – 4th has a talking part, but most of the parts are short and sweet. My two strongest 4th graders will play the narrators with the most lines. (Grab a free copy of the play from my TPT store.)

Before we begin learning our lines for the play, we will begin learning about the holidays that our show covers with a Winter Holiday Powerpoint Presentation. There are many, many holidays discussed during the power point presentation and in our holiday show, including Christmas, Haunakkah, Kwanza, Diwali, Ramadan, St. Martin’s Day, St. Lucia’s Day and New Years.

Also next week, the K4/K5 teacher, who is also the music teacher will begin working with the students on our two songs – This Little Light of Mine and Silent Night in 4 languages. We’ll also be singing Happy Birthday in 4 languages, but we already sing those regularly, so that should be no sweat.

The week before we deliver the play, my students in Grades 3 & 4 will do a more intensive study into four of the winter holidays with our Winter Holiday Vocabulary Packet. (Grab a free copy from my TPT store.)

Holy Smokes are we going to be busy between now and Winter Vacation.

What’s your class/school planning for the holidays?

This Just In...

2012-11-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

This past week our school celebrated Grandparent’s day. The students decorated our room with activities to show off to their special guest. One of the activities I had them complete was a writing sample, showcasing all the fun things they like to do at school. The students revealed their answers through a newspaper article.
Here are some samples:

If you would like to have your students write a newspaper article, you can download a copy of the template I created by clicking here.