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We did a probability lesson in math using Starburst jelly beans. The students worked with a partner. Each set of partners was given a cup with 2 purple jelly beans and 1 orange jelly bean. The partners took turns closing their eyes and pulling a jelly bean out of the cup. Then, they recorded which color they got on their worksheet. When they were finished, they counted how many jelly beans they got for each color. Then, I asked students which color of jelly bean they pulled out the most. Of course, most of them got more purple jelly beans. We discussed why. I also asked them what they thought the results would have been if we had 10 orange jelly beans and 1 purple jelly bean in the cup. They thought they would have pulled out orange the most.
In the afternoon, we had Junior Achievement again. Today, Miss Gardner talked about money. They were thrilled when she gave them a scratch-off bookmark and a penny. They used the penny to scratch-off the bookmark, and they found a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter underneath.
A small clip of 2 sets of partners playing the probability jelly bean game in math
Scratching off her bookmark
Here's what they looked like when they were finished scratching:
We dyed Easter Eggs today and decorated them with a magic crayon and spring stickers. They had a lot of fun! We are also starting our jelly bean math unit this week. Today, we taste tested some Jelly Belly flavors. These are the flavors we tasted: Berry Blue, Strawberry Jam, Watermelon, Buttered Popcorn, Bubble Gum, Lemon Lime, Orange Sherbet, and Chocolate Pudding. Each student decided which flavor was their favorite, and we graphed our classes' favorites. The students each had their own graph so they could graph everyone's favorite on their own. Lemon Lime ended up being the class favorite.
They also practiced shooting basketball hoops in P.E. They did an awesome job and many of them even made baskets! Lastly, we started Junior Achievement this week. The Junior Achievement teacher will be coming 5 more times.
Dying Easter eggs
A few friends posing with their finished eggs
Taste testing Jelly Belly flavors (I love their reactions!)
Shooting basketball hoops in P.E.
We went on a spring walk around our school's neighborhood. I told the students to watch closely because we were going to write about what we saw when we got back. We saw all kinds of neat things on our walk. Here are some of them: pokey balls, flowers, stop signs, birds, baby trees, Kansas flag, horse statues, Christmas lights and much more. When we came back, each student wrote about what they saw and drew a picture of it too. Then, I took all of the student's papers and made a class book with them. I think it was one of our best class books. :-) In the afternoon, we had study buddies. We played a game where the students took turns rolling the dice. The student with the highest number got to take a counter. The student to get 10 counters first was the winner. They had a great time! Lastly, we celebrated another birthday today! C brought in peanut butter birthday cupcakes. They were delicious!
Here are a few pages from our class book:
I saw leaf and horse (statue).
I saw a flower and a bush.
I saw a pokey. I saw a stop sign.
I saw a flag.
Playing a math game with their study buddies
Happy Birthday C!
C's table enjoying the cupcakes
We made a new bulletin board today. They colored flowers and placed their school picture in the middle of the flower. Then, we talked about all of the things we learned this year. I went around to each friend and helped them write two things they learned this year on each of their flower's leaves. Now, we have a great, new bulletin board. We also played our sight word game "Zap!". As you remember, each table has a bag of sight words and a few "Zap!" cards. The students close their eyes and pull out a sight word and read it. If they're correct, they get to keep the sight word. If they're incorrect, they have to put it back in the bag. The person who gets the most sight words wins the game, but they have to put all of their sight words back if they get a "Zap!" card. I decided to video tape them so you could see the game in person. Also, I video taped a friend reading Green Eggs and Ham to the class. I told the students that if they learn how to read a book from home, they will be able to bring it and read it to the class. She did a great job, and I hope to have more friends read to the class in the future. Lastly, "A" brought in her birthday cupcakes for us to enjoy today.
Two different groups playing Zap!
K reading part of Green Eggs and Ham
Our bulletin board
A's group eating the birthday cupcakes
Today, we did a science experiment. I showed them several different items including a stick, pencil, cotton ball, paper clip, penny, rubber band, crayon, and a marble. We predicted whether the items would sink or float. Then, I called on students to place them in the tub of water, and we graphed whether they sank or floated. We were very surprised when the cotton ball floated for awhile, but then sunk to the bottom. After we finished, we tried a few other items such as our wooden blocks and the counting bears. When we were all finished, I let the students come up to the tub so they could see the items up close. They really enjoyed pushing down the items that floated and watching them pop back up. We also had a friend celebrate her birthday today.
A friend dropping a pencil into the tub - It floated!
Getting a hands-on look
They have really enjoyed listening to books on CD/tape in centers
A block tower in centers
Happy Birthday A!
We made some fun kites today. First, the students cut out the kite. Then, they were able to decorate their kites using stencils. They loved them! The room was almost silent for about 15 minutes. :-) Later, I glued yarn on them so they would look like real kites. We also did a fun activity where they had to find certain things in a magazine and cut them out and glue them to their paper. Here are the things they had to find: the number 9, a shape, a sight word, a picture of the weather, an animal, a child, a car, and a ball. Later in the day, we celebrated another friend's birthday. He brought in some delicious cupcakes which made a great afternoon snack. I also want to give a special thanks to T's grandma for giving the students the wonderful St. Patrick's Day gifts. They loved them!
Using the stencils to make their kites
Here are a few friends with their completed kites
Searching for the items in the magazines
Here is a friend who found all of the items
Happy Birthday I!
I's table enjoying the birthday treats
Today, a friend celebrated her 6th birthday. We actually have 6 birthdays in March, so expect to see many more birthday posts. K brought in chocolate cupcakes with sprinkles for us to enjoy. They were very yummy.
The birthday girl's table enjoying their cupcakes
Happy Birthday K!
