SmithScience

I have taught fifth grade science for 12 years in Texas and love seeing what my students need and creating materials. I created this for our fourth grade teachers who are juggling so much. The fourth grade TEKS are spiraled throughout the 10 assignments. They could be used for warm-ups, homework, centers, or review. I call it Brainwork because it should require students to THINK. Most answers are open-ended and require a good understanding of the concept. Students love mixing up the c

This is a set of 10 math problems. Each one is one page (room for some working). About half are open ended, great for GT learners. They will take some thinking and planning. I did not number them so you could use them in any order you want. I would make a book out of them and only give them to students who needed more of a challenge. I wrote them with fifth grade in mind, but I know there are some advanced fourth graders out there who could do it! These are modern, real-life problems Ki

A ready made lesson where students analyze tables of information (Bird adaptations) to create a bird that would survive in a particular habitat. Savanna Tundra Wetlands Prairie Kids will love the creativity of this activity, but they will find themselves pouring over tables of information. I created this so my students could analyze information and become better at gathering details from an organized set of information. Meshelle

Animania I created this for my students as a review of our life science concepts. I purposely used vocabulary that I wanted my students to know and I kept the readings short. After reading about three, obscure animals, students complete the table of information. I use this as an individual assignment then have students compare with partners. It is a great review and kids LOVE reading about these animals. The information in the reading will take some inference, but ALL the information is i

If the purpose of homework is to review and reinforce and you know that every student has different needs, your homework needs to have some flexibility. That was the thinking behind my homework this year. TWENTY MIN Homework is a homework system that allows your students to choose the activity from a menu that fits their needs. This could be your year-long homework assignment. I am planning on using it, but I will have to continually update my choices. I am only charging $2.00 because it is

Great for Morning Meetings and first week of school! I love to kill two birds with one stone. Give students a chance to use the GREATER THAN, LESS THAN symbols as they connect with each other in a get to know you activity. This activity is a twist of the WOULD YOU RATHER games where you could get to know you students and they can connect with each other. You’ll have to teach or review the greater than/ less than symbols: <, >. In this activity, if a students values PIE more than C

In my National Board Certification process, I discovered the importance of getting to know my students. The first few weeks of school we spend valuable time connecting. I listen, take notes and genuinely work on getting to know my students. Some of these activities are ‘oldies’ that I re-formatted and some are some new ideas. I kept from including directions on the student sheets so that you could fit it to your needs. Sometimes I actively monitor and sometimes I participate like another

Common Core: 5.NBT.7, 5.NBT.1 Texas TEKS 4.4A As a child I played 'city' where each of my friends had a business. We spent hours buying and selling with our fake money. I created LET'S GO SHOPPING as an interactive activity where students buy and sell. It should be very easy for you to set up and kids will LOVE playing city. Each student has a business with five items to sell. They price their items using the pricing guide and some place value math skills! It is very interactive and r

Create a booklet for your kids to reflect on the year and make goals for their future. There are 14 half page activities. Make copies on front to back to make a booklet. Pick and choose the activities that work best for your students. I plan on using these for a day when I have a sub. It is an easy copy to make and will keep the kids busy for quite awhile. As an extension, kids could share their thoughts with partners.

My students needed practice with adding fraction using models. I made these sixteen task cards so they have a lot of practice! There are four pages, 16 cards, that are all similar. Use them in centers, with partners, posted around the classroom, or as a group discussion. Simple task cards. Repetitive. Just what my students need! This type of problem has shown up on the STAAR test several times.

Genius Hour is a venue for facilitating authentic learning. As teachers, we are used to directing a prescribed curriculum. Genius Hour is an opportunity for teachers to TEACH and GUIDE authentic learning. We are teaching the process that Life Long Learners use in the pursuit of daily learning. Genius Hour is more than research. There is a goal (project, invention, presentation)! Brainstorm: Spend time delving into the many possibilities. You’ll know you have a great Genius Hour idea when you kn

I am going to use this my first week of school. I will give students the option of using my clip art or draw their own. I will show the example infographic AND make one for myself. What a fun way to introduce yourself (to students OR parents) Build relationships and connections by creating an Infographic in your classroom. Students may cut and paste or draw their own graphics. Use a talk and share strategy for students to get to know each other and create positive classroom relationships.

BEGINNING of the YEAR Get to know your students by gathering insight from parents. Here are three forms for you to choose from. I tried to keep it to one page so parents were not overwhelmed. I started asking for parent insight a few years ago. I loved connecting with parents. I found that my teaching improved when I knew my students better. I hole-punch papers and keep them in a binder with my calling log. While I am dialing parents, I am able to read over the parent notes!