Using Mystery Questions

This summer I tried  Mystery Questions to change things up a bit.
The kids really got into it!

 
Here's how we did it.

I wrote some questions about a read aloud book on index cards and placed each in an envelope. I had a small group (no more then 5 students) so there was an envelope/question for each of them. All the envelopes went into a paper sack.

I enticed them by telling them about the Mystery sack before reading the book.

Immediately after reading the book, we talked a little about what happened in the story, then passed around the sack. Each student pulled out an envelope and read the question to themselves, some students needed some help doing this and that's alright!

Students took turns reading their question aloud and answering it.Sometimes they needed a clue or they could ask a friend to help them. I cautioned everyone not to help unless they asked. That gets tricky sometimes.

Pretty simple.

Great things about the Mystery Questions

• Opportunity to read independently.
• Promotes language skills.
• Easily differentiated.
• Motivating to practice comprehension skills.
• Everyone gets a turn.
• Hands on/allows movement.

Let me know if you try this!

Later,

Paula

4th of July Art Project

I have really dropped the ball on this blog! Each weekend I consider writing a post and always find something else to do. I haven't posted since September! 

But I have something new to talk about.....I am teaching ESY (AKA summer school). It has been pretty fun, my class has a variety of disabilities and therefore, a variety of skill levels. It makes life interesting.

This week we focused on the 4th of July. We did a fun and easy art project.

The materials you will need:

Paints- red, white and blue
Toilet Paper rolls (one for each color of paint)
Scissors
Glue
Glitter
Paper plates 
Black or dark blue construction paper

First, cut the toilet paper rolls.

Depending on your students' skills, draw a line to indicate how far to cut. It is always a good idea to have a model.

Spread out the fringe so it will lay flat.

Next, pour the paint in a paper plate in a circular motion leaving the center empty, this is where the center of the TP roll will be located. It won't need paint.

Now,  make firework prints!

We made a red, white and blue print for each picture. The kids also discovered that it helped to push down the fringe or they didn't get as much of the print. For those who are very sensitive to getting their fingers messy, a wet wipe/paper towel helps them to continue doing the project while they wipe off their fingers every few seconds. OR, I just thought of this: give them Q-tips to use to smooth them down.
Last, add glue for the swirls and sprinkle with glitter. The glitter pens also work great!

My class and grandchildren enjoyed this project. It was quick, easy and most importantly....FUN!

I found this great idea from Heidi at Happiness is Homemade.

Our district is using Google Education. I included this slide on our presentation for the day. I love using Google slides, it is a daily visual lesson plan. It helps keep me on track and students are tuned into the visuals.

Hope you enjoy this,

Happy 4th of July!

Paula

Source: Emoji Me from itunes store.

Edited with PicMonkey.

ESY....Week 4...One more to go!

 

Linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

 

Began the week with this cute octopus!

This guy was in a book I found in my cabinet...yes you heard right!

 

A BOOK!

 

Remember in the old days....we used those to have access to lesson ideas?

 

 

Anyway, the book is from

 

Teacher Created Materials,

Thematic unit: Sea Animals

Early Childhood

 

 

 

We read

( this book has beautiful artwork, vivid colors and rhymes)

 

 

 and made one of these maps to see how many animals we could remember from the book! They were pretty excited about it, I am wishing we had done this type of activity more this summer.

 

 

 

Next, they completed and drew pictures of sea life from the map. The worksheet is from the amazing Sea life theme book from

Teacher Created Materials

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cool counting game!

roll the dice.....count....add....color in the total. Sometimes they roll over and over before getting a new number, no problem!

 

This is a freebie from

www.autismtank.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

We read

 

 

and made...

 

I have made many versions of a rainbow fish over the years, and I think this is my favorite!

In the past, I have made it too complicated and it takes quite a lot of time. This guy was quick and the students could make him as colorful as they wanted with markers. Of course, the

GLITTER

is the best part!

(another paper plate creation is born!)

 

The kids were so excited to take theirs home, I didn't get pictures, this is my demo model.

 

 

 

 

 

Fireweed....inverted colors!

just some fun....

 

There is one more week of Summer School to share and since I am one week BEHIND in presenting it, I'm actually flying to Oklahoma!!! after this post.

 

I will post the last week's activities while on vacation....maybe.....might be later...

(yes! I'm going on vacation!)

 

 

Later,

 

 

Paula

 

 

 

 

ESY 2015.....Week 3!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching this week with activities from our third week of summer school!~ It is FLYING by!

 

 

 

We made play dough this week. It was messy and fun!

This is our step by step instructions, we ended up reducing the amount of water because it was WAY too sticky! We still needed to add more flour, it was definitely a work in progress.

  

 

 

There was lots of running to the sink to wash or wipe hands off on wet paper towels, and then they would dive back in. Lots of language (ew....this is gross....ick....mine is tooooo sticky... more flour please...).

A couple of days later, it needed MORE flour, so I'll have to study on this recipe a bit more.

I considered it a SUCCESS as a lesson!

 

 

 

 

 

This week was all about Pirates!

I found this pirate puppet on Teachers Pay Teachers!

You can get him from GreenAppleLessons.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found this awesome, amazing and "funnest" pirate science idea on Pinterest!

 

You can see it on

http://fun-a-day.com/pirate-science-fun-exploding-treasure-chests/

 

The above picture shows the ingredients used.

 

Pour the mixture into ice trays with some treasures in the center of each and FREEZE

 

 

 

Some of the treasure....

The recycled squirt bottles are filled with vinegar.
The kids squirt it on the ice cube.....
and wahoooooooooo!

Magic!

Check out Fun-A-Day.com.

 

 

The books we focused on this week.....
Sounds (a Big book)
Twenty-Six Pirates
and....
another pirate book that I cannot think of right now!

I forgot to take pictures of them this week!

 

Our yard is growing like crazy!

The fires are slowing down in the state and it has been raining often.

 

 

We LOVE it!

 

Hope your summer is going well also!

 

 

Later,

 

 

Paula

Station Rotations....Under the Sea Style!

For ESY our classrooms usually have a variety of students who work at many different levels. This is just one of the cool things about getting to teach in the summer! It is a challenge and gets the teaching brain cooking.

Once I know I am hired for ESY, I choose a theme.

When I receive information about the students, I compile their objectives into categories:

• Math skills
• reading and writing skills
• behavior and social skills
• communication skills

I pack what might be needed ( I always over do this, I'm trying to reduce the number of boxes but it's hard).

If the theme is a new one for me, I go to Oriental Trading, they ROCK!

After "regular" school is out, I spend a couple of weeks doing what I want and the third week planning for summer school.

I purchased my own laminator....and....it is the best thing ever! I don't know why I waited so long!

(PSSST....also the film is so much better then the film we have on our school laminator)

My brain requires time to sort out how and what I want my classroom to look like. I know teachers who just open the boxes and they are ready! I envy them, but I would be hysterical if I tried to do that!

Most of the time, after the first week of ESY, I relax. Our team (usually 2 assistants and myself) figure out ongoing problems as they occur and everything goes just FINE!

I work with the most amazing people! I have been teaching ESY 8 years and have never worked with anyone who wasn't fabulous!

I'm getting off topic......

this all leads to the  STATION ROTATION part of our school day!

 

The theme is "under the sea".

 

The stations are named to match.

(stations have matching visual-see previous post)

 

Visuals are crucial!

 

Velcro helps us be flexible!

 

Groups are assigned....3 to 4 in each. (hopefully no more)

 

and given a necklace to help remember which group they belong to

 

 

Groups are divided into

starfish

turtles

jellyfish

 

3 groups....3 adults....each of us wears a necklace also and travels with our group.

 

In the past, adults have been assigned a station and stayed there.

 

Traveling with the group works better....if kids need help transitioning someone is right there.

 

I ring the bell when it is time to move.

 

We change around their groups because someone always wants to be something different...

("awwwww....I wanted to be a turtle.")

 

This way I can say

" You will be a turtle tomorrow."

 

 

by the way, the necklace pictures are stickers from the awesome

Oriental Trading.com

 

 

 

That's it for now!

 

 

Later,

 

 

 

Paula