St. Patrick's Day

   We watched Holiday Facts and Fun: St. Patrick's Day and we read It's St. Patricks' Day. Then students illustrated a symbol for St. Patrick's Day. We grouped our symbols on our circle map and used shared writing to stretch out and label our symbols. On the frame of our circle map, we wrote where we learned about St. Patrick's Day.

    We wrote to explain why we wear green on St. Patrick's Day. I love how almost every child drew themselves as leprechauns.

    We read Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato and discussed story elements (characters, setting, and key events from the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Then students illustrated a part of our story map, and then they cut their pictures out. We put our story map together.

    We read and acted out 5 Little Shamrocks. Then students created and recorded their own shamrock subtraction stories.

    Mrs. Reed and I made leprechaun punch for the students while Mrs. Loftus read What Leprechauns Do. Then students enjoyed their leprechaun punch.

Here's our schema chart for St. Patrick's Day.

Here's my little leprechauns!

Plant Needs

    We watched a Discovery Streaming Video about plants and their needs. Then we discussed with our partner what plants need and why.

   
    Then students illustrated and labeled plant needs.

Subtraction Fun

   We started off our subtraction week by reading Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree by Eileen Christelow. We stopped to discuss how many monkeys went away and how many were left after the crocodile came each time. Then we sang Dr. Jean's Five Little Monkeys song. I passed out monkeys and an alligator necklaces, and the students acted out the song as we sang. Then we recorded the subtraction sentence as the whiteboard. 

    We read The Smushy Bus and talked about how many students were added and taken away. Then I taught the students a little rhyme I made up about students on a school bus. Then we chanted our rhyme and acted out subtraction stories. Then students created their own after a mini directed art lesson.

    We read Toy Box Subtraction and worked the subtraction stories as we read aloud. Then we used a treasure box and cars to tell and record our own subtraction stories whole group. Then students went to their tables and worked together to tell subtraction stories using their treasure boxes with cars. Then students created and recorded their own subtraction stories.

We also played a Chow Time! subtraction game partner game I found from The Mailbox magazine. We will add this game to a math station.

Living and Nonliving with Worms in the Science Lab

    We explored living and nonliving in the science lab with Mrs. Riggins using a real worm and a clay worm. Students got to touch and observe both.

    Then students discussed their observations of each and Mrs. Riggins recorded as they shared out on a T chart.

    Then students illustrated an example of both worms and labeled.

Famous African Americans and Inventions

    We learned about Isaac Johnson who invented the bicycle. We watched a short video on bicycle safety and then charted bicycle safety rules. Then students drew themselves riding a bicycle.

    We learned about Garrett Morgan who invented the traffic light. We illustrated a traffic light, discussed what the colors mean, and how it helps keep us safe. Then the students pretended  to drive cars around our classroom. I called out the colors and the students drove appropriately.

    We read Salt in His Shoes the story of Michael Jordan. Then we wrote and illustrated who we like to play basketball with or who we would want to play basketball with.