Toad-ally Exceptional Learners: April Show and Tell

I'm linking up with Forever in 5th grade this week to highlight 4 Show and Tell goings on my the life and class. As with Spring Break in Colorado, I'm knee deep in snow again. (FYI it was 75 Wednesday.)

It's been a crazy couple of weeks since coming back from Spring Break. I've had students planting and making videos, playing with Easter Eggs, and building new ways to work with vocabulary.

These are Vocabulary Builders. Vocabulators: choose a theme for your jar (like ocean) and fill with rice or beads, ocean words, and objects like animals from the ocean. Use to help kids get ideas for writing and use good vocabulary! I've made two different sets--one has a lid (like below) and the other I put in larger food storage to be used with young kiddos that got double as a sensory bin. The next plan for these is to get rid of the words and use pictures and plastic animals.

I have to say-I've looking for Easter eggs on sale of ever. I scored the day after Easter and wipe the store out of there plastic eggs. I can't wait to finish these with numbers for my kindergarten RTI kiddos to use to help with number sense. Pictures to come on my Instagram page--later this week.

I have not done planting with seeds since I taught preschool some 15 years ago. I had a student ask if they could learn about seeds. The problem--my room has NO windows. After some research, I found that I could use an indoor garden grow light. I leave it on during my day and turn it off when I leave. Well as you see--it worked!!!. They have loved checking on them and creating videos to show off their knowledge. The videos are a work in progress with lots of trial and error. They have decided they look green screen better than shooting just a plain video. (Creating green screen has taken some trial and error.) More when the students finish them. And yes, to make it work you do need a create a green background. Being out of butcher paper, I found kiwi green curtain panels at Walmart to make it work. I have also found by using the app Green Screen by Do Ink for $3.00 worked way better than trying to get it work on iMovie.

I have to "furchildren." Aria and Louis are Italian Greyhounds that I have adopted from the IG Rescue in Colorado. They spend their summers hiking, camping, and backpacking. In the winter, snowshoeing is their thing when there is not tons of snow and the trail is broken and packed. Being cold is not favorite but they would rather go with their housekeeping staff instead of being left behind. There preference is a warm morning at the off-leash park where they can run and mom doesn't have to worry about the street.

Have a great week. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to get a pick into my classroom.

3 comments:

Kidpeople ClassroomApril 19, 2016 at 5:15 AM
Sprouting in bags with cotton is the best way to see the shoots. I did a grass caterpillar planting activity yesterday, and because the seeds are in dirt I also put a few in a bag like yours just so they could see what was happening in their caterpillars. See you around. Kathleen Kidpeople Classroom
Forever in Fifth GradeApril 19, 2016 at 4:36 PM
Looks like you have all kinds of fun things going on in your classroom! Thanks for linking up!

Stephanie
Forever in Fifth Grade
khallApril 19, 2016 at 5:10 PM
I teach fifth graders and we grew seeds too! I also grabbed eggs on clearance...I use them for a fraction activity. It is fun to see how different grades adapt activities and lessons.