Polar Express Ticket Share

My class is book buddies with a kinder class. The kinder class enjoys a whole unit with The Polar Express, and since it happens to be one of my favorite picture books too, I've figured out ways to make it work for my 4th graders. Although it changes every year (often based on how long it took us to finish The Best Christmas Pageant Ever), I love using The Polar Express as a prompt for working with figurative language, persuasive letter writing, and sequencing. I also adore bringing the story to life and working it into other subjects, such as math.

The ticket you see in the photo is given to my students at the beginning of our fun. I print them on gold vellum paper (from Hobby Lobby or Michael’s). After cutting them apart, I use a circle punch to notch the ends so it will look like a ticket. Because vellum doesn’t absorb the ink, unless you are using a laser printer, I suggest having the tickets laminated. Otherwise, the students’ fingers will smudge the printing. I feel it is worth the effort, as the gold vellum has a sheen and translucence that the kids see as special—far more so than regular paper printed with a golden yellow ink. I’ve shared the link for my tickets below. The ticket number is actually the date on which the ticket was given, helping to make it a keepsake.

http://www.4shared.com/file/_dAA2ZFU/polar_express_ticket.html

The link below is a division worksheet I created to try and bring a bit of fun into our math.

http://www.4shared.com/office/7LfKMlsQ/polar_express_division.html

I sure hope those links work. This is my first time trying to share files! Please let me know if they don’t work. :)

Student Gifts Wrapped Pinterest Style

I love pinterest! http://pinterest.com/celestenm/school/ is my school board, which I may soon need to split into subjects!

This wrapping, however, was pinned on my Christmas board. I loved the simplicity of using an edge punch on a paper lunch bag. I tested a snowflake punch first, but I found it was too fussy for the look I wanted. So, I went with Stampin Up's scallop edge punch instead, and I adore the result. I actually like the tartan ribbon the best, but I ran out, and because I am like instant gratification, I just used another ribbon I had at school. Next time, I would wait and bring more of the tartan instead. Still, I like how both ribbons turned out. Inside, is a book, which the students are supposed to read over the break, as our first assignment upon returning requires it. (I know; it was sneaky slipping learning in with a gift!)

Dead Words

This is one of my favorite lessons for October! To practice using a thesaurus and improving word choice in our writings, my class chooses words to bury. These ‘dead words’ are either over used words or weak words. First, my class brainstorms words that we use too often or that aren’t very strong at getting our thoughts across to the reader. I have a container that holds dead words written on slips of paper. The students reach in and pick a word. They have to think of how they use this word: is it a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. Then, they use the classroom thesauruses to look it up. I require 12 alternatives, and this makes the task more challenging, as most of the words do not have that many substitutions in our thesauruses. Thus, the students often get on the classroom computers to look up other synonyms, or they brainstorm with other students. Once they have their list, they create gravestones. Once the gravestones are ready, we hold a ceremony to say goodbye to the dead words and bury them. The posters, then, hang where everyone can read them (and help create a bit of a Halloween mood too, I might add), but most importantly, when we write the students will point out to each other (and me) when a dead word is used, even after the gravestones are removed.

Skeletal System

My class just finished learning about the skeletal system. We used http://www.eskeletons.org/pdf/000646791.pdf for the printable skeletons. I put the students in small groups and explained that bones have 3 possible jobs: provide structure, allow movement, or protect organs. In their groups, the students had to decide the job/s of the major bones. They then cut the skeletons out, assembled them on black butcher paper, labeled bones, and told the job/s they thought the bone did.

State Cookies

These are just a few of the state cookies my students brought in today! After learning all about our state's regions, rivers, cities, landforms, and points of interest, they had to create a cookie to show this new info off!

State Brochure

We are working on the locations that make NM interesting and unique. After reading and researching points of interest, including state and national parks and monuments, the students had to choose a required number of each to write about. A script was provided for developing writers, but strong writers were encouraged to use stronger voice in their writings. No matter which writing style they chose, the same content was required: What is the place called? Where is it located in the state? What is one interesting fact about it? What is something you might learn about it or the state if you visit it?

The brochure was created using am 11” x 18” piece of construction paper that was accordion folded. The cover had to feature an image of NM and the state name. The 4 inside panels focused on specific types of parks , monuments, or events/attractions. The back panel showcased our state’s symbols.

Desert Ecosystem Book Suggestions