Woodland Creature Reports

WHEW!!! We did it!  The kids finished writing their four paragraph reports.  We spent 3 days taking notes using Alphaboxes.  Thank you to Linda Hoyt's book Crafting Non-fiction. Then we organized our information, I listed these questions on a separate paper. 

What does your animal look like?

Where does your animal live? 

What does your animal eat?

 Finally, what are three interesting facts you learned about your animal?

  The kids wrote their paragraphs under each question.  On day five we took over the computer lab!  Our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders were out of the building on a field trip, so we took advantage of the extended typing time.  I am proud to say we got all that work finished in an hour and a half! 

 Day six, we created our animals to complete the display.  It was too cute, I told the kids that I had read all the reports and picked out only the colors that they needed for their animals.  One student said, "but, I need green.  You didn't get green."  I responded, "Let me see" and pulled out his report.  I then read to him his description of the animal.  I said " I didn't read anything about your chameleon being green."  He then admitted, "I guess I forgot that part."  (FYI -- his chameleon is the red and blue striped thing on the left side of the photo.)

Above: Great Horned Owl, Hawk, Rabbit, Chipmunk and Peregrine Falcon

Above: Mallard Duck, Beaver, Fox, Bear, Fox, Raccoon,

Chameleon, Black Bear, Deer, Wolf, Bald Eagle, and Grizzly Bear

Camping - Cara Carroll Style!

Last month I purchased Cara Carroll's Camping Capers.  It has saved my life!  We re down to 8 1/2 school days ad I need some interesting and engaging lessons!

I started with the introduction of camping through Aurthur Goes to Camp.  We then graphed our camping experiences.  Only 5 of my students have not been camping.

The following day I introduced the woodland animal research project.  Each student has chosen a non-fiction book about their animal, and is taking notes using an Alpha box.   We are planning how to write our reports.  We will definitely need to make some sort of visual to go along with it.

This morning we read all about bears and then wrote a class book "If I saw a Bear".  Thank you Courtney, at Swimming in Second.

Today after lunch we divded into four groups to complete three of the stations from Cara Carroll's unit.  The kids loved the spinner data collection and graph making.

Then they moved on to Campfire Compound words!

Students alphabetized 24 words and recorded them.

Finally, Dirt and WORMS!!!!

Here's the official recipe; 1 Hunt's chocolate snack cup, 1 teaspoon Oreo pie crust stuff, 1 teaspoon crushed Oreo, and 2 gummy worms.  Kids had a great time!

Tomorrow, we are making trail mix and going hiking.  Happy Day!

Field Day!!!!

Today was our field day!  Our really amazing P.E. teacher organized a great day for our kids.  We had 30 stations and spent 10 minutes at each station.  I took a few pictures before I safely left my phone inside.  (You know how rogue parent volunteers might douse you!) 

bean bag toss

golf

horse shoes



There were 6 water stations; water balloon toss, sponge dodge ball, some sort of water ball over a volleyball net game, fill the cup, soggy sweats relay, and picking up marbles with our toes.

water balloon toss

It was 90 degrees in good ole Kansas today!  I wasn't sure who would melt first, me or the kids.  AsI suspected, I fell apart first.  I am super pale and even with spf 50, that I reapplied multiple times, I still got B-U-R-N-E-D.  The little darlins' did not.  I covered them too.  We chilled out inside during our lunch and then during the mini golf, shuffle board, dance party and musical chairs!

I only have 12 1/2 school days left.  How many do you have??