STEM – The Teaching Texan

Gingerbread STEAM Activities + hoopla digital

theteachingtexan — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 22:50:26 +0000

The holidays are upon us, and that means many teachers are on the hunt for meaningful, and highly engaging, activities to keep students focused during what is already a hectic – but fun – time period.

Well, have I got a TREAT in store for you! I’ve teamed up with hoopla digital to share one of my absolute favorite winter holiday STEAM units with you! Now I can’t possibly go over everything for the whole unit in just one post, so I’m going to give a brief overview of the learning that leads up to the big STEAM challenge at the end of the unit – and stick around for that FREEBIE lesson plan at the end of this post!

Oh, and if you missed my posts where I shared FREEBIE lesson plans for a Snowflake STEAM challenge or a Mechanical Animal STEAM challenge, make sure you click the challenge(s) you’re interested in and grab your copy!

Why is hoopla digital so helpful to teachers?

I’m so thankful for hoopla and the vast array of educational and STEAM related content they offer. I seriously would drive myself crazy if I had to track down hard copies of all of the resources they already offer in one place!

Beyond books that we can use for whole group instruction, the read along books they offer are PERFECT for a listen to reading center, and for some books they even have video versions which can be a special treat at the end of the day during this holiday season!

Planning your gingerbread STEAM challenge.

The very first thing you want to do is plan what gingerbread stories you will read together as a class. Fortunately, hoopla digital has a ton of variations of the gingerbread story right on their platform!

You’ll want a nice variety, because the first part of the unit is diving deep into the patterns used in these stories, character similarities betweens stories, and comparing sequence of events. This is a great time to bust out some venn diagrams or even keep a large chart paper that tracks the story elements between each version.

If you’re looking for a nice tie in to your writing block, have the students create and write their own versions of a gingerbread story – I’m telling you they get SO creative!

Once you’ve read/compared/contrasted all of the versions you chose, what’s next?

Here’s where things get really fun! After you’ve read each title using the hoopla digital platform, and you’ve completed your deep dive into patterns, characters, etc. this is where I love to make a gingerbread character with my students!

We start by deciding which of the gingerbread characters we’d like to recreate – in the past my students have chosen the gingerbread baby, the ninjabread man, and most recently the gingerbread girl because, surprise, she is the only one who outsmarts the fox! Here’s what a couple past projects have looked like!

I bring in all of the ingredients to bake our own gingerbread and we work together to mix, form, and decorate! I’m always sure to snap a picture of our creation before it heads to the oven. Now, if you don’t have an oven at your school, don’t fret. You may be able to have the cafeteria help, bring in a toaster oven (check with admin on this), or simply take it home to bake (the kiddos won’t be eating it anyway so no worries about it sitting out).

While our special friend is baking, I have the kiddos work on some simple writing using adjectives that describe our character. When time is up, we march right down to find our gingerbread character has escaped! This is where you’ll need some help of a team mate, admin, etc. All that’s left are some crumbs!

Your kiddos will absolutely shriek with excitement and now is the PERFECT time to bring in the STEAM!

**Warning: Your kids will be talking about the escaped gingerbread character for weeks to come!**

Capitalize on their excitement and create gingerbread traps

We brainstorm how we can catch our gingerbread character, and voila! We always seem to end up on creating a trap to catch it.

Now, I’ve got a whole lesson plan for you that is available for FREE that walks you through the five step engineering process for this STEAM Gingerbread Trap Challenge.

Grab your free copy of this lesson plan guide by joining my email list below. You’ll be sent the password to visit the Freebies section of my website. Want more ideas for STEAM lessons – click here or here.

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How can you continue to use hoopla throughout the school year?

The real question is, how could you not?! Once you’ve experienced how easy it is to access all of their educational and STEAM-related material, why go back to doing it the hard way? Don’t get me wrong, there’s always a time and place for those good ol’ hard copy books, but hoopla digital opens the door for so many STEAM opportunities – whether it’s a downright STEAM title or books (like the gingerbread series) that you use to create a STEAM experience for your students.

The possibilities are endless! So get creative and get your kiddos ACTIVE in their learning! I’d love to know how you have or are planning to use hoopla digital in your classroom. Leave a comment below and share how you’ve used their resources!

Animal STEAM Activity for Kids

theteachingtexan — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 15:08:33 +0000

Last week I shared 5 ways that hoopla digital makes lesson planning for STEAM so much easier. If you missed that post, I highly recommend reading it FIRST, then returning to this post. Don’t worry – I linked this post for you at the end of the previous post so you can find your way back!

Now that you know WHY hoopla digital makes lesson planning easier, I want to show you HOW to use it!

First off, searching for resources is SO EASY. You literally type in the title you are looking for into the search bar at the top and hit search. You can even specify if you would like to find an eBook, audiobook, movie, or more. Once you find what you’re looking for, you simply “borrow” it and everything you check out is stored in a digital library right on hoopla digital so you can easily access it.

I’ve seriously been in awe at the wide array of resources that are available on hoopla. I’ve searched and searched for all sorts of titles for all kinds of lesson ideas, and guess what? I can always find exactly what I’m looking for!

How does hoopla digital increase student engagement?

So, let me tell you friends, the benefits don’t stop with my experience with hoopla. Student engagement is where it’s at! I love that hoopla digital offers the ability to project a book, making it large enough for students to see and follow along. Anytime I’m able to make things larger and easier for students to see, I immediately see an increase in engagement.

I also love that if students have different interests on a particular topic (and don’t they always) that you can borrow ebooks and audiobooks that fit their needs. Think about your Listen to Reading center – what if you could tailor audiobooks that matched your STEAM curriculum? Well, you can with hoopla!

What are my favorite titles available on hoopla?

Well, there are truly SO many, but here are a few:

Like I mentioned before, their resource library is MASSIVE!

In fact, I got so excited about what hoopla has to offer that I created another free lesson plan for you!

Using “Mechanimals” by Chris Tougas, available right on hoopla digital, students will work through the five step engineering process – (1) Ask, (2) Imagine, (3) Plan, (4) Create, and (5) Improve – to answer the challenge question: How can we design a mechanical animal that will perform a specific job for a farmer?

In this STEAM experience, students will create a mechanical animal that helps the farmer with a job of the student’s choice. Talk about opening the doors for your students to get creative!

You can truly go mild to wild with what materials students build with – from cut paper to clay, recyclables, and more. I made this turkey mechanical animal that has tons of eyes that act as cameras to help the farmer patrol for predators entering the farm – y’all literally ideas and creativity will be flowing through your kiddos’ minds!

Grab your free copy of this lesson plan guide by joining my email list below. You’ll be sent the password to visit the Freebies section of my website.

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5 Ways hoopla Makes Lesson Plans a Cinch

theteachingtexan — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 20:06:05 +0000

If you’ve followed along my journey for a while, you know I am absolutely passionate about STEAM education! I have presented locally and nationally on topics relating to hands-on science, project-based learning and STEAM education and some of the most common questions I get are,

“How do you fit STEAM in? I just don’t have time in my day.”
“Where do you find resources?”
“I teach very young students (Kindergarten), can STEAM work for them?”

Thinking back to all of the planning myself and teams I’ve taught with have done surrounding STEAM education, I could probably write a book – and hey, maybe one day I will! One thing though is certain, I am so thankful that I found hoopla digital! So buckle up, I’m about to show you exactly how awesome Hoopla is for lesson planning – plus I’m going to give you a FREE lesson idea with plan so you can get started TODAY!

What is Hoopla Digital?

hoopla digital is a service that has partnered with libraries ACROSS North America to bring online/mobile (think digital here) access to literally thousands of Movies, TV Shows, Music, eBooks, Audiobooks and Comics. It’s truly at your fingertips and ready to download in a snap! Right here in Dallas the Dallas Public Library system has already partnered with hoopla digital bringing a wealth of resources to you – and all you need is a valid library card!

I love a trip to the library as much as the next teacher, but it can be so frustrating when the book you need for a specific lesson is either checked out or not carried at that location. With hoopla digital you always have access to their huge library and never have to worry about a book being checked out!

But, how does that relate to STEAM education?

Oh, I’m so glad you asked! Y’all… it has EVERYTHING to do with STEAM education because hoopla digital has become the leading resource for STEAM content across all age ranges!

If you’re just getting started with STEAM, hoopla has such a diverse variety of STEAM resources – whether you want a book targeted directly for STEAM education, a book about inventors, or a book that can be used to create a STEAM challenge, it’s on hoopla!

5 Ways hoopla Makes Lesson Plans a Cinch

No trips to the library! All of their content is available to you digitally! The days of worrying about someone having checked out a particular book are done. Plus, as teachers we know that as students are exploring something new they inevitably have questions we don’t have the answers for. hoopla makes finding resources for the questions a snap!
Did I mention how diverse the hoopla library is?! This simple fact means that it is easier than ever to pull STEAM into any content block throughout the day – science, literacy, math… you name it!
Hoopla isn’t just ebooks! If you need audio books for listen to reading, videos, music, or even a clip of something from TV – chances are you can find it on hoopla!
Not super comfortable with STEAM? hoopla has books that lay out pre-made STEAM activities for you! Take their outline and transfer them into your lesson plans! This is the perfect way to get your feet wet with STEAM education.
There are TONS of resources that teach to growth mindset which is important not only for STEAM, but for creating resilient students! Here are some of my favorites available right in the hoopla database:

“Ada Twist, Scientist” by Andrea Beaty
“Rosie Revere, Engineer” by Andrea Beaty
“Iggy Peck, Architect” by Andrea Beaty

OK, I promised you a ready-to-go and FREE lesson plan! One of my favorite traditional content blocks to bring a little STEAM action into is a math block. Something about math centers just really lends itself to incorporating STEAM without changing the entire scope of a content block or your day.

With winter coming up, many of us will engage in some form of study of weather, seasons, or snow. Why not tie that study into a snowflake STEAM challenge?

This lesson plan guide will take you and your students step-by-step through the five step engineering process as students investigate and explore snowflakes then create their own artwork showcasing symmetry. For this lesson, I recommend using “There’s Math in My Art” by Nikole Bethea which is readily available for you on hoopla digital!

Materials are simple (and reusable) – toothpicks, pom poms, glass beads, pipe cleaners, etc. – you can see the full list right on the lesson plan guide under materials.

Students will (1) Ask, (2) Imagine, (3) Plan, (4) Create, and (5) Improve a snowflake design that features a symmetrical design.

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Want answers to more of your STEAM-related questions? Join me as I take over the hoopla Instagram on November 7th! I’ll be answering all of your questions live, and I’d love to see you there! Click here to follow Hoopla on Instagram so you don’t miss out!

What You Need to Know to Create an Inspirational Dinosaur Dig

theteachingtexan — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 17:19:06 +0000

Hey y’all! I’m excited to share a super fun activity today dubbed “Dino Dig”. My little Kinder paleontologists really look forward to this day each year as the culmination of our dinosaur study in the spring. It’s a great way to take advantage of some gorgeous Texas spring weather (which pretty much only lasts a day or two!) and spend a class period outside applying the dinosaur knowledge students have learned over several weeks.

Leading up to the Dino Dig, students have learned about dinosaur names, adaptations, diets, and habitats, as well as the role of paleontologists and how dinosaur fossils get to a museum. They’ve created their own dinosaurs in the classroom, painted them and decorated the walls with their work.

Basically, by the time we get to the Dino Dig, every Kinder friend is begging to be a paleontologist. In class, we talk about all the different tools paleontologists use and then for our Dino Dig, students get to use the tools themselves. We also use the “Kinder Version” of paleontologist’s tools too, so don’t worry about having the “right equipment”. Toothpicks, plastic spoons, brushes, popsicle sticks, hand lenses, and goggles (or a varying combination of any of these) all work fine.

When digging, remind students to treat the activity as if they are real paleontologists at the excavation site. I always love an opportunity for my students to use their imaginations. Psychology Today is one of many sources that states, “Imaginative play is a vital component to normal child development.” Studentsshould dig as if they are finding real fossils – take their time, be gentle, etc. – that’s half the fun!

Alright, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Here’s how it’s done. This activity works best, I’ve found, if you talk it up to your students for about a week in advance. That way they’re excited for the activity. Also, it gives you some time to prep for the dig.

First, you will need a few days to prep the dinosaur “fossils”.

Fossil recipe:

2 Cups of Flour
1 Cup of Salt
1 Cup of Fresh Ground Coffee
1 Cup of Water
Small plastic dinosaurs [Like these from Amazon – affiliate link]

**You may need to multiply this recipe based on how big you make the fossils, how many fossils you want each student to find, and how big your class is.**

Combine all ingredients in large bowl until dough forms. Make ball in hand, press plastic dinosaur into it, form around into an egg-like shape. Allow to dry for several days or speed up in 200-degree oven as needed.

On the day of the dig, you’ll need a few minutes (about 10-20 minutes) before the activity without students present to hide the fossils at the excavation site. Your excavation site can be any place outside where your class can work. Our class uses a sandbox, but if your school doesn’t have a sandbox you can easily make do with a patch of grass, a graveled area, or a space covered in wood chips.

Take your class out to the excavation site and get ready to explore! I like to have students share their findings in a large group afterwards.

Have a blast with your Dino Dig – I can’t wait to hear all about it!

Need some more dino inspiration or resources? Check out my [Into the Land of the Dinosaurs] unit! This unit is packed full of non-fiction goodness – leveled readers, writing prompts, vocabulary posters, and more!

My Week at the KOSMOS Energy Stem Teacher Institute

theteachingtexan — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 14:07:00 +0000

Sweet summertime… Time for relaxation, regeneration for the beginning of the school year, and… professional development!

This summer I was fortunate enough to attend the KOSMOS Energy Stem Teacher Institute at the Perot Museum of Nature & Science for a second year. For anyone who was not able to attend, or just wants more knowledge on STEM education, I’d love to share some of the key take aways from my time at the institute.

Last year the theme of the summer institute was Earth/Space science. This lends so well to many of the concepts we traditionally teach in the primary grades. Suffice it to say that I was a little shocked when I found out the theme of this summer’s institute was chemistry.

My initial thought was, “how on Earth does chemistry apply to teaching science in Kindergarten?!” I don’t know about you, but I’m no chemistry whizz.

While as teachers in the primary grades we generally may not approach a science unit or lesson as “chemistry” per se, we should approach these experiences and physical science as the building blocks of future chemistry knowledge for our kiddos.

While this is not an exhaustive list of concepts or ideas, here’s what I learned that we should focus on in the primary grades.

States of Matter

Describing properties of the various states of a matter is a huge way to start building science vocabulary and exposure to solids, liquids, and gases.

Whether you can take a field trip to a local museum (like the Perot Museum), or just have a handful of interesting rocks, minerals, etc. in the classroom you could easily have children group them by like characteristics (size, luster, hardness). I think the power of having kids verbalize their reasoning for sorting by a specific characteristic is so powerful!

One of our challenges was to determine what type of material was in the 3 petri dishes above and give a claim/evidence/reason. My mind immediately went to how this could be done in a primary aged classroom. Could you imagine kids hypothesizing whether a material will float or not? Or maybe hypothesizing if a material will leave marks on paper or not? I so can! Then the kiddos can test out their hypothesis and give a claim/evidence/reasoning. I could see this activity being used with so many types of objects!

Talking about combining states of matter can be hands on, too! Think bouncy balls! Who doesn’t like bouncy balls people?! One way we explored making the states of matter hands-on for young learners was by making our own bouncy balls. It’s also great for tying in math because of the measurement involved.

Seriously, look how much fun I had!

The materials used to make these bouncy balls are very common (can be purchased at a grocery store) and they’re cheap! This activity also lends the perfect chance to be a bit messy! You can find a step-by-step tutorial for making bouncy balls [here]. Disclaimer: This bouncy ball recipe actually works!

Another hands-on (and very visual) representation of combining liquids and solids is the elephant toothpaste science experiment.

I love this idea for introducing how different things can react with each other. My mind is also spinning at turning this into a beginning of the year activity for talking about how words and actions can hurt others and how we can’t take them back. (Think each ingredient being a negative thing said or done, then when the reaction happens discussing how we can’t change what happened and no matter how hard we might try it would not go back into the tube). Social emotional PLUS science in one lesson?! Winning!

Want to make elephant toothpaste? Click [here] for a step by step guide.

You may be thinking, but what about gases? This is something I’ve really struggled with illustrating for young learners – when things aren’t easily seen or touched many kiddos can’t really form meaning. Well we did a great little demonstration to show that gases are around us even if we can’t see them.

All you need for this one is vinegar, baking soda, a container, a lighter/matches, and a candle! BTW please check with your admin before trying this demo and definitely do NOT let the kiddos use matches/lighter or get too close to the candle.

Here’s a quick break down of the “Pour without Pouring” experiment/demo!

Pour some baking soda into a clear beaker or glass.

Add some vinegar into the mix by pouring white vinegar into the same container (foam time!)

Wait a few moments to let the reaction occur.

A teacher will use a lighter or matches to light the candle.

Take the container with the baking soda and vinegar and carefully act like you are pouring it onto the candle – do not actually pour the liquid out.

The flame extinguishes!

Energy/Static Electricity (Positive and Negative Charges)

Teaching Kindergarten students protons, electrons, and neutrons? Yah, probably not…

But, teaching them that things can be attracted to each other or repelled is a big YES! (Think magnets attracting and repelling – we all know we do magnet experiments in the younger grades)!

Well here is another hands-on idea for illustrating how things can be attracted to each other based on their charge. All you need is a balloon (and hair helps)!

This goes back to kids wondering why they get shocked when they touch something metal, or why their clothes stick together when they come out of the dryer. All you need to do is rub a balloon on your hair and witness how the balloon then attracts the hair towards it when pulled away. For a bonus, hold the balloon over an empty can after rubbing the balloon on your hair. Move the balloon side to side and see what happens!

How does all of this fit into the standards? My school uses the [Next Generation Science Standards] (NCSS) as a starting point for what we will teach, but definitely do not let it limit us. You can check out the “Physical Science” strand for information related to Chemistry and what we should be doing in primary grades to build strong science minds. If you’re looking for a place to start I highly recommend these standards (along with whatever state standards your state has).

My big take away after using the TEKS and NGSS? Let the standards be a guide, but go beyond the standards! We are creating the future and no set of standards can encompass everything that children should learn.

If you want more ideas for science check back throughout the year! I’ll be sharing tips, tricks, and ideas from our Saturday workshops! You can also visit my favorite Pinterest board all about hands-on science!

Interested in attending the KOSMOS Stem Teacher Institute at the Perot Museum of Nature & Science? If you live in the DFW area, I highly recommend you applying for next year! [Click here] for more information and the website with application.

Bouncy Balls and Chemistry in the Primary Grades? A Step by Step How-to Guide

theteachingtexan — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 23:12:00 +0000

Who doesn’t love bouncy balls? Especially bouncy balls that are a DIY and fit into science, math, and writing?! This is so perfect for talking about states of matter and what happens when you mix solids and liquids. Build that foundation for chemistry people! This idea came straight from the KOSMOS Stem Teacher Institute that I attended this summer (but I know it’s also floating around on Pinterest)!

Here’s a simple run down of how you can make bouncy balls with your class or child!

Roll up those sleeves y’all, this one can be a bit messy!

First, you’ll want to gather these ingredients and supplies. I found them all at a local grocery store for about $10, but you might be able to find them cheaper elsewhere (don’t bother looking at Dollar General for Borax – they don’t carry it). The amount listed below will make ONE bouncy ball.

1/2 cup warm water

1 tablespoon Borax

2 tablespoons white liquid glue

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Liquid food coloring (I’ve heard liquid watercolors work well, too)

2 bowls or cups

Measuring cups/spoons

Start by adding the warm water to a bowl. Be sure the water is quite warm or the borax will not dissolve properly.

Next, add 1 tablespoon of Borax to the water and gently stir until it dissolves.

In the other bowl add 2 tablespoons of white liquid glue, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and food coloring. This is such a fantastic time to bring in art and talk about mixing colors to achieve desired results!

Gently mix the glue, cornstarch, and coloring together until you have a smooth mixture.

Poor the contents of the first bowl (water and Borax) into the bowl with the glue mixture.

Quickly stir as the mixture will harden very quickly.

When you’ve got a clump in the liquid, go ahead and use your hands to pull it from the spoon.

Rub the clump between your hands until it begins to form a ball.

There will be a period where the ball becomes very sticky – this is normal!

When the ball is no longer sticky you are ready to give it a bounce!

I absolutely adore this activity for talking about states of matter (solids and liquids) in the primary grades. It’s also just plain fun!

You can read more about my inspiration for this post by reading about my experience at the KOSMOS Stem Teacher Institute by clicking [here]!

If you want more ideas for hands-on science activities, check out one of my FAVORITE Pinterest board below.

Ready for Takeoff: My Experience with Project-Based Learning and the Solar System Part 2

theteachingtexan — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 22:41:00 +0000

Recently I wrote a blog post sharing how I tackled my first experience with project-based learning outside of our science block. My first PBL unit was anchored in the solar system. You can read more about that [here]. You can also check out more info about PBL and why I use it [here].

Today I’d love to share how the PBL unit looked during our science block.

In case you missed my first post on this unit, our challenging question was this:

Everything we did was anchored in answering this open-ended question! One thing I learned during a PBL networking event was that a good challenging questions is NOT Google-able and can lead to sustained inquiry. Definitely keep those things in mind when creating your own PBL unit.

During our science block we started out our unit by talking about the moon (we kept the entire unit focus on things we can see in the sky). We use [Crayola Model Magic] and plastic balls to create a model of the moon.

When we were learning about the moon the kids became super interested in what the moon was made out of and why it looks different in the sky on different nights. I created a few QR codes the kids could scan that linked to a Google Doc with pictures and videos to satisfy their desire to learn about what the moon was made out of.

To explore the phases of the moon, I gathered materials for a classic and hands-on demonstration.

You can learn more about how to do this demonstration in my [Ready for Takeoff] unit!

When we learned about the sun we wanted to bring in a little more art. The result? Puffy paint suns! All you need is shaving cream, red/orange/yellow food coloring, tooth picks, wax paper, and cardstock!

Moving into other stars the kids become super interested in constellations. We talked about the origins of constellations and even created our own using watercolor paint!

To wrap up our unit we revisited our challenging question (yet again) and answered it to a T!

I learned during this experience to plan the WHOLE PBL unit ahead, then sit back and enjoy the ride. Due to time constraints at the end of the unit, we didn’t end up showcasing our public product to an audience (except for the children showing their parents at home).

If you teach a solar system unit and you’re needing a few more non-fiction resources – check out my [Ready for Takeoff] unit!

I’m so excited to be in the middle of our second PBL unit of the year! What’s this one about?! You’ll have to find out when I post at the end of the year, but here’s a hint: think zoo.

Ready for Takeoff: My Experience with Project-Based Learning and the Solar System Part 1

theteachingtexan — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 12:37:00 +0000

A few days ago I posted about why I use project-based learning (PBL) in my Kindergarten classroom (click [here] to visit the original post). There was a lot of interest in what PBL is and how to implement it. So, today I want to share part one of my first experience with PBL. I can honestly say that there are areas that I need more development on and some steps that need improvement. However, after my first experience with PBL I know that it is an absolute essential in my classroom.

The [Buck Institute for Education] lists 8 key components to consider during the design process of a PBL unit. For the Solar System PBL unit that I am sharing today I did not fully plan the unit before diving in with my students. I’ve since learned that it is best practice -and things go much smoother- if you have the unit completely planned out prior to beginning it. This allows you sit back and enjoy the ride with your kiddos.

While a PBL topic can be centered in any subject area (math, science, ELA, etc.), it really is integrated into all subject areas. Our solar system project was clearly centered in science, but integrated across our curriculum. Here’s a look at how the unit was integrated into other areas beyond science. Check back later this week to see what the unit looked like during our actual science block.

The planning for the unit began by taking a look at the previous solar system unit of years past, as well as the [NGSS]. After digging through all of this and researching solar system PBL units online, I settled on this challenging question:

The challenging question in PBL guides learning and all activities, lessons, and learning experiences link back to helping to answer the challenging question. A good rule of thumb is that the challenging question should not be “Google-able” meaning you can’t simply search for the answer on Google. The goal for this unit and challenging question was to keep the focus of the unit on things we can see in the sky from Earth (the sun, moon, stars, constellations).

With the challenging question decided on I started planning our learning experiences. If you take a look at the planning forms available on the [BIE website] you’ll notice a space for an “Entry Event.” The entry event is a highly-engaging experience to kick off a PBL unit. At the networking event I attended several examples were given of entry events, but they can range from a guest speaker, Skype session with an expert, field trip, or even a simple read aloud. The important thing is to hook your students into the unit and get them excited.

For our solar system unit I found a great entry event that allowed the students to go on a virtual recreation of the Apollo 11 mission. This was originally planned as a learning experience rather than the entry event, but our guest speaker fell through. Flexibility people!

The Apollo 11 recreation was designed by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and the coolest thing about it is that you can view real pictures from the mission, listen to actual transmission between the astronauts and NASA, and you get to move through it at your own pace. We split the mission up into several days. But let me tell you, by the time we were finished with our entry event every single kid in my class was ready to learn more!

If you’re interested in the virtual Apollo 11 mission, you can find it [here].

Once our unit was up and running I used trade books, QR codes, and apps to let the kids conduct their own research. This helped satisfy the student voice and choice aspect of PBL. During our lessons on the sun and the moon I created QR codes that led to a variety of media (pictures, videos, websites) and let the children choose what they wanted to research.

Because a PBL unit extends throughout content areas, we used some Writer’s Workshop time to craft letters to astronauts. The kids were so excited to learn about both of our astronauts and then write letters to them. While we did not receive letters back in my classroom, a teammate did receive an autographed picture back. There wasn’t a kid in Kindergarten who wasn’t over the moon!

You can find information about how to write to an astronaut on the NASA website [here].

Two other cross-curricular activities (math) during the unit were creating spacecraft from 2D shapes and taste-testing astronaut food then graphing our favorite.

We are fortunate to have a shared space between all 4 Kindergarten classrooms that houses a Makerspace. We’ve been trying out the Makerspace idea during Free Choice time.

During our solar system unit the children planned their own spacecraft with the requirements of an energy source, communication device, container, and science instruments. The rest was up to them. After designing the spacecraft on paper, the students built their spacecraft using all sorts of recycled materials. This was a great learning experience for the children to see that plans on paper don’t always pan out, and that it is a good practice to return to plans to see if there are parts missing.

That’s pretty close to a wrap on learning experiences related to our solar system unit that didn’t happen during the science block. Truly integrating the unit into all content areas led to a much deeper understanding of the sun, moon, and stars than I could have ever hoped for.

During this unit I created a non-fiction unit that provides more information about the sun, stars, and the moon. This unit is full of leveled readers, close reads, magazine pages, and more! While this unit isn’t a PBL unit itself, it is a resource that is perfect for learning during a PBL unit. Check it out by clicking [here] or clicking the picture below.

I hope that this post has been helpful for you and has maybe even inspired you to venture into the land of PBL yourself! Don’t forget to check back later this week to see what this unit looked like during our science block.

Why Project-Based Learning?

theteachingtexan — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 01:07:00 +0000

Earlier this year I went to a project-based learning (PBL) networking event at another local school. Before this event I had never really heard of PBL before, much less taken a stab at it. However, I was so inspired by the reasoning and research behind PBL that I knew I had to take the idea and run with it. The [Buck Institute for Education] says PBL makes school more engaging for children, improves learning, builds success skills for college/career/life, helps address standards, and makes teaching more enjoyable and rewarding. That being said, what’s not to love?! I am so down for anything that makes kids excited about learning while also being effective. Making my job even more enjoyable than it already is isn’t too shabby either!

I recently wrapped up my first experience with PBL. There were many successes, and there were many bumps along the road that I’ll be sharing later this week. Today I’m sharing 5 reasons that I’m sticking with PBL, and why you should be using it too!

I think it’s safe to say that learning strategies, techniques, structures, etc. are a dime a dozen these days. Oh so many of these said strategystructuretechniques tout that student engagement will be increased if you use that method.

Let me lay it out straight for you. Project-based learning WILL increase your students’ engagement because the kids take ownership of their own learning. Gone are the days where the teacher must decide every bit of knowledge the students will acquire on a given topic. With PBL children learn on a “need to know” basis and are then given the freedom (and time) to explore their own interests related to the topic. How do children explore and learn with more independence? Trade books, video clips, pictures, QR codes, Symbaloo bookmark pages… Children really can take ownership!

When planning a PBL unit, there is always a challenging problem or question. This guides the learning, and all learning experiences that takes place leads back to this question. Here’s an example of a PBL driving question, “How can we as zoologists design a zoo that keeps our animals in their natural habitats?”

That one question can lead to weeks of learning about how to classify animals, animal habitats, animal adaptations, the list goes on. The exciting part of PBL is the challenging question points to a problem or question that is completely plausible. [This] interesting article by John Eger of Huffington Post quotes former U.S. Secretary of Education as saying, “The top 10 in-demand jobs in the future don’t exist today. We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”

What better way to get our future leaders’ brains thinking in a problem-solving manner than to phrase and structure learning that way?!

Reason three speaks for itself. In a true PBL unit students must interact with each other, with adults besides their teacher in the school, and with other adults in the community.

Children learn by doing and experiencing. We know this.

I’ve noticed a huge increase in retention during my first PBL unit. Because the overarching topic is integrated into all subject areas and the kids are given multiple opportunities to do and experience, there is so much more for them to attach new learning to in their schema. Demonstrations, discussions, creating models, reading, videos, pictures, community experts all weigh-in to provide the ultimate learning experience.

In the real world there are often times where there isn’t a clear cut right and wrong answer, so why teach our children that way? There’s no multiple choice bubble to fill in or answer to circle when a doctor must decide how to treat a patient or when an airplane pilot must veer off course. Why not open children’s eyes to the possibilities, and reality, that there are often multiple right answers and multiple ways to approach solving problems?

Teaching should be enjoyable. End of story.

After living the PBL experience I can attest to the fact that PBL units make teaching more enjoyable. Seeing the natural curiosity of children run wild while taking every opportunity to learn more is so rewarding. Ditch the worksheets. Kids won’t remember them and neither will you. (Yes, some worksheet practice is inevitable and probably necessary – but make that the exception, not the rule). Another highlight that makes teaching with a PBL style more enjoyable is decreased behavior issues. When kids are truly engaged and excited there’s is less reason or need to act out.

Check back on Sunday for an inside peak into my first experience with PBL during our solar system unit.

For anyone unfamiliar with PBL or wanting more information, you can visit the [Buck Institute for Education]. BIE is considered the “gold standard” for project-based learning.