My 40 Book Challenge

Do you struggle with getting your students to read? I have some who are in the habit of "pretend reading" or "look like they're reading but aren't." Do they complain, waste time choosing a book, stop along the way to talk with three friends? I've got just the thing for you. 

This year I jumped on the 40 book challenge and I have loved it so far. It's super easy and doesn't cost much with the way I am doing it.

I wanted a way to hold the readers responsible for completing the books they read. So, I found these cute little book reports from Teaching With a Mountain View. These were super short, but effective for showing that students read what they say they did.

Then I saw an idea that she used in her classroom that had students earning different beads for certain books. They kept them on a chain in her classroom. It was the perfect idea, but I knew I didn't want different beads for each type of different book...that was just too much for me to manage, so this is what I am doing instead. 

I recycled an older container with sections into my bead "store." Now when a student finishes a book they can grab a bead to add to their chain. Here's how I am doing mine though. The regular pony beads (colored or sparkle) will be for any regular chapter book. I noticed the students grabbing a lot of little books that are quick reads like Junie B. Jones or books from the Who Was series. So, I decided that I could require more of them for a shaped bead. For those beads, they must read a book above 150 pages. That will not only push them to read things that are more advanced, but they will be able to show that on their chain. I think it will be a fun way to challenge them. 

We are also doing the Book-It pizza program through Pizza Hut, so I am setting a page goal for each grade level (since I teach three grades) and if they meet that, they will receive a certificate for a free pizza as well. 

I find that when students have a visual they that can see or something they can earn, it brings and element of "gamification" into the classroom making the work you want them to do anyway even more fun! How do you bring fun into your classroom?

Score Big with Soccer-Themed Learning During the World Cup

Right now, FIFA (the World Cup) is creating a buzz across this country and around the world. Soccer fans are glued to TV sets or (the lucky ones) are visiting one of the many fields to catch a game in person. Even people who are not soccer fans, are stopping and taking notice of this global phenomenon. Soccer is shrinking the world by bringing us together. The World Cup is giving us images of incredible perseverance, teamwork, and of course bringing a spotlight to the different cultures around the world. 

I love to take something like this and harness the excitement by bringing it into my classroom for the engagement factor. My favorite Soccer-Themed book (that is PREFECT for the World Cup ...and beyond) is The Floating Field. 

1. Why The Floating Field is a perfect read aloud during the World Cup

The book, The Floating Field, is set in the country of Thailand. A group of boys are absolutely obsessed with soccer. But their problem is that they live in a floating village and so there is not enough room to play soccer. And so the boys work together to come up with a plan. They persevere through hardships to create an ideal field for their situation and form a soccer team of their own. 

This book is rich in culture. Students will learn about the Thai. Another important thing this book teaches is perseverance. When people in the village do not believe in the boys they continue to persevere until they make their dream a reality and even after, they still continue to persevere through building a team. There are also themes of community as well as creativity. I just cannot not say enough great things about this book. If you do not own this book and do not want to purchase be sure to check to see if your local library has it, or you could even pop up a read aloud version on YouTube. 

My students absolutely love this book for many reasons. Automatically they connect with it over the game of soccer. To see that it is a universal pastime and that children in other countries, that maybe students have never even heard of, are also engaging in this game bring a strong sense of cultural diversity and unity. Students connect with the fact that at the beginning the adults did not necessarily believe in them. And for anyone who has dreamed big you will always have doubters. Students connect with the feel-good ending...even if you do not win, you know the journey was worth it. The camaraderie, teamwork that is built along the way, and the community fill us with a sense of pride. 

2. Classroom Discussion Questions

Here are some great classroom discussion questions that you can use with The Floating Field.

Why was having a soccer field so important? 

What obstacles did the boys face?

How did teamwork solve problems? 

How did the setting affect the story?

What would you have done differently? 

How does this story connect to the World Cup? 

3. Cross Curricular Connections

This book is a great book to use and making connections across the curriculum. Here's some ideas for connecting this book to different subject areas. 

Reading- 

Focus in on the following during and after reading.

Character traits 

Main idea 

Setting 

Theme

Text evidence 

Character analysis: changes over time 

Read biographies about famous soccer players

Writing-

Create a soccer trading card about a famous player. 

Science-

Floating and sinking- 

I love to do an experiment with a floating and sinking egg. You start by putting an egg in plain water and notice that it sinks. And then you add salt to the water and that makes the egg float. Students can use this activity to practice the scientific method.

Density-

Another activity I like to do with this book is to create a floating rainbow density table. Basically you have different cups of water with different colors for the rainbow in each cup. Then you mix in differing amounts of sugar, in each cup, to create different densities. Then you pour the same amount of liquid from each cup into a graduated cylinder starting with the densest color first, red, and working your way up to the least dense color last. And then your students will be able to see a rainbow of color that is not mixing. It just blows their minds. Again, I use this to reinforce the scientific method

STEM-

This is a crowd favorite in my classroom. Students use recyclables to create their own miniature floating soccer field. We test the fields in a bucket of water and celebrate our wins.

Geography 

Map skills- 

Find Thailand on a map. Students can even create a map of this country and pinpoint the floating city on the map. 

Weather:

Compare and contrast the average tempreatures in Thailand to the temperatures in your own location. 

Learn about the culture of Thailand through videos, nonfiction books, as well as food or entertainment. 

Math

Graphing-

Students could graph the weather data that they learned in the geography section. 

Measurement-

Measure the weight each floating field in the STEM project can hold without sinking.

Compare the length and width of different soccer fields.

Have a soccer kickoff and measure the length of each student's kicks. 

Factors in Multiples-

Students could find all the possible arrangements for floating platforms of different sizes. 

Elapsed Time-

Students could find the elapsed time for various soccer matches. They could calculate arrival times based on the time that it takes to get to the game. They could calculate how long halftime is. 

Multiplication-

Students could build arrays based on number of players on a team. For a more advanced take, they could calculate the total number of bamboo poles or floating barrels are needed to build the field. Students could find the number of people in a stadium, given the seats in each section and the number of sections. You could give them some multiplication soccer-themed word problems or task cards. 

Fractions-

Students could figure out things like:

If 3/8 of the field is underwater, what fraction is playable?

What fraction of the spectators are cheering for each team?

Geometry-

Find right, acute, and obtuse angels in a soccer field diagram.

SEL-

Have students do some goal setting. This works especially well at the beginning of the year or in January.

Work on soft skills with your students like cooperation, problem solving, and determination. 

4. Extend the Learning with a Soccer Activity

After reading the book, it was a natural slide into activities with a soccer theme. My students were still all-in. 

The activities that I chose reinforced important grade-level skills. Not only that, but they are relatively easy to prep. And they are perfect for using during or after the World Cup. 

STEM Activity:

Reading comprehension, goal setting, & soccer player trading cards 

Floating Field STEM activity

Goal Setting

Soccer player trading cards

Floating and sinking experiment following the scientific process

Floating Rainbow activity following the scientific process

If you are looking for a companion activity guide to go with the book The Floating Field, look no further. This resource will save you the time and trouble of creating your own activities...and we all know how busy teachers are. You can pick this unit up right now by clicking here.

Problem Based Learning with Design Thinking

Our private school system provides PD for teachers based on areas of interest. This year, I have been taking a course on design thinking and problem based learning. I took the project based learning intensive at Buck Institute, in Napa Valley, a few years ago with a couple of my coworkers, but I had not heard much about problem based learning, so this study group has been my intro into that world. Both are pretty similar, but problem based learning starts with a problem and students need to find a solution and create a product or solution around that problem. They follow the design thinking model.

Design Thinking

Design thinking is student centered. It is a process that works students through the following steps:

• Identify a Problem
• Understand People's Needs
• Brainstorm Ideas
• Create Solutions
• Test & Improve Them

Let's take a look at how this breaks down.

1. Understand the Problem

In this stage, students:

• Ask Questions
• Observe Others
• Try to Understand Feelings & Need

For example, "How do students feel during indoor recess?"

2. State the Problem

In this part, students:

• Narrow Down a Problem
• Turn it into a Goal

For example: "We need better indoor recess activities that will keep everyone engaged."

3. Brainstorm Solutions (Ideate)

Here students will:

• Generate lots of Ideas (without judgement)
• Think Creatively

Example ideas: 

• Create a System for Games
• Design Quiet Challenge Cards
• Build Mini STEM Kits

4. Create a Model (Prototype)

Students will:

• Build/Design Their Idea
• This can be a Simple Rendering with Craft Materials

5. Test & Improve

Students:

• Try Their Solution
• Get Feedback from Others
• Improve It

For example classmates can suggest improvements after trying games.

.

Why Teachers Use Design Thinking

• Builds problem-solving skills
• Encourages student voice & choice
• Promotes collaboration
• Connects learning to real-world situations
• Works across subjects (math, reading, science, social studies)

How I Grew in My Understanding of Design Thinking

After being involved in the PD this year, I had the opportunity to be a judge for an Innovation X program where students were judged on their innovation projects which happened to be based on project based learning & design thinking. If you can go to see the ideas presented, I think it is the best way to learn and understand. It helped me a lot. 

Next Steps in Problem Based Learning & Design thinking. 

After returning from my experience at Innovation X, I wanted to give it a try in my own classroom. I ran across an article that sparked it all for me. It was a third-fifth grade level reading debate about if pets should be allowed on planes. Here's a look at how the unit shaped up:

1. We started with the question, "Should pets be allowed to go anywhere people can go?"

Students shared their thoughts with a partner and then I had all the students who said yes go to one side of the classroom, while those who said no went to the other. I chose a few students from each side to share their thoughts on why they chose the way they did. 

2. From there, I passed out the article and gave each student a partner. Students read the debate and then together traveled around the classroom to answer four questions that were posted on the different walls of the class. Each student  was required to answer the questions.

My posted questions were:

 

1. Why might a pet feel stressed on a plane? 
2. How would you feel if you sat next to a pet on a plane? Why?

3. What is one benefit and one problem with having pets on a plane?

4. What is a rule that would help pets travel safely on planes?

3. Next students used my Dice Convos to dig a little deeper into the article. Basically, students rolled two dice and they moved across the grid to the numbers matching their dice. They read and answer the question before rolling again. We used this to explore opinion writing and its features. Students spent five minutes on this discussion activity. 

4. Afterwards, students received a project paper with the mission listed on it:

Mission:

Airplanes don't always work well for pets OR people. Your job is to invent a solution that helps BOTH pets and passengers feel safe, comfortable, and happy on flights. 

Here's a look at the form I gave my students for planning. Students went right to work with their partners brainstorming ideas, etc. 

Challenges of Problem Based Learning

One of the challenges with problem or project based learning is that your higher level students sometimes feel lost. They often understand how to "play" the game of school. They know how to work the system: study = good grades. But with this type of learning that calls for creativity and innovation, those students can often feel fearful of failure because they have never had the pleasure of failing at anything and the idea terrifies them. So you must train your students on growth mindset and that failure is one part of learning.

Another challenge is time management. Some teams can continue on for what could seem like forever. You have to set a hard and fast time schedule. For this, we had three days of class time with an additional 2 days for tweaking anything else we needed to do. For the additional 2 days, this was not a scheduled time, but students got to use reading/math rotation time on those days if they needed it (but only after they finished their teacher time & independent work for the day). 

Wins for Problem Based Learning

 The biggest wins I usually see with this type of learning is that students who typically struggle in traditional classrooms often rise to the top when it comes to creativity and innovations. Those babies absolutely shine and it is magic to watch. Be sure to praise them for their ingenuity and uphold them as leaders. They rightfully need their moment to shine. 

Another win is that you will move in your role of a teacher to that of a coach. You may even feel, at some point, that you are not busy enough...and that's great! This is where student learning and independence really push students forward in their understanding and ability. You will be surprised at what they come up with. AMAZING THINGS ARE HAPPENING!

5. Project Presentation

We are waiting to share a projects, but this is an important  next step. Next week, students will present and tell about their projects to the class. The will have some time to debrief and talk again with their teammates afterwards. 

Here's a look at our crafted solutions to the problem. I am looking forward to the presentations next week. I cannot wait to hear the explanations on these inventions and how they will solve the problem.

 

I encourage you to give innovations a try. 

 

What a Wonderful World Mural

For the month of March, we have been hard at work creating a collaborative mural with lots of art projects added to the bigger murals. I ended up splitting everything up into three different murals. 

Inspiration for this idea came from the fun and fabulous Cassie Stephens. She did something very similar and I took those ideas and created my own version. You can check out her version over here on her blog.

The three panels I made are approximately six feet tall each. I used hot glue to hold everything together and glue things down. To hang it up, I used thumb tacks because we have a wooden strip at the top of the wall that butts up to the ceiling. I used a hammer to tap the tacks into the wood because it was definitely hard to hold the mural while balanced on a ladder and still hold one tack and hammer away with the other hand...but I got it done!

Here's a look at our artwork in process! Enjoy!

Here they are after I hung them up. The last was a little crooked, but it is what it is. It's up and I am not taking it down. 

When a holiday rolls around, it is the perfect time to combine a bit of history and reading comprehension with the holiday, making the learning not just authentic, but engaging. I created a whole set of The History Behind the Holidays booklets where students get to find out the reasons behind the holiday traditions. They see where the traditions came from and how they got started. This one is perfect if you are teaching on St. Patrick's Day. 

The booklets have 7 different articles, making it versatile and flexible. Teachers could choose to use it throughout the actual day of the holiday, or they could use it one article at a time over the course of 7 days. 

Be sure to snag this resource today and make your holiday prep even easier! You can find it by clicking this link here.

Read Across America Day: Dr. Seuss Style

Well, I went and did it...I got the date wrong for Dr. Seuss' birthday. But since a bunch of my students were absent on his birthday, I guess that was providential. 

Today, we celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday with a special breakfast of ...what else? ...green eggs and ham (bacon) and I threw in some Cat in the Hat pancakes for added fun. 

This morning I sent out an invitation for the students. I used AI to help me write it quickly and I wanted to make sure the parents knew they didn't need to fix breakfast. Here's the invite:

Oh what a day! Oh what a treat!

Put shoes on your toes and bounce to your feet!

We're throwing a bash that is silly and grand,

With wiggly giggles and fun that is planned!

It's a birthday hooray for a man we all know,

With stories that zig and stories that zo!

So come one, come all - yes every girl and boy -

For a morning of munchies and Seuss-ical joy!

We'll flip-flop pancakes in tall tippy stacks,

Like the tricks of a cat with red and white slacks!

"Cat in the Hat" pancakes, fluffy and round,

With syrupy swirls dripping all around!

And what will we eat? You already may guess -

Green eggs and ham in a Seuss-y success!

Would you eat them here? 

Would you eat them there?

Would you eat them in uniform with neatly combed hair?

We'll laugh and we'll rhyme,

We'll read and we'll play. 

With hats that are striped in spectacular way!

There'll be games and good cheer and giggles galore,

And maybe some Thing One and Thing Two at the door!

So mark down the date - 

Don't dawdle, don't wait!

This birthday breakfast will truly be great!

So come if you dare!

Come hungry - if you care! 

Join me for fun that is 

beyond compare!

Because a Seuss-style party

Is simply the best - 

It's topsy-turvy, tasty, and 

Better than the rest!

Almost right away, we started breakfast. I had already made tall red and white striped hat pancakes for the students, so I just had to warm those up. I brought my electric griddle to heat up the meat and cook the eggs. I just added some green food coloring to the eggs and cooked them up like normal. 

While I was finishing the breakfast off, students were coloring a Dr. Seuss coloring sheet. I told them it was for a coloring contest, so now I have to think of a prize. 

Next, we watched the reading of Green Eggs and Ham on YouTube. I didn't have a copy of the book, so YouTube came in handy. 

After that, we worked on rhyming words. I had the students do five rounds of a Scattergories-style  game. I gave them a beginning word such as cat and they had one minute to come up with all the real words they could that rhymed with it. Then we shared our words and students had to mark off any words that others also had. After 5 rounds, we awarded first place winners from each grade level (I teach three grades) with a mechanical pencil...simple and they were super excited to get the pencil since they very rarely have mechanical pencils. 

Afterwards, I showed them how to create rhyming sentences and I placed them in small groups. Each group got a list of spelling words and they had to create a story that included their words (as a team) and also rhymed like the Dr. Seuss stories. I found a cute 20 minute timer that I placed on the board. It was Dr. Seuss-themed. We shared our stories with the class. 

When we came in from recess, we watched an about the author video for Dr. Seuss. We learned about other things he did in his life and how he became the famous Dr. Seuss. We read a short biography on his life (found for free on TPT) and answered comprehension questions with text evidence. 

The next book we read was The Cat in the Hat. We also did part two, The Cat in the Hat Returns. Both books were a ton of fun, and the first is a classic, so we had to do that one for sure. For the extension activity, we did a directed drawing, using Art for Kids Hub, of the Cat in the Hat. 

Later we read Mr. McElligot's Pool at our read-aloud time. This one was just for fun. 

We ran out of time for everything I had planned, but tomorrow I hope to finish it all off. Here's what else we will do: 

We will read the book, What Pet Shall I Get? and write persuasive essays about the pet we want. The students will write strong reasons why their parents should get them this pet.

We will end with a book that was written with a little help from Jack Prelutsky. It is called Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! This one was finished off after Seuss' death. He had left some drawings and notes, but the text was not made, so this poet, Prelutsky took what he could find and created the rest in the style of Seuss. ...pretty amazing!

And to end the day, I got a sweet message from one of my parents telling me that their child came home and wanted to read his Dr. Seuss books. For him, the day was inspiring! Absolutely LOVE that!