Comparing the Past and Present

It's another off week for me, which means a flexible schedule in the library.  These are fun because I get to teach a variety of things, make the teachers happy because I'm reviewing concepts (and it gives them a break!), and makes the kids happy because they still get to check out and do something fun!

This week with my Kindergarten and First Graders, we are looking at past and present.  We're also discovering QR Codes for the first time for some of them as well!  Students have had a lot of fun taking the tablets around and scanning cards to watch videos, see pictures, and see what the past was like!  I also have had a past/present picture sort waiting for them to do at one of the tables (complete with hula hoops that are labeled), as well as a cut/paste activity on comparing the past/present.  Plus, there's also the bonus of getting to check out this week!

For those of you that might be confused, our school has a STEM lab ("Innovation Lab") that meets 3 times during the nine weeks and it's during the library resource time.  So, my first week was kind of a dud with teachers signing up for a flexible schedule.  It was brand new to them and some of the sample lesson plans I sent out were a little ambitious and probably scared them off! (Mali marketplace, anyone?).  So, for the second week, I recruited teachers by making up a digital citizenship lesson a K class missed due to a field trip.....and when the word spread that it was like an extra planning period, well, my K-2 teachers went wild and all signed up!  They were really happy I asked THEM what to teach!  I was doing math patterns with my Kinders, pirate maps with the Firsties, weather with the second graders....you get the idea.  Now that we're on the 3rd week, I've been able to have a "soft opening" with my fourth and fifth graders with our Makerspace (planning to roll it all out after Thanksgiving), teaching past/present with K and 1, weather and economics with 2nd, character traits with 5th...you get the idea!

So I wanted to share my Past/Present packet with you because my kiddos have had so much fun with it this week so far!  Click on the title page to see more!

These are "hunt keys" I created for my kids so they could mark off the cards they scanned and watched

Here There Be Pirates!

I had an amazing time with my first graders combining maps and pirates!  My first grade teachers had asked me to work with the students on creating maps.  What better way than with pirates!

We read a book called A Pirate's Guide to First Grade by James Preller to set the mood.


We also read a cool book on maps, to review map skills (there were some pages I skipped if it didn't meet the standards for first, i.e. too high):  Follow That Map!  A First Book of Mapping Skills by Scot Ritchie.


I asked students what pirates and maps had in common to get their juices going.  Then, we had a fun time with a map activity I created, where students had to draw maps (focusing on map keys, symbols, and compass rose) to find the treasure!  I differentiated among the grade level, so there are actually 3 levels of maps I used:  for our gifted class, I gave them the blank map template, then they had to draw their own map key, compass rose, and create symbols.  For another class, I provided the map template, map key, symbols, compass rose, and title BUT they had to cut them out and use them in the correct place.  A third class received the map with the map key, symbols, and compass rose on it, but had to create a title and draw the symbols from the map key on to the map (and there was a space where they could create more symbols, if they wanted to).

It made for a really fun lesson, so I hope you'll check it out!  Click on the picture below to take you to TPT or {here} for Teacher's Notebook.

A New Start and a New Name

Yep, that's right - if you haven't guessed, next year, I'll be teaching first grade.  Not by choice, but I get to work with some really cool people, so I think it'll be okay.  I'm still kinda in the shock stages since I was told by our new principal on Thursday.  There's a bunch of us moving around.  Why do they always do that?

Anyway, although my heart stays in second, I hope to have a new adventure and become "Wild In First"....as in wild about, wild theme (keeping my safari theme I started last year), and good, "wild", active lesson plans/units.  I'll probably still post some second grade units as well - I mean, after 6 years, this was part of what my summer would be! - so stay posted! 

So, some new changes.  I hope to have a new blog look soon.  It's kind of a work in progress!

Hope to share some new things, ideas, pins, etc. with you soon! :)