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Sunday, July 08, 2012

Gloggin' thru the Milky Way

As I mentioned in a previous post, I started this year off with Interest Inventories. Last summer, I purchased Shelley Gray's Student Portfolio package and it was the bomb-diggedy. I 110% recommend it-yes it is THAT awesome. It includes Writing, Reading and Math surveys, Multiple Intelligence surveys and Reflections that can be done with the kids each month. I am so glad that I bought this...it's so incredibly useful and easy to use.

{click on picture to go to tpt}

Anywho, according to their surveys, the kids REALLY wanted to learn about animals and the solar system. 
We did a HUGE animal research project, complete with exhibition, that incorporated tonnes of cross-curricular learning. The kids loved it. 
In May, we started solar system projects. I read somewhere or someplace (many times, actually) that it is EXTREMELY important to tap into schema before introducing a new topic...something I have {being honest} skipped over occasionally. So, we started this study with a KWL chart about the planets. 
We watched Learn 360 Solar System info movies and read books/articles/poems about the SS. This took about a week. Finally, I buddied the kids up according to ability and gave them each a topic. I didn't have enough planets for the 12 pairs, so I also included the sun, moon, and Halley's Comet.

{click picture to get a copy}

I differentiated the sun, Earth, Halley's Comet and the moon.These are all 2 instead of 3 pages long and have slightly different questions than the others. It took me a day to make up the sheets but it was worth it! I also used free resources that I found on Pinterest and then photocopied to go along with each topic.
After researching their planets, kids conferenced with me. I helped them find pictures of their planets, and guided them to find the answers they couldn't find on their own. 
The last step was to create a glog. Okay-Glogster.edu changed a little. Instead of each student having their own login (I just couldn't afford the membership at the time), I created a login and gave each child a page. This just meant that they logged in as me and then found their names. Easy peasy lemon squeezey.

{click on the picture to go to this glog}

Our final step was to present the glogs on our class Smartboard. As each partnership presented, kids wrote down one-three interesting fact(s) in a flipbook that I created using Read-Write-Think
I would have loved to have done a craftivity with this project, but we ran out of time. 
And that's it...that's all. A really fun, engaging project that incorporated all sorts of curriculum and the kids loved.

ps  If you're interested in the rest of the planets/solar system sheets let me know and I'll send them to you!

4 comments:

  1. I've heard about glogs, but haven't looked at it much yet. You just reminded me to go and investigate it. Thanks for sharing your projects! :)
    Lisa
    Learning Is Something to Treasure

    ReplyDelete
  2. We love doing interest inventories with our kiddos! We just found your blog and are now following! We would love it if you stop by sometime.
    Katie & Lisen
    wearesecondgradesmartypants.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are amazing. This solar system project taps into so many modalities and it is so creative. I want to do this- Thank you so much for sharing.

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