I have always loved this activity and I wanted to share this quickly in a post! I love tasty science lessons and when you can get fourth graders excited about writing and science together it is a win/win! Can I just say POPCORN CONSTELLATIONS! Yes, popcorn constellations!
Here's how it goes...
I start with a quick discussion about some super stars we will be learning about today...the constellations! I share with them the video Crash Course Super Stars!
While I do that I set out a piece of black paper for each child, along with a white crayon (or chalk), a note card with lines, and a Dixie Cup of popcorn.
Once the video is done, I let them know that we
will be making Popcorn Constellations. I demonstrate, by tossing the popcorn onto the paper, too many pieces makes it harder for them to find a figure...I then pick up a piece and pop it into my mouth! I replace it with a white star mark to show where the popcorn once was. I continue to do that until I eat all the popcorn and have white stars on my paper. I then turn the paper in all directions until I see something. I then devise a story as to how the constellation got there in the sky.
I then send them back to do the same thing on their own papers. I love how they try to help each other figure out what they see. Some are easier than others, some may need a bit of help.
When they are through with their stories, we share the title or the story with each other. While we are waiting for the class, I let them figure out their zodiac sign and read a kid friendly horoscope. We compare it to a fortune cookie or the paper at a Chinese restaurant.
I then complete my lesson by sharing an activity with flashlights comparing the closeness of stars and their brightness. We can all be super stars with this one!
This week, we are wrapping up our five senses in kindergarten. What a perfect opportunity to find an inexpensive treat for some science fun! Let me show you how to integrate math, reading, and writing as well all by using Popcorn!
I went and bought a new popcorn popper for my kindergartners so that they could utilize all five. Not only can they see the popcorn popping, the can hear it, smell it, then feel it once it cooled down, and then finally taste it! I add a bit of salt to the bowl and we are good to go!
Let's Get Popping:
1. First set rules for how far they need to sit away from the popper. They will worry they won't get to see, but to be safe set up a barrier or a table they need to watch from.
2. Once popped and the senses that were reviewed and property words shared, send them back to their spots where you can set out a napkin or paper towel. I give each group a cup of salted popcorn and share that this is what they will get for the five senses activity.
3. I create an anchor chart that we then review with taste being the last one that we do. The words they describe are what I write down. We feel and describe, share what we smelled and describe, share what we see heard (it's hard to say anything, but pop...), and then we taste it!
4. While they are eating, I love popping up Epic Books, free to teachers, and finding The Popcorn Book by Tomie dePaola. I paraphrase for my kinders so they can understand the pictures.
5. When everyone is finished we head to the carpet for our Google Interactive Smartboard game! These slides are the best! I can have students come to the board after rewarding them for making good choices, listening right away, doing their work. I give out Smartboard Sticks with numbers on them. If I have 8 slides I give 8 sticks out and so on.
The students one at a time then go up and use the movable pieces to show what they know. It is a great way to assess if they understand the concepts! You can find the Popcorn digital activity and Stations HERE.
6. When we are finished, we then work on more science along with writing and math connections. I use my popcorn packet to have students use the anchor chart to fill in a five senses chart of their own. The next station, I place out a jar with salt and seeds inside for them to observe. I also love dancing popcorn. Check out this video:
7. The math activity includes giving each of my students a popcorn bucket pattern or the real things from the Dollar Store. I make the different numbers on popcorn shapes that then go in a popcorn bag or bucket or even just turned around in the middle of the table. Students then turn two cards over, use real or paper popcorn patterns to count it out. They love this!
My week begins on a Tuesday...yes not Monday...Tuesday. Why? Well we are on a day one through five schedule not day of the week schedule. So it is Tuesday and I wanted to share with you what my week looks like! Getting ready for the kiddos this weekend! I love using digital resources to help my littles show me what they know!
Kindergartners:
We are starting our first week of wrap ups on our five senses. To use all five senses we are using popcorn to do that! I will be starting with them at the carpet as I review our senses we already used. (I have the popper started!) All of a sudden we hear something! Then...smell something. By that time they figure out what we are making and we then go to the table that is a safe distance away from touching something hot.
While we wait for the popcorn to cool down we meet at the carpet area to use our popcorn slides as a review. They love being able to come to the board and move the pictures to show what sense we use when we see a magic word such as hot or salty.
When they are done, I send them back to their desks to get a cup of popcorn after I salt and butter it. We start with one sense at a time...with tasting being the last sense! As they use each sense I write down on our anchor chart the property words to describe each one.
I give them a popcorn shape to draw one or more ways they use their senses when it comes to popcorn! I play popcorn music as they work!
We finish up with a short story by Frank Asch called of course...Popcorn!
First Graders:
This week in first grade, we continue to work with vertebrate. We are learning about Amphibians! My favorite thing to do is find a song that we can learn or listen to that will help us retain information! The amphibian song is one of my favorites...but before we start that we talk about what makes us a mammal. I show them pictures of amphibians and I ask them to tell me what they see. Do the animals have fur or hair...give live birth...Then I show the fun song...
We then create the beginning of our anchor chart. What animals did we hear about in our song? We then move onto our non-fiction book, What is An Amphibian? from Epic Books...free for teachers! We then play a game...Is it an amphibian? If it is...they hop like a frog!
We follow it up with a writing and assessment sheet found in my Animal Classifications Pack that is continually getting updated as I add more ideas and activities!
When we get done we color a salamander pattern that I found on line!
2nd Grade:
We are using our FOSS Air and Weather Kit. I need to follow a road map that indicates which lesson I should be on at a given times so that our eight other Science Educators and I can cover the same "Big Ideas". At times, I can find ways to add some STEM activities that tie in what we are learning about such as last week's parachute lesson and a Jack and the Beanstalk connection...however this week is air pressure. Not quite as exciting for an hour long class. So, sometimes I just can't make my own extras I call upon the help of Ms. Frizzle! I found a perfect video...Goes On Air... and sheet from Scholastic along with our FOSS syringe lesson. This is okay for me because they can't watch videos in their rooms due to the strict road map they are on for virtually everything. I am glad that I have that flexibility! Here is the link for the video: Magic School Bus Goes On Air. Here is the Scholastic Classroom Activity Site: Scholastic Magic School Bus Activity Page.
3rd Grade:
Once again FOSS gets me...we are using our mock rocks to learn about crystals. I brought in a crystal for them to see...we read a crystal book from Epic Books called What Are Crystals...ok I just skimmed and paraphrased for them. That is the beauty of using the smart board to project stories. (As a science teacher with no transition time, I can even put on the read the book to me button at times, allowing me to set up supplies on tables).
Once we are done with an intro to crystals, we review what a geologist is and what they do. Geologists use different experiments and techniques to break apart rocks or look more closely at what they are made of. We share how our mock rocks are used to compare what geologists do to real rocks and then we look at our vials to see what ingredients I might have put in our "recipe". I stress the idea of a recipe so they know that rocks are more than one ingredient and minerals are only one ingredient...just like a recipe.
We discuss evaporation, which I taught last year. We then do the FOSS lesson, but we use our iPads to take pictures and not draw the vial. Once done with the writing, this helps me get them finished...I then let them come to the crystal table which has hand lenses set out as well as the identification chart. We need evidence as to why I put in the ingredient I did! How do you know...is the big question of the day!
We celebrate our learning by eating a bit of rock candy and writing in our crystal ball! Here is the sheet that we used! Enjoy the quick and easy freebie I use with crystals to check for understanding. I take a picture of this with my iPad, then air drop it to them. They put it into Explain Everything!
Fourth Grade:
We just finished up on our FOSS lessons with magnets. This week, we are reviewing with magnet stations! I set up eight stations that I made in my Magnet Pack using all of the supplies from my FOSS magnet kit, however I also use other supplies that I have for this unit to add some added magnets and magnet toys. Once they are done reviewing they assess their effort and then we review the answers. This helps them focus on getting a certain amount done in the time they have to finish the stations and it also helps my lower level learners understand and review what they might not know yet. Take a look at the stations in action!
I love these Magnet Stations Found HERE! They keep our FOSS magnet lesson more engaging and allow for more assessments!
Fifth Grade:
We are learning about life boats so what a perfect time for this History minor to teach a history lesson! I give each fifth grader a steerage ticket that I made as they walk in the room...of course to the Titanic Theme Song as an instrumental.
I let them pick from my hand to get their fate. First class has nice cushioned chairs and a glass of water. I get them their supplies all ready as well and they sit up front. My second class ticket holders sit at tables away from the front and get pencils, and the third class passengers sit on the floor in the back and share a few pencils between them. They love it!
I use the Book National Geographic Titanic to read to them on the smart board, which once again is from Epic Books! Once done, we discuss what a life boat is and what capacity means. We share what we know about boat size and capacity! I get them all together and we watch a quick video on what happened on the Titanic and the capacity of the life boats that were launched. It is a perfect connector!
I then share that we are making our own life boats using a controlled experiment model. I give them each a piece of aluminum foil the same size, the variable how they build and form the boat. We then test how many "penny passengers" fit in the life boat. What a great STEM lesson to tie it all together!
Next week, our FOSS life boat lesson and another STEM project found in my Titanic Pack!
Today, starts my new week. Kinders are wrapping up their 5 senses with popcorn. I handed out a kernel to each kinder while they entered the room. We reviewed our five senses through our song to Bingo each time we meet...I have five senses yes I do I use them every day-o. Ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands...you get it...they love it. We belt it out now that we have sung it 5 times. We started by watching the popcorn popper, shared our descriptive word, and made a chart. We then felt one popped corn and then got a whole cup to eat...YUM! We finished up with the writing of our words in the popcorn kernels at our seats.
The kernel is hard, pointy, and brown.
We watched it pop, wondered where the moisture comes from, and learned why popcorn pops!
We filled out the popcorn chart using our 5 senses, then...
finished up with this freebie for you!
The kinders loved eating popcorn and reviewing the 5 senses!
At Jefferson we have focused on tomatoes as our September harvest of the month veggie. Now, it's October and we are celebrating Farm to School Month. We have some after school programs that we are hosting that celebrate the apple and popcorn. We harvested our popcorn today. Take a look at our harvest.
With the husks we made corn husk dolls to take home. We are letting our popcorn dry so that we can give them to our teachers to use for our award day fun. We used the book Popcorn for some fun facts. I even included a fun unit at my TPT store and a sheet for you to use if you would like. I used the sheet with my littles in 1st and 2nd grade. Hope you enjoy!
will be making Popcorn Constellations. I demonstrate, by tossing the popcorn onto the paper, too many pieces makes it harder for them to find a figure...I then pick up a piece and pop it into my mouth! I replace it with a white star mark to show where the popcorn once was. I continue to do that until I eat all the popcorn and have white stars on my paper. I then turn the paper in all directions until I see something. I then devise a story as to how the constellation got there in the sky.
will be making Popcorn Constellations. I demonstrate, by tossing the popcorn onto the paper, too many pieces makes it harder for them to find a figure...I then pick up a piece and pop it into my mouth! I replace it with a white star mark to show where the popcorn once was. I continue to do that until I eat all the popcorn and have white stars on my paper. I then turn the paper in all directions until I see something. I then devise a story as to how the constellation got there in the sky.
