Sunday, February 26, 2023

Unleashing the Power of STEM & Literacy

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Working as an educator these days can be incredibly stressful and the need to think smarter, NOT harder is key to staying sane! Last year was our "pilot" year for implementing STEM & the Engineering Design Process to our PK-1 grade levels and we quickly found that the best way for us to build those meaningful connections across content areas was through the use of mentor texts. There were SOOO many other great tips & tools we utilized last year and I hope to share them with you! 

With that said, let's jump right in! 

I won't lie...I am ADDICTED to reading and books in general. It's definitely something give me enjoy laughing with me about is the size of my teacher and classroom library. I think that comes with being in education for so long, but it could be that I am an avid reader and constantly on the lookout for a new book I can use as a mentor text. 

One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE books to introduce the Engineering Design Process to students is "Those Darn Squirrels" by Adam Rubin. This book LITERALLY jump-starts our class into the PBL mindset! If you don't already have this book in your library, I highly suggest you purchase it. I grabbed it when it first came out and have used it every year to introduce EDP to students and teachers alike. 

The FIRST thing I do when I get a new book, is to gather a bunch of sticky notes and a pen. I read through the book one time and just enjoy the author's craft and story elements. THEN the fun begins! When I read the story for a second time, I stop and jot down any/all of the ideas (teachable moments) that I could potentially use this book to help me teach a standard. By the time I'm done, there my entire book is FILLED with ideas that I can when needed. Those Darn Squirrels is a book with endless possibilities! 

If you don't already know, this book is about a little old man who enjoys painting the birds that come to his bird feeders to eat. Everything is copasetic until a naughty group of squirrels decide that the bird feeders are an all-day buffet. The old man begins to plan how he is going to stop the squirrels from eating all of the food because he doesn't want to birds to take off down south for the winter. Of course, the author does a wonderful job of making you laugh at the antics of the old man and these rambunctious squirrels throughout the story....which also happen to be perfect examples of how the Engineering Design Process works and the importance of a Growth Mindset when problem-solving. 

One of the added benefits of this book (other than the great EDP connections) is the social-emotional lesson(s) that can be taught as well; basically, it is chalked full of cross-curricular teaching opportunities! What more could you want, right?!

 By the time I finished jotting down all of my ideas for using this book in my classroom, I ended up with a long list of potential lessons. Take a look!

Now that I had a bunch of ideas, I started to generate ways in which I could integrate STEM & PBL. 



IN ADDITION TO THOSE IDEAS, I gradually began to make even more cross-curricular connections as I taught this lesson and shared it with other educators! In an effort to make connections with fiction & non-fiction texts, I found that Scholastic News Magazine had some great non-fiction text about squirrels! Not only that, these magazines include comprehension questions, reading response activities, videos, vocabulary, games, and much more that go along with each text. 

Mark Rober (one of my favorite people!) has made some HILARIOUSLY entertaining and educational videos about his squirrel maze adventures! These are BY FAR some of the best videos that HOOK both adults and students alike in getting excited about this unit of study! He has the following videos:

I should also mention that there are now MORE "Those Darn Squirrel" sequels available! I'll save those ideas for another post later on, but all-in-all, this book is an excellent text to use when introducing the Engineering Design Process and wanting to work smarter NOT harder with including those cross-curricular connections!

Hope you enjoy! 

~Erin


Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Here's to 2023!

It's now a new year, and it’s exciting to think of all the possibilities! I am incredibly passionate about education and interested in creating more educational posts about instructional methods and strategies, STEM instruction, student support, valuable resources and tools, as well as my experiences and innovative approaches to learning in the classroom. Let's discuss and learn together how we can make 2023 an amazing year for education! #STEMInstruction #Goals2023

Saturday, October 22, 2016

ADVANCED QR Code Subtraction Scavenger Hunt-Task Cards FREEBIE!



For a short time, this product is FREE! Please take a moment to download and leave feedback! My followers always get an email link to monthly (sometimes weekly) freebies!

This product includes ADVANCED QR Code Subtraction Task Cards that can be printed 1 per page and placed around the room as a “scavenger hunt” or printed 4 per page and used as task cards. These have been made to provide students with the opportunity to practice subtraction to 10,000 with 3 to 6 digit numbers! You will receive 24 individual cards with bright colored backgrounds as well as an answer key, black/white ink saver versions of each card and student recording sheet. Students get to check their work by scanning the QR code on each task card.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide feedback!
~The Organized Chaos of Instruction

Friday, October 21, 2016

QR Code Subtraction to 10,000 FREEBIE

For a short time, this product is FREE! Please take a moment to download and leave feedback! My followers always get an email link to monthly (sometimes weekly) freebies!

This product includes 24 subtraction cards that can be placed around the room as a “scavenger hunt” or used as task cards. These have been made to provide students with the opportunity to practice addition to 10,000 with 3-4 digits - 2-4 digits. Also included is an answer key, 2 student answer documents, and grid paper for students to show their work.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide feedback!
~The Organized Chaos of Instruction

QR Code SUBTRACTION to 10,000

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Addition to 10,000 FREEBIE

For a short time, this product is FREE! Please take a moment to download and leave feedback! My followers always get an email link to monthly (sometimes weekly) freebies!

This product includes 24 addition cards that can be placed around the room as a “scavenger hunt” or used as task cards. These have been made to provide students with the opportunity to practice addition to 10,000 with 3-4 digits + 2-4 digits. Also included is an answer key and 2 student answer documents.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide feedback!
~The Organized Chaos of Instruction

Addition to 10,000

Sunday, October 16, 2016

500+ Addition Flashcards (with missing addend) FREEBIE-24 HOURS ONLY!

This product contains over 60 pages of flashcards for students to practice ADDITION. Each page has 10 flashcards you can simply print and cut. These are black & white so you can print them out on bright colored paper and laminate for durability.
Each equation is missing an addend to increase higher level thinking. Also included are pages for an open ended workstation; just roll dice or draw a number and fill in the boxes to create equations!
PLEASE PROVIDE FEEDBACK! Freebies go out each week to my followers!
~Erin
The Organized Chaos of Instruction




500+ Addition Flashcards (with missing addend) FREEBIE-24 HOURS ONLY!

This product contains over 60 pages of flashcards for students to practice ADDITION. Each page has 10 flashcards you can simply print and cut. These are black & white so you can print them out on bright colored paper and laminate for durability.
Each equation is missing an addend to increase higher level thinking. Also included are pages for an open ended workstation; just roll dice or draw a number and fill in the boxes to create equations!
PLEASE PROVIDE FEEDBACK! Freebies go out each week to my followers!
~Erin
The Organized Chaos of Instruction




Saturday, May 9, 2015

Last Day for Free Teacher Planner!!!



SHARE and WIN!
Take a moment to share my All-In-One Teacher Planner and you could win it for FREE! Just share and then leave a comment on The Organized Chaos of Instruction Facebook page and "LIKE" my page! I will be giving away over $100 in freebies!
Visit https://www.facebook.com/theorganizedchaosofinstruction to leave a comment that you shared  & PLEASE like my page! I can't wait to share this awesome resource!

~Erin

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Practice Time By The Minute

*Please take a moment to leave feedback! If there is something that you would like to see changed with this product, please let me know and I will be happy to adjust this to make it even better!
Click on the picture to download this FREEBIE!
This download has pages that go throughout the day each page focuses on a specific time moving from 1:00 to 12:00!
You can print these up for practice, cut them up and put them in a center or make a little booklet out of them.
Each page focuses on telling time BY THE MINUTE.
~Erin
theorganizedchaosofinstruction@gmail.com 

Monday, March 2, 2015

NEW AND IMPROVED: Cheez-It Math-Work on AREA, PERIMETER, ARRAYS, FRACTIONS & toss in a little Word Study!

Click on the picture to download this FREEBIE!

*PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO LEAVE FEEDBACK! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO HELP SUPPORT MY TPT AND BLOG SITE!

This is my updated version of my Cheez-It math! This contains a zip file filled with:
1. Student activity pages (printables)
2. PowerPoint Lesson 
3. SMART Board interactive lesson
4. Detailed background and Teacher Lesson
5. Google Doc Form-for students to use as a response sheet instead of paper and/or notebooks...it can be completely paperless!

Students will be targeting a number of skills such as the following:
• made reasonable predictions
• practiced building arrays & writing equations
• used division to divide their crackers into groups
• continually graphed & recorded their results along the way
• practiced their skills with area & perimeter
• used the Scrabble Cheez-it crackers to create words



Thursday, February 19, 2015

SMART Board Version-Locating Items On A Grid-Activities for K-3

Click on the picture to download this SMART Board Activity!

*Please leave feedback for downloading this cute little FREEBIE!
This download is a fun way to get kids to practice locating items on a grid. This activity goes along with a SMART Board lesson, so you MUST have that software! Just like the PDF version in my TPT store, students can NOW move the birds and other cute pictures into different locations on a variety of grids. Then, the class has to tell where the items are located on the grid. You can print the PDF version and use it alongside this SMART Board activity and/or just print up the blank pages to use workstation if you wanted. I ended up printing them as posters and putting them in workstations :)
As always, I hope this is helpful to you and your students enjoy practicing the skills of finding locations on a grid!
~Erin
*Please note that this download uses the SMART Board software...the PDF version is a separate download in my store.

Primary-Locations on a Grid Activity!

Click on the picture to download this FREEBIE!


*Please leave feedback for downloading this cute little FREEBIE! It is a fun way to get kids to practice locating items on a grid. This activity goes along with a SMART Board lesson where students can move the birds into different locations on the grid and then the class has to tell where the birds have been moved. You can use the 2nd page print out to use in a workstation if you wanted.
I even included BLANK pages so that you or or your students can place stickers, stamps, or pictures on the grid and then use the blank student activity sheet to record the coordinates!
As always, I hope this is helpful to you and your students enjoy practicing the skills of finding locations on a grid!
~Erin
*Please note that this download is a PDF and the SMART Board Activity is a separate download in my store.


Tuesday, February 17, 2015

4th, 5th, and ERORMOUS Bundle of Spelling Menus/Choice Boards!!!

4th, 5th, and ERORMOUS Bundle of 
Spelling Menus/Choice Boards!!!
You asked for them and not hey are here!!! I finished up the 4th and 5th grade Spelling Choice Board/Menus. Each of these products has 20+ weeks of choice boards/menus. Each menu comes with a weekly spelling list and activities students can choose from. Also included are a variety of blank menu/list to help you differentiate for your diverse learners, pretest slip sheets & a generic parent letter
This is a great set for homeschooling teachers and for educators that need a variety of spelling resources!

*There are PREVIEWS for each of these, so go and check them out!





These download contains TONS of spelling choice boards! Each of the choice boards comes with a weekly spelling list and activities students can choose from.

Also included are a variety of blank menu/list to help you differentiate for your diverse learners, pretest slip sheets & a generic parent letter
This is a great set for homeschooling teachers and for educators that need a variety of spelling resources!

I've included the EDITABLE versions of each AND the ENORMOUS pack of all 1st through 5th Bundles!
Just click on the picture to take a look at any of these products!
~Erin

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Busy Little Bee

You could say that I've been doing some "Spring Cleaning" and going through all my old resources and updating them. I will probably spend the rest of the week just uploading new-and-improved versions of my "oldies but goodies" as well as add some new resources into the mix!
Many of these changes have come from feedback I've received from each of you however, since going to the TCEA technology conference last week, I am FIRED UP and wanting the make my products even better. With that in mind, I will try and set up just one post filled with all the updates and then another with all the new resources.
Be sure to find some FREEBIES in there of course, because you KNOW I love to share!
Until then, here are my QR Code links (thanks to unitag)!
 
Scan to visit my TPT store where you can find freebies and other resources!
Scan to visit my new Facebook page!

Scan to visit and follow my Twitter account!


Monday, February 2, 2015

Simple Reading Response-Google Form

For those of you who have a GOOGLE account, I've created a simple homework/classwork book review. Feel free to email me at theorganizedchaosofinstruction@gmail.com if you'd like to get the form for yourself!

What fun! You could make these for anything!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Figurative-Language-Puzzles-FREEBIE-1029961

Flipped 101

What a fun course! Check out the notes at: https://sites.google.com/site/getflipped2014/sessions/flipped-classroom-101
~Erin

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Just a Week Away!

The TCEA Conference is just around the corner and I can't wait to share all the new and exciting technology and resources I hear about at the conference! Be on the lookout for my notes; I plan to post them to my blog.
~Erin
http://www.tceaconvention.org/2015/
Click to be taken to the TCEA website.