Using Discovery Bottles

Have you made use of discovery bottles in your classroom?  Consider doing so if you want to add some simple manipulatives for centers or a science station.  Earlier, I posted about how teachers use empty water bottles for activities, and discovery bottles accomplish the same thing by adding different types of materials for students to shake around and observe.  They can do work with these at their desks or in small groups.  Just add a printable to the center where they can record what they see, and you can turn plastic bottles into a world of discovery for your students.


Some examples found on TurnstallTimes' post:

• "Word bottles" are filled with pasta, sand or other materials, with words hidden inside.  Students shake the bottle around and read/record the sight words that are revealed.  She even included a sheet for students to record the words they find!
• The "magnetic" bottle is full of tiny metal objects along with tons of confetti.  Students move a magnet along the outside of the bottle and watch the metal objects react.
• The "ocean bottle" makes waves when the oil, water, and blue food coloring inside are shaken.

Familylicious also has several nice discovery bottle examples posted, like:

• Vegetable oil mixed with powdered color and water mixed with food coloring can be shaken up to  create secondary colors, and then separate into two different colors when left still.
• "Density bottles" are filled with different types of liquid, such as water in one and clear shampoo in another.  A marble is placed inside each and students shake the bottles to see how the marbles move differently.  This would be a great way to introduce the concept of density to the whole class.
• A 'hidden objects" bottle is one of my favorites.  This would be great as a free-time activity!  Fill a bottle with material, such as sand or tissue paper.  Add 5-10 small objects and shake it so that they are hidden.  Include a sheet with pictures of the small objects so students can know what each item looks like, then challenge them to find them all.  

What other concepts can you showcase inside a discovery bottle?

Use Water Bottles and CD Cases for Centers!

I love when teachers are innovative and thrifty!  Literacy&MathIdeas shows us how to be both with two cool ideas for classroom centers.  Put old materials to good use by reusing plastic water bottles and old CD cases!


Her blog shows several examples of using water bottles for all kinds of centers.  All you need to use are a few popsicle sticks and you've got a good way to have students practice math problems, sorts, spelling, vocabulary, place value and lots of other skills.  Simply decorate and label the bottles, slide the sticks back inside, and you can easily store several activities and conserve valuable space.  Her example photos are very helpful.


Another idea she had was to reuse CD cases.  Instead of wasting paper and worksheets in centers, her students can use markers to write and wipe-off practice questions of the case itself, and then open it to reveal the answers inside.  It's a great way to self-check during the activity.


I thought these ideas were highly recommendable, since teachers often look for ways to save money and space.  Reusing materials shows a good example of not wasting resources, and may spark a good discussion on recycling.


For other interesting tools for classroom centers, be sure to check out how you can use paper cup stacking and clothespins for your activities.

Stories on Youtube

The Learning Parade has provided a quick reference to online stories.  They've included a list of the Top 10 Picture Books on Youtube, including classics like Where the Wild Things Are, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.


These videos are ideal for a simple listening center, allowing students to follow along with the story while you're free to work with other students.  You can also project these to the whole class if you have a moment of free time, like after recess or just before the final bell.  Also, consider providing the link in your newsletter to parents so that they will have a good resource for stories at home.  Check to see if some of your favorite read-alouds are online!

Classroom Centers: Clothespins

Another idea for classroom centers I found on Pinterest, originally posted on the Love4thGrade blog, is a nifty idea for using clothespins.  Apparently, the blogger adapted this activity from something similar she also found on Pinterest (a great resource, if you aren't already aware).  Visit her post on centers so you can see how she made a wheel from tagboard and divided it into sections.  Each section can contain a definition, a category, a math problem, etc.  In a baggy, keep clothespins which are written with the responses to the wheel's sections.  Students clip the corresponding clothespins to the appropriate section of the wheel.  Two or three pins can belong to the same section.  You may want to keep the answers to specific clothespin puzzles (as I've come to think of them) somewhere so students can check their answers.  You can keep several different versions of the activity to practice a lot of subjects and topics.


Her class used the activity as a great way to practice vocabulary.  Another blog used the same activity to help younger students practice number recognition.  There are several other ways to used this idea:

• practice identifying root words (example:  the section of the wheel can say "these words have to do with 'life' or 'living matter'" so students can stick pins with the words "biology" and "biography" on that section).
• practice simple algebra problems  (Love4thGrade shows an example of this in the same post).
• review social studies, geography and history (example:  the section of the wheel can say "Pueblo Indians" so students can stick pins with the words "adobe homes" and "cliff dwellers" on that section).

There are many other ways to use this activity.  In fact, it may be helpful for students to create their own boards and clothespin puzzles to trade amongst one another to help review a unit of study.  It will help them think of things in categories and analyze things they've learned in class.

Try it!

Classroom Centers: Paper Cup Stacking

I found this review activity on Pinterest (posted by Mrs. Gilchrist, who decorated her Power Tower cans nicely), originally found on Teachertipster.com.  The idea takes advantage of many kids' fondness for cup stacking.  The "Power Towers" are merely Pringles cans that house paper cups used for stacking.  Watch the video as a teacher explains that you can write review questions on the cups to help students with quick recall of facts, like math questions, sight words or vocabulary.  If kids could recall multiplication facts as half as I've seen some cup stackers, they'd be a marvel!

Free, Downloadable Science Activities

Topscience.org has a ton of downloadable science activities you can use for all sorts of subjects and skills.  The activities are hands-on and would make great science centers, projects or whole-class activities to augment your lesson plans.


The best part is that they are free!  They have several free activities available as samples of their purchasable material, which you should also check out.  Each activity provides printable material, instructions, discussion questions, extensions and more.


The activities explore several science topics, and are appropriate for varying age groups.  Included are activities about:

• Estimating the size of objects in the universe.  This is very appropriate for any space unit.  Cut out the slips of paper and have students arrange themselves based on what they think are the sizes of objects, ranging from subatomic material to objects in the vast expanse of space.
• Investigating magnetism.  How can you make a paper clip float in the air?
• Building a model landscape.  Students will then bury a penny in their landscape, create a treasure map, and then challenge other students to find the buried treasure.
• Creating petrified paper.  Students will use salt to turn paper into a petrified log.  They then compare this process to that of wood petrifying.

Explore all of their free activities and see if any will fit your classroom's needs.

image:  microsoft

Beginning a New Series on Classroom Centers

One of my favorite aspects of education is the use of classroom centers and workstations.  I love them!  The activities, the work and investigation students have to perform, the cooperative learning... I just really enjoy seeing classrooms buzzing with all the learning that takes place in centers.  The more creative and engaging, the better.


Centers are certainly something I will make use of once I become full-time.  In my journeys on teacher forums, I notice tons of questions about what would be good center activities, particularly for math and science.


That inspired me to create a new series on Classroom Centers.  Basically, I spent the past school year really keeping my eyes open for pretty much every center activity for every subject.  I jotted down notes on the ones that looked promising.  Now, I have a notebook full of ideas and now I'm going to share them with all of you!


Some centers are things I've found on the internet.  Many will come from things I actually saw performed in classrooms while I was subbing.  When possible, I will give credit to sources (some of the ones I copied came with instructions and sources).  Some centers will come from magazines.  And I want you to recommend any good center activities you use or find so that I can catalog them on my blog.  I really think it would be a big help to teachers everywhere.


Stay tuned for Substitutesftw's center series!


Be sure to click the "centers" label for my past posts about centers.

Reading & Language Activities Galore!

Access dozens of student center activities through one website, created by the Florida Center for Reading Research.  This is an invaluable resource for elementary teachers looking for center or workstation activities.  Everything is free, printable and contains instructions.


Students can practice phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension strategies with the things you'll find here.  All activities are labeled under grade level and skill.  These are great for independent activities or small group instruction.  They even have a helpful search feature so that you can find exactly what you need.


Thanks to the posters of ProTeacher for this resource!

Free, Printable Science Board Game

If you need a science center activity, Ology may have just what you need.  They have a free, printable science board game that's centered around endangered species.  The game, Endangered!, can be printed, taped together, laminated and played using only dice and simple place-markers.  Here are instructions on how to put the game board together.


The game teaches students about different animal species, their habitats, and the factors that threaten these species, placing them on the path to extinction.


Students play in small groups and use the game board to learn the facts they need to answer questions.  You can extend the activity by having them write about some things they learned during the game, or having them research some of the species that are featured on the board.


Laminating the board offers repeated classroom use.  Best of all, it's perfectly free!


This great find comes courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History.

Free Activity: Calculator Puzzles

Calculator Puzzles are a good option for math activities, a math center, independent practice, or even a substitute lesson plan.  This activity is free to download and reusable, if the pictures are printed onto cardstock and laminated.  Students can work on their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills while they practice their problem solving strategies.

The idea of the activity is to use the calculator buttons on each picture to figure out how to get the answer displayed on each screen.  Students may have to use guess and check and other strategies to find the correct answer.

These puzzles offer easy problems and more difficult ones, an answer key and simple instructions.  It all comes courtesy of Ashleigh and her TeachersPayTeachers activities.  This particular download is free, and if you sign up and enjoy it, be sure to check out the rest of Ashleigh's activities that are available for purchase.  She has more of these Calculator Puzzles for further use.

You also have the option of creating your own Calculator Puzzles and making your own problems, increasing the level of difficulty to fit the needs of your classroom.

Enjoy!

Teaching Tips of the Week (October 25-31)

1. Here’s a great tip from The Tip Jar:  use metal cookie sheets with raised edges in your spelling, math or word work centers.  Students can use magnetic letters and numbers on the sheets for their activities.  The sheets will give students space to work, and will stack up neatly for easy storage.
2. Check out this cool project from High Tech High:  10^th graders applied their math and science skills to design a model of a home that has minimal impact on the environment.  The site contains full details about the project.
3. Houghton Mifflin has a great proofreading interactive activity on their site that allows students to be the editor for a TV network.  They must choose a passage and keep a sharp eye for mistakes to correct.
4. Teaching Young Children provides tips for making different kinds of puppets for the preschool classroom (http://www.naeyc.org).
5. Finally, the 2011 Cray-Pas art contest in underway!  If you have students gifted in art, download the entry form for them and encourage them to enter their work for a chance to when cool prizes, such as art materials and their artwork imprinted on a tote bag!  Winning students will also have their teachers and schools awarded prizes.  The deadline is December 10, 2010.  Visit the site for more details! 

(image source:  sakuraofamerica)

Top 5 Teaching Tips of the Week (August 23-29)

1.  Looking for inexpensive center ideas, or quick classroom activities, that are easy to create?  Check out The Cornerstone’s economical, easy and creative center ideas.

2.  FreeTech4Teachers gives you 11 ideas for integrating technology this year.

3.   Use this helpful flipbook to guide students in organizing their binders (from Mary Blow via Scholastic.com).  She also shows you how to turn this organization tool into an easy assignment for the first days of school.

4.   Check out this cool class project about pirates.  Wikispaces is a great way to make a collaborative project engaging to students.

5.   Give students a fun, imaginative science lesson about animal habitats in this PBSKids online activity.  Using the site’s drawing tool, students analyze and respond to a monthly challenge by designing a fictional creature's habitat.

Find any good tips?  Let me know about them, and I'll be sure to credit you!