The Mouse and the Motorcycle

As our class read aloud we read the book "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" by Beverly Cleary. We tried to read a chapter every day (somedays we didn't have the time to do it) but it only took us a few weeks to finish the whole book! After reading we would make predictions on what would happen in the next chapter based on the title of the following chapter. The kids were really interested in the book, so I designed a few activities for them to do along with our reading. Only a few children opted to participate in these activities.

The activities included some responses in their reader's notebook about what was happening in the story, designing their own motorcycle, and designing some more accessories for Ralph to wear while riding the motorcycle.
Here are some pictures to show you their work:

Sammie, Eli, and Casey all participated in the "Dress the Part" assignment. They designed other accessories for Ralph to wear while riding on his motorcycle.
Casey, Eli, and Sammie also did a great job designing their own motorcycle. Look at some of the great detail work that was put into this assignment!

Luke, Ian, and Ryan designed their own motorcycle, named them, and told us a few things about their designs that make them different from all the other motorycles that are out there. For example, Luke said that his did not need anything to run it, it would run without any type of gas.

Finger People

We did an activity called Finger People in class. This is a creative thinking activity. I read a set of directions and the children had to draw exactly what they heard. They could add other details after we were finished. This was an oral activity which also tested the children's listening skills. They used their privacy folders so that they would not be tempted to use other people's imagination and creativity. After we did the activity the kids were able to look at their classmate's work to see how they percieved the directions that were given.

Here was what the students heard:
The person on the left is smiling and wearing a hat.
The next person has very long straight hair and is wearing eyeglasses.
The third person is wearing a baseball hat. She is blowing a bubble that completely covers up the nose on her face.
The next person is wearing some very cool sunglasses.
The fifth person is laughing. A necklace she is wearing is made up of big and small beads.
The next person has eyebrows that go up. He is looking quite surprised, because a big bee has just landed on his rather large nose.
The seventh person is looking at the person with the bee on her nose. She looks surprised, too.
The eighth person is turned around, and all you can see is the back of her head.

The pictures were posted outside of our classroom for everyone to see. Here are a few examples of the work the students did.

The Olympics

Here are the pictures of the specific activities and the student work.

I also had a section on the board called "Radiant Riddles" which gave riddles about topics relating to the Olympics. Students really enjoyed trying to decipher those riddles!

There are also some student comments about what the students thought about the Think Tank-Olympics.

Casey did a good job with this activity. She has added different designs on medals each to represent something different.

This is a close up of Sammie's brochure on Greece. She did a lot of great research on the Internet and learned a whole lot about the country where the Olympics originated.

Luke, Hailey, and Sammie all decided to do this brochure about a country that attends and competes in the Olympics. They all did a fabulous job!

Ian did a great job of combining two sports to make a new sport. He combined swimming with basketball. He drew his illustration on the front and put his rules on the back. Here are his rules: No hurting. You can't get out and shoot. If you get 20 points you win. No slam dunking!

Unfortunately, none of the students opted to do this assignment. It could be a fun activity to do together at home in the future.

I selected Eli's example for this activity. He made a design and told us a little about it. He decided that it stood for cooperation and sportsmanship.

"The activity I enjoyed most was Radiant Riddles. I liked it because it talked about history." -Jake

"The activity I enjoyed the most was #5 because I learned some stuff about Jamaica." - Luke

"The activity I enjoyed the most was #5 because I myself got to learn too."

- Sammie

"I enjoyed #3 because it is very creative." - Eli

"I enjoyed #1 because it gets your mind working." - Mikayla

"I enjoyed #3 because I like to color." - Ian

"I enjoyed Radiant Riddles because I like riddles." - Cameron

"I enjoyed #5 because it helps you learn about a different culture." - Hailey

"I enjoyed #5 because you learn alot." -Casey

The Think Tank- The Olympics

The Think Tank is a great way for the kids to enhance all of their critical and creative thinking skills. I made the activities up based on the strands from the gifted curriculum. The students really enjoyed the activities and couldn't wait to get back there to continue working on them!

Brain Stations

The students were able to circulate through four brain stations that promoted critical and creative thinking. The following pictures show students in each of the four centers hard at work!

The stations were listed on the board. The students were put into groups and circulated around together. They knew where to meet and what to bring with them to that center. Each center lasted for about 25 minutes.

This group was working together on the brain station "Time to Eat." The most difficult task in this brain station was not being able to use the same food more than once on the page!

Josie did a great job of deciphering the coded words in "Good Luck 2 u!" She was also helpful at helping team members that didn't understand quite what to do at first.

This group is working together on the brain station "Stick Stories." This group was having great discussions on why they thought specific sentences went with the stick pictures.

Eli is here hard at work at the "A Look at a Book" station.

Here are some comments written by the kids when asked the question

"Did you enjoy doing Brain Stations today? Why?"

"I liked the brain stations because theres 3 reasons. It's a good way to learn how to work with a group. It's a good way to make friends. It's a fun way to learn."

- Mikayla

"I liked it because it was fun and challenging."

- Casey

"I liked the stations because I like challenges."

- Eli

"I enjoyed brain stations because its a good thing to do and it can help your brain and your mind."

- Nathan

"I liked brain stations because it was fun yet challenging."

-Sammie

"I liked brain stations because they were fun. It was fun because I liked the fun activities."

- Ian

Auto Bio Poems

For our first writing project we wrote Auto Bio Poems to tell about ourselves. I like to do this and leave them out at Open House for parents to enjoy. For the parents who are unable to attend or want to share with relatives that live elsewhere, I have decided to also type them on the blog. Please remember that everything is typed as the children have written them. I have left out the last line of the poem, the child's last name, for safety reasons.

Aubrey
nice, fun, and sweet
Daughter of April and Matt
Who feels hungry, tired, and happy
Loves cheatahs, Dasiy, and Mama
Who needs food, animals, and friends
Who gives love, scare, and kisses
Who is scared of cocroachas
Who would like to meet Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, and the Cheatah Girls
Who lives in Jacksonville

Alex
crasey, nice, an actev
Son of Rebecca and Todd
Who feels hungy, happy, and hot
Loves sports, famly, and friends
Who needs water, food and air, famly, toys, friends, and canedy
Who gives toy,caneay, and joy
Who is scared of dieing
Who would like to meet Gorg Woshingten, Sombey, Gorg bush
Who lives in Jacksonville

Jack B.
cool quiet, and funny
Some of Larua and Mark
Who feels hungry, hot, and happy
Loves Pokemon, Legos, and family
Who needs Legos, cards, and food
Who gives toys, candy, and cards
Who is scared of dieing
Who would like to meet Geoge Lucis and RL Stine
Who lives in Jacksonville

Josephine
shy, crazy, and funny
Daughter of Margret and Mark
Who feels tired, happy and cold
Loves candy, jo-jo, and friends
Who needs food, water, and faimaly
Who gives hugs, laughs, and happiness
Who is scared of sky diving, dings, and giant cricets
Who would like to meet Michel Jackson, Reana, and Gorge Washingten
Who lives in Jacksonville

Jake
crazey, fun, and mad
Son of John and Rebecca
Who feels hungry, tierd, and cold
Loves Max, home, and toys
Who needs toys, gams, and, and toys
Who gives lerning, books, and toys
Who is scared of snakes and spiders
Who would like to meet Hairisin Ford, Columbus, and Bush
WHo lives in Jacksonville

Kinsey
fun, nice, and freindful
Daugter of Debbie and Doug
Who feels happy, tired, and hungry
Who loves faimly, fasion, and pets
Who needs food, air, and water
Who gives freindship, shelter, and love
Who is scared of flying and sharks
Wh would like to meet Hannah Montnah, Jorden Pruet, and God
Who lives in Jacksonville

Ryan
funny, smart, and freneidle
Son of Sean and Animiria
Who feels hungry, hot, and bored
Who loves famaiy, recess, and since
Who needs my bacugan, lunch, and Mommy
Who gives hopes, dreams, and love
Who is scared of the dark, bed, and wolfs
Who whold like to meet the Jetsons, Vader, and Piukacu
Who lives in Jacksonville

Jack L.
nice, smart, and funny
Son of John and Susan
Who feels cold, happy, and tired
Who loves Benny, Mom, and Blue
Who needs food, water, and air
Who gives love, fun, and jokes
Who is scared of spiders and snakes
Who would like to meet Itchy, Scratchy, and Mr. Goods
Who lives in Neptune Beach

Sammie
sweet, fast, kind
Daughter of Lisa and Mike
Who feels hapy, confadend, and excited
Loves Streak, school, and art
Who needs food, mom and dad, and water
Who gives hugs, kisses, and happyness
Who is scared of the dark and leaches
Who would like to meet Jonas Brothers, Demi Lavato, and Selena Gomez
Who lives in Jacksonville

Hailey
funny, nice, active
Daughter of Eileen and Sam
Who feels happy, hungry and cofedent
Loves gymnastics, craft, and tv
Who needs food, toys, and bed
Who gives love happyness, and toys
Who is scared of roallercoasters, spiders, and the night
Who would like to meet Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, and Jordan Pruitt
Who lives in Jacksonville

Luke
funny, active, smart
Son of Jim and Cindy
Who feels hungry, tired, and happy
Who loves watermelon, my family, and leaning
Who needs food, school, and toys
Who gives love, happyenis, and toys
Who is scared of volacano and elcritcey
Who would like to meet Luke Skywalker, Darthvader, and Yoda
Who lives in Jacksonville

Trey
helpful, active, and nice
Son of Ray and Tresea
Who feels hungry, happy, and excited
Loves sports, legos, and science
Who needs toys, computers, and frinds
Who gives prestints, hugs, and love
Who is scared of snakes, stinkbugs, and fire ants
Who would like to meet David Cook, Abraham, and Washington
Who livs in Jacksonvill

Casey
smart, fast, and asome
Daughter of Andrew and Cori
Who feels nerveous, I wanna laugh, and happy
Loves soccer, animals, friends, and family
Who needs food, water, shelter, and air
Who gives kisses, hearts, and hugs
Who is scared of some birds and the dark alone
Who would like to meet Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, and Teddy Rooservelt
Who lives in Jacksonville

Cameron
crazy, monkeyish, and smart
Son of Joe and Paula
Who feels tired, hungry, and happy
Loves toys, skateboarding, and tv
Who needs toys, playying, and computer
Who gives fun, joy, and jokes
Who is skared of flying and grasshoppers
Who would like to meet Tony Hawk, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Tater
Who lives in Jacksonville

Thai
smart, active, and helpful
Son of Ivan and Ann
Who feels happy, excited, and great
Loves school, learning, and friends
Who needs love ,engry, and brain food
Who gives happyness, jokes, and fun
Who is scared of poison and deadly things
Who would like to meet Luke Skywalker and Han Solo
Who lives in Jacksonville

Michael
Kind of nice, kind of mean, and smart
Son of Zhong and Xingli
Who feels hot, hungry, and weird
Loves dogs, steak, and BOTS!
Who needs food, drink, and life
Who gives pressents, hugs, and waves
Who is scared of the reaper, Bloodi marry and Kronos the dragon lord
Who would like to meet the reaper, Kronos the dragon lord, and a computer
Who lives in Jacksonville

Nathan
Mamas boy, funny, and nice
Son of Trina and Gregory
Who feels hungry, happy, and glad
Loves Mom, Dad, and my godmother
Who needs hugs, kisses, and food
Who gives hugs, kisses, and love
Who is scared of spiders, snakes, and nightmares
Who would like to meet George Washington, Abe Lincoln, and Columbus
Who lives in Jacksonville

Ian
sweet, funny, fun
Son of Robbie and Wendy
Who feels happy, hot, and tired
Loves lelostech, mom dad, and my sisters
Who needs money, food, and juse
Who gives hugs, kisses, toys
Who is scared of spiders, snakes, and in the dark alone
Who would like to meet Abe Lincoln and Nick Jones
Who lives in Jacksonville

Mikayla
kind, shy, and gentle
Daughter of Mike and Kay
Who feels hungry, exited, and cold
Loves Matt, Brucie, and Koua
Who needs water, kisses, and famiely
Who gives love, care, and presents
Who is scared of frog croaks at night,the dark, and sky diveing
Who would like to meet Miley Cyres, Abe lincon, Goeroge Bush
Who lives in Jacksonville

Eli
kind, helpful, and smart
Son of Wende and T.J.
Who feels happy, hungry, and joyful
Loves Sparky, Buster, and Inkspell
Who needs food, candy,and dessert
Who gives magic, fun, and dragonology
Who is afraid of math and fear
Who would like to meet Merlin, Dr. Ernest Drake, and Coralis
Who lives in Jacksonville