Revolutionary Tug-o-War

This activity is done as a kind of "hook" before a lesson on the Revolutionary War.  Students are not told that the tug-o-war they are getting to play is actually a big metaphor for the Revolutionary War until after the game is over.  We then draw parallels between the two to engage learning.  

Here is how the tug-o-war goes:

1.  Form 3 teams:  

• Red Team- tallest and strongest students (also 2-3 more students than the other teams) (This team models the strong, professional British Army)
• Blue Team-smallest students  (This is the Continental Army-untrained volunteers)
• White Team- medium height and build  (same number of students as blue)  (This is the allied countries, like France)

2.  Red team takes one side of the rope, blue team takes the other.  White teams sits to the side for now.  (They will probably be very vocal about how unfair the teams are.  Ask them who they think will win and why.) 

3.  "On your mark, get set....WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!"  Announce there has been a rule change.  The blue team will receive reward, a piece of candy, if they win.  But, sorry there is not enough for the last student on the blue team.  Also, the white team must stand and cheer for the blue team. (This models the colonists greater motivation to win.  The person who doesn't get the candy represents how not everyone benefited from winning the war- like enslaved Africans)

4.  "On your mark, get set....WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!"  Announce another rule change.  Half of the red team must stand several yards away from the rest of the team and can run to the rope once the game begins.(This models the challenge Britain faced in supplying its troops across the Atlantic Ocean)  

5.  "On your mark, get set....WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!"  Yet another rule change.  Tie a strip of cloth around the middle of the rope.  To win, the red team must pull this red flag at least 20 ft into their territory.  The blue team will win if they prevent them from doing this within 30 seconds. (This models the British goal of an offensive war, and the colonists objective just to defend their country)

6.  "On your mark, get set....WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!"  Final rule change.  The white team will be allowed to help the blue team once the game is in progress, and you will tell them when to go. (This models France's entry into the Revolutionary War after The Battle of Saratoga to help the Continental Army)

7.  GO! The blue team may have an initial surge, but when all the members of the red team arrive to the rope, the red team will surge.  As soon as the red team starts to pull the flag to their side- send the white team in to help the blue team. They should take control and be able to prevent the red team from pulling the flag the required distance. 

8.  Read about the Revolutionary War and discuss all the parallels with your class.

Human Timeline

There is so much content to cover in 5th grade History, that we made a timeline to help us keep it all straight.  I made the outline of the boxes, and after reading about each event, groups got together and filled in its spot on the timeline.  This was up in our classroom, but we had to move it to the hall because of state testing.  It was great to have this visual in the room for students to reference so they could see where each event fit in on the big picture!

Then to review before the test we gave each student an event off the timeline and they had to form a human timeline of the events, working together.  I like how it made them actually think about the cause and effect of it all.  Now...hopefully they remember it all on the test!  

A Salad from our Garden!

In a previous post, I introduced you to our class garden.  Last Friday, we harvested our lettuce and made a salad!  Students helped in each part of the process: idea, planting, tending, harvesting, washing, chopping, and they even made ranch dressing with things found in the garden!  And guess what! Every student ate their salad!  Shocking, I know, but I think they were so proud of what they've done!  

Authentic Vocabulary

Remember the days when vocabulary was just a list of random words that you had to alphabetize and look up the definitions for?  Not in this classroom!  To really learn new words, students need to get excited about them, notice them in everything they read, and USE them in authentic conversations!  Here is how we discover vocabulary in my classroom:

I have a "Discovering Vocabulary" Word Wall that is divided into sections for each subject area.  Throughout the day students add words to the wall.  For example students may illustrate a word card for "momentum" after a science lesson and add it to the wall.  Words can be chosen BY THE STUDENTS at the end of lessons as a sort of "cementing" activity. 

Our reading words are gathered in a very special way through teacher read-aloud.  I pick three "goldilocks words" (not too hard, not too easy) from the chapter we are about to read and put them on the wall.  As I read the chapter, students listen for the words and get to yell, I mean YELL out "STOP!" when they hear me say one. This keeps them engaged with the read aloud and the words we use will be more meaningful for them since they are taken straight out of the book.  Once we STOP, we use strategies to figure out the meaning of the word together and then keep reading on until we reach the other words.  Throughout the week students look and listen for these words and use them in conversations.  Each time they see it, hear it, or use it they make a tally mark on the word card.  So what if they are using it on purpose just to mark the word?  THEY ARE USING THE WORD!!!!!  Isn't that what we want?  They didn't just copy the definition and move on.  At the end of the week the word with the most tallies is crowned "Word of Fame!"  Additional vocabulary activities can be done with these words throughout the week to enhance learning.  After we finish a book we take all the words we studied from it and move them to our class word wall.   This is such a fun interactive way for students to get engaged with their vocabulary study!  I now hear students using these words all the time and they are even using them in their writing!!!

Rockin Behavior Chart

We are working towards Rockin' Behavior! 

Usually I use this board to rotate through topics we are studying.  Before I put this up, it was a Greek Mythology pinboard since we are reading The Lightning Thief. Student did research and created a family tree on mythological characters.  But because of recent behavior struggles class-wide, I thought that good behavior is certainly a topic we should be studying.  Now we have a behavior board!  

I found this idea for the Rockin' Behavior guitar chart on Pinterest.  I like it because students can not only move down the guitar, but they have a chance to strive for excellence and move up!  Each day students start with a clean slate on Let's Rock N' Roll and move their clip based on their choices for the day.    

The levels are: 

• You're a Rockstar! (Welcome to Hollywood)
• Can I Have Your Autograph? (You're Going to Be Famous!)
• A Stellar Performance (Keep it Up)
• Let's Rock N Roll (We're Ready to Learn)
• Singing the Blues (Warning! Practice Makes Perfect)
• Speak with Management (Parent Contact and/or Consequence)
• All Tour Dates Cancelled (Office, Parent Contact and Consequence)

I've taken this Pinterest idea a step further though!  My principal gave me a book to read "How to Reach and Teach Children with Challenging Behavior" by Otten and Tuttle.  It gave me some great management ideas that can be implemented immediately- practical stuff not just theory (we've all had enough of those kinds of books)!  

I am building in 10-15 minutes of free time to the end of each day.  Depending on where students are on the behavior chart, they will get to choose off of different reinforcement menus for their free time.  I've divided the guitar into three zones.  

Zone 1 is for students on "Speak with Management" and "All Tour Dates Cancelled." (The book suggests all choice be positive, but I do reserve the right to have a student miss free time)  They may choose off of this menu: 

Zone 2 is for students "Lets Rock N Roll" or "Singing the Blues."  Here is their menu:

Zone 3 is for students who have moved up the guitar and are striving for excellence.  Here is their menu:

You know what's cool?  Students CHOSE THE MENU ITEMS!  They helped decide what positive reinforcements were deserved at each level.  They also had the idea that if the whole class is in "Rock N Roll" or higher, we can go outside for that 10 minutes.  And if the whole class makes it up to Zone 3, we can have an electronic party the next day!  

I'm excited to see how this works for us, and will keep my loyal readers updated!  

Rocking Out for Now, 

Sarah

Patriots/ Loyalists Headbandz

"Am I a patriot or a loyalist?"   

"Am I a writer?"   

"Am I an inventor?"   

These are some of the questions I heard as we played "Headbandz" colonial-style.  (Let's be honest...along with some like "Am I bald?")  What a great activity to review the major people of the revolution in an out-of-your-seat way! 

And how did I get this idea?  I stole it of course!  I am so fortunate to work on a team of teachers that share, share, share all of our great ideas and hard work.  I have a feeling this level of teamwork doesn't always exist among co-workers.  This job is hard enough, its so important to use the strengths of your team.  Four brains are better than one, that's for sure!  And why not?  Selfishness on the teacher's part only harms the students. 

 

Our Garden

Our class participates in a weekly program called Global Gardens: http://www.global-gardens.org/  In this program, students plan and work in their own garden.  Students learn about science, nutrition, and a lot about peacefully cooperating as a team.  Global Gardens is a non-profit organization here in town that works in schools during the day and also does after-school programs for students.  My class loves our gardening teacher, Ms. Maggie.  If your school cannot get involved in a program like this, I suggest you ask your supervisor for a spot outside and do it yourself!   It is easy to build a raised bed and seeds are cheap.  You could even apply for a grant or seek outside business partnerships (QuikTrip built our beds!)

The important thing to know is that the students are in charge of the garden in all aspects.  They plan what to plant, what shapes to plant it in, how to make the signs, how to paint the bed, and what projects to take on.  All ideas are accepted and celebrated.  Students take ownership and responsibility for tending to their garden and this leads to wonderful things!  Our garden is the Peace Garden and students have chosen plants that will grow peacefully together.  In past years, my classes have selected plants from different cultures to show that the world can thrive even through our differences.  Students become insightful and inquisitive in our garden.  It has also become a favorite reading location and yoga spot.  We've built birdhouses, sunclocks, and compost piles.  We've built confidence and a whole lot of learning in our outdoor classroom!