Think Outside the Box! – Hands-On Geometry

We have been having a blast learning about geometry in my class! We started by learning about patterns, and we made Winter Carnival decorations at the same time…

These were inspired by Camille from An Open Door, and she offered a great link to download printable pattern block shapes, too!

It was a great “blizzard” for the hallway (and incredibly simple for me to prepare!)

Our math vocabulary board is overflowing! 3rd grade geometry adds a LOT more concepts. We go from faces, edges, vertices, and basic identification to suddenly learning about lines, angles, and classifying into polygons and types of triangles. (Not to mention the next chapter, which adds congruency, symmetry, and more.)

Because my kids don’t really have shape/ solid names and faces/ edges/ vertices quite down yet, we spent Valentine’s morning making toothpick and marshmallow shapes, angles, and solids.

I really got to challenge their understanding- after some “easy” ones, I gave them ones they hadn’t memorized, like trapezoidal prism, to see if they really understood what a “prism” was. For the tough ones, they worked with their neighbors to figure out what the solid was AND how to make it.

To learn the new vocabulary, we’re doing TONS of partner talk, writing to explain, and hands-on learning. We’re also doing small amounts of Whole Brain Teaching-inspired definitions with motions, and trying to make it concrete as much as possible.

One very fidgety day, I split students into groups of 4 or 5 and had them use their bodies as teams to make shapes.

Some students laid down and used their whole bodies, others sat down and used their legs, and some stood and used their arms. Nearly every group found a different way to make the shapes, but having a group of 4 make, say, a pentagon really required some creativity. They also did a lot of explaining to one another and needing to work as a team, and of course it made a great excuse to get up and move around!

Most of my ideas aren’t new, but my students have been loving this unit! How do you “think outside the box” to help your students learn geometry in a more concrete way?

P.S.—Thanks to everyone who picked up my free fonts and especially those of you who left feedback and followed my new TpT store! :) You made my day.

Lesson Ideas- Newspapers

You have to be careful what kids are reading, but newspapers can be a great way for kids to learn. A lot of newspapers are willing to give a discounted rate to schools and/or teachers, so be sure you ask.

Here are some options I can think of for learning with newspapers, off the top of my head:

- Read them.
Just reading articles is a way of reading, and some kids will get into news- especially sports news, it seems- more than other types of reading. What they read is often not as important as the fact that they are reading! There are a lot of social studies, science, and other connections to the news!

- Check out the advertisements.
Examine what tactics advertisers use to draw people in, and then try to imitate them. Ads can also be used when talking about economic choice or persuasion.

- Write a newsletter, newspaper, or articles as a class.
Writing is never a bad thing, and it can be a great way to get involved in the school, practice interviewing skills, working with others, and even to let parents know what's going on in the classroom.

- Look for examples of whatever you're learning about.
Learning what a simile is? Hand over a newspaper and ask students to find examples (and cut them out or make a list of them).

- Tablecloths!
Surely every teacher knows that sometimes you just need something to cover the desk for a messy art project. Having a few newspapers on hand is a good thing!

- Inspiration for writing.
When students are given a free topic, they'll often complain of having nothing to write about. Keeping a few sources for ideas on hand can be a good thing. If you don't want students to be sidetracked, try cutting out words or pictures that might spark a thought.

- Look up the scores.
Using sports scores, other statistics, or coupons in the newspaper for math can be a great way to make math more interesting and relevant to students.

- Encourage kids to write responses.
Especially if a news article pertains to the students, encourage them to write a letter to the editor. Civic participation, expression of opinion, and practice writing a letter are fantastic... and papers tend to eat it up when a young student writes in!

- Use the comics, sudoku, and crossword.
I'll post on another day about my comics lesson, but the newspaper can be a good place to find examples. Sudokus, crosswords, cryptoquips, and other similar puzzles can also be great for brainteasing, especially when a student finishes their work early.

- Spelling Word Ransom Notes.
One teacher I worked with gave students several options for working on their spelling words throughout the week. One of these was to cut out letters from the newspaper and use them to spell out their spelling words for the week. Students cut out letters and glued them on the page instead of writing, but they thought it was more fun.

I'm sure there are a million more ways to use newspapers in the classroom, and these are just a few. If you have any more, feel free to leave them in the comments!

Lesson Idea: Jelly Bean Glider

Today in my Earth and Atmospheric Sciences lab, we made a simple glider using tissue paper, straws, glue, tape, a pin, and a jelly bean.

It was fun, and didn't take much time at all. Give it a whirl!

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ejhackma/EAS%20102/jelly_bean_lab.doc

(Please note that this lab was used as a part of Purdue's EAS 102 course and I do not take any credit for the handout.)