Sugar Cube Missions

That day before break, I once again had my students create Sugar Cube Missions.  It's pretty simple to create and it doesn't give me a headache.  :)  I should explain that the last day before break it's basically a full day party in our PJs.  

Here's our schedule:

Before PE/Recess: Correct HW, Listen to the choir singing, open presents (so I can write thank you notes during the movie), start watching the movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

Between Recess and Lunch: Play a Book Swap game (like the White Elephant game) - students bring in a book and then we pick numbers, choose books, and swap when needed.  It's fun and totally optional.  We also watched the rest of the movie and had hot chocolate (in the crockpot) with popcorn cups.

After Lunch: Friend Friday Reading (partner reading), Sugar Cube Missions, clean up/pack up, Fun Friday with the grade level.  

See - an easy fun day!  

Families were asked to bring in sugar cubes and white frosting.  I picked up a couple of lasagna boxes (for the roofs), spice drops (for bells), and then pulled out our candy box and grabbed other options (peppermint candies, smarties).  The leftover marshmallows from our hot chocolate that morning also were pulled out for use.  Each student was given a heavy duty paper plate, and they went to work creating their mission. 

Now why do I do missions, instead of gingerbread houses?  Because we have been knee deep in learning about them. We learned about how the Spanish built them, and all the disasters that have occurred.   

This year it wasn't raining (Praise God!), so we completed the creating outside.  One long piece of butcher paper kept everything neat and tidy.  Super easy to just roll up the paper afterward to throw away.  When done the students had the option of doing an "Earthquake Challenge".  They had to walk to the far building and back while carrying their creations.  If they didn't fall apart then they were deemed earthquake proof.  When we do this inside the challenge is to maneuver through the desks in an obstacle course.  It's fun and an easy way to see who will be able to carry them home at the end of the day.  

How did you celebrate winter break with your students?  

Time for Another Peek

To be honest, when I left school on Friday afternoon I didn't really know exactly what I would be doing on Monday morning.  I mean, it is the same routine - finally a normal routine this coming week.  But I was exhausted - the day after Halloween... I spent the entire day yawning, and then fell asleep on the couch when I got home.

Thankfully I always bring home my plan book (which was blank), and had my yearly pacing guide (which was full) - so at least I could figure out what comes next.  I am so excited about a "normal" week this coming week!  :)

Just being honest.  

Okay - time to link up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings for another installment of A Peek at My Week.  

This next week we actually have a fiction story to read.  :)  I know!!!  I'm so excited.  Not that I don't love reading nonfiction stories, but it's just not the same as tearing a part a fiction one.

The story is about a visually impaired boy that decides to start a business making greeting cards.  At this moment in time I don't have a fun connection in mind - just going to focus on the basics - defining vocabulary, making vocabulary cards, adding to our interactive notebook, making connections to self/text/world, creating a story map, rereading out loud with a partner, and writing a summary.  

In math we will be starting to multiply double digits.  I mentioned it yesterday, but I made up a new task card set for my kiddos.  

I'm having a pin it to win it until later on tonight in case you are interested.  

Read Alouds this week will be continuing on with Lemonade War - so far we're up to chapter 4, and the kids are so into it.

Our Mentor Sentence book is The Wretched Stone.  

We will begin learning about the California Missions this next week.  It will take us forever, but we get to start our mission a day booklets.

Basically each day we learn facts about a specific mission.  There are 21 of them, so we will be doing this for weeks to come, ending up right before Christmas break when they choose their own mission to learn more about and to begin their research report.

November means we will also be working on our Traditions books.  These books are so special (at least to my class) because they turn into their Christmas presents for their parents.  This is another project that takes weeks to complete, since we tackle all the different holidays and write descriptive informational paragraphs for each tradition. 

A couple of years ago I tried to do this in a matter of days by having the kids publish them through Student Treasures.  It was a wonderful idea to give it as a hardbound gift, but it caused a lot of stress.  Instead, I now just use card stock and bind it in our own school library.

Well - that's it.  5 days until we have a 3 day weekend.  :)  

Hope you are having a great day!  

Mission Projects!

I know I've shared a bit about my Mission Projects in the past.  I enjoy creating a little research book with my students to begin with and we use different websites, texts, and old calendar pages to learn about the specific missions.  It takes 3-4 solid weeks to learn about a mission a day.  I usually tackle this between Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations.  

I have shared how I made up this research book to use with my kiddos next year.  I only wish I created it before the fact... it would have saved me quite the hassle earlier on.  Not that it's a hard thing to do using binder paper, but I think this next year I will print off a copy for each student to use for their research notes, just to make sure they are covering all the different areas. Maybe by giving them a graphic organizer for their research it will help guide them.

My mission project I give to my students before Christmas break and they have until the end of January to bring them in.  It's a full 10 page report when it's all put together.  When they come in, we usually tackle the presentations first since that is what they are most excited about.     

They also have to complete a Visual Art project - a choice of building a mission, making a brochure with pictures and information, or visiting the mission and creating a powerpoint/video of it  I don't specify not using a mission kit.  I really don't care since this is the fun part (and the main part of the project is the research report).  I did ask around to other teachers about what the scoop was years ago with not having students use kits, and the response I had heard was it was due to money.  I guess kits used to cost a ton of money, but nowadays it is all basically the same as getting other supplies and creating it.  I really don't care what the missions are made out of as long as it show the students tried to make it look like their specific mission, in their missions layout, with the different areas of the property showing... meaning not just a single building sitting on an empty board.  

Last week missions came into the classroom.  The borders of my classroom have been covered by Mission San Antonio, Mission San Francisco de Asis, and many many others.  They came up front last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to present.  I asked them specific things afterward - What was your favorite part of this project?  What exactly was your part in building it/creating it? What was your favorite fact about your mission?
When they were sharing the other students also had work to do.  I don't know if it's just me, but I have to take notes during a presentation/meeting.  If I don't write notes about the material, then I tend to daydream... anyhow my listeners wrote fun facts about each child's presentation.  Their notes are part of their grade as well.
-Just imagine a picture of the fun facts listening page here :) -
For their notes we just took a piece of copy paper, folded it 4 times  - 2 vertical half folds, then 2 horizontal half folds - to make 16 squares on the front side (32 total).  They wrote our classroom numbers into each square to begin with, and when students went up front they wrote a fun fact they learned from that student in that specific square.  It kept them engaged.  After presentations, after my questions, before we move onto the next child, I always have my presenter get to choose 3 students to receive compliments.  It helps with the transition between students.  Later on in the day they also have the opportunity of using their fun fact sheet to write on index cards to fill the buckets of others that they wanted to compliment but may not have been chosen.  It works.     
Friday afternoon I finally had a chance to start pulling kids to show me their Mission Reports.  When I started giving this report years ago I would take all the reports home and try to grade them... ultimately feeling overwhelmed and exhausted since it was confusing as to where the students stuck the different elements inside (even when the directions told them exactly how to do it).  The past couple of years it has been a breeze since I call over 2 or 3 students at a time to show me their reports.  They sit with me at my table, they have their reports, and I have my grading checklist.  At this point I'm not grading their writing - that will come later, but I ask them the different areas and they have to turn and show me in their booklets.
It goes something like this... "Please turn to your Table of Contents." The students flip there, and I mark it down on their individual scoring checklist.  "Please turn to the map of California."  They turn there as well.  The kids that forgot an element look to their neighbor and the neighbor can guide them to what exactly they should be finding... and I'm not stuck flipping through 32 books later on.  We go through all of the different elements that should be included, the students then know straight away if they are missing something, and then I take the reports home to focus on just grading their actual writing.
So how do I grade all these parts?
The written report has 2 areas - it goes into both S.S. and Writing.
The Visual Art project is completely S.S.
The Oral Presentation is both a S.S. grade (to prove they know what they are talking about) as well as an E,S,N for their report card's oral presentation grade.
The Fun Fact Listener Sheet is a S.S. grade.
It's a lot of grades, but everything is so important  and I feel that it all balances it out.  
Hope you have a great day!  I'm excited - not only because it's my son's 3rd birthday, but also because we get to take all the mission buildings to the library today to show off.  I get my floor back!