USA Paper Pillows - End of Year Project

One of the projects we did in the countdown to summer were USA paper pillows. I learned about this idea years ago from Teaching in Room 6.  She would have her kids make pillows about the 13 colonies.  Back in those days I taught 4th grade, so would have the kids draw the outline of California (since that's what our SS was all about), decorate it, cut it out, staple most of it shut, and stuff it with the left over paper before the final staple. 

I stopped doing that project when moving to 5th... don't know why. I think because other projects started taking over. This year I needed to go simple with projects that the kids could do at home.  I was reminded about it when Timehop popped up with my old 4th grade Open House pictures.  Seeing the California pillows hanging from the ceiling, I was reminded of how easy it was.  

When I was in 5th grade my elementary school used to have all the 5th graders head to the gym, where we had a huge USA state test.  Big paper on the lunch tables where we each had to draw the USA outline, and then fill in all the states and capitals.  So I decided to combine the ideas to make the pillows. 

It was fun.  It took a good 30 minutes, easily could have taken more.  Kids online and in class were both able to do it at the same time. 

I had the kids get 2 pieces of copy paper.  Then I showed them an outline of the USA, did not have them try to free draw it - posting a picture in our TEAMS conversation for the kids at home, and leaving under the document camera for the kids in class... 

Here are the student directions:

1. Draw the outline of the USA on copy paper or construction paper. Make it big to take up the whole paper. 

2. Write our units in the middle of the map and decorate with little pictures. You can use color.

3. Put your map outline on top of another paper and bubble cut both papers out. One cut for both papers. Do not try and cut the lines perfectly. 

4. Tape or staple the 2 papers together, leaving one end open. 

(This year I gave in class students a long piece of tape, and they just used their scissors to cut little pieces - they couldn't share a stapler.)

5. Scrunch up the scraps of paper, fill the pillow, and finish closing. 

Then being almost 6th graders they tried to use the pillows to take a nap... silly kids.  :)  

This project is great as a review.  Choose a shape that has significance and have them review what they have learned on by writing notes on top. 

Hope it helps,

Practicing States and Capitals...

Okay... Since I'm trying to share everything I've been doing since moving to 5th grade, I figured I would share about the orange folder in my file cabinet.  When I first moved to 5th - four years ago, I had no clue what I was getting into.  

Seriously.  

I mean I knew the 5th grade teachers always looked like they were on the brink of a little crazy... but they seemed like they were always having so much fun too.  

I then jumped head first into the craziness and am absolutely loving it.  

I love the hands on projects, the community service, and the teamwork that comes from being part of an amazing team.  Even if it's a bit extra.  :)  

I also learned about States and Capitals. There are many ways for kids to practice identifying their states and capitals.  I have also learned over the years that thrift stores usually carry a lot of ways to practice the states for super cheap.  My room is full of flash cards, erasable maps, floor puzzles, and even a huge rug that I was gifted through Donors Choose.  

Well not this year... the rug and all that stuff are tucked away because the kids can't use them... :( 

But we are watching the Tour the States video from Youtube.  If you haven't watch it yet, then do it.  That's your homework today.  The song may drive you a little batty when you've listened to it a million times, but it's so catchy that you probably won't care.

Now for the tests, in our grade level, we have an organization of 10 weeks of states with approx. 5 states each week. We have the Western States for the first 1-24. Then we have the Eastern States with the last 26. Each week these specific numbers are matched onto a blank map of the USA. Those maps are what's tucked inside that orange folder...  We also do a cumulative quiz after the Western, the Eastern, and a full 50 at the end.  

We give them a week or two to practice the specific list.  Just the 5 to focus on.  This year I'm adding them to our Weekly Breakdown. Usually the kids write them in their planners. 

We usually start at the beginning of the year and alternate a set of states for 2 weeks, and a spelling list for the alternating 2 weeks.  I liked that system a lot.  

Then this year started and there was no way we could add that into the plan right away.  Too much other stuff.  So I waited until we were in our Colonial American unit and started the states with identifying the 13 colonies.  

Yep - it felt super weird starting on the other side of the country since my brain is engrained Western States first, but the kids were able to identify the colonies as we were already comparing and contrasting between New England, Middle, and Southern. 3 weeks. That was in December.  

Then in January my class started with the Western set, and this week started on the Eastern.  We took a couple of weeks off with the end of the trimester.  Life has been kind of crazy.  

How are we doing this online?  I'm still using those same map tests each week.  I add an assignment into our TEAM with the list of the states, and then I post the map in our Friday meeting.  I snap at picture of the map with my phone, and upload it into our meeting conversation using the phone app.  The kids identify the states/numbers from the map and put it next to the specific state in the assignment page.

I know kids can easily cheat on this online platform, so I have added in another layer.

To get full credit they also have to submit a screenshot of their clicks over from this website. Each week their goal is to improve their number of clicks.  If they improve each week over there, then they get that extra point to bump their final state quiz to the top level.  

Most of my class is now at 50 clicks for 50 states.  And they love to practice. So much so that I sent messages to my 50/50 kids to give them a week off, and they wanted to keep practicing.  

Hope you had a great day!