Peek at My Week: Braille, Bubble Gum, and Laundry

I'm excited about this coming week.  I guess I say that a lot, but I really mean it.  

To start off the week we are celebrating Cinco de Mayo on Monday by using my Fiesta Centers.  For ELA the kids review Contractions, Prepositions, and will write using the journal prompts.  For Math, the kids review Double Digit Multiplication, Place Value, and Subtraction/Addition with Regrouping.  It's a fun bit of time - kids move around in their groups while I'm pulling kids to check fluency levels.  Some years I pull out a piñata and head outside, this year we're staying in & having chips and salsa.  :)  

In Reading, we are wrapping up our Communication unit.  Our story shares about Louis Braille and how he came about developing his alphabet.  The story itself is interesting because the kids all know about Braille.  I enjoy it because the activities that we do with it.

For example creating the pushpin alphabet.  Kids lay down on the ground with a pushpin and the braille alphabet.  They go over the dots and push down with the pushpin on their paper to create their own braille alphabet to take home.  By this time of the year the kids are really responsible with pushpins, and I can trust them.  :)

Another activity is using split peas on a Braille grid paper to create their own names.  I use the blank grids by J. Gray (found on TPT) and give kids the amount of grids as their names. The kids use the alphabet in their books to color in the dots first, and then glue the split peas right on top.  Their names are hung up on the bulletin board to create a fun display for our upcoming Open House.

     

In Math we have reached our final chapter.  It's time for Probability!  I'm having a fun day on Thursday (in honor of my birthday) and everything will revolve around Bubblegum!  We are going to use AMC's Bubblegum Probability activity, Jivey's Bubble Gum Day, and making up this writing activity that involves them blowing up a balloon & writing about Bubblegum by Working for the Classroom.  I love this idea of having numerous writing all about gum (especially since it's not allowed at school)... History (Timeline), Facts & Opinions, How to, Compare/Contrast... So many options!  

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/10977592812200579/

I know I mentioned Open House - well, we have 2 weeks to go until that blessed evening... basically a lot of projects to tackle before then.  :)  This week we will also be reviewing Equivalent Fractions and creating this clothesline activity.
  

Nick from Sweet Rhyme-Pure Reason created this clip art as part of his new math center pack.  The kids enjoyed it last week, so this week we will be reviewing (again) by making up our own clothesline of equivalent fractions.  Fun time ahead!  

For art we are making up our Mother's Day projects and forming our clay poppies.  :)  It's going to be a fun week!  

Linking this all up with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings!