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Culture Projects

As an extension of my immigration unit, the students have been working on "culture projects."  This not only went with our social studies topic but also connected to our reading standards as well. Students have been comparing and contrasting multiple versions of the same story. To do this, we have read folk tales/fables from all around the world.

My students were having a very hard time understanding exactly what I meant by "culture" so I started racking my brain for another way to explain it. I decided that in order to break it down to a second grade level I would give them certain target areas to pinpoint in the stories we were reading. I told the class to focus on the food, clothing, language, and beliefs/traditions/environment.  Once they had something concrete to look for the lessons started flowing much more smoothly. 

At the end of our reading unit I had students choose a fable/folk tale from a culture other than our own. They then created a poster and presented it while I videotaped the groups. I inserted their videos into a PowerPoint presentation and the kids played "Guess Our Culture" as we watched the clips. They seemed to really enjoy seeing themselves on the "big screen" aka...SmartBoard :)

 

 



After all the videos were completed, the students filled in their own culture sheet identifying how they would change an original version of a story. They focused on the same four elements they included in the posters.

Finally, the students wrapped up the project by choosing a partner (or working individually if they preferred) and researching a specific country.  They completed the culture project outline paper that is included in my TPT unit.  When they were done, they used the information to write a "report" on their country/culture and then create a poster to present to the class. I went online and printed out outlines of their countries, dug out the markers, and let them go! They had a blast being given the freedom to do anything they wanted to it. Here's how they looked...

 





Snow Cone Party!!!

My AWESOME class won a snow cone party this week for earning 20 charms at school. Way to go kiddos!!! 

Contractions

We are starting our contraction unit this week. Here's an anchor chart the kids have to refer to. I have also created some mini "rule" cards. You can get your copy from my TPT store.

 

 

 

 

Coming to America

Next week we will be starting a unit on immigration. It was very hard for me to find many age appropriate resources on this topic so I decided I would just make them myself :) This is my unit that is available on teachers pay teachers. If you want to check it out just click the image. It includes

• Introduction to diversity with a suggested read aloud/activity
• Vocabulary words/definitions/examples
• A vocabulary flip-book
• Student friendly passage about Ellis Island
• Ellis Island sequencing activity
• Parent letter and outline for family tree project
• Suggested activities and outline for culture project

Week one of immigration is down and the kids seem to really be enjoying it. We started out by introducing the words immigration, beliefs, culture, and traditions. We have used these words repeatedly in both our reading and social studies.  We completed an activity that goes with the story The Crayon Box That Talked to show how diversity is a good thing. For the activity, I told the students to take out one color crayon and draw a picture. After a few minutes I told the kids that they could color a second picture using all of their crayons. They all started cheering! It was like I had given them the best gift ever :) They spent the next few minutes working diligently on their drawings. When the time was up I had the students write a sentence on the bottom of the paper telling which picture they liked best and why. All of the students picked their second picture.  We then brainstormed words that described the way the pictures made us feel and wrote them on the outside. It was very interesting to see the things the students came up with. When we were done we read The Crayon Box That Talked and discussed how having a world with all the same kind of people would be very similar to having a box of crayons with only one color, boring, dull, sad, etc.  Here are a couple of the students' papers.

 

Next, we discussed how immigrants have played an important part in creating our diverse country. We watched a video on Ellis Island on Brainpop Jr.  The students then paired up and read an Ellis Island article. With their partners they sequenced the events that the immigrants had to go through in order to become a U.S. citizen.

 

We included a leveled reader into our guided reading groups that also discussed Ellis Island and immigration. The kids had an automatic connection to it because it discussed a lot about the Statue of Liberty being the first symbol of freedom that was seen by the immigrants. This was fresh on their minds because we just finished up our symbols and government unit. I love it when things go together smoothly!

 

 

At the end of the week the students chose three of the vocabulary words and created a flip book with definitions and illustrations.

 

Next week we are going to shift our focus to culture and the meaning and contributions that different cultures have had on our country.

 

 

 

Comparing and Contrasting Fiction

We have officially finished our comparing and contrasting nonfiction unit and will be beginning to apply this skill in fiction now.  We are going to start out by reviewing the different story elements. I found this video on YouTube and thought it would be a catchy way to refresh the kids' memories. Just click on the image if you want to check it out...

 

After the video, I read them an old-time favorite, The Emperor's New Clothes.  With their partners they discussed the characters, setting, plot, and moral of the story. As a class, we filled in a T-Chart identifying the parts. When our T-Chart was complete, I sent the groups back to their seats to complete a story elements foldable by themselves. In addition to cutting and gluing the meanings of each element, the students did an illustration of what each element looked like in the story we just read. Here is an example;

 

    

The following day I read the students another familiar story; The Three Little Pigs. In their reading center they worked to complete the story elements worksheet, focusing on the areas we had reviewed the previous day. After centers were over we came back together to add it to our class anchor chart.

We repeated the process using the story The Three Little Javelinas the next day. (By the way this is on YouTube if you can't find a copy of the book).  Once again we checked our answers as a class after centers were over. 

The last step will be to use a three-column chart to compare the two versions of the story. I'll get pics up soon!

 

 

Thirty-One!!!

So as most of you know...I LOVE THIRTY-ONE! Well I've finally decided to become a consultant again. I just ordered my kit a few days ago and am anxious to get started. I also found out that the company is having an awesome end of February sale. If you place an online order on February 24-25th your shipping will be ABSOLUTELY FREE! In addition you will be eligible for three of the $5 totes. Don't have $100 worth of things on your wish list? Just call a friend and combine your orders. As long as you pay with one card you can still get the deal! Just click either of the images below to take you directly to my website. If you have any questions just let me know....Happy Shopping!!!

 

 

This is the Keep-It Caddy special...only $5 for each $31 you spend! It comes in several different patterns. Check out my website for more options.

 

 

Here are some ways I have used mine (I have quite a few of these!)...

• File Bag (fits file folders when you insert a hanging file folder rack)
• Desk Organizer (hides all your teacher extras like stamps, Post-Its, etc.)
• Hair Care Bag (keeps all my daughters sprays/conditioners)
• Garden Bag
• Cleaner Bag
• Car Organizer (keep the kiddo's toys hidden away)
• Play Pack (keep coloring books, crayons, baby dolls, toy cars, etc. packed and ready to go)
• Many, many more... How would you use yours???