Football Unit for First Grade

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on my links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you! Thanks for your support!

Thematic teaching is one of my favorite ways to approach learning in my classroom! This football unit is a great way to keep your students engaged, having a lot of fun while still practicing important skills. This unit is comprehensive, with literacy, math, and STEM activities, and a craftivity thrown in for some fine motor practice (and fun).

Literacy

These clear spinners are perfect for this activity!

 

This unit includes three literacy activities: a fun craftivity that incorporates writing about personal goals, a digraph game, and an activity called "fumbled sentences", where students correct punctuation and capitalization errors in sentences.

Math

 

There are two math activities included: a two-player game focused on comparing 2-digit numbers, perfect for small groups, and a "tackling three addends" scoot activity to get kids moving and collaborating.

Coding

 

My students love coding activities, whether digital or unplugged. The included unplugged activity involves placing defensive players on the football field and writing a play to get the quarterback to the goal post.

I hope your students love this unit as much as mine do! It is the perfect accompaniment to a football room transformation, to celebrate the big game, or any other time you're looking to increase engagement. You can get it here in my store or here in my TPT shop.

Keep teaching with heart and passion!

Thanksgiving Storybook STEM

Basing STEM off of favorite read-alouds is my new obsession; it is the perfect way to integrate reading with science, technology, engineering, and math. In my post about Halloween Storybook STEM, I took four of my favorite Halloween read-alouds and created STEM challenges to go with them. Now I've done the same thing with Thanksgiving stories.

 

Finding quality Thanksgiving stories is not the easiest task; for some reason, there are tons of picture books about Halloween, and billions (more or less) about Christmas, but Thanksgiving? It tends to get skipped over. 

Thanksgiving itself brings up the issue of the importance of being culturally and historically sensitive, so I do not want any books focusing on "the first Thanksgiving" or relations between pilgrims and indigenous peoples. Most of these are not historically accurate, or they make light of the tragedies endured by indigenous peoples. This criteria in itself eliminates the majority of Thanksgiving books written for children.

Adding to the problem is the fact that I am a self-professed children's book snob; I don't love character books to read aloud to my kids. I'm not going to read "[Inset favorite book character here]'s Thanksgiving" as a read aloud; those types of books, in my opinion, are the equivalent of movie sequels: the quality is lacking and they are usually just a money-grab.

In spite of this strict criteria, I have managed to find some true gems of books. 

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet is decently well-known. It focuses on the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is one of our country's most beloved Thanksgiving traditions. After reading the book, students create their own parade float or balloon based on a character from a book or movie, or on an animal. For extra fun, you can put on your own parade for parents or other classes before having your class Thanksgiving meal. (This year, thanks to Covid, you could create a virtual parade, with pictures of each child's creation put into a slideshow or video).

Thanksgiving in the Woods by Phyllis Alsdurf is such a sweet story. I love that this story focuses on a community that gathers each year to create their own unique tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving in the woods. Having students work together to build forts is a perfect follow-up to this story. To make it even more fitting, you could have them create forts using only items they find in nature--or, better yet, if you live in an area where it is not too cold, have them build forts outside!

Not This Turkey! by Jessica Steinberg is a book that I am surprised is not more popular. I had to do some digging to find this one, and I wasn't even able to find a complete read-aloud on YouTube. I went ahead and ordered it and was completely delighted--and so were my students! The story is told from the perspective of an immigrant family who is celebrating their first Thanksgiving in America. It is funny, involving a turkey chase down the street, and heartwarming, as the family figures out how to celebrate this American holiday while keeping their own traditions and culture alive. I highly recommend it! 

The STEM activity that accompanies this story challenges students to come up with a way to transport a turkey--just right for integrating pulleys, wheels and axles, etc.

Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende Devlin is an older book, first published in the early 1970s, but it is delightful and timeless. I can't believe I never got to experience this book as a child! The values imparted in this story include giving to those in need and not judging people by their appearance. The story also involves a family recipe hidden away behind a brick in the fireplace, which leads into the STEM project of creating a secret compartment. What kid doesn't love the idea of a hidden compartment?

I hope your students love these Thanksgiving books, and that the accompanying STEM activities help the stories come alive for them.

You can find Thanksgiving Storybook STEM here in my store or here in my TPT shop.

Keep teaching with heart and passion!

Pumpkin Science and Halloween STEM

 

This is one of my favorite parts of the school year. We're in the swing of things, my kids and I have developed a relationship, and we get to start all the fun stuff. Last year, I shared some of my favorite Halloween read-alouds. This year, I took a couple of those favorite Halloween stories, and a couple of new ones, and created some STEM challenges to go with them.

After reading Room on the Broom, kids create their own broom that can fit the witch, her cat, and her cauldron. The broom needs to be strong enough to hold the weighted-down pieces, and yet made of lightweight materials.

 

In the Haunted House is a fun book with a lilting rhyme. Kids enjoy seeing the spooky things inside the house and then building their own haunted house.

 

Walter's Wonderful Web is a book I stumbled across this year for the first time. I originally purchased it for my two-year-old, because of the subtitle which says "A first book about shapes". However, it doesn't come across as "babyish" and I have no qualms about reading it to my first graders. It is a charming story about a determined spider trying over and over to build a strong web. The kids then try making webs in various geometric shapes to see which one is the strongest.

The Big Pumpkin is a fun story about a pumpkin that is too big to be moved. What better way to follow up this story than by engineering a machine to move a pumpkin?

 

 

Speaking of pumpkins, we recently finished up a week of pumpkin science and investigation with this fun writing prompt and craftivity. As much as I love crafts, it is important to me that they be purposeful. This one met that criteria perfectly! After writing about pumpkins, the kids create a 3D pumpkin mini-book which has pages about the life cycle, the interior of the pumpkin, and sensory words to describe the pumpkin.

Find the Halloween Storybook STEM here in my store or here on TPT.

Find the Pumpkin Science Craftivity here in my store or here on TPT.

Do you love fall activities in the classroom as much as I do? I would love to hear your favorite!

Keep teaching with heart and passion!

 

Project Based Learning: Design a Zoo

    I love the whole idea of project-based learning! The idea of addressing all subject areas in the context of one project makes so much sense, and allows for better real-life application. I had dabbled in PBL a little bit, but never to the extent of this project, in which I asked students to design a zoo.

    This was the perfect project for the end of our strange traditional-turned-virtual school year, and the kids really took it and ran with it! They were able to complete it at their own pace, collaborating with their families, and it went so well that I'm already planning to use it again next year when we're (hopefully) back in the traditional classroom.

    While the task of designing a zoo sounds monumental, I broke it down into individual tasks for my students. Differentiation was easy as I gave families the freedom of doing more or less than suggested for each task, depending on the needs of their child and family. (Let's face it, crisis schooling is not the same as homeschooling; I know some families just didn't have time to go all-out on a project, and that's okay!) Using this in the traditional classroom will make for easy differentiation, too, and I've included teacher tips for both higher and lower lever learners for each task in the download which is available here in my store!

    This project includes all of the subjects and many first grade standards. First, students select animals to include in their zoo and conduct research on them, making notes about what they eat, what kind of climate they need, and more. Next, they design the habitats based on their research, and create a plaque for each animal exhibit.

    They work on mapping skills as they create a map of their zoo, and coding as they then use their map to give directions to popular destinations.

    Math is integrated as they come up with prices for tickets and extra amenities they included in their zoo, and also as they set a feeding schedule for their animals.

    After all of that work is done, they get to add in art and technology as they design advertisements and create a commercial. Some of my kids even decided to design t-shirts!

    It was so satisfying as a teacher to see all of the ways my students completed this project. After completing all of the tasks and research, most of them actually set up a physical zoo in their house, and they were incredibly creative! Some of them made animals out of clay, others used stuffed animals--one even used her sister wearing an animal hat! They all truly made it their own, while learning and applying skills along the way.

    I hope your class has as much fun with this as mine did! You can find it here in my shop or here in my TPT store.

    Keep teaching with heart and passion!

The Three Little Pigs: A STEM Story

I've shared more than once about my growing love for STEM activities. Watching my kids problem-solve and coming up with creative solutions to problems is just so satisfying. One of my absolute favorite ways to incorporate STEM lately is through STEM Stories. I shared a post recently about Jack and the Beanstalk: A STEM Story, and promised I had more in the works. I am excited to announce that the second installment, The Three Little Pigs, is ready!

Just like Jack and the Beanstalk, this is an original rendition of the classic story. The book itself can be printed and bound to be used for years.

At designated points in the story, reading stops as a STEM challenge is completed.

For each challenge, there is a planning sheet for students to map out their designs, as well as a reflection sheet, which is completed after testing their designs.

Of course, the extra-fun part about The Three Little Pigs is that the kids get to test out blowing their houses down!

If any of your students prove to be amazing architects and construct straw or stick houses that aren't easily blown down, don't worry! That's my favorite feature of STEM stories--the outcome of the STEM challenges determines the path the story takes. Using a format similar to a choose-your-own-adventure story, the text guides your readers to the page appropriate for their outcome.

Just like with my other STEM Stories, The Three Little Pigs includes 3 STEM challenges.

Using a toy pig can add to the fun!

I include lists of suggested supplies, but these can be adapted depending on the level of your students and the things you have on hand. Of course, for this particular story, straws, sticks, and bricks of some type are a must, but it is up to you how many other materials your students get to use. You can make the challenges more difficult for upper elementary students by giving them a shorter time limit or access to a limited amount of supplies. For younger elementary students, I suggest a longer time limit and access to a greater variety of supplies. Adjust it however you think is best to meet the needs of  your students!

I hope you have a blast using this STEM Story with your students. You can find it here in my shop or here in my TPT store. Stay tuned for more STEM Stories coming soon!

Keep teaching with heart and passion!

Jack and the Beanstalk: A STEM Story

If you haven't noticed, I'm becoming obsessed with STEM (see this post and this post). I love the open-ended problem-solving opportunities, which I think will be more and more vital as our society continues to advance. School is no longer about simply imparting knowledge; kids have Google for that. What they need are chances to utilize that knowledge, to collaborate, experiment, and problem-solve; time to reflect on what went well and what they could do better. STEM offers all of that--and, bonus, it's really fun!

My latest project that I'm super excited about is STEM Stories! There are lots of fairytale STEM activities out there, which involve reading a story and then completing a challenge inspired by the story. My twist on it is that the STEM challenges are woven throughout the tale, and actually influence the events in the story!

Printed and bound, this book will last for years of STEM Story fun!

Jack and the Beanstalk is the first story I've finished, but I have several more in the works. This is my own unique rendition of the story, which starts out the same as the familiar tale, but then takes its own path. At three points in the story, it says "Stop for STEM". Students then complete a challenge, the outcome of which determines what happens next. The setup is similar to a choose-your-own-adventure story.

Each challenge includes planning and reflection sheets so that students can think about their design and then process what went well, what didn't go well, and what they would do differently.

If they successfully complete the challenge, the story continues in one way, and if they do not successfully complete the challenge, the story continues in a different way. The same kids could even complete the STEM Story more than once so that the have the chance to improve their designs and see different events unfold!

The three challenges throughout the story can all be easily adapted for any elementary level. For younger students, you could provide a wider range of supplies and supports, and give them a longer time limit to complete challenges. For older students, you could increase the difficulty by adding more parameters, such as shorter time constraints or fewer supplies.

I include suggestions of supplies, but you could use anything you have on hand! Customize it to the needs of your students! I prefer to set a few parameters to define the desired outcome, but leave the challenges open-ended other than that. I don't even show my students pictures of completed challenges, because I want them to be completely free to create and design, without any preconceived ideas of what their project should look like. I am always amazed at their creativity; they never fail to have ideas that are far beyond anything I would have thought of. I often wish I had had the opportunity to do more STEM projects as a child; I think it could have benefited me with a greater ability to think outside the box.

I love this merging of STEM and ELA; it is fun and engaging while also being purposeful. I hope you and your students enjoy it, too. I would love to hear how it goes for you!

Find Jack and the Beanstalk: A STEM Story here in my shop or here in my TPT store!

Happy Teaching!

Christmas STEM: Design a Sleigh for Santa!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on one of my links, 
I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

I've shared before about how I love doing STEM in the classroom. I love how engaging it is, that it is hands-on 
for kids, and how they have to exercise their problem-solving skills and creativity. 

I really like it when I can connect a STEM activity to something we read. 
Anytime a lesson crosses different subjects, it gives kids a more complete, well-rounded educational experience. 

I came across a gem of a Christmas book recently, called The 12 Sleighs of Christmas. 
It's not a well-known read aloud, to my knowledge; none of my teacher friends have heard of it, anyway. 
It tells a cute story, in rollicking, rhyming text, about how Santa's sleigh needed repairs, so the elves took to 
building him all kinds of fancy new sleighs.

At the conclusion of the story, I had my students work in pairs and design their own sleighs for Santa. 
I had them work with a partner because it provides invaluable opportunities for social emotional growth having 
to share and advocate for your own ideas, listen to the ideas of others, and to learn how to blend your ideas 
together for a result both parties are pleased with. For some of my students, this was the most valuable part of
the lesson. I had a few students who only wanted to work alone because learning to collaborate is difficult!

I had them sketch their designs first (find the freebie here in my store!) and think about what supplies they would 
need. The only parameters I gave them for their designs was to use no more than about a foot of tape, which I tore 
off and gave to each group. (I've discovered in my STEM adventures that access to too much tape solves too many 
problems too easily and hinders creativity).

I just gave them cheap and recyclable materials, with the exception of these wheels, which are perfect to have on 
hand for these types of activities. 

As usual, I was blown away by the work of my kiddos! The way they brought their ideas to life was amazing--and adorable.

This student went with a car design

This was a canoe, and the little balls of foil and tape inside were bags of toys.

I loved the Santa and reindeer this team added to their sleigh

This group included a magnet so they could pull the sleigh. Genius!

I could not get over how adorable this was, with the Santa made of red craft sticks and the plastic-spoon reindeer harnessed to the front!

This group included spoons to serve as a combination of runners and a snowplow!

This has been one of my favorite activities of the year, by far, and it was a favorite with the kids, too. 
I look forward to continuing this tradition every year. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 
Don't forget to snag your free planning and response sheets here!

Happy Teaching!

STEM Safari

Every once in a while, I create a product for my classroom or my TPT store that I get just giddily excited about. Products that are unique and that I know kids and teachers will both love. I felt this way when I released my escape rooms for early childhood, and I'm feeling it again with my latest project: STEM Safari! I've been working on it for weeks, and I am thrilled that it is finally live!

STEM Safari is an organized approach to implementing STEM in your classroom, and so much fun!

Each STEM session, a student picks a challenge card to complete. There are 5 different types of cards:

1. Elephant Engineering (engineering challenges)

 2. Cheetah Challenge (challenges with specific parameters in place)

 3. Rhino Riddles ("How can you...?" challenges)

4. Warthog Wonderings (reflection questions and challenges)

5. Buffalo Building (free choice building).

I wanted to prevent students from always picking the same type of card, such as the free choice building, which is, of course, valuable, but doesn't do as well with developing problem-solving skills. To do this, and to encourage my students to try new things, they each have an Animal Checklist.

Every time they complete a specific type of challenge, they check it off. When they have completed all 5 of the different challenge types, they color in one country in their STEM Safari Africa map. Then they "journey" to a new country and start again with a new animal checklist! This way, the fun just keeps going, but they have a way to track how many challenges they have completed.

There is also a STEM Safari Journal included, which helps build their reflection skills.

Any of the Warthog Wondering cards that say "write about it" can be completed in their STEM Safari Journals. There are also a few "design" challenges in the Elephant Engineering cards that can be completed in their journals. As they continue their STEM Safari journey, the reflections they have completed in the journal will help them polish their problem-solving and engineering skills.

I love doing STEM projects with my students! It is amazing to see what they can accomplish with a few basic supplies and some open-ended directives.

However, storing all of these supplies can be a challenge. Included in the STEM Safari kit are tons of supply labels with photographs, to help keep everything neat.

Here's a close-up example of a supply label.

I even included some editable labels so that you can customize them for any supplies you have on hand!

I really hope that your students enjoy STEM Safari as much as mine do! Click here to purchase in my shop, or here to purchase in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
There's just something about open-ended, hands-on learning that gets kiddos excited. I would love to hear how you use STEM in your classroom; drop me a comment below!

Happy teaching!