Technology

This week in social studies, we talked about what technology is, how it helps people daily, and how it has changed over the years. We brainstormed and made a list of different types of technology that help us write, keep food from spoiling, listen to music, watch videos, play and many other things. In groups this week, the kids colored pages to show what technology was and sorted old and new technology. 

Thursday, I brought my record/tape/CD player and a record, tape and CD to show the kids how music has changed. We also looked at an old camera. After lunch I asked the kids what they wanted to listen to during stations and everyone wanted to listen to the record. They thought it was pretty cool!

Reading, Writing and Social Studies

Some of our reading and writing stations this week were ...

Using plastic cups to make different words by changing the vowels.

Making the word "bag"

Writing stories at writing station

Playing on ABC Mouse on the iPads

Plastic spoon word families

Using plastic spoons to make words in different word families.

During our sight word song we use computer keyboards to practice spelling the words like we are typing on the computer! Every body gets one and types their sight word when it comes time to spell it.

 

In social studies this week we talked about different jobs in Muleshoe and the technology they use and acted out the different jobs.

Reading, Writing and Technology!

Most of our reading and writing stations this week were review and getting back into the swing of things after having a week off. In social studies this week we talked about the different changes in technology over the past 100 years! On Friday, I brought a "surprise" in for the kids.

Writing letters to friends in other classrooms

Putting mixed up sentences in the correct order

Sorting old and new technology 

Coloring examples of technology

Friday I brought in my record/cassette/CD player to show the kids how records work and how the way we listen to music has changed SO much over the past few decades.

Mrs. Rogers let us borrow a couple of her records to listen to. We danced and sang a LOT that morning!

Science and Social Studies

I'm thinking we'll stick science and social studies together this time!

In science this week we talked about living and nonliving organisms and the difference between the two. One of the things the kids did in the science journals was look at a color page and color only the pictures that were living. Another one of their journals was to sort pictures into living and nonliving categories.

In social studies, we reviewed the difference between wants and needs and where we can get the things that we need in our town. After we talked about wants and needs again, the kids got in 3 groups and made maps of our town and where we can get things that we need!

We had 2 kiddos missing from this group. They had plenty of cars getting around and a bus talking kids to school!

This group had United and Alco on their map.

This group made sure they put in our "broken down" McDonald's and our new one!

Constellations!

I love, love, LOVE when we start talking about space! This past week in science we talked about constellations. We looked at constellations on cards that we held up to the light, matched constellations on cards with the ones in our bathroom, looked through toilet paper telescopes and created our own constellations!

Our bathroom with planets, starts and a few constellations.

Wednesday I told the kids we were going outside to draw constellations (which we were all excited about)! When we got outside I told them to have at it, but ... I got confused looks. The kids told me they couldn't draw constellations during the day time because the light from the sun was so bright it was blocking the light from the stars. Duh! Why didn't I know that? Good thing I have these smart cookies to educate me! :)

After we went inside I told the kids to figure out a way to draw the constellations we have been looking at. I told them to come up with their own ideas, but I was not going to tell them how to do it.

She placed her constellation card on her paper and traced inside the dots.

He looked at the constellation and copied what he saw.

Thursday, the kids used black construction paper, silver star stickers and white crayons to create their own constellations. The thing I loved seeing more than their artistic creativity in making constellations was the names they came up with for their constellations!

Everyone got black paper, 12 star stickers and a white crayon.

"The Zig Zag of the Human"

"The Love of The World"

"Elephant" and "Star Flower"

"The Big Dipper"

Friday, we used the iPads in groups to look at constellations using the apps "Sky Map" and "Sky View". both of these apps show where constellations, planets, the moon and the sun are at all times during the day based on your location. Sky View shows the constellations with their picture outlines (some constellations are hard to see with just the stars.)

 

Some of the constellations the kids saw they recognized from the cards, telescopes and the bathroom and were naming some of them!