Friday, April 25, 2014

Springing Into Science

I am super excited to be teaming up with an amazing group of bloggers to bring you some fantastic science freebies and giveaways!

Our last unit of the year is our animal unit - one of my favorite!  My kiddos LOVE learning about animals.  We start by studying the different habitats - Oceans, Freshwater, Grasslands, Deserts, Woodlands, Rainforests, and the Arctic.  As we learn about each habitat, thru read alouds, informational texts,  and short videos (we love Brainpop Jr. and there are some great Dr. Seuss and Magic School Bus videos), we keep track of the information in a class chart.  Then, students work in groups to become "experts" on one specific habitat.  They create a habitat book and share their information with the class.  

Next, we study the different animal groups - mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.  There are some fantastic leveled informational texts that we love to use from National Geographic.  
After brainstorming all the animals we can think of, students each choose an animal to research and create a "mystery box" for that animal.  We do all of the research at school and the students create the boxes at home.  Here are some examples of some of the boxes my students created last year.



One of the activities my students love are the Animals and Habitats QR Code Cards. It's a fun, interactive way for students to practice their knowledge of animals while using technology.  Students love scanning the QR code with the iPad to see if their answer is correct - instant feedback!!  

So . . . . I have a freebie for you!  You can download my Animals QR Code Cards by clicking HERE or on the picture below.
You can also check out my other animal units by clicking HERE or on the pictures below.

     

 

Not only do you get a freebie, but you can win the Animal and Habitats Unit and the Animals and Habitats with QR Codes.   

Be sure to fill out the rafflecopter and 2 lucky followers will win both units!!!

Now hop on over to Fun Monkey Bars for the next stop of on this fun Springing into Science blog hop!  Just click on the picture below.


Happy Spring!


18 comments:

  1. I like doing the boat float experiment where the kids make a boat from one square ft. of tin foil. Then they see how many pennies the boat can hold.

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  2. I love this! We are currently hatching chick and learning about life cycles! That might be one of my favs!

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    1. I remember hatching chicks when I was in elementary school. It was one of my favorite activities!! I wish we could do that with our students this year too.

      Carrie
      Table Talk with C & C
      The Collaboration Connection

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  3. We are learning about life cycles.

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  4. My favorite Science activity is building habitats.

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    1. We are studying habitats right now and building them would be fun for the kids!

      Carrie
      Table Talk with C & C
      The Collaboration Connection

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  5. We are budding botanists right now...so much fun for the students!

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  6. I really enjoying teaching my first graders about the different life cycles of animals and insects!
    Joyfully,
    Sam
    rigbys2014@gmail.com

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  7. I love National Geographic Kids books! They are formatted perfectly and are the ideal nonfiction tool.
    My favorite science activity is the blubber glove!

    Marcy
    Searching for Teacher Balance

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  8. I like experimenting with magnets. Your units look awesome! I hope I win!

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  9. I love teaching about insects!!!!

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  10. My favourite Science activity is making oobleck!!! We did an oobleck lab as part of our "Liquids and Solids" unit last week and I have NEVER seen children this young (Grade 2) so engaged in learning!! My kidlettes are mad crazy about QR code packets and yours looks absolutely AMAZING! Thank you for considering me =). leafsgirl@rogers.com.

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    1. This is one of my favorite activities!! We just did it this year for the first time and my kids loved it!!!

      Carrie
      Table Talk with C & C
      The Collaboration Connection

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  11. So far I have enjoyed doing force and motion with my kids. They really got in to the lessons and activities!

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  12. I love teaching food chains. I think it is so funny. when they ask.."why do they take their energy?" By the end of my lesson they are making their own food chains and could explain like champs!

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