Product Spotlight: Luau to Learn

Hawaii is one of those dream destination places. If you have ever been, I am extremely jealous of you and I will just have to keep dreaming of a future time when I can visit there!

I wanted to share some of the great things we are doing in my classroom leading up to our Last Day Luau! At this time of year, now that assessments, samples, and report cards are all done, it is important to keep students engaged in a fun way. We are having so much fun this week: students are still learning, smiling, and (perhaps most importantly) behaving brilliantly! 

Monday: Luka's Quilt

We read half of the story Luka's Quilt before students wrote an advice letter to one of the characters. They did a really nice job of helping them solve their problem! Once the letter writing was finished, we completed the rest of the story. As I read aloud, I used my read aloud guide from the unit to help with my plans for discussion questions. In Math, we learned about symmetry. First, we defined the word and watched a Brainpop video. Then, we found examples of symmetry around us. Following that, I guided students through folding paper in half, cutting shapes, and seeing reflections. After this, students created Tutu's quilt by making cuts on a white piece of paper, and then pasting it on a colored paper. Then, of course, for Luka, they added tissue paper flowers to add color to their quilts. They really enjoyed it and did a fabulous job!

Tuesday: Volcano Information

Tuesday began with students beginning a KWL chart on Volcanoes. Then, they did a close reading and writing response from this TPT unit.  Yes, it is a first grade resource, but we have only just experimented with some close reading now at the end of the year. In Math, students did this fun coloring page to practice their basic facts fluency. And, at the end of the day, we watched The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top!

Wednesday: Too Many Mangos

This is a really sweet book about sharing. I read it aloud to the students, and asked them to think about what they could share with others. In my unit, you will also find instructions for a craft to go along with the writing. For Math, students tried mangos and a few other tropical fruits. We then created bar graphs to show our class' preferences! They really enjoyed trying the yummy fruit! (Sorry no pictures! I forgot!)

Other Stuff:

Centers! The Following Directions Craft and Dictionary Scavenger Hunt are in my unit. Along with an Internet Scavenger Hunt which we completed during our visit to the Computer Lab. It would normally be in our rotation, but the computers all got collected already! 

A Photo Booth for the kiddos! 

Link to my products by clicking on these pictures:

       

These pictures provide you with a further preview. Notice that there are game explanations, task cards, and a student comprehension book for the Magic Treehouse High Tide In Hawaii: