Valentine's Day Shocker & a Map Tip

We are still working on our map unit and I wanted to share a new thing we did this year for our models versus maps lesson that worked really well. This year we added colored popsicle sticks to the clay and pipe cleaners which was a big hit! My teaching partner Robi also found these old wood trays to build on which gave them a bigger surface and the kids said the ledges felt like a real playground.

Monkey bars, swings, sand box, teeter totter...

Basketball hoops, slide, sand box, swings...

Students drew a map of their playground. We completed a double bubble comparing maps and models. Then students wrote full sentences describing the ways they were alike or different.

We finished our map circles as well. We will have to finish the rest of the unit after break.

These activities and much more are available in my Me on the Map packet if you are interested.

In other news, we found out on Valentine's Day that our 7th grader has his first girlfriend!!!! He got a call at 7 AM so I asked who it was. He said it was his friend A.J. who wanted him to meet at school early. "Why, is it something about Valentine's Day?" I ask. He says, "Yes. He has a girlfriend." I continue to question, "So why does he want you to come early?" My husband interrupts up with the correct question. "Wait, do YOU have a girlfriend?" "Yes," Casey answers with a grin. My mouth drops open. "Were you going to tell anybody?" I ask in shock. My 5th grader Quinn pipes up, "He told me after the dance last Friday!" WHAT?! He has had a girlfriend for almost a week and I am only hearing about it now!!!! Luckily his friend A.J. has his act together and purchased teddy bears for both of them to give their girlfriends. Oh my....and it begins!

Casey and Nicole are on the right.

Me on the Map Unit

 I have had a zillion requests for the templates for the Me on the Map circle flip book I posted about last year.

You can read about it here if you missed it. As I mentioned during that post, this project was not mine but my teaching friend Robi's so I have not felt the templates were mine to share.

However, I have been told that others are copying it and making money from it and I feel badly that Robi is not getting the credit (or profit since she has a freshman in college!)

So, I finally talked her into partnering up with me to not only share all those templates and step-by-step directions but a whole 40 page unit packed with other activities we do during our map unit!

This map unit covers:
Cardinal Directions cards, map worksheet and activities
Map Features including a brace map and cut and glue worksheet
The Compass Rose
Models versus Maps clay project including a double bubble map and writing activity
Vocabulary matching cards and activities
A Make Your Own Pirate Map culminating activity (the kids love this one!)
and other teaching ideas

You can grab your copy of our new unit here or by clicking on the picture below.

And don't forget that I am offering 20% off everything in my store Monday and Tuesday!

I have been on the computer literally ALL day trying to get his finished so I must go rest my eyes now. Tomorrow is put up the Christmas tree day. Thank goodness we still have one more day off...yippee!!!

Me on the Map

We are in the middle of our map unit. The kids have a really hard time remembering which is the city, state, country, etc. Here is a visual project that might help from my awesome team member, Robi. First, I found our school on Google Earth and slowly zoomed out. Then we made this project.

Our School

 Our Street

 Our City

 Our State {I gave them pictures of the state flower and bird so they could draw one}

 Our Country

 Our Continent

 Our Planet {The templates were copied so the kids just cut and pasted.}

***Edited to add that I didn't share the templates because this idea was my friend Robi's not mine. However, after a zillion requests, we teamed up to put the directions for this project and the rest of our map unit into a 40 page packet. You can check it out {here.}

Models v Maps

In social studies we are learning about maps. To illustrate the difference between maps and models the kids made them! First, partners made a model of a playground with play dough.

Then the student made a map of their playground and wrote a sentence describing how models and maps are alike or different.

The kids loved it of course!