I love a good, corny joke.  That's what of the main reasons I love teaching matter.


What's the matter with you?


Science matters.


Does it matter?


I'm here all day, ya'll!  But seriously, I do love teaching matter during our 2nd grade homeschool time... and not just because of the corny jokes.  There's a lot of opportunity for hands-on science labs about the states of matter and matter properties.  Let's take a look at a couple of my favorite labs for the states of matter and their properties!


States of Matter

We started off this unit with the book, What is the World Made Of? I love this book because it's written in a kid-friendly, easy to understand way and it's easy for kids to connect to!

(affiliate link)

As we read, we stopped after each state and charted it.  Once the book finished talking about gases, we stopped reading.  We will read the 2nd half of the book when we start talking about changes in matter.


Once we finished charting the states, we sorted objects into their states.


The next day, we learned that all matter is built with atoms.  And the arrangement of the atoms matters.  Get it?  Okay, okay, I'm done with the corny jokes.  Maybe! :)


We watched a video about atoms and then built a solid, liquid and gas with "atoms."  And we ate a few along the way...


Properties of Matter

Once we had a good understanding of the states of matter, we were ready to observe some objects and talk about their properties.


This was also a good chance to review our recent work with sensory details and not just writing that an object feels "good." 


Oobleck Lab

We ended the week with Oobleck, because...how can you learn about matter and NOT make oobleck?  We read Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss.  Then we made oobleck and played with it observed its properties.


We recorded our observations, and he made a hypothesis about what oobleck is... a "soliquid." LOL! :)


After we watched a video explaining oobleck we made our conclusion!


All of the labs, plans and paper materials are in this 2nd grade Next Gen Matter Unit!




Guided Math Workshop was a new structure that came about as I was leaving the classroom for my mommy break.  Why the change in my math block time?  I loved the focus we had on problem solving before, but it was hard for me to feel like I could conference with all of my kids.  I also struggled with the need to do small group instruction, but not having a framework for managing that.


And lastly, I needed more balance between kid-guided problem solving and direct instruction.  So Guided Math Workshop was born.  Here's a look at what a week of guided math workshop looks like now!


Monday

On Mondays, we introduce the goal for the week through a mini-lesson.  Sometimes, we read a book, sometimes we watch a video, and sometimes we work through some digital slides with some discussion together.  I spend about 15-30 minutes on this, depending on the activity.  Here is one of our mini-lessons from when we practice drawing shapes with specific attributes with a personal favorite, The Greedy Triangle!


Then, we do a brain break video that relates to our goal for the week.

After our blood is flowing again, we have some kind of math talk that ties to the goal for the week.  This is my chance to model math notation and how to show our thinking during problem solving time.  It also gives my kids a chance to hear strategies from the whole class.  Here's a math talk we did on the dry erase board brainstorming ways to regroup.


And here's another math talk we did using the riddles from The Grapes of Math.


After our math talk, I introduce the hands-on game that the kids will play with partners during the week.  We play the game as a whole group so that I can teach them the game and model how to fill out the response sheet.  And then we are ready for the rest of the week!


Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays look exactly the same.  This is perfect because if we have a four day week, we can just have 2 days of this rotation schedule instead of 3 and not much is taken away from the math instruction except for more practice time! :)  Here's the routine for these three "rotation" days.


Launch Math Mysteries

For the first 5-10 minutes, we launch the story problem the kids will work on independently for the day.  I edit the launch slide in our rotation slideshow and pull it up during our launch.  We review our goal for the week, read the problem, and we talk about what we know about the story problem and what we are trying to figure out.  The launch is short and sweet, because I want to give kids time to work on the problem and figure it out on their own.  


Then, we continue the rotation board.  This is a timed powerpoint presentation that shows kids exactly where to go. Once I move to this slide, the chimes will sound and the rotations begin.  It will give kids 15 minutes to work on their first rotation.  At the end of 15 minutes, the chimes will sound again and go to the next slide which shows the kids where to move to next.  The names and even the time is completely editable and found in my plans for 1st grade or for 2nd grade.

**NOTE: Yes, I know this doesn't spell math.  Long story short, sometimes the rotations are out of order to make sure each group gets to every station when they need to get to it.  Want the long story?  The very detailed explanation and directions are included in the plans.**

Let's take a closer look at each of the rotations!

M: Meet With Me

During this rotation, kids come back to my small group table.  For *most* kids, this rotation comes immediately after their at my seat time where they have been working on solving the problem.  We use this time to share our strategies with kids who are in similar places in their problem solving skills.  I can use this time to extend or give extra support to these kids and model notation that specifically applies to certain kids.


For my lower babies, they come meet with me first.  Why?  Because most of them are unable to get started independently and need extra support.  So, during their meet with me time, we might act out the story problem or even work through the first level of problems.  By the end of this 15 minutes, these struggling mathematicians are ready to finish solving the rest of the problems independently and they will move straight to At My Seat next.


A: At My Seat

During this rotation, kids work on independently solving all 4 levels of the story problem.  This is a quiet and independent working time for these kids at their seat.  Remember, the low kids have just come from meeting with me for extra support before they start.  And the rest of the groups will be coming to meet with me after this to share their strategies.


T: Technology

During this rotation, kids work on our goal for the week on a device.  I have used websites like dreambox, I-Ready, starfall and abcya.  With my 2nd grader at home this year, I am using these fluency Google Slides assignments.



H: Hands-On

During this rotation, kids play the game we modeled together on Monday.  Some games I play take longer and will take the whole week to finish playing.  With other games, I have the kids use a different version each day (like a new tic tac toe board).  Most games are designed to play with partners, but some can be independent.  This is the only station where kids might be talking/whispering.  So, in general, rotation time is pretty quiet except for your hands-on kids and the kids at your table! :)

Reflection

After the last rotation, we get back together and reflect.  This is my time to talk about what worked (with the math and with behavior, etc) and what didn't.  It's also a chance for me to address any common problems I saw with the problem solving that day or strategies that I want everyone to see.  But, mostly, this time is more like a class meeting about our math time!


Friday

Fridays are non-rotation days! We start off working through our spiral review of grade level math skills with our digital math wall time.


Then, we work on counting collections.  You can read about those routines here, but it's one of my favorites!  


Sometimes, later in the year, I start doing counting collections every other week and fact fluency practice on the off weeks where we practice our math facts.  (Read those routines here!)

If we have time, we do another share time at the end of the day where we share counting or fact fluency strategies, or any other things we need to discuss with our goal for the week!


You can find these detailed plans and materials for 1st and 2nd grade guided math workshop below.




I love using games to help kids understand Bible stories better!  The Joshua Bible story is a great one for teaching kids to choose to serve the Lord because He is faithful to help us.  Let's talk about some of my favorite games to play during our Joshua Bible unit!


Ants on a Log

Bible Story: Joshua is Moses' helper

Bible Idea: I can help others.

Materials: kids and tape (or sidewalk chalk)


Directions: Create a log using tape or sidewalk chalk.  The log should be thin enough for all of the kids to stand on.


Have kids stand shoulder to shoulder inside the "log."  Name one kid "Moses."  Moses will need to move down the log past a few kids without stepping "off" of the log.  Have them move past at least 2-3 people.  While "Moses" is moving, make sure the other kids are helping Moses just like Joshua did in the Bible.  Play several rounds to let kids take turns being Moses.



Battle of Jericho STEM Challenge

Bible Story: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho

Bible Idea: God can do anything!

Materials: red solo cups (or playing cards for more of a challenge) and a party favor kazoo


Problem: Pretend that the king of Jericho has asked the kids to rebuild the wall of Jericho with playing cards (or solo cups to make it easier as shown in the pictures!).  It needs to be tall to protect the city, but also strong enough to withstand Joshua and his army.


Directions: Let kids work alone or in teams to complete the challenge.  


When they are finished, they can test out their wall by walking a stuffed animal or toy around the wall 7 times for the 7th day.  


On the 7th time they will blow the kazoo directly at the wall to see if it will stand.



Hailstone Drop

Bible Story: Joshua defeats the Amorites

Bible Idea: God will help me if I serve him.

Materials: white pompoms, buckets or cups of various sizes


Directions: Kids will grab a handful of white pompoms to use as the hailstones.


Then, they will toss the "hailstones" all at once toward the buckets like a hailstorm.


Count the hailstones that fell into the buckets to see how many points you get! 


You can set up multiple stations for people to play in small groups, or do one large hailstorm where everyone drops and handful toward a lot of buckets and count the whole collection together!


Find all of these games and more in this Joshua Bible Unit from my Sunday School curriculum.

Peter is a well-known disciple of Christ in the Bible.  I love him because he is passionate about following Jesus, but his imperfections also shine through in the Bible stories about him.  


Mostly, I love the transformation that Jesus does in Peter because it reminds me that when we meet and follow Jesus, he changes us!  Here are the *adorable* crafts and fun games we used during this Peter Bible Story unit from my Sunday School curriculum.


Let's Go Fishin'

The first time we meet Peter in the Bible, he and his brother Andrew are fishing in a boat as professional fishermen.  Jesus asks them to leave their job behind and follow him to become fishers of men instead!


We play, "Let's Go Fishin'" as one of our stations during this unit and play it all together after this lesson!  We take turns answering questions about the story.  If they answer the question correctly, they get to go fishin'!  Find the game here...


Fishers of Men Craftivity

After that first lesson, we also make a "fishers of men" craft!  I copy fish on bright colors of paper and the kids "bubble cut" around the fish and write people they can share the gospel with.  For young kinders, you can write the words and have them copy them.  Older kinders can try to write them on your own.


I drew the lines on the sandwich-sized plastic bag beforehand, but your kids could do that if you wish.  


Then, just glue the bag to the fishnet handle.  I used the cardstock templates from the unit, but you could also use a dowel rod or a stick if you wanted!




"I Am Not Ashamed: Rooster Craft

At Peter's lowest point, he denied that he followed Jesus three times.  And just as Jesus said would happen, a rooster crowed at that very moment!


After this lesson, we made this adorable rooster.  We cut out the templates from the unit, added googly eyes and 4 colorful feathers for his tail.  This one is super easy to also put up at a creation station if you are in a Christian classroom and have students look at your example and create it as it is very easy to do independently.


We had so much fun putting him together and reviewing the lesson together!


Painted Rocks

Even though Peter denied Jesus, he was transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and he became the rock that Jesus built the Christian church on...he became the first preacher of the Christian church.

After this lesson, where Jesus tells Peter his name means rock and he is the rock he will build his church on, we did painted rocks!

You can bring rocks or if you have time and a good spot, you can go for a walk looking for a rock.

Let the kids paint the rocks how they choose.  We used q-tips as easy throw away paint brushes and they worked great!


Once the rocks dry, we used a sharpie to write, "Jesus loves you" on it.  Then, we found the perfect place to put our painted rock for others to find.  It was a neat way to share the gospel with others!


You can also just write each child's name on the rock as a reminder for them to keep and show that Jesus wants to use all of us to build his church.

You can find the directions, materials, and templates for these crafts, games and much more as part of my Sunday School curriculum in this 10 week Peter Bible story unit!
Memorizing scripture is an important and meaningful activity for kids (and adults!) of all ages!  I blogged a while back about the routines I use with my preschoolers... (SPOILER ALERT: yes, 3 and 4 year olds CAN and DO memorize Bible verses!)


Today, let's talk about what those Bible verse routines look like for older kids who are no longer emerging readers.  Some of the strategies are similar, and others are different.  Here's a look at how I help 1st and 2nd graders memorize Bible verses.


Read the Verse with Motions

I set up our Bible verse white cards in our pocket chart.

We start by reading the Bible verse together as I point to the words.

As we are reading, I have them do motions for the verse.  They don't have to do motions for every word, but I try to have at least 3 motions for every verse.  The motions help the kids attach the verse to movement which helps them remember the verse more easily!  I have suggestions for motions for each unit verse in my Bible unit curriculum!



Match the Color Word Cards

Depending on your first and second graders, you may or may not need to do this.  I have found that we start this way at the beginning of the first grade year, and end up skipping it by the second half of the year.  If your kids struggle reading, match the cards.  If they are reading independently, you can move on past this!

After we read the verse once, I pass out the color words to some kids...one card per kid.  I call one kid up at a time.  They read the word (or I help them read it) and find it's match.

After each kid puts a word match in, we re-read the verse with the motions.  So, not only are we working on matching and reading words, but we are repeating the verse and committing it to memory in a fun and engaging way!

Sequence the Verse

If most of your kids are able to read, you can skip the matching and do the sequencing routines instead.  To sequence, I start by passing out one card to each kid.  Then, I ask, "Who has the word 'The'" and kids bring up their cards one at a time.  

After each card, we read the cards we have, predict the next word, and I ask who has that word card.  We continue this way until we have sequenced the entire verse!

Later, when this becomes easy for kids (especially for 2nd graders), you can give each kid a word card and have them work together to sequence the Bible verse without your help!

TPR Reading

Once we have all of the words matched, we read with Total Physical Response (TPR).  This is my kids' favorite part!  We do some motion on each of the words.  The first one we do is, "Let's clap on each word."  Then, we say the verse and clap on each word.

Depending on time, we usually do about 5-7 repetitions of this with different actions each time.  The actions we've used are....
Clap
Snap
Pat Your Leg
Touch Your Nose and Whisper
Bear Claws on the Ground and Growl
Stomp Your Feet

Independent Matching

This last part of the routine is only done on the last day of the unit.  The other weeks, we just read, match, and TPR read.  The last week, we only do the independent matching.

Each kid gets a white paper with a space to sequence the Bible verse and word cards copied on colored paper.  My first and second grade units come with two handout options:  One is like shown below with the Bible verse on it and one does not have the verse on it.  I pick the one that best fits my kids' abilities.

After we read or say the verse, the kids sequence the word cards by cutting and pasting.

These routines are quick, easy and an engaging and effective way to help young learners hide God's Word in their hearts!  You can find all of these routines and materials in each of my Bible Units!
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