One Teacher's Adventures

My Grade 8's are in the middle of a science unit on light and optics.  Last week, we were looking at the properties of shadows and why they are created.  It was a beautiful day, so I decided to bring my class outside to trace some shadows that they could find. I then challenged them to find an image in the shadow and fill in the details with lines and colour to create shadow art. The students saw animals, plants, objects, space, and underwater scenes.  I love the way they turned out and I really love that this was a simple activity that the kids enjoyed.  Plus, it can be done with any grade and with students at any level.  Here are some of their creations. Looking for more great tips and ideas for middle school? Subscribe to my email list and receive an exclusive FREE sub plans resource. It includes plans for math, ELA, science, social studies, and Core French. Click  here  to subscribe.

I've been inspired by the Flipbook Fairy!   In the past week, I've created three flip book projects for primary students and posted them in my TpT store . COMMUNITY HELPERS   My Community Helpers Flipbook is a 14-page book that asks students to give information about what each helper does, what tools they use, and how they help their communities.  Click here or on the pictures to see more.   PROVINCES AND TERRITORIES   The Provinces and Territories of Canada Flipbook includes a page for each province or territory with a map, flag, and space for students to fill in the capital city, population, bird, flower, and tree.  Click here or on the pictures for more information. SYMBOLS OF CANADA The Symbols of Canada Flipbook includes space on each page for the students to write about why the item symbolizes Canada (or anything else you'd like them to write!).  Click here or on the pictures for more informa...

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums out there :)  I can't take credit for this idea at all, but it is so cute that I wanted to share it with you!  I share a Grade 1 class (I'm there on Fridays).  My partner teacher, Shannon, created this project with our kids for Mother's Day and I quickly snapped some pictures before we wrapped them up today. She gave each student a frame to paint, then asked them to draw a picture to put inside.  On the outside, they wrote out a special message to their moms and it was glued onto the frame to complete the gift.  When the kids came in this morning, they were so excited to show me what they made for their moms. I think they turned out adorably!  I'm sure there will be some very happy moms on Sunday morning :)

I'm in the middle of my "Symbols of Canada" unit with my Grade 1's.   It has been a learning experience for me, as I haven't taught Grade 1 since I was a student teacher, but it has been really fun!   I'm enjoying bringing in resources for my kids all about Canada and British Columbia. Last week, I showed them "O Canada" from Ted Harrison, a Canadian painter who recently passed away.     I love Harrison's paintings.  They are full of colour and his style is so distinctive.  As a class, we discussed the images in the book and pointed out Canadian landscapes and symbols.       This week, I brought in "S is for Spirit Bear" by G. Gregory Roberts and Bob Doucet.  While Ted Harrison's book has a lot of images of Northern Canada, "S is for Spirit Bear" focusses on British Columbia.      It is an Alphabet Book of B.C. with beautiful illustrations b...