Scientific Saturdays: It's All Greek(and Latin) To Me!

One of the standards I taught as an ELA fourth grade teacher was the roots of words.  Now that I am a fifth grade math and science teacher I use roots to introduce many vocabulary words.  Let's be honest...I still rely on roots to break apart academic words that I don't know or have to differentiate like geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.

I purchased a unit several years ago on TPT and recently stumbled across it again on  Pinterest.  I was thrilled to find out that the product had been updated, and now includes more science and math roots. I love that you can download purchased products for free on TPT.  This was exactly what I needed for a new bulletin board in my room.  The best part was that I already owned it!!!  I linked the product below.

Link to TPT

Here are samples of math and science roots.

I just finished printing out a bunch of roots(three cards on a page) and made a title.  I plan to laminate them all next.

 I want to introduce one math and science root each week to get started.  ( I might do it by units once I get going)  I will also add a root page in my science and math notebooks for the kids to write down the words we learn.

I uploaded my bulletin board title.  You can download it for free with the link below.

Link



Check out an old post Getting to the Root
for ideas that I have used in the past!

Don't Say...Using Synonyms

One of my Target Skills  this week was teaching synonyms.  I read one of my favorite books and had them listen for synoyms for the word "big".  The book "The Bunyans" by Audrey Wood is loaded with some great vocabulary.  The children wrote them down as I read the story.  We discussed how synonyms can be more specific.  At the end of the lesson, I had them put a checkmark next to a "boring" word and circle one that they would like to use in their writing.

Don't Say Sheet- Free from Scholastic

Getting to the Root!

One of the Fourth Grade Common Core standards that I need to teach is learning to use Greek and Latin roots to help understand and build new vocabulary.

Last week we created root flip books using a printable from Laura Candler.  Her website offers many great resources for teachers.  I had the children find five words using their "root" and add an illustration on the front.  They wrote out definitions on the inside, you could have them also include a sentence.  We used dictionaries and the interenet to find words: http://wordinfo.info.  

I purchased a set of word wall cards and printed them small.  I gave each student their own root to research.  We then added them to our Root Word Wall that has been up all year.  I was adding one card a week and then forgot for awhile (don't judge).  This activity got 21 Roots up quickly.  I made the wall using black felt and they stick on with velcro.  I forgot to take new pictures but have some from the beginning of the year,

Roots of Success

Multiple Meaning Words

I have so many new standards to teach this year and love looking for new ideas to implement in my class.  Last week I taught multiple meanings. Here are some of the activities we did:

Here is one my students sheets that she is working on.
Click the link below for sheet from  Mrs. Russ.

Russ' Rockets

Rachel Lynette Freebie

Word List and Activity (great resource list to download)

Synonyms, Antonyms, and Homophones!

We have covered synonyms, antonyms and homophones.  Here are  a few books that I used this week to review.  The children love this series!

I had the kids make a flip book using the three categories.  On the front of the flip book, they wrote the words, synonym, antonym and homophone and their definitions.  On the inside, they wrote a sentence using a pair of words, with an illustration.

Here are a few examples:

Brainstorming, Vocabulary and Place Value...Oh, My!

I can't wait for things to settle down in my classroom.   Every day I put my camera on my plan book so I will remember to take pictures and somehow it gets moved and I forget!!!!!  Has anyone else had that same problem????

Here is a project that my husband helped me on.  He spray painted a large coffee can with flat black paint.  He sanded it a little before spraying.  I guess Target had the squishy lightbulbs over the summer in their dollar section, but when I went I only found two left.  I ordered them on-line, the link is below.  I plan on using the lightbulbs during our brainstorming for writing workshop.  

Lightbulb Stress Toy

There's No Place Like Second Grade Freebie

Over the summer, I decided that my word wall would be dedicated to Greek and Latin Roots.  I purchased a set on TPT.  In the beginning of September, Teaching in Room 6 had a great post about "Getting in those Root Words."  I would have purchased her set but I had already bought one.  She posted about using black felt on her boards.  I loved her idea!!!  I bought my fabric on sale at Joanne's and used binder clips to attach it to the front of my cabinets.

Teaching in Room 6

Here are photos of my wall.  I purchased my words on TPT from Creative Classroom A-Z.  I printed them out smaller.  I used velcro on the backs, the felt didn't hold.

Creative Classroom A-Z 

My last share is the place value cups from Pinterest.  The kids love them.  They took longer than I thought and buy extra cups!!!!  My fourth graders found them a little challenging.  Make sure to space between numbers...have them use a pinky.  We have been using them for place value, standard and expanded forms, adding to specific place and rounding.

I Won!!!

I sign up for all kinds of giveaways hoping that some day I will win something and I finally did.  I received an email from Scholastic on Friday that I won a book.  I almost deleted the email thinking that it was junk mail.

My prized showed up yesterday.  Don't give up trying!  You eventually might win something.

My new book is sitting in my pile of summer reads.  I would like to work on Expanding Vocabulary for my CAFE and hopefully will get some new ideas with 144 pages.

Blowing Colorful Emotions

We have a school art auction every year and I wanted to get it done a little early this year.(Yeah Me!!!)   Each class creates something that gets auctioned off as a fundraiser...the school earns a lot of money!!!  Projects sell from $30-over $100.

Here is my final project for the auction..please read to find out what we did...



We read several books about feelings and colors.  Here are the books we read.

The next step was to create an anchor chart.  The pictures are from the paint chips at Wal-Mart.  We brainstormed words and feelings for each color.  A great chart to leave up for descriptive writing and poetry.

The art teacher helped out and did a lesson on lines.  I took black and white photographs to incorporate into their artwork.  Here are some of the kids projects.

I scanned all their pictures and ordered a hard cover photo book from Snapfish.

The art project was from the blog below:

http://elementaryartfun.blogspot.com/2011/09/lines-lines-and-fish-bowls-oh-my.html