Tag: grade 1

fish tank art by Minds to Grow, an education website
Teaching

Quick Lesson Idea: Fish Tank Art

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Short on time and need a quick, yet lovely little activity for your Grade 1 or 2 students? Check out this fish tank art lesson!

Fish tank artwork
Fish Tank Art

Quick Description for Fish Tank Art

Using minimal materials, you can help your students create this cute fish tank art.

It would be helpful if students know how to do the following:

  • draw simple shapes (e.g., circles, ovals, triangles, etc.)
  • draw some organic shapes
  • draw some basic lines for design (e.g., wavy, zigzag, straight, etc.)
  • know the primary colours (red, yellow, blue) and secondary colours (purple, orange, and green)

Shapes for fish tank art: triangle, oval, etc.
Some simple shapes students can use to create their fish, plants, etc.

a book, summer reflection guide for teachers, on a table

Materials for Fish Tank Art

  • paper (e.g., lined or blank)
  • crayons and/or pencil crayons
  • black marker

*I used 8 1/2 x 11 lined paper as that’s what I had available when I taught this lesson online.

Learning Goal:

I will use a few different shapes and lines, as well as the primary and secondary colours, to create a picture.

Task Description:

Create a fish tank with six fish and scenery.

Success Criteria for this Task:

I know I am successful when I…

  • draw and colour one red fish, one blue fish, and one yellow fish
  • draw and colour one purple fish, one orange fish, and one green fish
  • add different lines to the tail and fins (e.g., zigzag, straight, etc.)
  • draw a wavy line to draw the ocean bed (e.g., sand)
  • draw and colour some plants
  • outline all of the above with a black marker (e.g., fish, plants, etc.)
  • draw some blue waves
  • colour the ocean bed brown and the rest of the background blue
  • add extra details such as bubbles, pebbles in the sand, etc.

plant in a planter; logo for Minds to Grow, an education website

My Example: Fish Tank Art

click for free weekly planning page template

Hashtag #fishtankart

If interested, please share a photo of some art samples for this task with the hashtag #fishtankart.

Stay Connected!

Let’s chat on social media! Stay connected with Minds to Grow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. You can also keep in touch with linktr.ee/mindstogrow.

photo of sticky notes and colored pens scrambled on table
Teaching

Teacher Tip: Students Love Surveys!

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Students enjoy learning about each other with the use of surveys. It’s also an easy way to learn more about the young people I work with each day, too. In this blog post, I will share a few ways I use them in my primary classroom.

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Why Is This Important?

Surveys are part of my Math instruction during the school year (e.g., the math strand of Data Management ). Due to the often interactive nature of doing surveys, students enjoy using them in class at any given time. One of my students’ favourite thing to do is talk to their peers during class time. What they may not realize is that encouraging them to talk in such purposeful ways is integral to their learning! It’s a win-win!

Image shows a picture of several different simple surveys for young students to do in class.

a book, summer reflection guide for teachers, on a table

A Favourite and Helpful Video

Here’s a favourite video I love sharing with my students when we start learning about Data Management and collecting data. It’s by Scratch Garden on YouTube.

Skills Students Learn With Surveys

  1. Thinking of great questions to ask others (e.g., “What season do you prefer: Winter of Spring?”).
  2. Creating a variety of surveys (e.g., “I will create a T-chart or graph the responses with a pictograph.”).
  3. Collecting and sorting data (e.g., “I will use tally marks as I ask my friends the survey question.”).
  4. Reading data (e.g., “Five people said they prefer winter. Three people prefer Spring.”).
  5. Interpreting data (e.g., “More people prefer winter. I wonder why winter is the more popular season in my class?”).

Samples of Simple Surveys Used in My Classroom

image shows four simple surveys suitable for primary classroom
Four examples of simple surveys I use in my classroom.

How I Engage Students with Surveys in My Classroom

Whiteboard and Dry Erase Markers: When I ask my students to use these tools, any task becomes a more interesting one! My primary students enjoy drawing simple surveys (e.g., a T-Chart) and collecting data from their peers on their individual whiteboards.

Paper and Markers or Pencil Crayons: For my students who enjoy using various tools as they learn each day, having the choice to use markers or pencil crayons to do their math adds to the fun. I’ve noticed how some of my students even like using these tools to colour-code their data or design their surveys.

Clipboards: This has been a game-changer for me from a few years ago. When I hand a clipboard to each student, for some reason, they become like superstars and become engaged, excited to start working! They enjoy clipping their papers onto them, then moving around the room to speak to peers and record their answers. A clipboard for each student is a resource I love having in my classroom.

Click on the images below for more details on these helpful classroom resources! *non-affiliate / unsponsored links*

Using Surveys Outside of Math Instruction

Teaching my students how to use surveys in class helps them experience success in other areas of their learning, too. For example, once they know how to create a survey, students are ready to create them or use the skills to read one at any time.

Here are some other ways I use surveys in my primary classroom:

Science: When students are learning about animals, they enjoy making surveys on various animals. After learning about animal groups, I encourage them to create surveys for each animal group. Example: “What is your favourite type of mammal: a tiger or a fox?”

Homework Task: When my students are encouraged to create a survey, then use it at home with their family, it’s always great fun when they share their results the next day with their peers. It’s real-world information for them and a great discussion opener in class.

I’m done, now what? I’m sure you can think of at least one student in class who seems to finish assigned tasks in what may seem like a few moments. Here’s a great way to engage that student in a purposeful way and keep them occupied on a different task. I encourage that student to create their own survey template and keep it in their desk (e.g., folder, binder, etc.). They will be able to use it in class at a later time (e.g., ask their peers and record their responses).

Read the previous Teacher Tip: Try Something New: Phonemic Awareness Instruction

Questions to Consider

  1. How do you use surveys in your classroom?
  2. What types of surveys do your students enjoy creating the most?
  3. What part of data management is the most challenging for your students?

Stay Connected!

Let’s chat on social media! Stay connected with Minds to Grow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. You can also keep in touch with linktr.ee/mindstogrow.

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Teaching

Digital Choice Boards for the Win!

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Digital choice boards are a great addition to any primary classroom. I have used choice boards since my first year of teaching, but my use of them has grown over the years. I will share why digital choice boards are a new favourite in my class!

What are Digital Choice Boards?

A digital choice board is a virtual page where there are different kinds of tasks for students to choose and complete. Many digital choice boards are one page or slide. When someone clicks on a selection, some open up an activity or task that is linked to a Google Drive or other Cloud source. Some digital choice boards may include links to websites with activities. An example of a digital choice board is a Bitmoji Classroom. My students and I enjoyed using these this year, too!

Choice Boards: My Early Years

I always like to give my students choice in activities whenever possible. In my early years of teaching, I enjoyed purchasing and using various books that included monthly calendars. These calendars would have hands-on activities that students could complete at home. It was a great opportunity for students to work on something together with their family at home. Students especially loved the fact that they could choose their own activity at any point of the month. I still enjoy using monthly calendars today.

click for free weekly planning page template

As the years went by, I decided to create my own calendars and input specific tasks that connected to what I was teaching in class. I would make them, then print a copy for each student to take home. This printed choice board gave parents a greater sense of what we were working on specifically in class. It made the learning more relevant and gave opportunities for review at home. To this day, I still enjoy using and creating these types of calendars.

Read: Back to School Tips for the New School Year!

A variation on the calendar format also included making either 2×2 or 3×3 boxes on a paper. Each box would contain a task and students would choose a minimum number of tasks to complete by the end of the week. For example, “There are 9 activities. Choose 6 activities and complete before Friday.”

Using such monthly calendars (purchased or made by me) have always been useful and successful in my classroom over the years. They did get a new look for me, however, after teaching changed so much as of recently.

This image shows a laptop with a sample of the choice board on it. The title says, "Choice boards for grade 1 - 2" for a teacher resource created by Minds to Grow. Available in the Minds to Grow TPT store.

When Did Digital Choice Boards Capture My Interest?

Over the last year, teaching has been a whirlwind to say the least. Teachers all over can relate to the same! Here is a quick description of my teaching experience last year:

  • September to December 2020: In-person teaching
  • January to Late-February 2021: Distance learning
  • Late-February to Early April 2021: In-person teaching
  • Mid-April to June 2021: Distance learning

With so many changes and adjustments throughout the year, it pushed me to make intentional changes in my teaching. I still needed to cover material while keeping students engaged (as much as possible in this unique pandemic situation). I still also needed to make sure that activities were relevant and purposeful. It was during the first segment of distance learning that I decided to explore creating simple, digital choice boards. Doing so meant that I could still give my students the opportunity to make choices in their learning while using our virtual classroom.

Picture Book about Making Choices: No, David! (Author: David Shannon)

After trying it out for just a few days, I saw that they were engaged and enjoyed the fact that they got to choose an activity on their own terms. Some even said that it felt like they were “playing a game” on the computer or iPad. Once I heard that, I told myself, “Digital choice boards for the win!”

This image shows a computer screen with a Choice Board for Grade 1 - 2 students (e.g., shows blocks with numbers 1, 2, and 3). It leads to the TPT store for Minds to Grow, where teachers can purchase this digital resource: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Digital-Choice-Board-Ready-Made-Editable-Grades-1-2-Paperless-7098985

How Can You Use Them In Your Classroom?

There are so many ways to use digital choice boards in your classroom! I have personally used them in the following ways:

  • Distance Learning: I prepared one for each day and posted it in my virtual classroom. Students were always eager to see what would be on the choice board each day (and disappointed the few times I didn’t remember to include it). They would use them during Independent Work Time as I worked with small groups.
  • In-Person Tasks: Projecting a choice board on the classroom wall also works well, too! I would introduce the choices to students, then individually ask each one to share their choice. It was empowering for them and I saw greater engagement in the task they selected.
  • Homework / Review: Digital choice boards can also help students consolidate their learning in class. Adding specific tasks or information on the digital choice board helps students and families review key information. This is a great way to link to resources that can help students build upon their current learning, as well as review what we worked on during class time.

What Kinds of Information Can You Put on a Digital Choice Board?

Here are the types of information I have personally included on my choice boards:

  • Subject-Specific: I have made digital choice boards before that focus only on Math (e.g., various strands or even just a single strand of Math, like Number Sense or Measurement). This works well in any subject area: Science, Language, Social Studies, etc.
  • Weekly Reviews: Parents really like these type of choice boards because it gives them a chance to quickly see what our class worked on during the week. It naturally includes a mixture of subjects and/or topics.
  • Talk About It: One key aspect that I have purposely included in my digital choice boards is the importance of talking. There is great value in writing, drawing, and more, yet there is so much power in simply talking about one’s learning with someone else. When a child can talk about their understanding and share it with their family, it opens an opportunity for deeper conversation, chances to strengthen comprehension of the topic, create more interest, etc.

…(T)here is so much power in simply talking about one’s learning with someone else.

Benefits of Using These Types of Resources

Here are just a few benefits from my experience:

  1. They are Paperless! Save photocopy paper. Since they are digital, once prepared for use, they can be posted in your virtual classroom (or projected on your classroom screen in-person).
  2. Time Saver: Every moment counts during the school day. I have saved some precious time by avoiding the use of the photocopier and simply using the digital file. If you choose to purchase ready-made Digital Choice Boards, that is also another way to save some time in your day.
  3. They are editable. If you make your own choice boards, then you can adjust them as needed. Some of the ones I have available in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop are editable. This means that you can use the ready-made board with your students, and can also make changes to the text if needed.

Summary

Digital Choice Boards are helpful tools for learning in the primary classroom. They are especially wonderful because students have the ability to choose activities. They can be engaging and even feel like a “game” as some of my students described this year. Ready-made digital choice boards are an additional time-saver because they are ready to use and post in your Virtual Classroom.

If you have yet to use digital choice boards in your Kindergarten, Grade 1, or Grade 2 classroom, consider trying out one available in the Minds to Grow store on Teachers Pay Teachers. I hope they can be a fun addition to your classroom, too!

Let’s chat on social media! Stay connected with Minds to Grow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

image shows a stack of picture books in front of a mug with smiley faces; the title above says, "My 3 Favourite Picture Books about Growth Mindset" by Minds to Grow Blog on www.mindstogrow.ca/blog
Teaching

Growth Mindset Picture Books: My Three Favourite Books

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Teaching your students to develop a growth mindset can help them to face challenges in learning and life with more confidence. It can help students view making mistakes as an opportunity to reflect and do things in a different way. Using  picture books to teach growth mindset is an awesome way to introduce this way of thinking to your students.

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Just like with learning anything new, learning about growth mindset took some time for me to understand and start applying in my professional and personal life. Going from having a fixed mindset to a growth mindset requires adjustment in one’s self-talk, patterns of thinking, and actions.

Picture Books for Growth Mindset?

The first time I learned about growth mindset, I was intrigued and excited because I saw so many benefits to having a growth mindset in my personal life and professional life. I was eager to teach my students about it, too. 

But how could I do this in a simple way? 

How in the world do you teach it to young students?

Enter one of my favourite ways of teaching big ideas to my students: picture books.

My Three Favourites!

I am going to share three of my personal favourite books that can help you talk about growth mindset with your students. Each time I read these books to a class, they often refer back to the stories when they find themselves going through a learning struggle or thinking of doing something in a different way. Picture books are simply the best!

Click here for a simple Growth Mindset template.

Why Picture Books?

Reading picture books to young students about growth mindset helps them build an understanding. Once young readers have a baseline to refer to in their mind, then it’s easier for them to grasp the concepts we wish to help them develop and learn.

Also read: How Will I Grow My Brain Today?

Book #1

When Sophie Thinks She Can’t (Written and Illustrated by Molly Bang)

Sophie is a young student who knows what she can do well, yet she also knows that a certain subject is really difficult for her. At the start of the story, she struggles to complete a challenging task at home. Some unkind words from her sister discourage her and she feels like giving up. At school, her teacher presents a math challenge to the class. Sophie has a hard time believing that she can figure it out. She soon discovers that struggling through difficult tasks can lead her to believe in herself, feel more open to solving problems in different ways, and see the benefits of persevering. 

This is a book that my students have asked to hear over and over again, year after year! I recently had a past student remind me of “that growth mindset” book that we read back in the day! 

Click here to purchase this book! *non-affiliate / unsponsored link*

Book #2

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain: Stretch It, Shape It (Written by JoAnn Deak, PhD, Illustrated by Sarah Ackerley)

This book is simply put, fantastic! This text helps readers learn about the parts of the brain and how the brain works. It shares some great examples of how to make your brain “grow”. I like how the book explains that making mistakes helps us to learn and grow our brain. This book is a great one for young students,  as well as people of all ages who want to learn about the brain and growth mindset. 

Click here to purchase this book! *non-affiliate / unsponsored link*

Book #3

The Dot (Written and Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds)

Vashti is not confident in her drawing abilities. With some gentle encouragement from her teacher, she tries to draw something. Vashti soon becomes curious about drawing in a multitude of different ways. 

This story is a class favourite. When I read this story this past year, I was so pleased when my students recognized that the main character had a fixed mindset (e.g., thinking she couldn’t do something) then developed a growth mindset (e.g., believing that one can reflect on their learning or mistakes and grow from them). 

Click here to purchase this book! *non-affiliate / unsponsored link*

Picture Books for the Win!

In conclusion, using picture books is an amazing way to help students understand key concepts and big ideas. The three books shared above are my own personal favourites for introducing Growth Mindset to my students. What books have you used to teach Growth Mindset?

Thanks for reading about these three super books. To stay updated on future blog posts, quick ideas, and resources, please connect with me on social media:  Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Thanks for dropping by. See you next time!

Teaching

For the Love of Reading: We’re Going On a Nature Hunt

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Spring is around the corner and my Grade 1 students and I are excited to go on Science Walks!

It’s amazing to see the joy in your students’ faces when they explore the outdoors while on a purposeful adventure.

Even a simple, “Let’s stop and listen to the wind moving…” becomes a joyful journey in learning.

A book that my Grade 1’s love is, “We’re Going On A Nature Hunt” written by Steve Metzger and illustrated by Miki Sakamoto.

Do you have a favourite picture book about nature?

#nature #picturebook #grade1 #teaching #journey #learning #mindstogrow #reading #adventure #explore #plants #trees #school #spring