You Oughta Know About...

We are so excited to be joining Jasmine McClain over at Buzzing with Mrs. McClain for another You Oughta Know Blog Hop. Be sure to check out her blog, it is ADORABLE!!!

Our You Oughta Know post is all about Information Investigators. Information Investigators is an exciting and engaging process that allows students to examine a variety of materials using higher-level thinking skills to answer essential questions based on science and social studies standards in a collaborative environment.

This process has been extremely successful in our classrooms because it makes the connection between reading strategies and skills found in the Common Core State Standards with reading informational texts including charts, graphs, photographs, etc. Students are provided with an engaging opportunity that encourages them to persevere with grit and enthusiasm.

We begin by presenting an essential question embedded in a real-world situation. Below is an example of an essential question and real-world situation.

Our kiddos love the idea of having a job! They take their job very seriously. You can see that this essential question requires the students to first determine what a behavioral and structural adaptation is and then what types of adaptations rabbits have.

Students, in groups of 4, are then given a box of "exhibits" which consists of photographs, informational texts, articles, as well as links to various websites, videos, and songs that all provide information surrounding the essential question.

This photo shows our Information Investigators box, which we bought at IKEA and covered with "caution" tape and an Information Investigators sign, and some of the materials we placed in the box for this Information Investigators.

Students view themselves as investigators who must sift through the information provided in order to identify valuable information and they record the information in a research pamphlet. The pamphlet can look any way you want. It might be a foldable, lapbook, or simply a small booklet. Below are some photos of the pamphlet sections we created for our kiddos.

One important part of Information Investigators is giving students an opportunity to reflect on their learning. 

This showcases the job description (essential question) as well as the Science and Reading goals. The second portion is where kids record their answer to the essential question independently. 

This part of the pamphlet changes depending on the reading standard. This is where the kiddos work with their group to record information they feel is important to answering the essential question. 

This is a portion of our pamphlet that we added over time. Students are able to extend and apply their new knowledge to another question as well as record some questions that have come up as they were researching.

Students discuss and draw conclusions with their group members and when they are ready, they answer the essential question independently. Throughout the process students are encouraged to use important informational reading strategies to assist in gathering information. The teacher's role is one of facilitator. At the beginning of Information Investigator, the teacher conducts a short mini-lesson that highlights one of the informational reading standards. Once students are working in groups, the teacher circulates and provides support through prompting, questioning, and cuing.

We try to plan an Information Investigators for each unit of study. Sometimes we begin the unit with the activity to give students prior knowledge on the topic. However, sometimes the concept is too challenging to start with and requires some direct instruction before beginning Information Investigators. Finally, there are units where we use Information Investigators as a review or final activity in a unit. It all depends on the concept that is covered.

If you are interested in creating your own Information Investigators, check out this freebie in our store that will walk you through step-by-step.

Be sure to follow us at Two Nuts Teachin' from the Same Tree so you will be notified when we add Information Investigator kits to our store.  This is the first in a series of blog posts about Information Investigators, so check back soon or follow our blog to be notified when a new post is up!

http://twonuttyteachers.blogspot.com/2015/03/You-Oughta-Know-About

An InLinkz Link-up

Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites Book Study: Chapter 3

We are excited to be joining the Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites book study. This week's host is Mrs. Willis' Kindergarten. Hop on over to check out what others are saying about Chapter 3 of this amazing book.

This book study came at a perfect time for us. As many of us are preparing for our state assessments, we tend to try to create "test-like" situations, which unfortunately looks like a lot of worksheets. This is not how Mollie and I run our classrooms on a day-to-day basis and we really struggle with this. This text helps us to embrace the fact that it is okay to not change how we design our instruction and that continuing to use a variety of teaching tools will prepare our kiddos to do well in any assessment situation.

Chapter 3 is all about field trips and the potential learning benefits they have. We try to attend at least three field trips a year. Each field trip seems to have its own purpose. Some support our standards in a very direct way. One trip that hits upon several Social Studies standards is Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. Henry Ford is known as a car man but more than anything, he was a historian. It is a trip back in time and our kiddos LOVE every minute of it.

The kids can't believe they are actually sitting in the same seat Rosa Parks sat in. 

The kids love checking out places like the Wright brother's bicycle shop, Thomas Edison's workshop, and the home of Noah Webster to name just a few. 

Other field trips we take focus on more than just the standards. For example, to support our Economics unit we take our kiddos on a tour of Barnes and Noble and to Red Robin for lunch. The kids hear about goods and services in two different industries as well as learn what skills are needed in each job. On top of all of that, our kiddos have a chance to practice using their manners out in our community. Something we feel is extremely important. 

Finally, some field trips are simply planned to expose our students to experiences they may not get other wise. Marcia Tate discusses how she and her daughter take students to dinner and the ballet. This hit home with me because it is the same kind of cultural experience we try to provide for our students by taking them to Art Prize here in Grand Rapids. This is an amazing event that allows artists from all over the world to submit their work to be seen all over our beautiful city. 

After reading this chapter of the book, I realized that we need to incorporate more smaller scale field trips into our year. We need to look into virtual field trips and what types of field trips we can take without even leaving home!

Sunday Scoop! 3.8.15

Hello there!

Amy here linking up with Teaching Trio for a little Sunday Scoop. Check out the link below to see what some amazing bloggers are up to this Sunday!

Here is what I am up to today. Nothing too exciting but isn't that what makes Sundays so wonderful!!!

I hope you have a fantastic Sunday and accomplish all you need to do, hope to do, and are HAPPY to do!!

March Currently

Amy here! We are so excited to link up with Farley again for this month's Currently (two in a row, WOWZA! We are on a roll!)

Listening: My mom and I went to see the musical Once a little while back and I am now OBSESSED!! I didn't know it was a movie so I had not seen it yet. We are a family that LOVES the theater so I have been very fortunate to see several musicals. Once is definitely in my top 5. If you have not had a chance to see it, check it out!

Loving: Oh why, oh why did I have to take a peek at the Easter section at Target. I have a HUGE weakness for Cadbury Mini-Eggs. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!

Thinking: I am currently eating Cadbury Mini-Eggs while I type...well... I think that pretty much sums it up. I need help!

Wanting: Our mini-fidge is on its last leg and we are in desperate need of a new one. My sweet hubby went to one thousand and one stores today looking for just the right one and came home empty handed. So the search continues...

Needing: Mollie and I are in a Collaborative Study Group with 5 other teachers and an academic support coach. The goal of the group is to identify individual instructional goals/projects that we are implementing in our classrooms and spend the year supporting one another in meeting those goals/projects. Mollie and I are both working with our kiddos on blogging. Mollie focused on the introduction of the blogs as well as teaching students how to make their blogs aesthetically pleasing and I am focusing on writing powerful comments. As part of the process, our group comes in and observes the project in action. They will be here on March 12th so it is crunch time. I have several things I need to get together before they come. It is such an awesome experience! We will blog about the entire process soon!

Spring Break Plans: I am so excited to have a majority of the time to do a few projects around the house and maybe finish up a few resources to post in our store. However, it wouldn't feel like Spring Break without a little something to look forward to. My mom and I are going to take the girls to Chicago for a couple days. I am so excited to take them on the train! They will love it!

Teachers ARE Heroes!

One of the best parts of having a store on TPT is the amazing staff. They truly LOVE teachers. When they create a sale titled "Teachers are Heroes," they mean it with all their hearts!

This is a great time to take full advantage of great prices on amazing resources, so take a look at your wish list, search those common core standards that you are in need of a fun and innovative way to teach, or check out some fun activities for upcoming holidays.

Everything in our store is 20% off and when you enter the promo code "HEROES" during checkout, you will receive an additional 10% off! Sale begins at midnight tonight! Happy Shopping!!!

Click here to check out the sale!

Sunday Scoop!

We are joining up with Teaching Trio this week to give you the Sunday Scoop. Click on the link below to see what some awesome bloggers are up to this beautiful, sunny Sunday.

Here is a look into my Sunday (Mollie's is much more exciting, she and her hubby are enjoying the windy city with some relaxing and shopping):

I didn't realize it until I put it all in one place but I am crazy about organization right now!!! My school life and home life don't always match up. At school, organization is the only way I can survive. My house is a different story. I tend to hang on to things too long, just in CASE I need them. I realized over winter break, I am spending WAY too much time sifting through things to find what I need. It is time! If you are looking for a systematic way to organize your house, check out Toni and her AMAZING blog, A Bowl Full of Lemons. I am currently completing her 14 Week Organization Challenge.

Okay, off to organize! Wish me luck!!

February: Currently

This is our first time linking up with Farley for her "Currently" linky party. We had so much fun reading through what others are currently up to, we couldn't pass it up (even though we are a little late to the game - promise we will do better next month)!

Listening: Thank goodness both Mollie and I are obsessed with Adam Levine and Maroon 5. We HAVE to play music while we work and we are lucky enough to love the same music. Just one more thing that makes us two nuts from the same tree!

Loving: This four day weekend couldn't have come at a better time. The weather is nasty (good ole' Michigan winters) and we were all feeling a bit exhausted. So what does that mean for our break? Jammies all day, toys scattered around the house and lots of hot cocoa.

Thinking: Well, as I said, the weather is nasty. My girls are asking daily how much longer until the pool is open. I think we are all beginning to wonder if spring will ever make its way through all of this snow!!

Wanting: Oh Biggby... one of my favorite places on earth! Is it bad that when I get to the drive-thru to order my coffee a few of the workers automatically say "Good morning Amy! White Chocolate Mocha?" Thank goodness no one else is in the car to hear it!!!

Needing: Mollie and I are so excited to have had our proposal accepted to present at the Michigan Reading Association conference this spring. We promised to get started on planning as soon as we finished up our report cards. Looking forward to this Tuesday when we can sit down at Panera and iron out the details of the presentation!

Pageant Title: Yes... I will admit it... I am completely addicted to Instagram. I blame my peeps on the TPT forums. The only thing better than curling up with my phone to check out what everyone is up to on Instagram is curling up with my phone, Instagram AND a White Chocolate Mocha.

Happy Valentine's Day!!