What Does the Fox Say?

This past Sunday morning, I woke up with a to-do list about a mile long.  You know, finish wrapping presents, bake cookies, finish shopping, get groceries, etc.  Oh yeah, do some schoolwork.  You get the idea.  And then, as I was lying in my bed planning my day, my daughter came into my room.  "Mom, hurry, come look at the fox in our yard."  So I crawled out of my warm bed and headed downstairs.  Looking out the back window, I saw what all the fuss was about.  This little beauty.

And so of course I stopped dead in my tracks.  Well, actually I went and grabbed my camera first.  Then I sat myself down on the couch and watched.  Here was this beautiful little fox nestled into one of the now dead plants on the hill in our back yard.  In the middle of the city.  It was the perfect cover--hiding in plain sight.  That to-do list?  Completely forgotten.  My daughter and I sat and watched this little fox for nearly an hour.  He napped, wiggled his ears, looked up now and then, did some serious yawning, and napped a little more.  We watched, and we loved every minute of it.

I could have watched it all day.  But something spooked him, and off he went.  Oh well.  It was wonderful while it lasted.  And I found it to be such a good reminder for me this time of year.  Stop.  Take time.  Look around, enjoy, appreciate.  See the beauty that is right in your own back yard.

I did get some things checked off my Christmas list.  And I still have some things to do.  But that's OK.  And that little fox?  So very clever.

How Many Days?

Nineteen days.  That's how much learning time I have to work with between Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break.  Nineteen days.  And if you know elementary kids, you know there are just a few distractions this time of year.

So my kids have been warned.  We are kicking it into high gear.  There simply is no time to waste.  I have some serious plans in my book.  :-)  And honestly, I have packed the days with as much learning as possible.  I need this student to stand by my table everyday!  Though I may need to change a few things--I don't care about video games, but you shouldn't disturb me when I'm with a group unless there is blood or vomit.  But candy and pizza are nice.

This week in reading we are continuing with reading nonfiction text.  We have been looking at different text structures and how to identify the topic, main idea, and details in each text.  So far, we have read sequential text and compare and contrast.  We began the study of compare and contrast with the book Poles Apart.  It's a great look at the differences between polar bears at the North Pole and penguins at the South Pole.

Click on the picture above to see it on Amazon.

Next, we went back to our friend Jerry Pallotta and the Who Would Win? series.  We read one of the books together and discussed how each page shows how the animals in the book are the same and different.  We also talked about signal vocabulary words when identifying similarities and differences.  Here's a list of words we worked from:

Next, each student chose their own Who Would Win? book to read (I have LOTS because the kids love them so much!).  Then they filled out a graphic organizer comparing four key ideas (physical description, habitat, adaptations, and diet).  Then using that information, they wrote a paragraph using vocabulary words showing same and different.  Here are some of the finished booklets.

Click on any of the pages above to get these pages from TpT!

I know I've said it before (and I'll probably say it a million more times), but look at the creativity and beauty in even these small pictures.  I love them so much!

This is a simple, but engaging activity.  The kids use great mentor texts to learn about comparing and contrasting, and the connection to science is clear as well.  This is exactly how I love spending my days (especially when they are numbered)!