Multiplication Kites...

Using paper folds similar to those used to make a paper airplane, we make kites which open/close by folding over. The students write a multiplication story problem for a friend to solve. The story is written under one flap on the kite. The second flap has a drawing of the multiplication array to help solve the problem. The third flap has repeated addition to show the solution to the problem. The final flap has the appropriate multiplication fact family. Students also cut out "bows" for the kite's tail and wrote the fact family on those as well. These were taped to curling ribbon "tails."  

The Synonym Flowers, Butterfly Life Cycles, and Multiplication Kites were used for end-of-year review for second graders. Antonym Ants can also be added. :) E-mail me or leave a comment if you want detailed instructions for folding the kites.

Synonym Flowers

As a review of synonyms, students make construction paper flowers with six or more petals. We make the flowers using a pattern which students trace that is about nine inches in diameter with stems to make them between a foot and two feet tall. Improvise! :) Students write a word on the center of the flower. They use the thesaurus to find synonyms which are then written on the petals of the flower. Flowers are posted in the hall to show off our "Synonym Savvy!" ;) We used leaves this year for the antonyms because we'd already completed our "Captain Antonym!" activity earlier in the year. We also make construction paper pots on which we write another word at the top or rim of the pot. Below, students write the word using all the prefixes and/or suffixes they can. See pictures.

Teaching with Captain Antonym!


First, I must give credit for this to Leah, my friend with whom I teach.


Preparation: Leah and I cut ants using the Ellison Die Cut for tiny ants at our school. They are close to 2 inches long. We also cut out the larger parts to make a three piece worm and add legs to make it "Captain Antonym!" I read today that teaching is 25% preparation and 75% theatre...I agree!


Lesson: We introduce antonyms using "Captain Antonym!" to keep it humorous for our students. He is on a quest to find all the words that have opposite meanings in the world! This should help them remember that antonyms are opposites. We do a huge wordsplash on the white board of antonyms that the children call out. Once the wordsplash is begun, students may choose to go and add more when they think of other antonyms during station time. Their classmates are quick to tell them if the words they have put up are NOT antonyms. :) For a station/center, our students use the tiny ants to write two words that are antyonyms on the two body parts (thorax and abdomen) . The students must write some antonyms and discuss this (pair/share) with a buddy before writing them in black marker on the ants. These are added to our Synonym  Flowers display in the wall (see Synonym Flowers).

This year we gave the students the worm parts to make the bigger ants at the beginning of the year. My ants were put on Captain Antonym's Ant Hill. See picture below. I really liked the tiny ants better, though. I'm searching for a picture of those....