Teacher Park: Bloom Ball Reports

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I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE hands on projects!

As I've said in many of my posts, we have to really encourage creativity in our

classrooms these days, even if it means a ten minute group brainstorming, problem solving

topic that makes the kids THINK.

I know that with all the mandated test preparation it's often difficult to break away

BUT

it's important that students remember their teachers and school experiences

for reasons other than

just preparing for tests.

I run into many of my former students who are have graduated from college

and are starting new phases of their lives. Their greeting is always the same..

"I'll never forget the GeoBear project you did with us.

I still have my GeoBear and all the postcards and letters he sent me when he

was traveling around the world."

"You made school so much fun. I'll never forget when I was a Senator and wrote

a bill that said kids 12 years old should be allowed to have driver licenses.

I remember how hard we worked on that bill, but the House of Representatives, sent it back to us and we had to amend it.

Then it was approved by the House and YOU vetoed it." (HAHA! I was the President!)

By the way, those kids almost ran me out of the room when I vetoed their bill.

They had told me that 12 year old kids should drive

because they have 16 year old siblings and they're not responsible, but 12 year old kids are!

The House kids said that 12 year olds wouldn't be able to reach the gas pedals or see over the steering wheels.

The bill was amended to read: 12 year old kids will strap blocks of wood to their shoes

so they can reach the gas pedals and sit on pillows so they can see over the steering wheels.

(I tried my best to keep a straight face throughout the proceedings) :)

To prepare for Congress, they chose a state they'd represent, made name tags, and even came to school dressed UP! I was soooo impressed. AND they kept their name badges on ALL day..

Senator Smith from New York, Representative Brown from Massachusetts. It was GREAT!

THESE are the things kids remember. Interactive, creative, collaborative, fun projects!

This is one of those unforgettable types of projects

where creativity walks hand in hand with academics.

This update of my Bloom Balls packet has the latest verbiage of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Included is everything needed to create colorful displays for your classroom

while encouraging higher level thinking.

Students will have fun working in groups to create their reports.

There are instructions/rubrics for a fiction book report as well as a bio report.

Templates included are two sizes, in black and white and in color.

Detailed instructions demonstrate how to put these displays together.

Use for ELA, science and social studies reports.