Teach the Common Core... in Space!
This is one of my all time favorite thematic units! I get so excited each year when the time comes to pull out the aluminum foil and start wrapping up my playhouse. I love to see the children's imaginations come alive as they think about what it would be like to be an astronaut or travel to an alien planet--all while learning necessary academic concepts.
Dramatic Play: Rocket
This is one of my student's favorite dramatic play themes and it's so easy to put together! All I do is use aluminum foil to make the outside of my playhouse look like a rocket, if you don't have a playhouse, you could use a large cardboard box, or make a shiny rocket outline on the wall.
Inside the rocket, I have astronaut costumes, as well as toy rockets, books about space, space words, and plenty of writing material. It would also be fun to find some old technology from a thrift store (typewriters, record players, cassette tapes, keyboards) and add them to the dramatic play area as the rocket's control center. The children learn so much from participating in this center: oral language skills, cooperation, social skills, vocabulary, story structure... Additionally, I can't tell you how much this center helps my classroom behavior. Here kids learn to be a team as well as empathy through role play. They learn to problem solve and practice self control. Did I mention I love the rocket ship?
Science Center: Space
Next to my playhouse I have my space science center. Here I have my sensory table full of moon sand and astronauts where children can recreate the moon landing. I also have planet models, books, and pictures for the children to explore.
Space Language Arts
At the writing center, children use space words to write stories of exploration and adventure.
Children practice reading sight words by finding them on stars with flashlights.
At the art center, children draw the moon using the facts they've learned about it.
At the manipulative center, children learn about shape and geometry while building rockets.
After the children finish their moons, we make a mini astronaut version of them with their picture, add a rocket, and then they write about a visit to the moon. These turn out adorable and make a great portfolio sample!
Space Math Lesson
I love to integrate our scientific theme into other areas of the classroom. Here is a space themed math lesson you can try out to teach the part/whole relationship of the number 5 as you help children learn to add and subtract fluently within 5.
Space Themed Products
Want more space themed ideas? Try out one of our space themed products, available here at our website or at our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Product Description
Space themed ided readers make learning to read fun and engaging! Kids LOVE these paper books. Offering students these Space Themed "paper" books, that can be colored and taken home offers students authentic purpose for the guided reading instruction and opportunity to practice techniques at home. Students love these delightful stories that are ready to read on their level.
Contents Include
The Stars -- Level D
My Rocketship -- Level C
Space Explorer -- Level B
Rockets -- Level C
The Aliens -- Level B
Related Products
Also Available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Nine great writing center activity based worksheets.
Your classroom or homeschool students will love to write using these engaging independent writing practice activities. Easy to set up, easy to use, impactful and engaging!
Activities Include:
Label The Astronaut -- Anchor Chart
Label The Astronaut Worksheets
The Astronaut: Can, Has, Is -- Anchor Chart
The Astronaut: Can, Has, Is Student Worksheet
Write About Astronauts Worksheets (Can, Has, Is)
Label-It I Can -- Anchor Chart
Label-It Student Worksheets
Make a List I Can -- Anchor ChartChart
Make a List Student Worksheet
Out In Space Word Wall
Write a Story I Can -- Anchor Chart
Write a Story Prompt Worksheets
Write The Room -- Anchor Chart
Write The Room Worksheet
Write The Room Word Cards
Alien Words -- Anchor Chart
Alien (Mirror) Words
CVC Words Anchor Chart
CVC Picture Cards
CVC Worksheet
Related Products
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• February Get Your Kids Writing Activities
• Insect Writing and Literacy Center Activities
• Jack & The Beanstalk Writing and Literacy Center Activities
• Little Red Hen Writing and Literacy Center Activities
• Little Red Riding Hood Writing and Literacy Center Activities
• Ocean Themed Writing and Literacy Center Activities
• Pond Theme Writing and Literacy Center Activities
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Product Description
This Space unit is strategically linked to academic core standards. And will take your students on an adventure, Out in Space! This Space unit is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, worksheets, science, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Table of Contents
Literacy Lessons
Moon Walk: Blending and Segmenting Words
Moon Walk: Reading and Segmenting CVC Words
Zoom to the Moon: Alphabet Fluency (Or Sight Word Fluency)
Star Light Star Bright: Reading Sight Words (Or Identifying Alphabet Letters)
Asteroid Belt: Fluently Naming Alphabet Letter Sounds
Planet Race: Fluently Naming Alphabet Letters
The Milky Way: Blending Phonemes
Shared Reading Whole Group Activities:
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star: Sorting Words by Initial Sound
Independent Activities
A Trip to the Planets: Writing CVC Words
Math Lessons With Independent Options:
A Trip to the Stars: Adding to and Taking Away
Deep Space Ten: Counting by Tens
Blast Off: Addition
Energize: Solving Word Problems
Space Rocks: Matching Quantity to Number
Independent Activities
Planet Discovery: Writing Numbers
Space Addition
Star Math
Star Dot to Dot: Ordering Numbers 1-36
Guided Reading Books
To Space
Science
Creating a Space Science Center
Writing
Word Wall
My Rocket Ship
Out in Space
Art Projects
The Solar System: Construct Project
Tangram Rockets: Using Geometric Shapes
Make a Planet: Coffee Filter Art
Comet, Moon, & Sun: Mixing Paint
Songs/Fingerplays
I'm a Little Astronaut
The Planets
Blast off to Mars
Ten Astronauts
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Product Description
Alien Thematic Unit is filled with out of space fun. Who doesn't love the fun of Aliens and reading such books as "Aliens Wear Underpants.
Alien Planet, is strategically linked to the academic Core Standards. It is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, worksheets, science, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Table of Contents:
Literacy Activities
Speak Alien Please: Segmenting Words
Alien Hop and Swat: Decoding and Segmenting CVC Words
Alien Zinger: Reading Sight Words (or Alphabet Letters) Fluently
Sentence Scramble: Reading and Constructing Sight Word Sentences
Alien Attack: Fluently Naming Alphabet Letters
Math Activities
Blast Off Bingo: Numbers 11-30
Teen Time Disco: Identifying and Matching Teen Numbers
Astro Park: Collecting and Recording Data
Aliens Away: Subtracting Objects
Guided Reading Books
The Little Alien
Class Made Books
All About Aliens
Science
Alien Goo: Mixing Substances
Writing
Alien Word Wall
The UFO
All About Aliens
Art Projects
Alien Headbands
Construct an Alien
UFO
Songs/Fingerplays
Five Little Aliens
The Alien