The Magical Minds
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Rare Animal Reports

4/5/2013

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It took them weeks to create these nonfiction Big Books, and it all began with a Skype call with "Dr. Goodgrace."

She asked the Magical Minds to help her plan for a zoo she is opening.  She asked them to research a rare animal to help her design the exhibits, and prepare for the habitats and diets of the different animals.  Jazzed to be part of such a ambitious plan, the Magical Minds were eager to jump right in.  The next day we introduced them to Nicole, our FABULOUS neighborhood librarian at the Portola Branch. 
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Bursting with enthusiasm, Nicole helped the students locate books on their chosen topics, guiding them through the nonfiction section of the library and demonstrating how to use the computers to locate resources.

With their books in hand, they began a week's worth of research. 
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The Magical Minds painstakingly recorded the facts they found on notecards, keeping in mind three or four important subtopics: habitat, diet, anatomy and life cycle.  Once they had written a healthy collection of notes, they began to organize them according to topic, preparing to write what would be their rough drafts.
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Rough drafts became final drafts.  The kids photocopied as well as drew pictures, diagrams and maps, and put all their information together into one giant book.  As we got closer to the presentation date, they created notecards to read from and practiced in front of their peers and teachers.
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Finally, the day arrived!  Nicole, our local librarian, came to visit and Dr. Goodgrace Skyped in.  Each team of researchers did an amazing job of presenting their findings.
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Investigating US Geography Through Road Trips

1/8/2013

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I started the year thinking we needed to learn all the US states in our geography lessons. I was concerned, however, that there wasn't enough time to cover each one. How would we study each state?

Suddenly I remembered one of my favorite mantras: "The brain doesn't remember facts. The brain remembers connections." Bouncing ideas back and forth, Mr. H and I struck upon the idea of taking a road trip across the US. Students would learn about at least 10 states as they travel from one coast to the other.

Starting at an assigned point A, the Magical Minds research one state at a time. Using the guidesheet below, the kids use the web and atlases to discover nine facts about each state. The challenge is to then incorporate that information into a journal entry.

State Facts Tic Tac Toe by Erin 'Fitzmahan' Mahollitz

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Mind Mapping Homework Day 2 - Create Your Own Mind Map

3/13/2012

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Tonight the Magical Minds are creating their very own mind maps from scratch.  Today in class we created several examples.  NOTICE how the subtopics are groups of, or different types of things that fit the big topic.  You should use a blank piece of paper to write and draw your mind map.

Below is an example we made together.  The blue is the topic, the green items are subtopics (or types of animals), and the red items are details (or examples).
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The Magical Minds brainstormed some possible topics for their mind maps tonight:
  • sea animals
  • dinosaurs
  • legos
  • movies
  • Star Wars
  • horses
  • military
  • Dave Pilkey
  • Stop motion
  • fashion
Here are some examples the kids made today in class:
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Mind Mapping Homework

3/12/2012

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The Magical Minds are discovering a new way of brainstorming - mind mapping.  Tonight fill in the following graphic organizer with details about yourself.
MindMap About Self


Here is a copy of the mind map we made about Erin today.
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    About the Author

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    Erin Mahollitz is an international teacher teaching 2nd Grade in San Francisco, CA. 

    She specializes in inquiry-based instruction, technology integration and social & emotional education.

    This website is a collection of stories, ideas, resources and lessons from Erin's classrooms.


    Follow @erinmahollitz

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