Huge Teacher Appreciation Sale!

Come visit me Tuesday and Wednesday, May 7th and 8th, and let me show you my appreciation.  Have you been thinking about what you want to do differently next year?  Maybe you plan to "tweek" a certain subject.  This sale will give you the best price and a head start on those ideas for next year! 

 

Visit my store and when you check out, add the following code (TAD13) for an additional 10% off.  The total sale will then be 28% off anything in my store, these two days only.

 

Again, thank you for your business.  Enjoy the shopping and the bargins!!!

Tips for Reteaching Prior to Testing and a FREEBIE

We are out for spring break this week. Hooray! I'm enjoying sleeping in a bit, at least until 8:30, and hanging out in my PJ's. Sweet! However our state testing is just around the corner and I wanted to share a few tips I use to help my little ones get ready.

First, I solicit volunteers. I have narrowed my focus on my lowest performing group of sweeties. During math, I want to small-group them without interruption and reteach skills they still struggle with. Problem - how to manage the rest? Solution – plan to use review games on skills they need refreshing and use a volunteer, when you can, to help you manage it. I have been so fortunate to have my own son, who is a senior this year, come in and help for about 2 hours every Thursday and Friday.  (Volunteering in the workplace is part of his Honor’s curriculum.) This is exactly what he's been doing in my classroom. He takes care of re-explaining the game directions, solving partner squabbles, managing the noise level, etc. He even plays with them if someone needs a partner.  He loves it, they love him, and I love seeing my small group of strugglers "get it" as I reteach a much needed skill they missed, while my other sweeties are getting a much needed refresher at the same time!

Second, I narrow my focus. Above I mentioned that I had "narrowed my focus" on my lowest performing group of students. For Math, I use our county's benchmark tests to help me do this. I choose the neediest six students based on the data. I write their names down, and then I check their scantron or answer sheet and write the number of the problems down next to their name. After I have done that for all six students, I circle the question numbers that most of them missed. This keeps me from wasting time teaching something they already know. I look at the skills that these questions addressed and why my students missed them. For example, with elapsed time, I found that they just didn't know how to calculate when they had to go backwards into the previous hour to find a “start time”.  They answered several other elapsed time questions correctly. In this small group, I was able to keep their attention and give them more of my individualized attention.  I love my small groups because as I observe them working out their problems, I can more easily see when their skill knowledge starts to break down. 

I will continue to share test pre tips as we get near to these assessments.  Don’t miss my next post as I will be including a printable chart with key words for students to look for to help them with different types of reading questions.

For now, since I shared how I was working with my students to calculate elapsed time, I want to share these elapsed time story problems you can use with your kiddos in your small group time, or whenever you want.  Click here to grab your copy.  Have a great week!  

 
           

   

One week until Spring Break!

Tomorrow starts our last week before we are out for Spring Break. Yahoo! As much as my kiddos, need that break, and I definitely need that break...it only leaves me one week when we return to review for our state assessment, the CRCT. Yikes!!! We have a plan in place, but I still always want MORE time to refresh their little memories from the content taught way back in August and September.

One math skill that keeps cropping up in our units has to do with line plots. We just revisited that again last week. In the spirit of sharing, you can click HERE to get your free copy of an Easter line plot activity. Remember when creating line plots, first you must ask a group of people a survey question. Then, for each person's response, place an X above that person's answer.

 

 

Tips for Taming the Wild Indoor Recess!

With all of the bad weather recently many teachers all over have had no choice but to have recess INDOORS - Yikes! It can definitely be something to dread!

I hope these tips will alleviate some of the stress you feel the next time you are forced to let all those wild and crazy kiddos loose for a "free-for-all" time indoors.

For some of my sweeties, they are content with an entertaining movie, so I download some Magic School Bus and Berenstein Bear videos from United Streaming. If you don't have access to that, try You Tube or Teacher Tube, but you may need to save them to a flash drive then upload them to your desktop. Our system blocks You Tube for instance. One note, if you plan to just "stream" them whenever you find yourself indoors, you may be in for a disappointment. Streaming can be affected by weather, so save yourself some heartache and download them to a file on your computer. I keep mine on my desktop.

A few of my students also like to spend their time drawing on their whiteboards so, but I do have a rule. Since I provide many replacement whiteboard markers until the parents realize their child need more, I don’t allow my students to use the same sort of marker that I give out in class, just in case they are our classroom markers.

Next, invest in some DECENT games. We all have those worn-out games that have missing pieces, or the free puzzles we were given from a retiring teacher (which also is missing pieces).

I found a multi-pack of game pieces that look like the ones included in most board games. They came in the four primary colors, so that saved a few of my games (like Sorry).

 
Here are a few popular games that are inexpensive and a staple for an indoor recess shelf.  One note,  although Monopoly is one of my favorites, we never have enough time to finish a game.  I don't want my kiddos to feel cheated, so I don't bring that one out anymore. 
 

 
 

 

                   

In addition to my games, I offer 3 computers that can be used for play.  Puzzles are a great addition, if, and only if they can be completed in the time alloted and have all the pieces.

 

The last suggestion, and what I think makes it all WORK, it the "system".  I found this idea on a teacher blog a long time ago.  I wish I knew where the idea generated because I'd love to give credit and express my thanks because this system has made indoor recess a BREEZE!  I am not kidding. 

 

You'll need an index card for each activity, as well as a craft stick for each student.  At the top, write the name of the each game and puzzle on an index card.  If you are including computers, use one index card to write "computers".  Then underneath the name, draw circles or dots for the number of people that can play or participate with that activity.  I have 3 computers, so I have 3 dots on the card with the word "Computers" written at the top.  If you have assigned each student a class number, this next step will be much quicker.  I generally have no more than 21 students, so I already have craft sticks made with the numbers 1 - 21 written on them.  Write each student name or number on a craft stick.  You are set.  Just call out the names of the activities on the cards to everyone.  Then one at a time, draw the craft sticks and call out that student's name or number and ask what activity they'd like to do during today's indoor recess.  Place that child's craft stick on the dot shown on the activity card.  Continue until all the dots are full on an activity card, then call out that that certain activity is full.  For example, "Checkers are full" means that no one else can choose it.  This "calling out" may take a bit longer the first time, but once they get familiar with the activities available, tell them to have their choice in their head and be ready to say it as soon as their name or number is called.  Now, I even have my helper of the week call recess activities.  They love this!  Here is a picture of my set of cards.

 

I store is all in this small baggie on our indoor recess shelf, along with all the games and puzzles.  When it is time for the next inside break, I hope you will find it goes much smoother!

 

Weekly Freebie

I am sooooo excited that I just finished my newest grammar activity!  We have started out Testing as a Genre unit, where we have begun to seriously review for The Test. I have noticed my kiddos need a lot of practice identifying simple subjects, compound predicates and more.  The problem is that I didn't have a whole lot of resources for this.  At least nothing with it all presented together.   I  have material to practice  each skill in isolation, but that is really not challenging.  Once my students figure out the pattern of the assignment, they get the rest all correct.  I knew I needed something that provided a mixture of review, to really test their skill. 

Here is finally is...

"Grammar Review 1:  Subjects, Predicates, Sentences and more Task Cards" 

 

Click on the picture to check it out in my TPT store.

 

I am making game that will accompany these Task Cards.  It will be available soon, I promise (within the week)! I will announce it on my facebook page as soon as it is ready.  The game will include these same problems, but each card will be smaller and will have the answer on the back, along with directions for moving, just like many of my other games.  A great game board will also be included. 

 

For today's FREEBIE, click on the picture below... I have a great helpful tip posting comeing out later this week, so be watching for it!  If you want to make sure you don't miss it, click the "follow me" button to get notifications of updates and click on the link to go to my facebook page, and after you "Like" it, select "get notifications" and you won't miss a single post.  I have this cool new Iphone and the facebook app keeps me up-to-date all day long.  What a cool feature!!!

  

This week's FREEBIE

Just click on the picture.

 

If you teach about Ancient Greece, you'll want to check out my complete unit, full with lesson plans, great hand-on activities, slides for smartboard viewing, and so much more. Click on the picture below to take a look.

I hope you have a great week.

 

 

 

Fraction Game, Task Cards and Manic Monday FREEBIE

The common core expectations for fractions have several differences from the way we were teaching fractions before. For example one word we now need to teach our students is the word "partitioning", which means breaking a whole into parts or fractions.
 

Understanding fractions on a number line is also a new concept. Showing models of what later will be called improper fractions is also new for us. I've included examples of all these at different levels of difficulty in two new products. Each product contains the same problems.

The first product is called Fraction Action Task Cards.

I use them in three different ways. The first, I show them on the smart board for instructional practice whole group. A second way I use them is to post them around the room for students to circulate and work with a partner or independently to answer. You can vary this by printing 3 or 4 sets and handing out a set per table group. They can work independently or again with pairs to complete. The third way in which I use these, occurs toward the end of the unit when I pull small groups for review. These task cards are large enough for all in the group to see.

The other product is in a game format.

 It is called Fraction Action Board Game and includes a colorful board game and 24 fraction game cards with answers on the back of each.  I use these toward the end of the unit for students to play in partner sets as I work with my small groups.  I use both products at the same time.  While I review with my struggling students, others review as they play with partners. 

Click on one of the pictures to go to these products at my TPT store.

 

 

Keep reading for your Manic Monday FREEBIE

 

In addition to using these in my math class this past week, in Social Studies we used a song titled "The Government Branches" to teach the responsibilities of each Branch of our government. Here you can see my kiddos standing around our smart board singing the words to this song. 

 

If you teach these responsibilities, then grab a copy of this song for your class.

Just click on the picture below.

 

I hope you have a great week!

  

 

 

Friday Freebie - Government Branches

 

 

 

Here is my unit called Government Responsibilities 2:

The Branches -

 Judicial, Executive, Legislative

 

 

 

 

Here is my first unit which details the responsibiltities of the LEVELS of government; local, state and national.