Getting into the Swing of Things

Hi, all.  Now, that back to school time is winding down, and we're starting to establish classroom routines, I feel like we're finally getting into the swing of things in my classroom.  We just finished our third week and starting to settle into the routines.  We're still limping along without our math books, although I do have the teacher's manual and online access to our new series, so that helps greatly.  Thank God for TpT.  I look at the objectives I need to teach, teach it on the first day, then search through my files or TpT for a supporting activity the second day.  I'm also creating a series of interactive notebook activities to go with each objective, but, as always, time to create is a problem.

Our first chapter is all about making sure children understand the concepts of addition.  So I developed these story mats to use with the kiddos while we practice manipulating objects to tell our stories.  You can use the included pictures, but I used two sided counters.  As we told our addition stories, I wrote the corresponding addition sentences on the board just to expose the children to the math vocabulary we would be using. 

One thing that really surprised me is that when we talked about what addition means, the children promptly answered, "We're putting them together."  Great!  We have the concept of addition means put together!  But when I asked, "What are we putting together when we add?", they answered, "The numbers."  Whoa!  Not quite, right?  So we started using these boards to tell our addition stories, and I asked them, "Are you putting numbers together on your boards?"  "No."  "Well, what are you putting together?"  "Things."  "And what do we call it when we put a bunch of things together?"  After several, shall we say, incomplete, answers, (all which led along the path to the answer I was looking for) one little girl finally said, "A set."  Bingo!  From there we talked about how when we add we are putting sets together, and the numerals are symbols of how many objects are in the set.  So we are not actually adding numbers, we are adding groups of things together.

It was sort of an a-ha moment for many of them, and for me as well.  In the past, it was not something that I stressed or even thought about whether or not they understood.  I mean, if they could answer 2+2=4, then obviously they understood the concept, right?  Obviously not.

From the blank boards, we moved into boards divided into part/part/whole boards and started writing the addition sentences on white boards to go along with those addition stories we make up.  The final step is to put each sum into our interactive math notebook, and use our part/part/whole boards and two-sided counters to discover and write the addition sentences to ten.  I think it will make a great resource for the children throughout the year.

If you would like to see my VERY incomplete resource that I have thus far, you can click on the picture above and download it for free.  If you look at the table of contents, you can see what I plan to include, but it is not all in there yet.  Hopefully, this weekend I will be able to add the missing pieces and get it posted.  If you do look at it, please let me know what you think and what I could add or change to make it more useful for you.

Today, I am joining up with Laura Graham, from Where the Magic Happens, for a Super Saturday Sale.  Today, all my featured items are on sale for 50% off.  What a deal!  I have items ranging from beginning of the year to Halloween in my featured items space, so take a look and see if there's anything you might like.

Click on either picture above to visit my TpT store!

Click the picture above to visit Laura's blog and see what other treasures you can find!

Have a great weekend!

Two for Tuesday Linky!

Hi friends! I'm linking up with The Teaching Tribune today to bring you two resources at 50% off on Two For Tuesday!

If you're getting close to the end of the year, "When Summer Comes" is a great resource that will help make the last few days go easier.  I use it every year with my class, and they love the autograph book included.  It's a great, fun way to end the year.  

On sale for $2.00 all day Tuesday!  Click either picture above to visit TpT and purchase this resource.

How about some fun and engaging math SMARTBoard games?  These are skills first grade typically works on in the last quarter, and they would also make great review games for second grade at the beginning of the year. 

Six math SMARTBoard games for only $4.00!  Click either picture above to visit TpT for a closer look.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!  We're down to 5 1/2 days! 

My Solution to Noisy Dice and a Spring Cleaning Sale

Hi everyone!  How many of you like to play dice games on the floor of your non-carpeted classroom?  We do this quite often in math class.  So often, in fact, that the fourth grade teacher, whose room is right below  mine, had to send up a note asking us to please play on the desks because or dice games disturb her math class.  But then we (I) had to deal with the whole problem of the dice rolling off the desks, under chairs and assorted other furniture.  Now, I've seen all the clever Pinterest ideas, like put your dice in clear plastic containers, but I don't have money or time -- but mostly money -- to spend on clear plastic containers for my classroom dice, nor do I have space to store all those dice in clear plastic containers.  And sometimes we need just one die, so that involves using more time to extract one die from the 20 clear plastic containers  I would need.

Then inspiration hit!  Earlier this year, we had carpet squares donated to our classroom.  We use them for all the normal stuff, like sitting on in the library or defining our space when we're sitting in a circle on the floor.  As I was demonstrating our latest dice game to the kids, I thought, hey, I can use a carpet square to muffle the noise AND make it a rule that if your dice go off the carpet square, you lose your turn!  Et voila!  Like magic, in one moment of shear brilliance, I solved two problems at one time -- noisy dice and runaway dice -- without spending a penny!  Now that is win-win in my book.  We are now happily playing dice games on the floor again in a much quieter and less chasing-after-the-
dice classroom.

I'm pretty sure many of you have already thought of this solution to the dice problem, but in case you haven't, get yourself some carpet squares and breathe a sigh of relief.

Here are some videos I took of my class playing this St. Patrick's Day subtraction game.  The children had to add the two dice and then subtract the total from 17.  Some of my lower math group is still having trouble counting backwards, so this was a perfect game to practice that skill.  In the first video, as I observed this young man counting backwards the first time, he skipped 13.  I told him he was skipping 13, and directed him to the number line above our closets to help him count backwards.  He said, "Oh, I'm skipping 13!  No wonder I keep getting the wrong answer!"  I checked back later to make sure he was counting backwards correctly, and he was!

Click the picture to view the video.

In this next short video, the girl, performs some mental math to come up with her answer.  I was happy to see that she did not have to count all the dice to get her total to subtract.  She just subitized.  Yay!

Click the picture to view the video.

And in this last clip, one of my lower math students is very unsure of herself.  You can hear the question in her voice as she tells me the answer.  You can see she still counts all the dots to come up with her total to subtract from 17.  This is something we've been working on all year with her, and she can do it if I give her one number dice and one dotted dice, but if there are dots on both dice, she is more comfortable counting them all.  But she had made and continues to make a lot of progress since the beginning of the year.

Click the picture to view the video.

As I viewed these videos, what struck me was how one simple paper one pair of dice met the needs of so many different learners in my classroom.  The game automatically differentiated itself with no effort on my part. 

And on a final note, I am taking part in the big spring cleaning sale going on on TpT.  All my products are 10% off until April 1st.  Now would be a great time to get some great spring resources, like my Easter bundle,

click the picture to view all my religious resources

Do you use the Journey's reading series?  I've been developing a series of supplemental workbooks that go along with each story.  I've tried to make the activities the same or similar enough that the children will know exactly what to do on the page without having to read the directions because they've done it before.  The feedback I'm getting on these is great, and many people have said that because I don't make the activities story specific, they are able to use the resource if they don't use the Journey's series.  The workbooks are geared towards first grade, but they would make a good review for second grade or enrichment for kindergarten.  The next lesson, Tomas Rivera, will be ready to post hopefully this evening, but tomorrow night at the latest.

FREEBIE ALERT

click the picture to view all my first grade skill workbook resources

click {here} to download the above contraction worksheet sample from my first workbook, Seasons.

If you are looking for spring and Earth Day resource, click the picture below to visit my store to see what I have.

And finally, I have some great end-of-the-year/summery resources to get you through those last few weeks of school, especially since so many of us have an extended school year this year due to snow days! Click the picture below to visit my end-of-the-year/summer selection.

So that's  it for today!  Have a great weekend everyone!

Leaping Leprechauns!

Today in math we had some fun with 10s and 1s while playing Leaping Leprechauns.

Whoa!  Look what the Leprechauns left in our room while we were at lunch!

It's so much fun teaching first graders.  They pretty much believe whatever goofy little story you tell them about things like this.  I converted my PDF game into a SMARTBoard game while they were out for lunch and left this up when they came back in.  I told them the leprechauns were getting ready for St. Patrick's Day by leaving things in the room for them.  Yep, they bought it.

Anyway, the whole idea is that they spin the tens spinner, spin the ones spinner, and tell what the number is.  Not every number they can spin will be on the board, and if they spin one that is not on the board, oh, well, too bad, so sad, better luck next time.  After that, it is played like bump.  One chip on a number can be bumped off by the opposing team, but two chips locks it down.

BUMP!

Here's a short, about 3 minute video of my kids using the game.  I especially love all the chatter and interaction as we constantly reinforce the idea of 10s and 1s.  I especially don't love my voice, but it is what it is.  My kids were so into this game, and they are highly competitive, as you can tell by the cheers and jeers. But in the end, they were good sports, shaking hands and telling each other good game. 

This game is part of my Leaping Leprechauns package available in my store.  If you think you would like it, you can go to my store by clicking the picture below.

A package of four bump-style games that focuses on four skills:

addition and subtraction to 12

addition and subtraction to 20

place value (tens and ones)

three digit addition
It also includes the SMARTBoard versions of each game.

If you'd like to try out Leaping Leprechauns on the SMARTBoard with your group, click on the picture below to download it for free!  Have fun!

Click here to download your SMARTBoard game.

Count Down to Thanksgiving Break

I don't know about you all, but I am so ready for an extended break.  I'm just plain old tired.  We've only had one day off since school started, Veteran's Day.  We've had half days followed by faculty meetings and teacher clerical days as well.  I don't know how some schools get fall breaks and a week off at Thanksgiving and still manage to get out of school before we do?  Maybe they started earlier.

But before I can luxuriate in some time off -- well, if you don't count planning and searching out resources and checking papers and entering grades, all of which I will be doing -- we still have 2 1/2 days this week.  I know from past experience that the kids will be antsy and hard to keep focused, so I've saved some of my best November lessons for these few days.

In math, we just started formally learning about addition strategies.  On Monday, I will introduce the add in any order and count on from the bigger number strategies.  Now, technically, my kids do know about this because we've talked about turn-around facts.  I've pointed out the facts to them when we've come across them.  I've helped them think through problems with oral prompts -- you know what 4+1 equals right? So what's 1+4?  But we've never actually used manipulatives and shown how it works.

After introducing and practicing the strategies, on Tuesday the children will get the chance to practice applying the strategies while using the SMARTBoard Game I created called Turkey Toss. It is a fun game, similar to Bump, but I have added differentiation to the game by adding a few twists.  In the two-dice version, the children can add or subtract to find an open number.  The three-dice version, shown below, is played the traditional way.  I'll divide the class into two teams, and we'll use the SMARTBoard to play the game as a group.

As the children are playing, I am encouraging them to add in any order and add from the bigger number.  If they roll a 3 and a 6, I'll use think-alouds to help them by saying, "If it were me, I'd start with the 6 and count on 3.  It's a great and fun game to have the children practice addition, subtraction, strategy, and mental math.

On Wednesday, I will have the children work in groups of 2 or 3 with a game board of their own, and play the same game again.  This time, I'm circulating, watching, assessing, and seeing who is applying the strategies to solve the problems already, and who may need to have the concepts reinforced.

I've also created two worksheet to go along with the game that I will give the children as homework on Monday and  Tuesday evening.

You can find this bundled set in my TPT store.  It is bundled as zip file that includes the game in a PDF version and the Notebook file for the SMARTBoard.  Click on the picture below to see this resource in my store.

I also have a freebie for you!  If you click on the picture below, you can download this addition and subtraction practice sheet from the game.  It's one of the sheets I use for homework.  

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  I hope you have a wonderful break with many things to be thankful for. 

Notebook files - SMARTBoard, anyone?

Hi folks!  A quick question for you all.  I would love your feedback on this.  I've been busy creating common core math games in my notebook software to use on the SMARTBoard, and then I export the jpeg and create a PDF of the game as well.  I've been selling both as a zip file on TPT.  Here are two examples.  You can click on the picture to take a closer look.

• 

I love using these games first on the SMARTBoard because it allows me to make sure everyone understands the rules of the game, and I can make observations as to whether or not a child has grasped a concept fully.  I can't always see how a child solves a problem when they are playing the PDF games with a partner on the floor unless I happen to be in just the right spot at just the right time.

My questions to you are:

1.  Would you have a need for the SMARTBoard version?

2.  If not, can you tell from my product description that there is also a PDF file that you can use to play the game?

3.  Would zipping both together deter you from buying the game?

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions.

Callum's Addition Pyramid

Linking up this oldie but goodie post with The Teaching Tribune and Throwback Thursday.

Click here to view other Throwback Thursday posts on the Teaching Tribune!

Adding basic facts is too easy! Can we try the hard level?

Today during Pickles and Ketchup time, a group of my students were using the SMARTBoard to play Callum's Addition Pyramid.  If you don't know about this resource, you've got to check it out!  Click on the picture to visit the site.

It's an addition game with three levels of play, easy, medium, or hard.  After each turn, you can choose which level you want to play.  Easy is basic facts, and typically, my kids start there.  But then they get adventurous and want to try medium and hard.

Today, about 5 of my kids decided to play on the hard level, and it was so cool to watch the different ways they tried to figure 17+19.  One boy was trying to count on his fingers.  One of my girls got out the cubes.  Ben realized counting on his fingers wasn't going to work, so he started helping Jules count cubes.  In the meantime, Alaina and Shelby decided to use the number line above the chalkboard.  It only goes to 30, but Alaina was finally the one who came up with the answer using the number line!  Anyway, the game is really cool and easy for the kids to get the hang of.  Try it out!

What are some ways your students solve difficult addition problems?