Number-Sense & Fluency Building Math Routine

Hi!!! Lisa here, from Growing Firsties!

So happy to be posting today about a wonderful almost-daily math routine in my little neck of Wisconsin. :) Which, by the way, has been downright WINTRY this week, for goodness sake! As in...we made the trip to buy boots for my son 'cuz we hadn't pre-purchased them at the end of the season last year...grrrrrr, me!!!

Math is right after lunch for first graders at my school...and a near daily routine we have is "Ways to Make" also known as "Incredible Equations" (from Marcy Cook).

We use Everyday Math CCSS Edition in my district...this routine is a little add on to build automaticity...(and maybe to buy me a few mn to get the smartboard and/or doc cam ready...or to grab manipulatives out of my math cabinet).

Each day, as soon as the kids return to class from lunch, they automatically grab their whiteboards and begin writing equations for the Number of the Day...

The NOTD is the date...today's the fifteenth of November, so they can make 15 (OR the # in the ones place...5).

On the 14th (or 13th, as the one on the upper right shows some switching it up), here are some samples...

At the beginning of the year, I kick this routine off with the book 12 Ways to Get to 11 by Eve Merriam...as we read we make number models/equations/number sentences for each page's problem.


In an effort to build fluency and focus, students know that I expect 5 or more equations within the first one or two mn...they are motivated and doing really well with this!!!

Once every week or so, we spend some random "filler" time generating number models together for a number where I demonstrate and encourage innovative thinking, such as multiple addends & subtrahends...as well as tracking where you're at with each operation and problem solving accordingly...

For example, if you're trying to make 9 and you have 17 - 9...it is NOT a mistake, rather an opportunity to track and adjust...since 17 - 9 is 8, what do you need to do to get to 9? Add 1...so you can adjust your equation to be 17 - 9 + 1 = 9.

The students LOVE it!

In the event you'd like a half-page sized paper version instead of having the kiddos working on whiteboards ...here you go!

Click the pic to download via Google Docs...

I'd have the kiddos add their equations at the bottom of the page and also to the back side...

For Daily Warm Up and during Word Work, we've been working hard to incorporate some Sight Word Math Practice...gotta love a little math and literacy integration, eh?! And...forcing them to read closely because the words used are look-alikes (his/has, no/not, etc.)

Sometimes I'll have printables set out at their table spots instead of the NOTD routine described above. 

My students LOVVVE the interactive nature of these printables and I lovvvve that my students can be independent while working on them...this buys me additional time to work with students one on one or in small groups!

Lately we've been using the Find, Tally & Graph pages from Set 1: Graphs & Patterns.

They're from this set, which you can read more about by clicking the pic above or below...

What kinds of helpful math routines do YOU incorporate in your neck of the woods?

Countdown to Turkey Time!

Happy almost Thanksgiving Break! 

Tammy and Christy here from Fluttering Through First Grade, officially counting down to turkey time. 

We're pretty sure you may be counting down too...

Us teachers have a tendency to do that. 

Right?

November is a quick month for us at school {Insert two teachers jumping for joy, maybe, *possibly* even screaming like school girls here}, but just enough time to share some of our favorite activities.

We love to bring the story of Thanksgiving to life with Dr. Jean's Thanksgiving bracelet. You can read about it {here}. We created a class read aloud poster and worksheet to go along with the bracelet. It's free by clicking the image above. Enjoy!

A class that cooks together, stays together. Right? Well, for the school year at least. 

We are one of the *lucky* classes who get to go to school the few days before Thanksgiving.

Are you *lucky* too?

It's the perfect opportunity to sharpen our annual cooking skills by baking with our class.

We pull up our sleeves and bake pumpkin bread turkeys with our favorite little turkeys. 

This will be our 12th year baking for Thanksgiving. It quickly became an experience they remember for years to come. Plus, the pumpkin bread is kind of ridiculously moist and super delicious...just saying.

On the days that drag follow we decorate our turkey pumpkin breads to look like turkeys and take our class through the entire writing process about their baking experience.

We collect one pound coffee cans for this project, but have adapted it so you can use small bread loaf pans as well. We bake in our school oven, but have also asked parents to take them home to bake or have even stuffed our own ovens. 

Click the pic above to see it in our TpT Shop.

Ummm...We know. We love him too.

We make these every year for our parent volunteers. But, shhh...Please don't tell them. We haven't made them quite yet this year. We know, we'd better get cracking crafting!

Are you a crafter? 

Is that a silly question for a teacher?

If you answered, yes and yes,  hop on over to our blog {here}to see how to make him too.

Happy Thanksgiving sweet friends!

Gearing Up for Turkey and a FREEBIE!

Hey Guys! It's Leigh here from The Applicious Teacher. 

I am just popping in to share with you one of my FAVORITE crafts to do with the kiddos at this time of year! 

 It is one of those activities that you pull out year after year because it is so cute and the kiddos love it! I love it because it is SUPER DUPER EASY! 

 I am, of course, talking about the "Turkey Place-mat" How stinkin' cute is this?

To make, just print out and create tracers for the tail and the head. Then, on colored construction paper print out the beak and the giblet. Print out the eyes on plain white paper. 

Then, cut one tail for each of your kiddos and have them decorate. My sample shows sponge painting, but you could do hand prints, regular paint, shapes, or even have the kiddos write what they are thankful for. 

After the paint dries (usually a day) have the kiddos cut out and glue on the head, eyes, beak, and giblet. I like to send them to be laminated for durability. Your kiddos will love  pulling these out at your class feast, or for their Thanksgiving meal at home. 

Like this guy? You can grab all the templates to make him at my store for FREE! 

Also, want more turkey fun? Swing by my blog tonight for a chance to win some AMAZING Thanksgiving products!

Leigh

 

Thanksgiving Math With Teaching and Tapas

Hi everyone! It's Alyssha from Teaching and Tapas!

I am writing here all snuggled in my pajamas at 6:30 pm because I am fighting some serious exhaustion. It's the GOOD kind of exhaustion though! Late last night I flew back into Madrid after spending the past 5 days in Rome for our regional Professional Development conference. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize that I am living in Spain and a weekend trip like this is no longer only a dream! It's fun and I am so THANKFUL for these adventures happening in my life!

This trip wasn't only pasta, pizza, and vino. I spent most of it inside a conference room. Luckily, I was learning some great stuff! One presentation in particular stands out. We learned all about using the Singapore Math bar model method.

With Common Core, this year I have been all expecting my students to use a model to show their understanding. This is another model that is great for any teacher or classroom! This model can't work with ALL word problems, but it think it is another modeling tool that I am excited to share with my students.

I am going to delve into using this modeling method with my students this week using a little Thanksgiving problem solving freebie I am happy to share with you all! 

This FREEBIE includes 12 problem solving questions that fit perfectly with the upcoming holiday! Download it here. Enjoy :)

Alyssha

Veteran's Day Activities with Mrs. Russell

Happy Veteran's Day to all who have served and continue to serve! :)  You are so loved and appreciated! :)  I wanted to share with you some of what I did with my little learners to introduce the concept of Veteran's Day!

First up...

We read the book 

A dear friend of mine is a Veteran and partners up with me to teach phonics, so I had her talk about her experiences in the army and read the story to my firsties!

We got misty! :) 

Such a sweet story! :)

Next up, we worked on printables from my Veteran's Day freebie! :)

We brainstormed about veterans based on our in class interview and the book we read.

*I thought it was adorable that several of my girls decided to make the clip art boy into a girl! :)*

We practiced this fluency passage I put together for them! :)

I went over the comprehension questions too, to help them add to their background knowledge about Veterans.  This is the 'mid' version.  I have an easier version and a more challenging version that I will send home too.  I didn't include those in the pack.  I think I'm going to just make a bundle of the ones I've made this year into a whole pack! :)  The kids really love them!!

Next, we used the organizer to help us put together a 'quick write' on veterans.

Student Text: Veterans are heroes.  They wear uniforms. They have a home.  They could be in the army.  They could fight. They are amazing heroes.

Text: Veterans are helpful and does a lot of dangerous jobs in the army.  They have a strong heart.  They love their families.

I was really excited about how well they did.  Typically, we take several days to publish something.  These were all published in one day! :)

In the afternoon, I used the math sheets in the pack to review some previously taught skills! :)

We had a really good time using these printables! :)

If you'd like a copy of them for your room, please click HERE to download the freebie! :)

I also have a super cute craftivity for Memorial Day that I enjoyed using with my kiddos last year! :)

You can check that out on TPT by clicking HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! :)

XOXO,

Tamara from

Mrs. Russell's Room-First Grade

Thankful Saturday!

Happy Saturday everyone! It's Leslie from First Grade and Flip Flops! 

SO excited to be blogging with you today! It's the month of November and it's a month that we all say what we are most thankful for-- well, really, we should be thankful every day, right? LOL! So here are some things I am thankful for!

I really do love this month in my classroom because I get to do some of my favourite activities with my first graders. One of them is the Disguise the Turkey project and the other is my Thankful Hearts project. Can I just say, heartwarming tears and hearts!!! I pass out hearts to all the families with a simple letter and families are to write what they are more thankful for in their child. Here are a few examples:

This is the one I did for my own son who is in first grade! xoxo

I always read them during writing block and call the kids up with me as I read the hearts. They beam and shine as they listen to the words their families write. All you need is a large heart (I used the large heart die cut from our Ellison machine) and attached the parent letter. Simple, easy and very heartwarming. Here is the letter I used if you'd like a copy:

Click on the pic to grab yours! 

I am also extremely thankful to work on a team that I call family! I love the girls I work with! They are truly my family. It totally makes coming to school so much fun! Some of us have come and gone but we have remained great friends and sisters. Do you work in a school like that? 

Then there's my family and boys. Love them to pieces. 

Thankful for these after school. I call them Brownie Crack. Seriously, you need to try these! Especially after a very trying day at school!

Lastly, thankful for the fabulous ladies of the Primary Chalkboard and our equally fabulous followers! Here is a freebie for you! I created it to help my students with l-blends. 

Click on the pic to grab your FREEBIE!

I hope that each and every day you find the little and big things to be thankful for! Have a great Saturday and hope you see you back here, on our blogs, and on our FB pages! 

Love to you!

Leslie

Report Cards, Student Feedback, and a Freebie!

Happy Hump Day Everyone! It's Marie from


I'm not sure when you have your first batch of report cards/conferences, but I'm just finishing up mine for our first trimester. Every year around this time I feel an odd sense of calmness because I've just finished a week-long marathon of parent-teacher conferences. This year, I had 38 conferences!!! Don't feel too sorry for me...I don't have 38 students....I do, however, have 24 in my regular homeroom and we switch for math and so I meet with those families too.

Anyways...when I'm giving my students their scores and handing out report cards it always reminds me that it's time again to give my students a chance to GRADE ME! :)

I started doing this a few years ago, and believe it or not, I got some really good feedback! You know what they say, "Kids say the darnedest things!"...but they also speak the truth (for the most part!).

Here are a couple samples from this year:

Now, I'm not sure how well this would go over with an older crowd, but my guess is...if you give this to Kinders, 1st, or 2nd graders, you are going to be just fine :)

I always tell students that they are NOT to put their names...this way they are more likely to tell you what they really think. AND...I encourage comments! I read each line and then give students time to put in their answers. Then, I have them put them into our finished work box and promise not to look at them until the end of the day when they've all gone home. 

After that, I sit back and settle in to read all about what they think I'm doing well and not-so well...

I shared this on my FB page and so many of my followers seemed interested that I wanted to share it here with ya'll! AND....I made a freebie for you guys so that you can all let your students grade you! 

I hope you'll give it a try!

Just click the image above to grab your free TEACHER REPORT CARD!

Don't forget that throughout the month of November all of us Chalkies will be posting some fun ideas and resources for you as we work our way up to a BLACK FRIDAY surprise! Check in often and PIN what you like to save it! :)

Marie