Math Talks are Fun!!! Plus a FREEBIE!!!

Hi Everyone! Its Latoya of Flying into First Grade!!!

 

 

I am here to share with you some resources about Math Talks also known as number talks.

 

I am a new math coach and this is one big initiative that I am pushing to my teachers.  I have been modeling number talks left and right. 

 

I love number talks because the students are engaged with each other and they are thinking mentally.  They are also responsible for explaining their thinking and coming up with different strategies to solve.  It is working wonders for our EL students.

 

 

Here are some slides from my PD and a number talk planning sheet so you can plan your own!

 

Enjoy!!!

 

 

 

 

 



Alyssha here, from Teaching and Tapas. Hi!

I am shy.

Yep, it's a part of me that I feel like is so obvious when you are around me in person. I feel my cheeks warm up and heart racing when talking to new people. So much of that shyness is internal. I say this because I have had people tell me they would never describe me as shy. That's me covering up a lot of my weird nervousness :)

As teachers, we are all trying to tune into our students. I remember 3rd grade clearly and at the end of the year I realized I had never once raised my hand to talk in front of my class. Yikes!

I've had teachers who tried forcing me to talk in front of groups. Some of my teachers were helpful and could coach me in a gentle way. Other teachers made me feel humiliated and where I wanted to hide deeper in my shell. Both of those models helped shape the way I interact with my students today. Here are a few tips to keep in mind with your own students...

1. Don't tell the student they are shy. 
When someone would point it out to me, I always felt more embarrassed and like everyone was staring at me waiting for me to speak. Yuck. The feelings of sitting there, anxiously worrying that everyone is going to notice me feeling super uncomfortable. Bad feeling. It's better to just acknowledge the shy student when the speak up just as you would acknowledge every other student. Make it seem like no big deal. Of every student/teacher relationship is different and if you have an open line of communication with a shy student, your judgement is the best.

2. Give your students plenty of options to interact with silent signals.
This does not have to be a special trick reserved only for some students. Re: Tip#1, when you point it out, shyness and anxiety may become worse. So just give ALL of your students the options to use silent signals such as sign language (thumbs up, thumbs down, "I understand" signals, etc.). Not only does this get more of your students interacting in your lessons, but you are able to check the understanding of even your quietest students.

My signal for "I agree"

My signal for "I made a connection"

3. Give a silent sign before calling on a student.
If you are confident that one of your shy students has something to add, give a little warning such as place a finger on the corner of their desk or give them a wink beforehand. It can take away that deer in the headlights feeling :) With a little warning, the student may be able to find their words and think of what they want to say. This means giving them plenty of wait time.

4. Strategic buddies.
Be sure the student is sitting near someone they can relate to and feel comfortable with. This can make such a huge difference when it comes to partnership activities, turn & talks, etc.

5. Assign special jobs.
Do you have a classroom job that requires someone to interact with individuals, but not in front of everyone? In my classroom, I had a job for someone to check book bins and make sure everyone had between 3-5 books. If they had too many or too little, this person would go remind the student to adjust their book bin. A job like this is perfect for a shy student if they are willing to talk to classmates.

So there you go! I hope my perspective gives you some more tools for your toolbox when it comes to doing all the great work you are doing with your students!

The 5E Model: Engage

Hi everyone!  I'm Ari from The Science Penguin.  This is my first post on Primary Chalkboard and I'm excited to share some science ideas I use with elementary students.  

Many teachers use the 5E Model for teaching science.  I've mostly used a variation of that to incorporate stations and notebooking.

What does Engage mean?

The first "E", Engage, is your hook...it's fun!  Teachers elicit prior understandings and pique students' interest in the topic.  They ask driving questions and identify misconceptions.  This can be a fairly quick activity (in the teaching real-world) or a longer activity that lasts a whole class period.  I often do this part informally, but it sets the tone for the entire mini-unit.

To decide how you will engage your students, you have to know them.  Every class will be different.  I don't believe there is a one-size-fits-all activity that every teacher should use to engage their students for any particular unit.

Engagement Ideas

So what can you do to engage students in your unit?

1. Use discrepant events.

2. Read a picture book.

3. Do a short activity that exposes students to the concept you will be talking about.  

4. Talk about a relevant, real-world example.

5. Combine video clips and discussion.

Example

When introducing relative density to 4th graders, we made density bottles.  Before I even uttered the word "density", we made our bottles.  Once we had our bottles full of blue water, vegetable oil,  a plastic sea creature, and a bead, we made observations.  What floats?  What sinks?  THEN, we brought in the new vocabulary.  If an item sinks, it's more dense.  If a substance floats, it's less dense.  We practiced using the new vocabulary to describe the substances in the density bottle.  It was the perfect "engage"!

Here are some more ideas for quick and easy science engagement on my blog, The Science Penguin.

"Accountable Talk"--but are they ready?

Many of us are familiar with the term "accountable talk" as it refers to discourse in the classroom.  Many districts have been implementing "accountable talk" initiatives where teachers are working hard to explicitly teach students how to engage in quality educational discussions.  I think most educators will be in agreement that this is a good idea.  After all, we know that academic discourse can lead to amazing learning--and can improve engagement and interest.  Many teachers have accountable talk "stems" or sentence starters posted and use these to help guide students through more and more sophisticated discussions.  I'm a huge fan--really!

But I sometimes stop and look at my own students and realize that, for some, we may need to back up a little from this.  It's all well and good to teach students the ins and outs of a quality discussion.  Students may know WHAT to say and even be able to explain why.  But there is one thing I think we sometimes forget--some students just lack the confidence to apply these new tools we are teaching them!  By engaging in these discussions and saying things like, "I disagree with you because..." or "I would also like to add...", it requires a great deal of confidence and risk taking.

One thing I have started to do in recent years is give students a lot more opportunities to build their oral language skills in pairs and trios...to get them used to sharing their ideas, piggybacking off of other ideas--and even disagreeing with others.  By doing this in much smaller groups, the risks go down, and confidence can increase dramatically.  

I start small...by having partners share stories that I have on these cards.  I have a whole range of topics--things that ALL students should be able to talk about for about a minute.  We practice with our pairs making a comment about what the other person says...they might just compliment them...or ask a question...or make a connection...but it's all very relaxed.  I may then invite some students to share ideas with the whole class.  I love to make the connection to writing--about how learning to TELL stories is the first step in WRITING stories.  This practice accountable talk is fun, relaxed, and builds comfort in a much safer environment than in front of the entire class...and allows me time to walk around and "coach" and make suggestions.

 Sometimes, too, it's fun to just throw a word or phrase out there and let the students talk!  The other day, I presented this card to the class...and we practiced agreeing and disagreeing with each other in groups of three.  We had people talking about their opinions about roller coasters...about personal experiences about roller coasters...and even about how they work and how dangerous they can be.  What do you notice?  That's right--writing genres!  This was the perfect time to talk to students about how a simple topic like homework...or snakes...or losing..,can lead to countless discussions or pieces of writing.  In fact, after they had their roller coaster discussions, we did some whole-class sharing and then I sent them off to their writer's notebooks to free write on the topic for about 15 minutes.  Their pencils were furiously scratching across their pages--and I know it's because they had some amazing discussions before  they wrote.  

 So...my students are having a lot of fun with language these days, are getting to know each other, and are building their confidence daily.  As we move deeper in the school year, I know that more and more of them will be ready to chime in to class discussions and really use those accountable talk stems I have hanging there!

Because I use these so often in my class (these are great fillers when you have 5 minutes...while you wait for a special class...to transition in from recess...), I did make a nice laminated set for my class.  I have put them in my store as well--I know this would be SO easy for teachers to do on their own, but sometimes just having them done is so nice!  I have informational topics, opinion topics, and cards geared for personal narrative stories--so I can use these with every genre of writing I teach.  Here is the link if you are interested.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Meg

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Organizing Math Centers in the Upper Elementary Classroom

 Hi,everyone! It is Jennifer Findley from Teaching to Inspire, and I am very excited to be writing my first blog post here! I wanted to share with you a quick tip for organizing your math centers.

I don't know about you, but I LOVE math centers. I love seeing the students working together in small groups or with partners. I love hearing the math conversations all around the room. But, I don't love the mess that can come with centers, recording sheets, answer keys, and all of that! I recently helped another teacher with a math lesson, and I loved how she was storing her math centers from my Math Center Bundle. It was pure genius. I immediately snapped some pictures to share.

She uses folders that way she can easily (and quickly) place the directions page and the recording sheets in the front pocket. The students can actually keep their recording sheet in the folder until they are completely finished with all the problems and ready to turn their work in. The answer key could also be stored in this pocket to allow the students to check their work and make necessary corrections. The center pieces are placed in bags and stapled to the other side of the folder. I love this organization method because you can easily store the recording sheets with the math center and you don't have papers flying around. You can also easily label the centers by writing the title of the center on the front of the folder.

If you don't use recording sheets (and use only a piece of paper--like me), check out my blog post about how I organize math centers by clicking here or on the image shown.

For more ideas about teaching Upper Elementary, check out my links below:

Blog:

TeachersPayTeachers Store:

 

12 Easy Fundraising Ideas

Hey, y'all! 
It's Laura from Peace, Love, and First Grade! 

I've put together some of the easiest ways to earn money 

for your classroom or school. 

Let's face it!

We all need it!

Let's get started!

1) Ziggedy
This is my new favorite! 
Teachers register their classrooms, and supporters sign up and shop online. THAT'S IT! 

Downloading the Ziggedy app gives classrooms extra funds!

2) Shoparoo 
Our school just started using Shoparoo, and it's amazing how simple it is to use. Just download the app then take pictures of your receipts after shopping. That's it!

Receipts earn cash donations or sweepstakes entries, and your school can have competitions between grades.

3) Adopt A Classroom.org 
Teachers register their classrooms, and donors find
and fund classrooms with 100% tax deductible
donations. I received funds from Adopt A
Classroom last year and was able to order 
needed supplies from Office Depot.

4) Target Red Card 

       Register your Target Red Card for your favorite school then 1% of your total purchase will go toward that school.

5) Kroger Community Rewards
Works like the Target Red Card, just register your Kroger card for your favorite school. Your school earns 3-5% of your purchases depending on what you buy. 

6) eScrip.com 
Another shop and earn program. 
Your school can earn up to 10% of purchases made through eScrip. 

I've never used this one but have heard great things! 

7) Office Depot

Make a purchase of qualifying school

supplies, provide your school ID at checkout, and

your designated school will receive 5% back in

credits for FREE supplies!

8) Tyson Project A+

Purchase Tyson products with the A+ label, clip the labels, and send labels to school. 
Your school will earn 24¢ for each label.

9) Box Tops 4 Education
Oh, the tried and true! BT4E is one of America's oldest and largest fundraising programs. 
Purchase products with Box Tops labels, clip the Box Tops and send them to school. 
Your school will receive 10¢ for each Box Top. 

BT4E loves to offer bonus products and coupons, so be sure to check for those!

10) Labels for Education-
You know this one, too! 
It all started with Campbell's Soup labels!! 

Collect UPCs and beverage/sauce caps from participating products and send them to school. Your school will earn points to spend at the Labels' online store, which has everything from basketballs to iPads.

11) Flipgive.com
Flipgive allows you to search for a fundraiser on their site, then shop online deals from merchants like Nike and Starbucks. Your school or other organization can earn up to 50%! 

12) Donor’sChoose 
Teachers submit project proposals, and
supporters make monetary donations to help
fund the projects. 

I received 6 Kindle Fire HDXs through 
DC two years ago. Incredible organization!

BONUS- Farmer's Insurance-Thank America's Teachers 
Teachers submit proposals for a $2500 Grant OR the $100,000 Dream Big contest. 
Online voting determines the winners! 
Hurry, though! This contest closes September 30.

Other Ideas

1) 50/50 Raffle-Sell raffle tickets and give the winner half of all money raised. For instance, if you sell $500 in raffle tickets, the winner gets $250. 

 2) Redditt Gifts-Each fall, teachers can sign up for a gift exchange. Redditt matches teachers with donors who provide needed materials up to $20. Some donors give much more.

3) Right Road Kids.org-Such an inspirational place! Paula is so incredibly generous and has tons of giveaways and offers for teachers. But, even if you never win anything, Right Road Kids is a feel-good experience! 

4) Recycling ink cartridges-Check online to find a recycling center in your area.

5)  Silent Auction-Y'all, I love a silent auction. Ask faculty and parents to send items that still have tags or hit up local businesses for items. 

6) Used Book Sale-Another easy clean-out-your-closet idea. Sell gently used books for 50¢ each. Most teachers love to read, and you could get books into the hands of children who may not have many at home. Libraries raise funds this way all the time.

Okay, so I know there are probably some crazy good fundraisers I've missed, but, y'all I'm spent, and it's way past my bedtime. 

If you have any great ideas to add, please list them below.

It's the weekend, friends!

I hope yours is happy!!