Camping Week

Three and a half more days!!  I cannot believe it.  Last week was Camping Week and I'm popping on to share a few highlights from the week.

Teacher truth... this was the third straight week of themes and with trying to clean up the room and prep it for summer painting, I didn't do a ton of classroom transforming.  I need to be putting stuff away, not taking more stuff out!

That being said I did put up a "tent" on our word wall that I created using a blue table cloth from Walmart that cost $.97.  I reused the flame from last week's torch to create a fire!  Little prep but it did put us in the camping mood.  

For math tubs this week we played two camping themed games.  The first game was a review of place value.  The kids needed to read and build the tens and ones to determine the different campsite numbers.

The second math tub game this week had my kiddos practicing their doubles facts with a game called S'more Doubles. Little prep and the kids had a ball using marshmallows as markers.

 

During our literacy block we worked on putting different camping words in ABC order.  

We also reviewed several vowel patterns this week.  We built words using our red and blue magnets and then the kids had to record the words on these camping themed pages.  After building and recording 9 words, the kids had to use three words in sentences. Clearly it's the end of the year and I need new markers!

To finish out the week my kiddos got to write about whether or not they liked s'more as well as a campfire story they wnated to share with the class. This was a great way to tie paragraph writing into this themed week!

The kids also listed all the words they could think of that had a camping theme.  Some of them came up with a bunch of words!

This is the first year that I have done themed weeks to finish out the year and I am so happy we did it!  It was so much fun and it gave me a chance to enjoy the last few weeks with my kiddos!!

To all of you that have a few more days left, hang in there, we're almost done!! 

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Five for Friday - January 27th

After a long hiatus I am back to link up for Five for Friday to highlight some of the work we did this week!

ONE: Morning Tubs 

While I think morning work is valuable, I also love the idea of using morning tubs rather than morning work for my firsties.  Three days a week my kiddos come in and can choose from 8 different tub activities I have set up.  This is one of my favorite times of the day as it allows me to see my kiddos cooperating with different classmates.  I also love to see their creativity shine through in the various activities.  

My kiddos come in at 9 am and we go to special by 9:25 so they have a good 20 minutes after unpacking to make a tub selection and play around.  I only have two rules during this time... 1. you can't do the same tub two days in a row and 2. you can't change tubs after you've made a selection.  

While not a rule for morning tubs, I've encouraged my students to work with different classmates and they've given this a good effort each week.  Typically I keep the same tubs for two weeks or six days which cuts down on my prep each week.  

Teacher Confession: I've kept the nonfiction book tub for several weeks and I have to say it is always a popular choice.  Kids love reading nonfiction and I love seeing them share what they're reading with their classmates!

TWO: Presidential Speech

Another teacher confession... this was actually from last week on Inauguration Day.  To go along with our Scholastic News edition about our new president I had my kiddos pretend to be the president.  They were asked to think about and write about different ways they could help the country is they were president.  Then we had a Presidential news conference where each kiddo was able to give a "speech" about what they wanted to do for the country.  

After their speech the "media", aka the other kids in class, was able to ask a few questions of the new president.  The kids LOVED this and they asked some thoughtful questions.  They also came up with some great ways to help our country.  It was a fun way to incorporate the inauguration of the new president.

THREE: Super E

This week we finished learning about super e.  I love calling silent e super e.  It's totally motivating to each kid and over the last few weeks we've been involved "Superhero Training" related to super e.  Each week we used super e to make a different vowel say its name and we did many activities throughout the weeks to "train" out minds to understand and correctly use super e.  

After successfully going through their "training", each kiddo received a certificate and a Super E Superhero badge.  They were overjoyed about the badges!!

FOUR: Winter Themed Math Games

Each day our math block consists on guided math and I love this time but sometimes it can overwhelming as it takes a ton of prep.  To cut down on some of the prep I've created these math games that don't require a ton of prep and can be used for several days as the spinners allow for different number sentences to be built.  While I love task cards I don't love the prep nor do I like when the kids finish the cards because they can't be reused.  These spinner games can be used several times before the kids get bored with them because each spin can create a different math question.  That's not to say i don't use task cards because I do but one of my main sources of games each week are these spinner games!

 

FIVE: Solids and Liquids
This week we started a unit on matter and the kids did an awesome job sorting several solids based on color and shape.  Next week we'll be testing objects to see if we can roll or stack the same objects.   

Have a great weekend.. Don't forget to check out Doodle Bugs Teaching for more Five for Friday posts! 

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Five for Friday... On Saturday again!!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday... on Saturday!

I can't seem to get these posts up on Friday night!!  Here are some highlights from our week... it was another long one!!

ONE: Morning Work

After reading Brown Bag Teacher's post on her morning tubs I was intrigued!  We rarely get free choice time during our week and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for my kids to play games, work on some fine motor skills, and learn to work together,  I decided to do it three days a week and the kids LOVE it!  They're motivated to unpack and make a selection and they are truly learning how to work together.  I've decided to change the tubs every two weeks so it's a little less prep for me on a weekly basis.  

TWO: March Math

This week during our math rotations we took out our March math tub games.  I was going to wait another week but with Easter being so close to St. Patrick's Day, I took out all the March themed tubs and problem solving printables.    

THREE: Contractions

Last week we reviewed contractions by matching cards together. This week we stepped up our game a bit.  I had my kiddos take two words and write a contraction with those words on a post it.  Then they needed to sort the word on the board.  My kiddos this year are getting contractions and they are understanding what letters to replace with the apostrophe.  

 FOUR: Vocabulary
As part of our weekly ELA curriculum we have "Amazing Words" that we introduce and use in a poem/song.  This year we've been introducing the amazing words on Monday. We define the words, act them out, use them in a sentence, and then sing them in a song.  The acting out of the words has really transformed this time as it gets the kids moving and really helps them to internalize the words.  By Thursday we each get our own version of the poem that we read and highlight amazing words in.  It's amazing to me how the kids remember these words weeks later when they find them in other texts.  Usually they act out the word when they find it and this tells me the acting out is a great edition to our word study time.  

  To ensure we're practicing and attempting to use these words each day of the week, I created this tree where we collect our amazing words.  The bananas play off the monkeys I have hanging in my Jungle themed classroom and the kids love adding the words each week.  

FIVE: Math Manipulatives

I may have a slight obsession with math manipulatives.  The Target dollar spot gets me every time... much to the dismay of the Mr.!!  This is just a sampling of what I have for the spring!!

Have a great weekend.. Don't forget to check out Doodle Bugs Teaching for more Five for Friday posts!  

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March St. Patrick's Day Prep with Freebie

It's officially March and I can't believe it.  It doesn't seem like it can be March already because we haven't had a winter here in upstate New York.  It feels more like late fall than March 1st but none the less we're moving forward... the rest of the year is going to fly by.  I wanted to share a few of the math resources we'll be using over the next few weeks during our math workshop block each day.  

These math spinner games are easy to prep and allow for lots of addition and subtraction practice in the classroom.  The addition pack includes sums to 10, 20, doubles, as well as ways to make 10.   

The subtraction pack includes subtraction from 10 as well as subtraction within 10 and 20.  I found gold coins at the dollar store last year and I have my kiddos use the coins as their game board markers.  

I also have a missing part game we'll use during our math rotations.  The kids need to find the missing part of each number bond and then sort the number bonds based on the missing number.  The more practice they get with this skill the more fluent they are with both addition and subtraction.

   

I've been creating spinner games for each Month of the year and these March Math Tub Games are now in my TPT store.  There are several versions of many of the games to make differentiating easy.    

I've also created additional spinner games that use two spinners are I use these games tp differentiate the tubs my kiddos use each day.  I laminate these add/subtract and cover games, put out two-sided counters, as well as a paperclip and my kiddos are ready to play the game.  The addition spinners have sums all the way up to 35 while the subtraction cover games include differences within 20.  

I also have my kiddos write number sentences as they practice addition and subtraction facts.  As I circulate around the room I like to see what my kiddos are working on so I know they're practicing their math facts correctly.  While I usually put these pages in page protectors so they kids can use dry erase markers, I sometimes copy the pages and have the kids hand them in so I can look over their work... so many possibilities!!

To go along with the add/subtract and cover games I've included a doubles version for my kiddos who still need practice with their doubles facts as well as a subtraction from 10 version for the kids that need friends of 10 practice.  

Similar to the fact family games is this missing part game.  I have my kids roll a 12 or 20 sided dice for their whole.  Then they roll a 6 sided dice for the one part.  Then they need to figure out and record the missing part.  I like to see the work for this game as this game be tricky skill to master.

We begin and end each math workshop block with problem solving.  I feel like kids cannot get enough problem solving practice.  To begin our workshop block we always solve a word problem with our math buddy.  I have the kids work through a word problem on their work mats.  The student with the pen explains to their partner how they are solving the problem.  Each day we switch up who solves the word problem but I love that my kiddos are using math talk with their buddies.  

To end our workshop block, typically three times a week, we end with a problem solving printable.  It's just one word problem the kids need to solve and I usually check it right then so they can make corrections as necessary.  The printables I've been creating have different themes including construction, rainy day, pet shop and winter/snow themes. 

The printables always have a real world feel to them... that being said, the St. Patrick's Day word problems do not... enter in Leprechauns and gold coins.  All the printables packs in my TPT store include result unknown, change unknown, and start unknown examples.  I encourage my kiddos to use a tape diagram or a number bond to solve the word problem and I make them label their answer based on the question that was asked.  

For St. Patrick's Day I've created these half sheet printables that you can download from my TPT store for free.  I hope your kiddos enjoy these!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

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Five for Friday: Where did January Go?

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for 

Friday. 
  

I can't believe Monday is February 1st... where did January go.  I feel like we just returned from our Christmas break and now I need to prep Valentine's Day materials.  Our work is never done.  Here are a few highlights from our week.  

One: New Calendar Pages
As part of our morning routine each day I have my kiddos complete a calendar page to practice some math and ELA skills.  We have begun to use a more challenging version of the calendar page as my kiddos have mastered the skills on the previous page.  I love how many math and ELA skills we can quickly cover each morning with these pages. 

Two: Math Tub Games
My kiddos loved the math games we used during the months of November and December and the January games were no exception.  These tubs have been working nicely because each game is very similar to the previous month's games so the kiddos know how to use them.  This saves time each week as I get out the new tubs.  These tubs have also worked nicely because they are easily differentiated for each of my math groups.  The spinners are also great because we can use the games over and over without the kids answering the same number sentences.   

Three: Reading Workshop
Literally want to shout out loud about this... I am so excited about the new Lucy Calking Reading Workshop units.  My principal agreed to purchase the units for me and I've been waiting what seems like weeks for these units to arrive.  They finally arrived two weeks ago and we have been loving the work we've been doing with them!  I'm a bit bummed that I won't get to use all the units but we've already covered most of what's in the first few two units... so we're forging about to unit the unit on characters.

Four: Go Noodle Hall of Fame
We love us some Go Noodle... but I got tired of looking at our certificates taped to the bottom of our board so I created this Go Noodle Hall of Fame to proudly display our certificates.  The kids love it!  Sorry no color printers at our school... black and white will have to do. :(

Five: Picture Says It All

I've been fighting a nasty cold ALL WEEK!  Honestly I've felt fine but the coughing and sneezing is just getting old!  Here's to getting a bit of rest this weekend... this cold better be gone by Monday!

Thanks for stopping by... Have a wonderful weekend!  Don't forget to visit Doodle Bugs Teaching.

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January Prep

I was MIA during the month of December. The month flew by and I can't believe we are in the new year already!!  That being said I've done a bit of creating and prep during my week long holiday break.  To be honest, I did more reading and relaxing than school work and it felt GREAT!!

Here's a peek at a few things I've got ready for the month of January. 

I did do a ton of laminating this week and I'm ready for the month of January.  In this pile are all my math tub games for the month of January.  I'm so glad to have those done for the month.  More about the games later.  I also finished my long u and long e clipcards for the next few weeks.  While this won't take me through all of January, it will allow me some time over the next two weeks to concentrate on prepping for February!

Right before break I felt like my kiddos needed  a bit more of a challenge during our calendar time.  I knew the time would come as it did last year as well.  I created a second calendar page last year and I copied it before break with the intention of prepping it over the break.  These two pages include a few more calendar tasks than the previous calendar page we've been doing since September.  I can't wait to introduce these new pages to my kiddos... I'm sure they're ready for the challenge.  

During the month of November I created some math games for our math workshop block that required little prep, allowed for differentiation, and quickly became a favorite of my kiddos.  Needless to say I created a similar version for December and I just finished the January version.  I can't wait for my kiddos to use them!

I honestly got tired of creating games/activities that required tons of laminating but only allowed for a few uses because the game had one set of cards with number sentences.  By the time the kiddos did the tub once or twice they knew the answers and they weren't getting the practice they needed.  

These math games have been a blessing. The games use spinners and therefore are always "new" because different number sentences are always created when the kids use the spinner.  It's also easy to differentiate these games just by changing the numbers in each spinner.  Perhaps the best part is the fact that the kids know exactly how to use all these games as they've been playing them since November (just with a different theme).  The only thing that changes are the numbers, the themed spinners, and manipulatives.  This month we have snowmen spinners with snowmen and penguin manipulatives.  

The games for January include a doubles games as well as addition to 12, 20, and 35 as well as subtraction within 20, 15, and 10. This makes it easy for me differentiate based on the needs of each groups of kiddos.  

During the month of January we'll also be working on fact families as well as equal expressions using this workmat and dominoes.  

During our math workshop block I like to end each day (doesn't usually happen!) with problem solving practice.  Whether we do a word problem together or my kiddos work on it for practice or as an assessment, it's been a great way to practice this important skill each day.  

I've created problem solving printables with different themes and my kiddos have enjoyed working on these each day. Before the break we were working on construction printables but I wanted to create a pack for the month of January. 

These winter printables include addition and subtraction practice with result unknown, start unknown, and change unknown problems with a winter theme.  I can't wait to get started using these!

  Happy January... hope you're ready to go back tomorrow!  I think I am!

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