Five for Fraturday!

I try and I try and I can never make it happen on a Friday! 

What's that saying…"There's no tired like teacher tired on a Friday"

That rings very true for this preggo teacher. :)

Here's what we've been up to.

We have been working hard on our reading stamina as we prepare to implement the Daily Five {it will really only be 3 rotations a day} in our classroom.  I have used the Daily Five method for the past five years and will always use it. I love the 'Sisters' and what they have taught me!

Also..don't mind the extension cord that this poor sweet boy is laying on. We have yet to get our technology pieces mounted, so taped extension wire it is! :)

Zero the Hero visited our room this week! We learned all about the number zero. We started by reading the book, then watched a quick clip on teachertube, and made these adorable little zero the hero masks while we searched for the numbers with zeros on the end {when we count by 10's}. 

They were too cute! 

Here's the book we read:

Click to check it out

The activity we completed with our Zero the Hero masks:

Click to check it out…it's a freebie!

We've been practicing our colors and color words all week with a little help from Frog Street Press and my corresponding Rainbow of Colors book!

We first learn the adorable song that goes with each color word, brainstorm a list of items that are that specific color, and then complete our pages in our book.  We are doing really great with spelling color words.

You can check out my Rainbow of Colors book by clicking the image below.

Click HERE for the Canadian version.

I must say…I am in love with this adorable little craft and bulletin board idea from Jennifer from First Grade Blue Skies.  It's perfect for beginning of the school year and Open House on Monday! :)

I will say, I did have everything already pre-cut for them. It was more of a 'following directions' and 'working on gluing' project. From previous experience, I wasn't ready to let them cut, glue, and follow multi-step directions during the second week of kindergarten. lol

You can find this adorable craft along with other great beginning of the year activities HERE

Another great resource we've been using this year comes from non-other than Cara Carroll. She literally is my 'go-to' girl! 

We are working on numbers 1-5 (with a splash of zero) and really 'digging deep' with number sense. Her Don't Forget my Number packet is perfect for any primary class! She has number anchors 1-20, multiple recording sheets to extend students learning, multiple hands-on and engaging activities to be placed in math tubs, used as whole group lesson, or small group games, and SO, SO, much more!

Check it out HERE!

What a busy and exciting week for us in kinderland!

Now onto getting lesson plans done for week four. :)

Happy weekend, friends!

Candy Land Math....freebie!

What a week it has been so far!  This proctoring for the state testing is B.O.R.I.N.G. 

Seriously, an hour and a half of staring at 17 third graders who are staring back at me, in a daze, smacking on their gum, and using their #2 pencils as chopsticks. Ridic. Onto some fun with a classic game board:

I love Candy Land.  My kids LOVE Candy Land.  

A couple years ago I was introduced to the idea of turning game boards into sight word games.  I made Candy Land into Sight Word Candy Land, as well as Jenga into Sight Word Jenga.  My kinder babies {firsties for the last two years} loved, loved, LOVED playing these games during word study.  I've never seen so much sight word recognition growth before!  They really do learn them even when "playing a game!"  :)

How to play Candy Land Math Edition:

I first take out the "character cards" and do not let the kiddos use the "bridges/rainbows" to skip ahead.  I like to 'force' the kiddos to play for a LONG time and read their words over and OVER! :)  It also doesn't give them much time for anyone to 'win' so there's no fighting or anything!

I wanted a super easy way for my kinders to practice their math facts.  Since my kids fell in love with sight word Candy Land, I decided to just snag another game board.  Luckily I have plenty of nieces and friends with their own little ones. 

This freebie contains numbers 0-20, number words 0-12, tally marks 1-10, ten-frames 0-10, and addition fact to 10.  You can use what you need and/or want your kids to focus on! Love it!!

I'm off to bed.  Another day of staring at 3rd graders again! 

a sweets coma

What an amazing Christmas break this has been for me so far.  Sure hope you are all able to enjoy it as well.  For the past five days I have been at my parent's house, two hours south of where I live.  Since my arrival I have done nothing but sit and eat. Then, after awhile of relaxing I eat some more.  

I am in a sweets coma and finding it difficult to get out! Not sure how I'm going to get my groove back come January 7.  Maybe I'll give Stella a call and see how she did it! ;)

Okay, so I lied stretched the truth a little.  I have been somewhat busy. I've been trying to figure out my new CAMEO {!!!!!!!!!!!} and creating some new goodies to use in my classroom {and share with you}!

Here's what I've been up to:
I have been wanting to "jazz-up" my free-choice centers for awhile.  Through the years I've added "real-life" inspired pieces to my "housekeeping" area and have loved changing housekeeping to something else like a "restaurant" or "doctor's office," SO...I came up with this:

TPT STORE
Pics to follow soon!

I'm in the process of creating the following as well:
Doctor's Office
Vet's Office
Bakery
Grocery Store
Shoe Store
Clothing Store
Beauty Shop


My kinders absolutely love when I change out the centers and now they will be super excited with all the 'souped-up' goodies!  The added bonus is they are learning WHILE playing.  Reading, writing, and math {along with social skills} are easily incorporated into each center! Love when that happens!

I also updated my Primary Number Sense Games Pack {added a more/less spinner...a lot, I know} and made a Mega Pack you can check out HERE!


What a great year 20-12 has been.  I'll be back later with a resolution and a holly bloggy linky!

Off to curl up and go back to my sweets coma!

Kinder Number Sense Games

I am so excited about this packet!

Math was never my strong suite growing up and it was hard for me to grasp those hard math skills.  I hated math.  Math was not for me.

Then when I became a teacher I realized I had to start liking math again.  I struggled the first few years teaching math.  Then I attended a thinking math conference and it all changed!!

Counting with understanding is a crucial math skill that child must learn in order to build a strong number sense.  Abby Mullins is currently in the works of creating another awesome RTI packet all on number sense.  This packet is a great addition to that.

Each of the 21 games were designed to meet all Counting and Cardinality Common Core standards for Kindergarten and are engaging to all students.

My students have been playing most of these games already this year.  I have printed and laminated each of the games for durability and longevity.

I play these games one-on-one with struggling students, have students play as partners, and sometimes allow them to complete a game independently.

I might be slightly biased but my kids LOVE playing these games during math workstations and I have seen improvement in their number recognition and one-to-one counting correspondence!

Okay.  Well you can check out the packet HERE!

Let me know what you think!

*****Anyone going to the FL Kindergarten Conference?!*****

Are you going?

**I need to know....are you going to the FL Kinder Conference???  IF so, leave me a comment!!***

I am so excited.  Not because it's Halloween, but because I am going to the Kindergarten Conference here in Florida.  Where THE Deanna Jump is speaking! Stop. The. World.  I am so excited! I'm also SUPER excited to finally get to be a part of a Blogger Meet Up!!! 

Here's the problem.  I remember reading on a blog about going to this conference and if anyone was interested in meeting up.  Problem=I can't remember WHO it was! Rats! 

So...are you going?  If so, wanna meet up?! :)

**********************

This is the first year in 4 years that I have not gone trick-or-treating with my sweet nieces.  They're getting so big and I just LOVE seeing them all decked out in their costumes.  They're so creative!

Here's something we've been up to:

We have been learning about spiders the past few days.  As a fun way to wrap up our unit of study we made handprint spiders, with hole reinforcers for eyes, and added facts about spiders!  The kiddos first wrote their sentence, then typed their sentence, cut it out, and glued it onto their papers!

I just love how cute they turned out. 

For the past couple weeks I've been working hard on my latest packet.  I'm almost done but I wanted to give you a sneak peek! 

Happy Halloween!

Thinking Math (freebie) and Cupcakes

Ok.  My spurt of not being motivated has quickly disappeared.  Well, not completely, but I'm moving in the right direction! :)

The past week I attended a workshop entitled "Thinking Math" {still have four more days left of the workshop}.  This workshop is simply that...the belief that students must have time to think about math to fully understand it.  There has also been a lot of discussion on the use of manipulatives and how math problems are often worded.  

Here are my favorite quotes about manipulatives:

"Although kinesthetic experience can enhance perception and thinking, understanding does not travel through the fingertips and up the arm" and "Although concrete materials can offer students contexts and tools for making sense of the content, mathematical ideas really do not reside in cardboard and plastic materials."  

Yup. Makes you *think.* Basically...we shouldn't rely on manipulatives and we also need to make sure that they are used as a way to reinforce or motivate, but should not be seen as the only way to solve a problem {in other words, you don't want the kids to have to rely on manipulatives to solve math}.  

Ok. With all that said, I created a fun little math activity that not only has your kiddos THINKING about math but meets common core standards {yay}!

Then, after creating this fun little freebie I came across a communication binder request.  So, I whipped that up.  I say "whipped" loosely.  hehe

 Here's a peak at the new binder:

Head over to my TPT or TN store to snag your freebie and binder!

Phew! Can't wait for my relaxing day in the sun with some great friends tomorrow!!

new kid on the block {and freebie!}

There's a new blog on the block {at least to me} and I am so glad she sent me over to her blog!  Meet Lori from Teaching with Love and Laughter.  She is a 17 year veteran in education and has taught grades PreK-5! With her knowledge and experience she brings FABULOUS ideas to blogland that really keep kiddos engaged and in love with learning!!  

You HAVE to swing by her blog and check out her classroom pics!  I am OBSESSED with her writing center posters and anchor charts!!!  Her writing scale and "I can write about" wall is EXACTLY what I've been wanting to incorporate into my writing area and is so stinkin cute!  She also has started her own TPT store that is FULL of wonderful writing activities, center created posters, and much more.  She's also having a giveaway RIGHT NOW!!!!!!
 Lori is going to be one to keep an eye on. I can tell she's going to be bringing a lot of wonderful things to this little blog world.  She bursts with cuteness!! :)

After you spend some time checking out her blog and TPT store come on back and snag this number line freebie!  I can't express enough how much this super simple game has really evolved into the "go to" math workstation in my room and has made my sweet firsties really latch on and master addition and subtraction strategies! I know that most of us are visual learners and enjoy seeing pictures of games/centers in action so I PROMISE to do my darndest to remember to snap a quick shot of my kiddos playing the game this week! 

Side note: I'm not too happy with the number font selection.  I really was looking for a darker green number font to use and COULD NOT find one anywhere! I'm talking I spent some time HOURS searching the web.  So, if you know where I can find some super cute green number font to better match the clipart PLEASE let me know and I will switch it out!  Also, this number line is being added to my Number Line Extravaganza packet that is available at my TPT store, so if you've already purchased the packet you will need to download the newer version.

Stpattys#Line

I'm so happy there is one week left until spring break!!!!  I can not wait to get my toes back in the sand and to smell like sweaty suntan lotion! :)  I'm hoping to not be translucent when I return back to work!!! 

Oh my goodness...I did it!!

I opened up my very own TPT store and added my very first packet!

I am so ecstatic I can barely contain myself! :)

For over two years and 71 purchased products later, I have been a BIG supporter of TPT and the whole idea behind giving back to teachers who have taken time out of their busy lives to create instructional materials that are appealing to the eye...for both me and my sweet kiddos!  Since I have put so much into "snagging" others goodies, I thought I should put myself to work and make a few of my own.

My first packet is all on number lines.  Math has been a huge subject for me this year, in that I have put lots of time and effort into becoming a better math teacher.  With that, I got into using Math Workstations.  I found that number lines were such an easy way to differentiate and review basic math concepts. PLUS they can be used ALL YEAR LONG.  Suh-weet! I have been using these plain old boring number lines that had no "flair" to them what-so-ever.

Then, I had the pleasure of listening to my sweet, dear "idol" Kim Adsit and had the AHA moment to soup my plain boring number lines up!

Here's a preview of my 51 page packet.  It contains 12 different themed number lines and comes equipped with directions and ways to differentiate.

Since I am OVER THE MOON excited about my accomplishment, I don't want to bask in the glee of this packet alone...I wanna share the joy with you.

SO...I will be giving away this awesome little packet to the first three people to respond!!! Make sure to leave me your email addy!  

And let me know what you think?!:)

 

Numberline Games

This post was inspired by the wonderful Kim Adsit! One of the MANY things that I snagged from the conference I attended last week was differentiating math workstations.  I love simple and easy games that kids can play with little instruction.  Numberlines are one those workstations!

This game can be played SO many different ways.  Students can play to find even and odd numbers, add, subtract single or double digit numbers, multiply, divide!  You can even differentiate more by having your more 'advanced' students record their number sentences.  To learn how these games are played click HERE to be directed to Kim and Megan's blog Kingergals.  They give a great description of the basics to this game and direct you to the many units where you can purchase more themed numberlines that Kim has created.  

I spent today not only fighting a cold {uuggghhhh} but creating a numberline as well to use during my Valentine's Unit! All you need to do is print the copies on cardstock {for durability}, adhere to some construction paper {to create the numberline} and let the playing begin!  After creating the document, I realized I did not place a circle card to place in the middle for the starting point.  :(  I hate when that happens!
VDaynumberlines
Start Circles


Again, sorry you have to make two downloads! GGGRRR!!! I'll just blame it on the meds I'm taking for this awful cold. Now off to rest and read some more of Hunger Games.  Have you read that yet?!
OH. 
My. 
Gosh. 
It has taken over my life. It's so hard to put that book down! AHHHH-MAZING!

Ahoy Mates!

I'm SOOO excited!  After months {and I mean MONTHS} of pondering what theme I wanted to incorporate in my classroom this year, I've decided on Pirates!!!  I must say it was the inspiration of the creative mind of Jodi from Clutter Free Classroom that finally helped me in deciding on a theme!  She is just amazing!  If you have not stopped by her blog you just MUST!  I can spend hours on her blog alone!

YAY!!  On another note I can NOT put down Debbie Diller's book!  I'm excited to begin her Spaces and Places book next.  Her books are filled with so many wonderful ideas that are EASY to incorporate in the classroom.  If you're looking for some amazing FREE math station games and such head over to Lory's Page!  She has some wonderful resources!  

And finally .... I've reached 200 followers!!!!  Never thought that many people would be interested in reading about me and my adventures in teaching but I'm so excited and honored!  Thanks for stopping by!

Math combo game

I have been reading like a mad woman this week trying to catch up with the rest of you ladies participating in the book study for Debbie Diller's book Math Work Stations!  I'm still in the heart of Ch. 5 but just had one of those light bulb type moments!  After reading about Combo Games I got to thinking about a better way, well more sturdier way, for kids to place clothespins.  Having the kids match the correct number of clothespins to the correct number of dots is a great way to for them to grasp an understanding of number value and one-to-one correspondence.  While this is going to be a great station for the beginning of the year with my kids using a laminated piece of card stock will just not last in my room!  For whatever reason putting clothespins on a piece of paper has proven to be quite an obstacle for most of my firsties.  So, I'm going to use paint sticks!!!  I grabbed a large bag full from my local Home Depot last year and was going to use most of them in literacy centers but thought this would be a great use for this math station as well. 

While I do not have a picture of them {sorry} they're quite easy to make!  I just painted the paint stick a solid color {since there's writing already on them} and then placed the dots across the top.  I'm excited because now I know I'll NEVER have to worry about them getting ruined after a couple of uses/years!  YAY!!!  Any other amazing tips?!

Math Ba-humbugs!

Just yesterday a fellow blogger (Abby, over at The Inspired Apple) had a post ALL about the dreaded... MATH!  I share the same feelings, along with probably 80% of the fellow teacher bloggers, in that I {shhh.. don't tell} H.A.T.E. teaching math!  This has stemmed from a terrible, no good, very bad eighth grade Algebra teacher who (even though it was in 1997) used a ruler to slap on our desks when we got an answer wrong!  ... AWFUL! Anyways...

In my district, we have implemented the series Go Math into our curriculum this year and it is leaving many of us in tears!  The concepts are not taught with much depth, nor give enough practice time before moving onto the next concept.  It's very frustrating for my poor little kiddos, along with their teacher!  :)

I taught Kindergarten for three years and am now in first grade and was completely unaware of the craziness that these sweet little ones have to learn!  Needless to say, I have stuck to what I know works with young ones (and older ones, like myself), singing and receiting rhymes!  We are currently learning all about greater than and less than and numbers on a number line.  So, I came up with a little chant to help my kiddos remember how the symbol is suppose to go!

It's so simple and the kids LOVE saying it:

Gary the Grouchy Gator likes to chomp on the Greater number!

Of course, we say it with great expression and, of course, we scrunch our eyebrows and squint our eyes!  They love it.  I also have a cute math sheet to go along with it and would LOVE to share it with you, however, I have yet to figure out how to keep my fonts the same when converting it to a PDF file, nor have I really had the time.  So, if any of you wonderful ladies would like to give me a tip, I would GREATLY appreciate it! :)

Happy Wednesday!