{Sponsored} Smile Makers

Friday, July 26, 2013 @ 9:05 AM
A few weeks ago, Smile Makers contacted me with a great opportunity
to review a free product from them on my blog.
 
My classroom is zebra printed, so I hit the "zebra" themed section
and ran across some HUGE organizational binder clips. 
 
 I LOVE all things zebra and all things organization,
so when I see a product that has BOTH things I get super excited!
 
They came in less than a week later in a well packaged box and
I still could not believe how large they were:
 
 
 
 They are about 4" long and 2" across the top of the clip. 
 
PROS
The organizational words are on all THREE sides of the clip.
Easy to read
Holds an immense amount of papers

 
CONS
Some of the printed paint on the clips is a little bit sloppy
(above you can see the slash through the letter "o")

 
Overall, I think it is a good product that will come in SUPER handy this school year! 

More Info for Teachers from Smile Makers:
 SmileMakers offers Teacher Perks, added savings, just for teachers. Teachers will receive free shipping with any order of $49 or more or $4.99 flat rate shipping with any order of $48.99 or less. Teachers will also get special private sales & free gift offers!
 
Thank you Smile Makers :)
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Daily 5 Math

Monday, July 15, 2013 @ 7:31 PM
     The ELA based Daily 5 and CAFE have seemed to have a really positive impact on many schools including mine.  My math counterparts and I sat down together last week to discuss how we could implement Daily 5 more efficiently this school year.  Last year we used the regular 5 stations (math by myself, math with a buddy, math technology, problem solving and math something-else-I-can't-remember) and we changed activities from Pinterest finds weekly.  Can you say WAY TOO MUCH PREPARATION??? 

This is our plan for Daily 5 Math this year:

1.  Math Fluency (Understanding Comm./Assoc. Properties & Memorizing  Mult. Facts)
2.  Math Technology (Think Through Math)
3.  Math Vocabulary (weekly terms to define in interactive notebook glossary)
4.  Math Literacy (reading math based books and answering math questions from them)
5.  STAAR Review (correcting weekly quizzes, tests, benchmarks and working thru story problems)

What are YOU using?  Do you have some kind of magical method for grouping students?

If you haven't heard of Daily 5 or CAFE head here:

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Pencil Jars

@ 4:38 PM
Moved over from my previous blog:

All over pinterest you will see how teachers have used cans, tiny buckets and cups to create areas to turn in an unsharpenend pencil and pick up a sharpened one.

This is because teachers HATE pencil sharpening sounds when they are trying to teach and many schools invest in high dollar sharpeners that students are not allowed to use because they will break them.

Last night I took two empty mason jars and transformed them to match my style for my future classroom! I want to eventually glitter podge the black metal tops and add more marble rocks but this will do for now :)

I used my cameo to cut the vinyl and the colored rocks are black clear and purple :)

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Fraction Hopscotch

@ 4:37 PM

I moved this post from my old blog:

Yesterday in my math class our plans told us to put our students into small groups and have them invent or adjust a game to make it contain fractions.  As I was walking around monitoring I heard one kiddo say "Fraction Hopscotch"  That's all it took!  From then on my mind went in overdrive trying to sketch a perfect layout on paper. 

I pulled out our STAAR (our state mandated test) resource page (page kids can rip out and use during test with helpful formulas/info).  I looked closely at the hash marks and how each one was represented on the "inches" side of the paper. 

Then I grabbed a roll of painters tape and spent my ENTIRE conference period (45 minutes) putting down the tape and figuring it all out. 

Here is what I came up with:
 
Isn't it AWESOME???!!!!???!!!!???!!???!!???!!???!
 
The students stand on "ZERO" lightly roll a
balled up piece of paper onto a fraction.
 
Then they hop on the squares and SAY the name of each fraction.
 
When they land on a double they have to name the equivalent fractions
"One fourth is equal to two eighths"
some of my students even say:
"One fourth is equivalent to two-eighths"
Which makes me OH SO HAPPY
 
The tricky one is 1/2 because there are 3 squares.
 
Our solution: first straddle it and say it then jump do a half
turn in the air (that's how we roll in my room) land with both
feet on one half and then name all three fractions that are equivalent
 
THEN
 
if you're really fancy you finish the hopscotch the second half of the way facing backwards.
 
OR
 
you can start it facing backwards and turn forwards at the 1/2 point.
 
Either way. . .you have to turn. . .it's what the cool kids are doing ;)
 
Enjoy :)
 
*you can also just draw this out with chalk outside*
 
By doing this students are practicing:  Ordering fractions, equivalent fractions, reading a ruler, understanding hash mark lengths on a ruler, preparing to use resource page on state test, how to make math applicable in real FUN situations ;)
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Multiplication Fact Party

@ 4:33 PM
This is a post I transferred over from my previous blog:
 
Since the fall we have been working on memorizing our multiplication facts through 12x12.

 

Students that mastered all facts by last Thursday received a special invitation to our class "Popalicious Picnic Popcorn Party"  (tying in alliterations even in math class haha). 

 

The other math teachers just bought some popcorn, popped it, played a movie and let the kids eat it while watching the movie

 

. . .I on the other hand have a "Go big or Go home" personality. 

 

So we moved all the tables in the room, brought pillows and blankets to school,

voted on a movie to watch then got to eat lunch on our blankets

and have a popcorn topping bar. 

 

Here are the toppings my students brought:



 

I put them all into brown bags and spread them out around the room. 

 

My students travelled around the room putting whatever they wanted on their popcorn, then they closed the bag, shook it up and devoured it on their blanket :)

 



 

 They LOVED it!

 

The Parents even told me how excited their kids were and

how thankful they were I let them bring in whatever they wanted

to make it  special for them!  :)
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Welcome to my new teaching blog! I will do my best to update with things I use in my classroom and ideas I find online :) Feel free to send me advice, tips and questions. Happy Teaching!!!

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