tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20478430740381705282024-03-12T23:04:00.627-07:00Tricks of the Teaching TradeI teach to engage, encourage, enliven, and inspire...not because I can't do anything else!Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-53760491671573771442014-05-10T08:16:00.001-07:002014-05-10T09:03:28.566-07:00Best Mother's Day Gifts Ever!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRStrGCSXvbRg9TbLjL1A2p2RNC3XpanF_KXgSxPmGdY9WEbBA5h2NNhTK3Ty0Q_mocqsO1oQJ2xgxG1GtEOTm2NBHvJNIXbWi6q3WqJOara0s6KAqwWT8RvYAkgoCxLTqho5BQnP-3cg/s1600/2006-05-16-bates-mothers-day-cards-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRStrGCSXvbRg9TbLjL1A2p2RNC3XpanF_KXgSxPmGdY9WEbBA5h2NNhTK3Ty0Q_mocqsO1oQJ2xgxG1GtEOTm2NBHvJNIXbWi6q3WqJOara0s6KAqwWT8RvYAkgoCxLTqho5BQnP-3cg/s1600/2006-05-16-bates-mothers-day-cards-01.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">I have not always been on top of things when it comes to creating Mother's Day gifts. Many years kids just ended up creating cards. One year I took pictures of the kids and we made magnetic book marks. Last year, I had the kids paint a picture. This year....this year I have a group of great moms and I just wanted to do something amazing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So on Tuesday afternoon I stood in the craft section of our local Wal-Mart wondering what to do while my 3 girls ran around me pulling my ADHD self everywhere but where it needed to focus. Finally, I decided on painting self portraits. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbe9Eu7wTpOD1wPC6m1zY7-W8b0DJYeehc3PtsOJdeicb-GccMCvDy7WFjQOUDnrkVJGooMNbAzx8pOhnYPI9jVeYINs0U5C-qFr7G4d2rujJC6c_L-5jnxGOr6wj0eQGYVsnI6WEGoi0/s1600/Scan+32.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbe9Eu7wTpOD1wPC6m1zY7-W8b0DJYeehc3PtsOJdeicb-GccMCvDy7WFjQOUDnrkVJGooMNbAzx8pOhnYPI9jVeYINs0U5C-qFr7G4d2rujJC6c_L-5jnxGOr6wj0eQGYVsnI6WEGoi0/s1600/Scan+32.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a>
<span style="font-size: large;">We have done several throughout the year using paper, pencil, and crayons. I work with them on starting with basic shapes (standard=check) and turning them into eyes, necks, and lips. We also talk a lot about sequencing (another standard=check). We even wrote a "How To" paper on the steps of drawing self-portraits (another standard=check). Their last set was so impressive that everyone that was entered in our local art contest was featured (This is not one of those;)'. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfz50-zyhutW3Yo7GYocaA6bVQJhFVMyPgwuXmu4MbyO1ZGWndY7PxGVi6ohJ4bgB5TB7cmGVuuUTM_zeGcqSj4TgQbKpV0Tl2JdiB0QgR61qYwZnsvOu3IkXurD4TgQj7xthUTa_v9q0/s1600/clipart+crazy+teacher.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfz50-zyhutW3Yo7GYocaA6bVQJhFVMyPgwuXmu4MbyO1ZGWndY7PxGVi6ohJ4bgB5TB7cmGVuuUTM_zeGcqSj4TgQbKpV0Tl2JdiB0QgR61qYwZnsvOu3IkXurD4TgQj7xthUTa_v9q0/s1600/clipart+crazy+teacher.png" height="211" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Now this is something one could get very overwhelmed about. I mean mentioning paint is enough to make most teachers run for the hills! But if you take it step by step, and <strike>force</strike> encourage children to focus on your instructions before they do each step then it is not that <strike>torturous</strike> <strike>cause for suicidal thought</strike>s bad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are the steps I took with my class of 21 first graders over a period of three days in short little segments between lessons:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Draw a face. Encourage them to make it big, and kind of like an upside down egg. Yes you will have to help some who have yet mastered the skill of drawing a circle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSJgW6neE8_aI5IhLeX9GOSPiTM1XDSCTz1nqh5ozvQXd55TqsXhiidYu1E_6MSbVVAIGUaX6h_bQkDXbcAQmL9RI54hAu03Ak9u7OGeZfCHUjWyiV9jBJQj0RkdI-ivST6YbXvtAsQE/s1600/IMG_6945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSJgW6neE8_aI5IhLeX9GOSPiTM1XDSCTz1nqh5ozvQXd55TqsXhiidYu1E_6MSbVVAIGUaX6h_bQkDXbcAQmL9RI54hAu03Ak9u7OGeZfCHUjWyiV9jBJQj0RkdI-ivST6YbXvtAsQE/s1600/IMG_6945.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Use a trapezoid to create a neck and then curve in the sides slightly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Then draw eyes using ovals. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Noses can be drawn using a lower case b like shape or a backwards L shape. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Finally it is time for the paint. Before this step I did everything as whole group. Once paint is introduced however it is whole 'nother story. Now I started pulling them back into small groups according to what color they wanted their background. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKNOU_kbhdTrAehh7VoR3aRLs5TOJxBqiuMu3ywMhsPzVWB60CDKGkyE1R4XzZl-4MjpUJKA4Nkx78f-HyE3VdOe3qsPAfgXomQbSX-V5_lL4IudiJaDok_DQicJEh-LdyKOwgJZh3RY/s1600/IMG_6946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKNOU_kbhdTrAehh7VoR3aRLs5TOJxBqiuMu3ywMhsPzVWB60CDKGkyE1R4XzZl-4MjpUJKA4Nkx78f-HyE3VdOe3qsPAfgXomQbSX-V5_lL4IudiJaDok_DQicJEh-LdyKOwgJZh3RY/s1600/IMG_6946.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> (Hint: to make a color that covers well. Mix a little white in with the main color. Not enough to even really lighten it, but enough to help it cover.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxYhDEsd1EYwpzTxzh0x7Fm3jMT9boICaGWvVrcYTmWqItIOK3yqRvKsGzHe7twXbCScwGTN7-_uKy_I5y-3SGYpZ64Gc_Efsw-tjcTleoGKqh7i3JrG18dOQgS3o7WA_PPsXQE24yZc/s1600/IMG_6949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxYhDEsd1EYwpzTxzh0x7Fm3jMT9boICaGWvVrcYTmWqItIOK3yqRvKsGzHe7twXbCScwGTN7-_uKy_I5y-3SGYpZ64Gc_Efsw-tjcTleoGKqh7i3JrG18dOQgS3o7WA_PPsXQE24yZc/s1600/IMG_6949.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSr5WEqHf67-J1B_j-E32hpboH0b_PPLQ6Oz6out_s_UqmH5MqZKs1sCNdihuppRycfPZfRv1RqK9yrLhCT5cvcIVOtgp5oT2Tq41-INbKL_NrmVG64xoa1KNUtPb0Uz_ffFbRIc4w2TA/s1600/IMG_6947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSr5WEqHf67-J1B_j-E32hpboH0b_PPLQ6Oz6out_s_UqmH5MqZKs1sCNdihuppRycfPZfRv1RqK9yrLhCT5cvcIVOtgp5oT2Tq41-INbKL_NrmVG64xoa1KNUtPb0Uz_ffFbRIc4w2TA/s1600/IMG_6947.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a>6. Next it is time for the skin colors. Now I know it is not politically correct but I had to segregate the children for this. I could only do one skin color at a time. So we actually study everyone's skin and noticed that no one was really "white" or "black". The kids matched their skin tones with the others in the room, and we ended up with five different shades of skin color: light, tan, caramel, mocha, and chocolate....their words not mine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapLTXlaXkWBO3AeTu7zj-wlO0yAKb1pCv3vMXWu3lrtITBS2RPQzan5ntcOtZ14NDYKA6OlPFj8TEDIhHZoj0p-45eRcBQdVfLGjYuF0LxVm8X96y2HpNlQ_qZp8cso8-w7cb4Kc9kOs/s1600/IMG_6948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapLTXlaXkWBO3AeTu7zj-wlO0yAKb1pCv3vMXWu3lrtITBS2RPQzan5ntcOtZ14NDYKA6OlPFj8TEDIhHZoj0p-45eRcBQdVfLGjYuF0LxVm8X96y2HpNlQ_qZp8cso8-w7cb4Kc9kOs/s1600/IMG_6948.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a>After a wee bit of trial and error, I found it easier to go ahead and outline the face, around the eyes, and around the lips for them and then let them fill in the rest. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsjkD_CfNzufATxGAp-_ZxMUdXhSBNkaUX-rOxg4TAVWiuIW0dlFC6Iy7FZdpFQCf5BVa-BOguAF8hctR3poevZBtHxf3Ap6QX8Cc0PmawpABCN5aqHJmgXw3nAEojWaqiXtWZMEWpeA/s1600/IMG_6950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsjkD_CfNzufATxGAp-_ZxMUdXhSBNkaUX-rOxg4TAVWiuIW0dlFC6Iy7FZdpFQCf5BVa-BOguAF8hctR3poevZBtHxf3Ap6QX8Cc0PmawpABCN5aqHJmgXw3nAEojWaqiXtWZMEWpeA/s1600/IMG_6950.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gqMNX-Siae0pKnz2lpW3UjXJr-0ZLnnT0HkwlahAdXnKl_GhlT5U30QxTZgZ8gPF_vSWHumLj_0LFTeglzmLmVt0gwV0mPffTH17jbvH-Ph_euqkczgdBFhjTnCeTil6N8bF5XV_fi8/s1600/IMG_6956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gqMNX-Siae0pKnz2lpW3UjXJr-0ZLnnT0HkwlahAdXnKl_GhlT5U30QxTZgZ8gPF_vSWHumLj_0LFTeglzmLmVt0gwV0mPffTH17jbvH-Ph_euqkczgdBFhjTnCeTil6N8bF5XV_fi8/s1600/IMG_6956.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a> 7. Now it was time for shirts and eyes. They picked their shirt colors and a separated them into groups accordingly. Before they painted the shirts, they painted the eyes white. I had to help some on the outlines, and I added polka dots or swirls to their backgrounds for them. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzSmXGQFMlyTGvmNlB2egDtVnynsx-Tl8UZGNPaT2pi5KnSxrMhvxiLhImnbIIf986imoqMgS2LmVymfO0o4bNBjw0IYzInAXo7Zg9UvzkxLDdnNoCODHtjjySwiDOzzz7N_DAba9qNA/s1600/IMG_6957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzSmXGQFMlyTGvmNlB2egDtVnynsx-Tl8UZGNPaT2pi5KnSxrMhvxiLhImnbIIf986imoqMgS2LmVymfO0o4bNBjw0IYzInAXo7Zg9UvzkxLDdnNoCODHtjjySwiDOzzz7N_DAba9qNA/s1600/IMG_6957.jpg" height="200" width="162" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11AASPyzxfiT3t0NhGMc74mNbAbrKotH9tWy1AvUFktgDjYEdo-3jvXq9XTbnuWl5RuZ4A98r3GJx6WZaga1r-Cku1_1GTAX1ZvoqQ3cjW-2O5wphQoQQFFX7-HOIerOnbUTpLpn0w0g/s1600/IMG_6958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11AASPyzxfiT3t0NhGMc74mNbAbrKotH9tWy1AvUFktgDjYEdo-3jvXq9XTbnuWl5RuZ4A98r3GJx6WZaga1r-Cku1_1GTAX1ZvoqQ3cjW-2O5wphQoQQFFX7-HOIerOnbUTpLpn0w0g/s1600/IMG_6958.jpg" height="148" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(They look like the White Walkers from Game of Thrones don't they. Needless to say our floor was a little "freaky" for a while.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">8. Now we added eye colors and lips. Once again I traced the shape in paint for them and they painted the inside. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRzOnuaAXEqXfAQzdfFH6tNHfsnGMC9SKe6nohXrf32F3x9tVRZNcrkSqi69VRsfrOjEclVUHj8dqsF9UOI4W9Gx3d4pZ1wgtAIQhP2D0OLDxzi608FNQ1jdhqS4luveB6GTP3H-bGXM/s1600/IMG_6960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRzOnuaAXEqXfAQzdfFH6tNHfsnGMC9SKe6nohXrf32F3x9tVRZNcrkSqi69VRsfrOjEclVUHj8dqsF9UOI4W9Gx3d4pZ1wgtAIQhP2D0OLDxzi608FNQ1jdhqS4luveB6GTP3H-bGXM/s1600/IMG_6960.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnO6jPWikkmc64r4QqB6bnzI8AQzf7S0MejOESW0taa-QjYfkGmEaEK43SNWOveydQMIVedFH6ASMfiG3iyErjcGQfZfFSL5lBLOwE4PfZaAXgipjWxVx_1mOMyi6WpZKg84iKMFfb9u0/s1600/IMG_6959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnO6jPWikkmc64r4QqB6bnzI8AQzf7S0MejOESW0taa-QjYfkGmEaEK43SNWOveydQMIVedFH6ASMfiG3iyErjcGQfZfFSL5lBLOwE4PfZaAXgipjWxVx_1mOMyi6WpZKg84iKMFfb9u0/s1600/IMG_6959.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 9. Now it was time for the fun part. This is where they start coming to life. They traced over their noses that they had already drawn with black. I traced around their eyes and lips. They then made their irises with black. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eVPkIXo4OemnKlZjinKCYfs9Uv0YEpsXvD5RLozs1o97MxR_yzg8ikQjQdfAbjstLH_XCcp46_UtWSnBUIadnBo_0BNZZme61oJOaeOsLsF4I1lQcO5wj7f8BOnOkzRUc6Drx7WeoiQ/s1600/IMG_6962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eVPkIXo4OemnKlZjinKCYfs9Uv0YEpsXvD5RLozs1o97MxR_yzg8ikQjQdfAbjstLH_XCcp46_UtWSnBUIadnBo_0BNZZme61oJOaeOsLsF4I1lQcO5wj7f8BOnOkzRUc6Drx7WeoiQ/s1600/IMG_6962.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVD578GvevC2ve_nfpEwliQRK9GyLhinYyIx50J6TTuQIQQgnoFIhcsGXRHQZpxtj9CO4aggQYD94G3xM5jh9JNgHrpD45i4AtuOG0MboSc10OnzudyX-4TLRWiPyUS5uAGnfQhIOW-I/s1600/IMG_6961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVD578GvevC2ve_nfpEwliQRK9GyLhinYyIx50J6TTuQIQQgnoFIhcsGXRHQZpxtj9CO4aggQYD94G3xM5jh9JNgHrpD45i4AtuOG0MboSc10OnzudyX-4TLRWiPyUS5uAGnfQhIOW-I/s1600/IMG_6961.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(Of course, some people would use a "fleshy"color for the nose and choose not to outline in black. I probably would do that with older kids, but it also has to do with what kind of look you are going for.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sadly, this is where my tutorial has a massive gap. It was Friday afternoon at 12:45. The kids were leaving for PE. I was going to let them do their hair and eyebrows and finishing touches, but I realized that if I waited for 2:00 for them to come back then the paintings would not have enough time to dry in order for them to take them home. Plus, I then realized that we had a blasted assembly that afternoon, so there went another 30 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Needless to say, the next hour turned into a mad, racing, painting frenzy for me, and I had no time for the foolishness of picture taking. I put all the kids together that had the same color hair. All brown and blonde hair got 2 coats. Luckily, black covers so much better and the black hair only required one coat. I tried to paint their hair based on how they wear their hair most of the time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the paint dried, I outlined everything in black with a good permanent marker instead of paint since there was limited drying time. Plus, the marker allowed for a lot more control and straighter lines. I also added wispy lines to hair to show pieces. Finally, I painted bows, beads, and rubber bands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The end products were AMAZING!!! No one believed that the kids did them. Everyone thought that I painted each child and were shocked when I told them the little bit that I did. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I as so impressed at how much each portrait portrayed their subject. They looked just like them! I have never been more proud of something my students have produced, not even the amazing test scores. This was so much more beneficial and memorable. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xE4wuhOK93yT-IeKaGrJkYUt69vfmn-h4LpumBkGav3RRsCJcDoBDNId6eQbc3Dpew5LmAZGQFdjsqa26dQ9nQ6Z58DeQWae3y1xcI31416TvenH-D22Yr23ftnk_qqyriaJH0U1WME/s1600/NO-ART.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xE4wuhOK93yT-IeKaGrJkYUt69vfmn-h4LpumBkGav3RRsCJcDoBDNId6eQbc3Dpew5LmAZGQFdjsqa26dQ9nQ6Z58DeQWae3y1xcI31416TvenH-D22Yr23ftnk_qqyriaJH0U1WME/s1600/NO-ART.jpg" height="320" width="291" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">I have always integrated art into my classroom through a variety of ways. But this is the first year I have been at a school where there was no art. We have music and PE, but the budget for art was cut a few years ago. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Art stimulates creativity, imagination, and the real life use of geometry and measurement. Not too mention the DOK Levels of 3 and 4 are constant throughout the creation process. In fact, I realized a couple of years ago that the reason my third graders could not solve problems is that they could draw them due to the fact that they could not visualize what was happening in the problem due to the fact that they never used their imaginations anymore due to the fact that their video games, TV shows, and DVD's told them what to see. Due to this fact (hahahahha) and the success of this project, art, not just drawing on notebook paper, but real ART will, from now on, be a staple in my classroom.</span><br />
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Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-9696085476133649032012-11-25T10:17:00.000-08:002012-11-25T10:17:42.345-08:00Diving into DivisionWhen I tell parents that their third grader is going to learn to divide, I am often met with looks of trepidation. It does seem like a very hard concept for wee ones to learn. However, that is what the curriculum calls for these days. <br />
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One thing I do to make this easier is to spend a good bit of time on the meaning of multiplication:<br />
<ol>
<li>Repeated Addition</li>
<li>Groups of</li>
<li>Rows of (Arrays)</li>
<li>Times I count by</li>
</ol>
You can purchase my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Meaning-of-Multiplication-as-Repeated-Addition-Groups-Arrays" target="_blank">Meaning of Multiplication PowerPoint</a> and my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mystery-of-Multiplication-Repeated-Addition-Groups-and-Arrays" target="_blank">Mystery of Multiplication</a> packet at my TpT store<br />
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Then when we move to division the concept does not seem near as daunting. I teach the meaning of division as:
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<ol>
<li>Repeated Subtraction</li>
<li>Sharing into Groups</li>
<li>Making Equal Groups</li>
<li>Times I Count by</li>
<li>Invers Multiplication</li>
</ol>
I use a great PowerPoint when teaching about division. It is called <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Meaning-of-Division-Sharing-Repeated-Subtraction" target="_blank">The Meaning of Division</a>.<br />
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Here are some activities that students are asked to complete:</div>
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I love these videos to help students understand the Meaning of Division.</div>
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If your child likes to get on the computer, let them practice the concept of division with these online games:<br />
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<a href="http://www.fun4thebrain.com/Division/deepdivediv.html" target="_blank">Deep Dive Division</a><br />
<a href="http://www.fun4thebrain.com/Division/deepdivediv.html"><img alt="Deep Dive Fun4theBrain Game" height="176" src="http://www.fun4thebrain.com/images/DeepDiveThumb.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.fun4thebrain.com/Division/dinoDigDiv.html" target="_blank">Digging Division</a><br />
<a href="http://www.fun4thebrain.com/Division/dinoDigDiv.html"><img alt="Fun4theBrain Can You Dig It? Division Game" height="155" src="http://www.fun4thebrain.com/images/dinodigthumbthumb2.png" width="300" /></a>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-54362227193444342212012-11-17T18:30:00.001-08:002012-11-17T18:30:25.926-08:00Multiplying by Tens and Hundreds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my favorite concepts to teach is multiplying by multiples of 10's and 100's. Once I teach students The Meaning of Multiplication and how to find the answers to multiplication facts using arrays, groups, skip counting and repeated addition, I love to totally impress them with some major multiplication problems like:<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"><strong>20 x 9=180 </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"><strong>400 x 6= 2,400 </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"><strong>5,000 x 7 = 35,000</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">I help students master this concept by introducing them to Zero the Hero.</span><br />
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He makes multiplying by mutliples of tens and hundreds simple. All students need to do is circle the basic fact. Find the product. Count the zeros and then add them to the answer. <br />
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Here is the PowerPoint presentation I use during class. <br />
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<a href="http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/liz4makers-1231419-multiplying-by-multiples-of-10/" target="_blank">Multiplying By Multiples of 1...</a></h3>
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More <a href="http://www.authorstream.com/" target="_blank">PowerPoint presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.authorstream.com/liz4makers/" target="_blank">Elizabeth </a></div>
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Once students practice a little while, it becomes second nature. It makes estimating with mutliplication a breeze. </div>
Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-26031609021620209152012-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:002012-10-27T09:19:49.201-07:00Popping about the Properties of MultiplicationProperties, properties. So many to teach and so little time. Not to mention what an abstract concept it is for students to understand. Here are some tricks I use when teaching the properties of multiplication:<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRPBkhY5fYhBYlUs-5mFlA-YJmGGALlrRknsCHmJVgVSqHD12CEXw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="rg_hi uh_hi" data-height="194" data-width="259" height="194" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRPBkhY5fYhBYlUs-5mFlA-YJmGGALlrRknsCHmJVgVSqHD12CEXw" style="height: 194px; width: 259px;" width="259" /></a>1. Commutative- Before I start I have students use a Thesaurus to find lots of synonyms for the word talk. We make a word web of all of the words. One of the words is always communicate. We talk about what communicate means. It means to say something by talking, writing, using sign language.... Then I show the problem 4 x 3= and I ask them what is another way we can say the same problem...3 x 4. We can show that the 2 problems communicate the same thing like this 4 x 3=3 x 4. Since the two are communicating the same things we say that they are the Commutative Property-the order in which you multiply two factors does not matter the product will always be the same. <br />
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<a href="http://www.loisterms.com/assoc2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" id="il_fi" src="http://www.loisterms.com/assoc2.gif" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="324" /></a>2. Associative- We start by talking about friends. Friends are the people we choose to be with. When we are on the playground or in the lunchroom, we group ourselves with our friends. Another word for grouping is associating. We associate with our friends. Associate means to group. When we multiply 3 or more numbers, we can't multiply all of them at the same time so we group them or associate them. To show the grouping or associating, we use parentheses to show which numbers we are grouping together first: 3 x (5 x 6)=3 x 30=90. The Associative Property says that it does not matter which two numbers you group together or associate first, the answer will still be the same. We show the Associative Property like this: 3 x (5 x 6) = (3 x 5) x 6. When we are multiplying the factors 3, 5, and 6, it does not matter which two we group or associate together first. When we find the final product, the answer will always be the same. <br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcScJQwe2iSfzwJBE-xZUd90laDSz1yiPQd7XhDso7ILrKMlkAd7" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="rg_hi uh_hi" data-height="192" data-width="256" height="192" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcScJQwe2iSfzwJBE-xZUd90laDSz1yiPQd7XhDso7ILrKMlkAd7" style="height: 192px; width: 256px;" width="256" /></a>3. Identity-I like to talk about secret identities. The kids really get into it: Spiderman is Peter Parker, Batman is Bruce Wayne, Superman is Clark Kent, Hannah Montana is Miley Cyrus....They are not two different people. They are the "1" and the same person. Their secret identities (Peter, Bruce, Clark, Miley) are their real identities. It is who they are and adding a costume or a wig does not change who they are. The Identity Property of multiplication shows that a number can stay the same when we multiply it by a certain factor. Then I show them the following facts: 4x0=0, 4x1=4, 4x2=8, 4x3=12. Which one allowed the 4 to keep its identity? 4x1=4. The identity property states that any number multiplied by a factor of 1 stays the same. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I use a PowerPoint presentation to teach students about the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Properties-of-Multiplication-Commutative-Associative-and-Identity" target="_blank">Properties of Multiplication</a>. You can find it at my TpT store.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also use this packet that has tons of printables, activities, games, student notes, an assessment, and so much more to teach students about the properties of multiplication.</span> </div>
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You can find the <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Popping-About-the-Properties-of-Addition" target="_blank">Popping about the Properties of Multiplication</a> at my TpT store. <br />
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See how I use all of this in my classroom at my classroom website, <a href="http://mrshills3rdgrade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mrs. Hill's P.I.R.A.T.E.S.</a><br />
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Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-19307535904521869032012-10-20T09:02:00.001-07:002012-10-20T09:02:23.989-07:00Freebies for Upper GradesHocus Pocus with a Giveaway Focus!! Halloween's just around the corner, and I have to admit it's one of my favorite holidays! Ghost stories, pumpkins, candy corn and excitement fill the air. It can only mean that we teachers need to prepare for our classroom gremlins' dynamic desires to Trick-or-Treat this season AND <u>fast</u>! Why not get ready for celebrating this festive occasion by entering my HUGE Halloween giveaway? <br /><br />
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<a href="http://msrivas.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0HnIafX1v_MybuLHSSXbBwh8Y_fu2o0a9RwOSc0CWIT6zOsSRp9PDxgF7w4C2MIX9V3hfppniv_zrQvkc_kFcPd5wMtbp7BXN63m0E8d9gjYm6TRCqG-N48qsyge1cuHqBBLHcjCoFPf/s640/HalloweenGiveaway-portrait.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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It even includes a $25 gift card to the amazing black-and-orange company, Amazon.com!<br /><br />
Not to mention, you <br />
have a chance to win <u><b>19</b></u> high-quality HALLOWEEN products specifically designed for upper grade students from some amazing <br />
and very generous TpT sellers!Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-9902724289435015452012-10-11T19:38:00.001-07:002012-10-11T19:38:44.012-07:00The Mystery of MultiplicationMultiplication has come a long way since we were in elementary school. We were handed a list of facts and told to memorize. I don't think we even questioned why 4 x 9 equaled 36. We just accepted it.<br />
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Things are so different today. Kids not only have to know that 4 x 9 equals 36, they also have to know why. In other words, how do you know? Prove it to me. Which is perfect for my math motto: PROVE IT! DON'T JUST CHOOSE IT!<br />
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Our standards no longer just require students to answer the basic fact. The new standards require students to show what 4 x 9 looks like using groups of objects, arrays, and repeated addition. I have created the following products to help my students master these concepts:<br />
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I use this<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Meaning-of-Multiplication-as-Repeated-Addition-Groups-Arrays" target="_blank"> Meaning of Multiplication PowerPoint presentation </a>over a week long period. I take each meaning one day at a time. I embed videos and online games into it, so that we can just click and go. <br />
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I also use <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mystery-of-Multiplication-Repeated-Addition-Groups-and-Arrays" target="_blank">The Mystery of Multiplication lesson and activity packet</a> to provide lessons, printables, games, activities, graphic organizers, and more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrH6qd-hFYXXrqmH6qb1a6LahDOftbm_VJ2L_BjBGE6T7s2jwBpuwt5JdCqP5ERiaPjcEJfVwD1r_Pf2hZIhmvdxOigf2pWbWW1BK3iELlttUJm_EL1VmlJJt8_kalyeV65f1cypXs5lE/s1600/mult12.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrH6qd-hFYXXrqmH6qb1a6LahDOftbm_VJ2L_BjBGE6T7s2jwBpuwt5JdCqP5ERiaPjcEJfVwD1r_Pf2hZIhmvdxOigf2pWbWW1BK3iELlttUJm_EL1VmlJJt8_kalyeV65f1cypXs5lE/s200/mult12.png" width="150" /></a>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-39089210674486038512012-09-24T18:38:00.001-07:002012-09-24T18:41:45.314-07:00Give and TakeIn my previous post, I discussed different ways of teaching addition with regrouping. One strategy I teach is the Give and Take Method. It allows students to completely avoid regrouping by getting one of the addends to the nearest ten. And whatever they give they have to take from the other addend. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxT3PzC2OksJJkXIPgun7kfJmVWCz2w7zASZJctkiWBhF-joPLrnDzEge7k19xyd4_ZvZpUNeZ9ec4-m6IuB3OM9Lk0-Ij1W-2lk9ZiADeyUXmYlluZANYjqYgPAfvcC8Vrh7bY1yzyU/s1600/addwrg3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxT3PzC2OksJJkXIPgun7kfJmVWCz2w7zASZJctkiWBhF-joPLrnDzEge7k19xyd4_ZvZpUNeZ9ec4-m6IuB3OM9Lk0-Ij1W-2lk9ZiADeyUXmYlluZANYjqYgPAfvcC8Vrh7bY1yzyU/s320/addwrg3.png" width="320" /></a>The first step is to look in the ones place. Decide which digit is closer to a ten. In the example, it is the 8. What do you add to 8 to get it to the next tens number? 2. If you add 2 to the 8, then you have to take 2 from the 4. Now look at your new problem. You can solve it without regrouping. The method works really well with 2 digit numbers. I use it with kids who have trouble remembering to regroup or add in the ten that was regrouped. I also use it as a way to check problems that have been worked out using a different strategy. Plus, it gives kids extra practice with addition and allows some practice with mental math. After a while, many use this method to work problems out in their heads.<br />
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To introduce and review tens bonds, I show the following video. It is a favorite of my students! We watch it over and over again. It warms them up for this strategy and makes it so much easier. Check it out!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XpoFxwKBwE8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XpoFxwKBwE8" width="420"></iframe><br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-52698320630778267142012-09-23T16:38:00.001-07:002012-09-23T16:48:41.165-07:00Awesome AdditionWow! We have come along way from when we were growing up and learning how to add. When we were learning facts, we were just told to memorize. You didn't need to know why 4 + 3=7. All you needed to know was that it was 7! You just learned your facts. <br />
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Then when we moved to adding 2 and 3 digit numbers, all we knew was that we stacked up the numbers and remembered those facts. If there was a number bigger than 9 in a position, we "carried" the other number to the next place. No one explained why. No one told us that the 1 in 12 was really 10 ones that could be regrouped into 1 ten and then that is why it was moved to the tens place. <br />
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Now we not only teach kids this but we expect them to be able to convey it on state and national tests. We no longer want to know that 53 + 29 is 82. We want to know "how did you find that answer", or "what method did you use to solve your problem", or "how did you use mental math to help you".<br />
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In other words, students must be able to show the "how" and the "why" and not just the "what". The problem is that anyone who has been teaching more than five years never learned how to teaach like this. All we know is the "old school" algorithm. <br />
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Through out my thirteen years of teaching, I have been criticised for teaching students using unconventional methods, especially when it comes to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Teachers have told me that kids have to know how to do it the traditional way! Why? Does it say it in a standard somewhere? Oh, it is in the book? Well, guess what...math books are becoming obsolete...so you might want to stop resting on your laurels and the way we have always done it and spread your wings a little bit. <br />
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I have created 2 different PowerPoint presentations on <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-with-Regrouping-PowerPoint-Presentation" target="_blank">Addition With Regrouping</a> and <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Without-Regrouping-PowerPoint-Presentation" target="_blank">Addition Without Regrouping</a>. These presentation include many different strategies for adding numbers, like drawing the problem out, expanded form, branching, a method called Give and Take, and even...Old School. You can see my <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPpnHFzl-q0mqP5RWIwJ6FQKwTfcaBoEUwYNYdcJrlU46B4LgT634pOtbw_QoOrqtQ2XtC8x2IH96c4UA5cqvYEhtkJb4rAlk689jTJHz9vXsjGYRY-SFRrqt7Hzsrh2k79qOr4Re-Vo/s1600/addworg2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPpnHFzl-q0mqP5RWIwJ6FQKwTfcaBoEUwYNYdcJrlU46B4LgT634pOtbw_QoOrqtQ2XtC8x2IH96c4UA5cqvYEhtkJb4rAlk689jTJHz9vXsjGYRY-SFRrqt7Hzsrh2k79qOr4Re-Vo/s200/addworg2.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPltI1VI3TQKzIJRTo_JApg8UHN2QFcNQZKM6TI9dGoCOob7iO06YM8939J0CSr51yMRJp1s2PKASXvWLXBTp1Vsg3L_0Qd5JngCOCw24LD-xp0FYFiDLncC2z1-8fIDcDokt8pLQu6U/s1600/addworg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPltI1VI3TQKzIJRTo_JApg8UHN2QFcNQZKM6TI9dGoCOob7iO06YM8939J0CSr51yMRJp1s2PKASXvWLXBTp1Vsg3L_0Qd5JngCOCw24LD-xp0FYFiDLncC2z1-8fIDcDokt8pLQu6U/s200/addworg.png" width="200" /></a> </div>
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I have also created a packet entitled <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Autumn-Addition-Lessons-and-Printables" target="_blank">Autumn Addition</a> that includes lessons on each method of addition without regrouping. It includes printables, rules, games, and more!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUMHaHPkmJmhlaHaJxc8MNzYqd6GOu-W-7DJdNtpRtje231HSvDK1jKivW0aoi7tssxN4iUJ7_90RKG3QPuib0hsXBZVPhFIAACo82iy-uj2yLuIER6_DUT7wc7OzPtcKdy2TdGZfvh4/s1600/addworg3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUMHaHPkmJmhlaHaJxc8MNzYqd6GOu-W-7DJdNtpRtje231HSvDK1jKivW0aoi7tssxN4iUJ7_90RKG3QPuib0hsXBZVPhFIAACo82iy-uj2yLuIER6_DUT7wc7OzPtcKdy2TdGZfvh4/s400/addworg3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, I have created a unit for teaching addition without regrouping entitled <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Game-On-Addition-with-Regrouping-Unit-Plan-and-Activities" target="_blank">Game On:Addition with Regrouping</a>. It includes lessons on each of the methods of branching, drawing, expanded form, give and take and old school. It has printables, activities, games, and songs to make learning about the "how" and "why" of addition with regrouping engaging and fun!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbZaG-6_VuFVXuc1sZnaASIYy1Qt9gUovHuvkt42XCRJHSpjoRoCf-Mo8aZ-DVpcPTSSO6ocT0dodpLfvNTt1NGCVzay1GbOliiVBWqmbiYqJXAeOTY0ZwiK5tNRaVph324li33wr6sc/s1600/addwrg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbZaG-6_VuFVXuc1sZnaASIYy1Qt9gUovHuvkt42XCRJHSpjoRoCf-Mo8aZ-DVpcPTSSO6ocT0dodpLfvNTt1NGCVzay1GbOliiVBWqmbiYqJXAeOTY0ZwiK5tNRaVph324li33wr6sc/s320/addwrg.png" width="241" /></a></div>
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<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-54352719504118279442012-09-13T17:15:00.004-07:002012-09-13T17:15:51.749-07:00Happy Birthday, Johnny Appleseed!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsM_1ThlW6qGii0Ojgg-A9TaVEKr4H1ZTvWJ14dTmmFbmkScIXkf8ZvCthsMuw3ClVpwtRnoe0ljUBL_VbdQK58NYKpP-KfN5NYekzhPOLbGTa5meQ6CBn_tb7cITwI2Pb1Mx9N5zVge4/s1600/Johnny1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsM_1ThlW6qGii0Ojgg-A9TaVEKr4H1ZTvWJ14dTmmFbmkScIXkf8ZvCthsMuw3ClVpwtRnoe0ljUBL_VbdQK58NYKpP-KfN5NYekzhPOLbGTa5meQ6CBn_tb7cITwI2Pb1Mx9N5zVge4/s200/Johnny1.png" width="153" /></a>Every year, I love when fall comes to town. Football, leaves, cooler weather, Halloween, and Johnny Appleseed. I know that sounds like an odd thing to get exceited about but Johnny Appleseed Day is one of my students' most favorite days.<br />
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We dedicate the whole day to Johnny and his Apples. We do art projects, make applesauce, weigh and measure apples, research, read books about Johnny, and even have an Applicious Party at the end of the day complete with caramel apples, Apple Jacks, apple chips, apple pie and much more. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7_1NSvMvE3Dj0bdzB8qiNMS7PYoF0FJgy5ZwVYafBItzljQg1fVECTnIrMPS2v1wZeYguPknRlZ4delAGtUe14tGmtMp5oRsk185m0LVCyIZUKydmrct0ddTQJQaFew1qV3W-Xh4eKk/s1600/johnny4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7_1NSvMvE3Dj0bdzB8qiNMS7PYoF0FJgy5ZwVYafBItzljQg1fVECTnIrMPS2v1wZeYguPknRlZ4delAGtUe14tGmtMp5oRsk185m0LVCyIZUKydmrct0ddTQJQaFew1qV3W-Xh4eKk/s200/johnny4.png" width="153" /></a>I have always had an assortment of activities and printables that I have acquired throughout the years. Most were great activities but they had just started to fade. Others needed a little vamping up. So I have created a whole new Thematic Plan to make for one sensational Johnny Appleseed Day. <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Happy-Birthday-Johnny-Appleseed-Unit-on-Celebrating-Johnny-Appleseed" target="_blank">Check them out at my TpT store.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEJmxRXP4BdH8wclWHZHt-A8UFA8cF6g0JeAtO2hqDy8uPXLTKm47RM3KuRDRrVZf-rliKxCdC03JvVEzt4W0NCEYsSPjsO4p3ymbNMY8k_27D_phE1nvWQgGqjZ4APfHuTx2X0MPMkw/s1600/johnny15.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEJmxRXP4BdH8wclWHZHt-A8UFA8cF6g0JeAtO2hqDy8uPXLTKm47RM3KuRDRrVZf-rliKxCdC03JvVEzt4W0NCEYsSPjsO4p3ymbNMY8k_27D_phE1nvWQgGqjZ4APfHuTx2X0MPMkw/s200/johnny15.png" width="150" /></a>There is an expository writing lesson on How to Make Applesauce. A Bushel Full of Math Centers sends kids exploring apples in whole new way by weighing, sinking, measuring, researching, drawing...and so much more. They will read a folktale about A Little Red House and create a comic strip about the story's events. Next they get to travel through Johnny the United States and create a graphic organizer about his life. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRpDKPPCvDCZmMDhy65jz-lQ1ryZz73tCWy28BS2rd2C-ECYXr3Gd22svcnc_f73ZoiRria6LpXWUJWP0V6-eh4qerLkcbrNN49LH2GOpP0gI4sRQhEajK4fBzv4XWU6y_EUyGbTufeU/s1600/johnny8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRpDKPPCvDCZmMDhy65jz-lQ1ryZz73tCWy28BS2rd2C-ECYXr3Gd22svcnc_f73ZoiRria6LpXWUJWP0V6-eh4qerLkcbrNN49LH2GOpP0gI4sRQhEajK4fBzv4XWU6y_EUyGbTufeU/s200/johnny8.png" width="148" /></a><br />
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Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-24637015751170798212012-08-29T17:43:00.001-07:002012-08-29T17:43:40.127-07:00Singing Across the Curriculum<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJdwZToBkCiA69-clTgHcCIw5qPk8laWgR3rbQs0d7wu-H677sZW-e53u5dDG8D1iNDFeFK2p98f_x2hOQH7TNq_3a9swlbQTea_7jipqcyVf9y10R6PJsGBcn04BS9u0Dd9ZnGFsGzA/s1600/Zero+the+Hero.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJdwZToBkCiA69-clTgHcCIw5qPk8laWgR3rbQs0d7wu-H677sZW-e53u5dDG8D1iNDFeFK2p98f_x2hOQH7TNq_3a9swlbQTea_7jipqcyVf9y10R6PJsGBcn04BS9u0Dd9ZnGFsGzA/s200/Zero+the+Hero.png" width="154" /></a>Since my first year teaching all those long (13) years ago, I have always tried to make learning fun. One way I have accomplished this is to integrate singing, rapping, and cheering into all of my classes across the curriculum.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">These songs are a staple for my math class. We literally sing at least 4 of them every day. They have become an asset when </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">teaching rounding, place value, number forms, problem solving, estimation, subtraction, multiplying by multiples of tens, and much, much more. </span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88kL3OSDLzQ50GNzVbbe4KBw0Yh6TBtfbnL5fSKy7xJ3jjTpztLPuiUxRlea01AFhRnbtf7tyotYR7fBzi19JD7nYtzCf7tQhtWfZLD7JL28fQK-Z1JbXPxfbmevLfrKB8dpMxgJWlPo/s1600/Estimation+Song.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88kL3OSDLzQ50GNzVbbe4KBw0Yh6TBtfbnL5fSKy7xJ3jjTpztLPuiUxRlea01AFhRnbtf7tyotYR7fBzi19JD7nYtzCf7tQhtWfZLD7JL28fQK-Z1JbXPxfbmevLfrKB8dpMxgJWlPo/s200/Estimation+Song.png" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">We “Sing Across the Curriculum” not only to make learning fun and engage students in learning, but also so that students can use their songs to help them solve problems. Nothing makes me happier than when students are taking a test and I can hear them quietly singing their songs!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">I have just posted my first edition of "Singing Across the Curriculum: Math Songs-Numbers and Operations". It includes my favorite songs that help my students in numbers and operations. Most of them former students had a part in making up! </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Singing-Across-the-Curriculum-Math-Songs-for-Numbers-Operations" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Check them out at my TpT store.<span id="goog_344733018"></span><span id="goog_344733019"></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are some of my kids having fun with them!</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxspRLmu3cpfsC6aS4AO4OcKiAdSSexzd115L0Nx5irPUZwM_uvlsaxae0cHAG3GXoUPCxs2Dlb7Z8s-aoo5Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span id="goog_94161330"></span><span id="goog_94161331"></span></span>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-23037339775196729362012-08-26T18:08:00.001-07:002012-08-26T18:08:00.880-07:00Pirate Place Value<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcGbXOOKI9UjISqOKVO_W_U_u-GSt_GXgQiMY3PENasbz3ZzG9lgu4foWaSbnWODbxW2YASys7ZcdZe_ios5DCSpzOWdqbap2WkA-y8iyNeLTZBs6glcP7vKnLgp1DvxzZx8G_TlG68o/s1600/pirate-on-board.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcGbXOOKI9UjISqOKVO_W_U_u-GSt_GXgQiMY3PENasbz3ZzG9lgu4foWaSbnWODbxW2YASys7ZcdZe_ios5DCSpzOWdqbap2WkA-y8iyNeLTZBs6glcP7vKnLgp1DvxzZx8G_TlG68o/s200/pirate-on-board.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
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Place Value is the most important concept students learn in any grade. Without the mastery of place value, students will struggle with every other concept. It is always the first concept I teach each year, and throughout the years I have acquired many strategies, methods, and activities to aid students in learning about place value. </div>
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I utilize many strategies from Singapore Math along with methods and techiniques that I have developed myself throughout the year. One of those methods is teaching students a unique song I developed one year, 9 years ago, after being in complete desperation with my students lack of mastery of the concept. So I created this song and taught kids to point at the places in numbers while singing which allowed them to identify the place where digits sat in a number. I still use this method in my classroom today!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdf6pK0moWcmLtK-sGntV7yAxasO5rdMbObIs9AY4UukV_J57Zof3Dqnqp6BtIKkVeY3rGaU0LSfvzbLrmjzmcjDtuCr8Bs9Cve_fzwAWfhZrAoHvJTts-yEJ4Q18sTmXFvauecvIh3iw/s1600/pv7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdf6pK0moWcmLtK-sGntV7yAxasO5rdMbObIs9AY4UukV_J57Zof3Dqnqp6BtIKkVeY3rGaU0LSfvzbLrmjzmcjDtuCr8Bs9Cve_fzwAWfhZrAoHvJTts-yEJ4Q18sTmXFvauecvIh3iw/s200/pv7.png" width="151" /></a></div>
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In the last few years I created a PowerPoint presentation that took students through place value by focusing first on identifying the places where digits sit in a number and then using that knowledge to help determine the value of a digit because of where it sits in a number. You can check out my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Learning-Place-Value-PowerPoint-Presentation" target="_blank">Learning Place Value PowerPoint Presentation</a> at my TpT store.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0RUgr2DXeNAy_pE8RIa7TutsZZWCi81nRrnvLSP3HkqhwEr22RRwu4QYPyJChHBsOqLDKR5V7aLmOwa1dJlhNbvctKkI66bdmuyDvxW3ObEcxaVfmCNqEJvSn5savjSGtWxK5KbVT1Q/s1600/learningplacevalue4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0RUgr2DXeNAy_pE8RIa7TutsZZWCi81nRrnvLSP3HkqhwEr22RRwu4QYPyJChHBsOqLDKR5V7aLmOwa1dJlhNbvctKkI66bdmuyDvxW3ObEcxaVfmCNqEJvSn5savjSGtWxK5KbVT1Q/s200/learningplacevalue4.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAL2JYg2iDtCL9n2vAYUUwcmHnJxEjmefaeSABdvTlvVj6I6CMzZzTxbsD2fAaBBoRjJulbESfPkG_zbpS9rKpbr1OY2y3j0k36bPViN3TJG0VT1S2f1wM8I2hhMgV1hqkYtvEpuDpv8/s1600/learning+placevalue.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAL2JYg2iDtCL9n2vAYUUwcmHnJxEjmefaeSABdvTlvVj6I6CMzZzTxbsD2fAaBBoRjJulbESfPkG_zbpS9rKpbr1OY2y3j0k36bPViN3TJG0VT1S2f1wM8I2hhMgV1hqkYtvEpuDpv8/s200/learning+placevalue.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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This year I changed the theme in my room to P.I.R.A.T.E.S. Prepared, Informed, Responsible, and Truly Engaged Students. So how better to begin math than with a Place Value unit with a Pirate theme. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2JtQIAsR5vwOcSpYlxZXxyZEFvIbwEFx3wB6oBnbqItYzjIcqrm0ifjHefCqJxcTOJuOuH8turiXsQIdo4XQJr8oGuJJZ4XTI0Lh4zoJAdIO07ajuUqaTXWwKH6JuuqEPWAzuVlWDzQ/s1600/pv8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2JtQIAsR5vwOcSpYlxZXxyZEFvIbwEFx3wB6oBnbqItYzjIcqrm0ifjHefCqJxcTOJuOuH8turiXsQIdo4XQJr8oGuJJZ4XTI0Lh4zoJAdIO07ajuUqaTXWwKH6JuuqEPWAzuVlWDzQ/s200/pv8.png" width="152" /></a></div>
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The packet includes a place value chart, activities, student notes, practice sheets, and a matching game. I used it in my classroom this past week and it is an awesome resource. Coupled with my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Learning-Place-Value-PowerPoint-Presentation" target="_blank">Learning Place Value PowerPoint</a> presentation it ensured the success of all of the 75 students I teach in mastering the concept of place value. Check out <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pirate-Place-Value-Packet" target="_blank">Pirate Place Value</a> at my TpT store. </div>
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<a href="http://tricksoftheteachingtrade.blogspot.com/2012/02/learning-place-value.html" target="_blank">Check out my favorite videos and other activities.</a></div>
<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-86948605147145139082012-08-20T17:29:00.000-07:002012-08-20T17:29:34.577-07:00Call Me Maybe-Teachers' EditionOne of our local churches hosted Back to School Blue Jean Sunday and wanted to show that teachers can have fun, too! We had so much fun creating the video and were happy to be apart of something so positive. Hope you enjoy it!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw9NxqQ6DV49LQDkmOSSYjkYY3Wv2Yzpec8dI5G8kgezRTGk9wD4YRUJAp98k93MNI7VfIL7yklpJ09ktHX7g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-39081591707201844452012-08-19T05:27:00.002-07:002012-08-19T05:27:51.761-07:00Scrunchy BorderOne of the most almost things I found on Pinterest this summer was the "Scrunchy Border"! It is so simple and looks soooooo amazing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-G9b55wRID81nNenTmh2lv6eV0s4cSRRROnpIH5khw89gcN9FnFDOBFDrs1hKbCsRJpgWEhYY0Q-cMiFiCcV1Sm1dFNKTdbQhS_8RuSTtRm1rTdqrDuJLmwMKtDM5ii6unAsukFIpiBM/s1600/securedownload+(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-G9b55wRID81nNenTmh2lv6eV0s4cSRRROnpIH5khw89gcN9FnFDOBFDrs1hKbCsRJpgWEhYY0Q-cMiFiCcV1Sm1dFNKTdbQhS_8RuSTtRm1rTdqrDuJLmwMKtDM5ii6unAsukFIpiBM/s320/securedownload+(2).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The 3-D affect is so cool. It adds alot of flare and style to my classroom, and seeing as I am a "little" dramatic that is important!<br />
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So here is how you do it:<br />
1. All you need is butcher paper, scissors, and staples<br />
2. Get 6 or more feet of butcher paper<br />
3. Cut it into strips that are about 5-6 inches wide<br />
4. Fold it accordin style (my kids did this part)<br />
5. Scrunch it all up like you are about to throw it away<br />
6. Start in a corner staple and then scrunch<br />
7. Continue stapling and then scrunching all the way around the board<br />
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Easy Breezy!Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-72820228941195121512012-08-19T05:15:00.002-07:002012-08-19T05:38:30.586-07:00Time for a ChangeAfter shuffling classrooms and grades for the first part of my teaching career (for the first 6 years I was either in a different classroom, different grade, or a different school all but 1 year), I have finally been in the same room and same grade for going on 8 years. This is both good and bad.<br />
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Doing the same thing for so long allows you to become an expert at what you are doing. You figure out what works and what doesn't. You perfect your teaching strategies for the concepts you teach. You learn from your students so that you can better teach future students.<br />
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But you CAN also become complacent and even lazy. For this reason, many principals like to perform "Topsy Turvy Turnovers" where they mix everything and everyone up.<br />
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I would not say I have become complacent or lazy with the way I teach (definitely not), but I think I had with my classroom design and decorations. I used to change themes and decor every year. However, I have had the theme of "Mrs. Hill's All Star T.E.A.M:Together Everyone Achieves More" for the last 5 years. It was a great theme that served every student I taught and lent itself to lessons on teamwork and goal setting. But it was time for a change.<br />
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So at the end of the last year, I cleaned out my room, dejunked my cabinets, and began a complete renovation of my classroom. I painted all of the bookcases and storage units black, whereas before they were all differing colors of wood grain. I also hired someone to repaint the walls and trim a cheerful yellow trimmed with a clean, bright white, whereas they were light blue walls with a dark blue trim.<br />
The change in color did amazing things to change the feel and mood of the room. It is so cheerful that it makes you smile when you walk in! The new color coupled with black, white, and red decor lends itself to so many themes. I love the scrunchy border! <a href="http://tricksoftheteachingtrade.blogspot.com/2012/08/scrunchy-border.html" target="_blank">Check out how I made it!</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM57C0ClU1YgYYbHuR2km0bdEM_lpc6lkOZlw86QflbVLzll_CkKhgUUO0Yu-MEBJAdT-nVTvEGoNc9aGs8a9isM1P6kFi7f5ZplDfmPTBOt3LAPzKJ2jIUFFQFusIXdpz8waWg-uhL8/s1600/securedownload+(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM57C0ClU1YgYYbHuR2km0bdEM_lpc6lkOZlw86QflbVLzll_CkKhgUUO0Yu-MEBJAdT-nVTvEGoNc9aGs8a9isM1P6kFi7f5ZplDfmPTBOt3LAPzKJ2jIUFFQFusIXdpz8waWg-uhL8/s320/securedownload+(2).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My theme this year is P.I.R.A.T.E.S: Prepared Informed Responsible and Truly Engaged Students. I have added all kinds of pirate accessories from Oriental Trading, Hobby Lobby, Target, and Big Lots. It has definitely been a complete overhaul and I thank Pinterest for inspiration!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHngkv51HTuCSkwrWA1hCakbTclJJQ_3Q-vn-ClbWpEM79SZ8aM3VLuXH8i38vu9fFnXpTr8-2ksVvv3V148X62HGeImIJ5zKw15ptWXXds16pcLj9gZ7ugjwtxdGr0beyfut4s6tKcRE/s1600/securedownload+(4).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHngkv51HTuCSkwrWA1hCakbTclJJQ_3Q-vn-ClbWpEM79SZ8aM3VLuXH8i38vu9fFnXpTr8-2ksVvv3V148X62HGeImIJ5zKw15ptWXXds16pcLj9gZ7ugjwtxdGr0beyfut4s6tKcRE/s200/securedownload+(4).jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FtSf3HE3o7OmAKWOHwNMYzhcQQalqjj-tr94JPKKJZgWHFjQmCuxnTyshA7vHn-eP4cQnLYuWADeJNo-YxlxZbaUS-k321wZKmdZBM2F4sODMcXyT1bzDiYL9Hd9j0_2kdrebc5ex24/s1600/securedownload+(3).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FtSf3HE3o7OmAKWOHwNMYzhcQQalqjj-tr94JPKKJZgWHFjQmCuxnTyshA7vHn-eP4cQnLYuWADeJNo-YxlxZbaUS-k321wZKmdZBM2F4sODMcXyT1bzDiYL9Hd9j0_2kdrebc5ex24/s200/securedownload+(3).jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Even the outside of my room was completely redecorated so that it would draw kids in from the hallway. <a href="http://tricksoftheteachingtrade.blogspot.com/2012/08/pirates-ahoy.html" target="_blank">Check it out!</a><br />
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<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-85991761689025143502012-08-07T17:50:00.001-07:002012-08-07T17:50:11.487-07:00Getting to Know You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.hickman.k12tn.net/UserFiles/Servers/Server_3052732/Image/News/schoolbus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://www.hickman.k12tn.net/UserFiles/Servers/Server_3052732/Image/News/schoolbus.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="189" /></a></div>
There are two days until the first day of school. My how the summer has flown by! But I am so ready. Not quite ready for the big reveal of my completely redone, revamped, and refurbished room...maybe tomorrow. <br />
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Seeing as I have 2 days, I thought I might need to start planning my first day of school:) I, of course, spend time teaching the rules, going over rituals and routines, and modeling procedures. We act out appropriate and inappropriate behavior. We practice coming in to the classroom correctly and leaving properly. We will even have a mock fire and tornado drill. <br />
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All of these things are important. However, I also like to have a little fun and provide some inspiration. Therefore, there are 2 activities that I always do on the first day of school:<br />
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1. I play the M&M game.<br />
<a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQBmkxizo-cpeWBeKn-d6vSEiY4l2HgZEjRkiQBjIWPMa5VueyiWHKQF_C10w" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" id="il_fi" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQBmkxizo-cpeWBeKn-d6vSEiY4l2HgZEjRkiQBjIWPMa5VueyiWHKQF_C10w" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" /></a><br />
Each child gets a pack of M&M's. They separate out their favorite color from the bunch. They are allowed to eat the other M&M's but not the ones that are their favorite color. For instance, if they choose blue, they eat everything but the blue ones. Then we go around the room and for each M&M they have that is their favorite color they have to tell that many things about themselves. For example: If they have 4 blue, they tell 4 things. This is a great way to learn some basic information, find out what kinds of things are important to each student, and you will get extra points for letting them eat candy!<br />
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2. I always read <u>Oh, the Places You'll Go</u> by Dr. Seuss. <br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/Oh,_the_Places_You'll_Go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/Oh,_the_Places_You'll_Go.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="144" /></a>This is the last activity of each of my classes on the first day of school, and it is so inspirational. As I read we talk about the meanings of choices and plans, and how there will be times when things are great and times when they are so low that you feel you will never get up. I still get chills every time I read it. I want my students to leave my room feeling inspired about their new year, and feeling like they can accomplish anything. It is also the last thing we do for the school year. We perform it as a reader's theater at our end of the year program.<br />
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What are your first day of school traditions? Have you found any new things on blogs or Pinterest that you plan on adding in this year? Do share!!Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-2477299293418407502012-08-05T17:09:00.000-07:002012-08-05T17:09:01.723-07:00School Supplies<br />
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What do you do with all of the school supplies your students bring in at the beginning of the year? On our grade level's school supply list this year, we ask students to bring in:<br />
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2 boxes of pencils<br />
2 packs of paper<br />
1 3-ring binder<br />
1 package of dividers<br />
2 packages of Expo markers<br />
Clorox wipes<br />
Germ X<br />
Tissue<br />
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We use to ask for glue, crayons, and scissors, but these are uncertain economic times and we are trying to help parents out. We ordered these with our supplies.<br />
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The question is what do you do with all of the supplies kids bring in? I don't know about your classroom, but mine is usually overrun on the first day of school with supplies. I have piles of tissue boxes, paper, pencils, Germ X . . . and my classroom has little, more like no storage.<br />
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I team teach with two other ladies and we all have different ways of dealing with the abundance of supplies:<br />
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1. Have the students take everything home, except the hand sanitizer, tissue, and wipes and let them bring in stuff as they need it.<br />
(I tried that before but needless to say the stuff never made it back to school and I ended up supplying things from Christmas to the end of the year).<br />
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2. Have supply cubbies for each student and let them keep all of their supplies there to pull out when needed.<br />
<a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRR5_Y8jWXwx6iF5jqAeZEOt9bvPYtgnJ1Ghf3n5-pjNnBdYLCX93BbG6k0" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRR5_Y8jWXwx6iF5jqAeZEOt9bvPYtgnJ1Ghf3n5-pjNnBdYLCX93BbG6k0" /></a>(This sounds like a good idea. The problem I have is that I don't have cubbies and what about those kids who never, ever bring in supplies. Do they just not have paper?)<br />
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3. This final one is my solution. I take up everything, except for the binders and dividers. I have storage bins where I keep all of the paper, markers, and pencils. Once they bring it in, it now belongs to the class. When someone needs paper, they just go to the bin and get some. We don't have a discussion. I don't get aggravated about them not having supplies, and they don't get embarrassed because their parents never bought them any. They just go get what they need when they need it.<br />
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I did this last year and actually have an abundance of supplies left over. I only had to ask students to bring in Expo markers during the year, and that is only because we use them all day long.<br />
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So what is your solution? What do you do with all of the supplies?<br />
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<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-37400235502963866732012-08-03T13:27:00.001-07:002012-08-03T14:04:41.602-07:00Pirates Ahoy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ahoy Mateys! We are diving into the Seven Seas this year. I have worked harder this summer than I ever have including the multitude of summers that I moved classrooms or changed schools. The teachers in my grade level got so creative! The teacher across the hallway for me is doing owls and another is doing a rainbow theme. </div>
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A noticeble change was my outside. Before I had a sports theme complete with a football field, soccer net, and goal posts. Now it has transformed into the Seven Seas! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyPBGvRyPcncLP0J5s1AdQ5o7YkzfxGnzBR8mY_HlUkAtoAP1SVkq3Iwh90okJ7tk2xqKUcUAQ-CxS03QtpMg5mWKrIyUi0EhWZotSnvma95kHzjlKpQa-ns-eMpplAvy8qjO8cmrpuo/s640/blogger-image-105508695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyPBGvRyPcncLP0J5s1AdQ5o7YkzfxGnzBR8mY_HlUkAtoAP1SVkq3Iwh90okJ7tk2xqKUcUAQ-CxS03QtpMg5mWKrIyUi0EhWZotSnvma95kHzjlKpQa-ns-eMpplAvy8qjO8cmrpuo/s320/blogger-image-105508695.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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My theme this year is P.I.R.A.T.E.S. It stands for Prepared, Informed, Responsible, and Truly Engaged Students. The door was turned into a pirate ship with cute little pirate wall stickers, butcher paper, and a lot of hot glue. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThYagAugB-Ni52Zun79wmjkwTAFThMEYvntZkeACmq_tkx4urRE7Sr5k2CN912tV3ZkbXpS2iio5zb-FhAd9Y8TpfF4Fw_OP9dY2-aYi-ft5NByIJk6vLcQh8ucLwMBlH-Qd4q9512YM/s640/blogger-image--2105419376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThYagAugB-Ni52Zun79wmjkwTAFThMEYvntZkeACmq_tkx4urRE7Sr5k2CN912tV3ZkbXpS2iio5zb-FhAd9Y8TpfF4Fw_OP9dY2-aYi-ft5NByIJk6vLcQh8ucLwMBlH-Qd4q9512YM/s320/blogger-image--2105419376.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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The walls on the outside are part of a 100 year old building that have been wallpapered about a bazillion times and convienently act as a cork board. Therefore I was able to staple a phenomenal water bulletin board paper that I found at Hobby Lobby (best store ever) for $8.99 for a 12 foot roll. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41OzcTAVmuu5ue6rlLavgWBN2CVZHSAE-b2ooNIuwQnCdMI6tBG2LAQuEiXOPxaOY7UtKvR8jTDa4Pl_TyR79c-M7635PBDwvQZlhnHJnMR6lMOgLrt4iZY_vtKLUZdXSyfNUuXUULME/s640/blogger-image-798712921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41OzcTAVmuu5ue6rlLavgWBN2CVZHSAE-b2ooNIuwQnCdMI6tBG2LAQuEiXOPxaOY7UtKvR8jTDa4Pl_TyR79c-M7635PBDwvQZlhnHJnMR6lMOgLrt4iZY_vtKLUZdXSyfNUuXUULME/s320/blogger-image-798712921.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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I added fishing net that I boaught from Oriental Trading for $12.00 for a whole-heck-of-a-lot of it! The pirate banner was $8.50 for 100 feet!!! I will never use all of it! Then I added foam swords(I found them in the dollar section of Target) that I glued the students' names to. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijM7ksvZbQ0bs1Xx-gi8r8z5SXDoWte5yydPg9X50GyCkXMi00eIqKoFKUtj5yqJbo7vgWu5QjxXPmArWbYEF299vPk__EZe4jH1YBl0jyyZPmXTCByWZoi4i88_HB-edSx0pXWvyzJAA/s640/blogger-image--894004694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijM7ksvZbQ0bs1Xx-gi8r8z5SXDoWte5yydPg9X50GyCkXMi00eIqKoFKUtj5yqJbo7vgWu5QjxXPmArWbYEF299vPk__EZe4jH1YBl0jyyZPmXTCByWZoi4i88_HB-edSx0pXWvyzJAA/s320/blogger-image--894004694.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The finishing touch was this sign that I created using Microsoft Publisher and will soon post as a free product in <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Tricks-Of-The-Trade" target="_blank">my TpT store</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjEqrL9xtWaP4oZrgvrIzxyGZE1jZ4eiuIqnv7B2YAUDF_tOzyTHSyZJ4DO7omEpGwQAUIZVT4FtGp70fcVuA6mEvwV19vzQFfjZoe79-DSoxxKT3UrX5sm1UgjQmynoY7Tz5LoX2mCQ/s640/blogger-image-342298073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjEqrL9xtWaP4oZrgvrIzxyGZE1jZ4eiuIqnv7B2YAUDF_tOzyTHSyZJ4DO7omEpGwQAUIZVT4FtGp70fcVuA6mEvwV19vzQFfjZoe79-DSoxxKT3UrX5sm1UgjQmynoY7Tz5LoX2mCQ/s320/blogger-image-342298073.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-64612822585002547032012-07-25T17:45:00.000-07:002012-07-25T17:45:02.825-07:00Videos, Games, and Resources...Oh My!<a href="http://media-cache-ec3.pinterest.com/upload/161144492887324006_Ax6wObCV_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Funny Teacher Week Ecard: Don't tell me teachers don't work in the summer. Real teachers work all summer.... even if it is Pinning classroom ideas on Pinterest. Sounds like prof. development to me!" border="0" height="224" src="http://media-cache-ec3.pinterest.com/upload/161144492887324006_Ax6wObCV_f.jpg" width="320" /></a>For the last two days, I have been at a curriculum workshop. You know the kind...one that could be very helpful if you were allowed to do what you needed to do instead of filling in forms that someone else feels that you need to do.. I am not saying it was a waste of time, but there is only so much that 7 people with differing opinions can do when you are having to type into one document.<br />
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So while a couple of us were transferring our work to the aforementioned document, I started searching for electronic resources. I am not one to use "the book". In fact, last year my children <span style="background-color: white;">never even opened "the book", and I am toying with the idea of not even handing "the book" out this year. I am not judging people who choose to use "the book", to each his own. It is just not for me, and is obviously not for my county since this is the year we are supposed to adopt a new math series and we are opting out. </span><br />
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<a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSfdA2J2eh8qeOEnh2jPuziKs1h60j1j8fbRfnif400mWUqgPStPxzZ3PU9" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSfdA2J2eh8qeOEnh2jPuziKs1h60j1j8fbRfnif400mWUqgPStPxzZ3PU9" width="175" /></a><br />
My point is....<br />
there are phenomenal resources out there for people who do not use "the book" or who would like <span style="background-color: white;">to supplement "the book's" resources. I am all for not reinventing the wheel, so I was very pleased to find websites where some wonderful, amazing, brilliant, and generous individuals and systems have listed and hyper-linked a variety of resources ranging from worksheets to videos to game to SMART board activities to ....anything under the sun that one may use to enhance the mathematical education of children instead of just using .....wait for it....."the book".</span><br />
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Here are some of the "Mother Loads" that I found:<br />
(I tried to give credit where credit is due)<br />
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<img src="http://visalia.k12.ca.us/techcoach/images/VUSD.jpg" />
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<a href="http://visalia.k12.ca.us/techcoach/thirdgrade.htm">http://visalia.k12.ca.us/techcoach/thirdgrade.htm</a>
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<a href="http://www.elcerritowire.com/3/math.htm">http://www.elcerritowire.com/3/math.htm</a>
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Thank you, Rockingham!<br />
<a href="http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/resources/elementary/3math.htm">http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/resources/elementary/3math.htm</a>
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Thank you, Lee Summit School District<br />
<a href="http://mae.leesummit.k12.mo.us/kprideaux/math.htm">http://mae.leesummit.k12.mo.us/kprideaux/math.htm</a><br />
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<img alt="Home" height="34" src="http://www.mathlearningcenter.org/files/mlc_logo.png" width="200" />
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<a href="http://www.mathlearningcenter.org/resources/materials/parents/parents3">http://www.mathlearningcenter.org/resources/materials/parents/parents3</a>
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<img alt="Home - HomeschoolMath.net" src="http://www.homeschoolmath.net/images/header/header_02n_crop.jpg" />
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<a href="http://www.homeschoolmath.net/worksheets/grade_3.php">http://www.homeschoolmath.net/worksheets/grade_3.php</a>
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<img alt="Math Projects" src="http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/images/mathprojectscover.jpg" />
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<a href="http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/3rd-grade-number-activities.html" style="background-color: white;">http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/3rd-grade-number-activities.html</a><br />
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<img alt="Oakdale Joint Unified School District | Oakdale, CA" height="31" src="http://www.oakdale.k12.ca.us/images/assets/top-banner-ojusd-inside.jpg" width="200" />
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<a href="http://www.oakdale.k12.ca.us/parents-and-students/MathResources/03/MathResourcesGames3.htm">http://www.oakdale.k12.ca.us/parents-and-students/MathResources/03/MathResourcesGames3.htm</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I can't help but include my own brilliant resources that I put together for my parents!</span></div>
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<img alt="Picture" src="http://mrshillsallstars.weebly.com/uploads/8/6/5/8/8658793/5962441.jpg?107" />
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<a href="http://mrshillsallstars.weebly.com/">http://mrshillsallstars.weebly.com/</a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are tons more resources out there, so get to exploring them!!</span>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-12250382363839448152012-06-13T14:49:00.003-07:002012-06-13T14:49:42.118-07:00Take a Penny and Take Regrouping Out of Subtraction<span style="color: #313131; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Take a Penny" is a 2 step strategy that allows students to subtracting across zeros without having to go through the complicated steps of regrouping. In fact with "Take a Penny", students can subtract across zeros <b><u>without regrouping at ALL</u></b>!</span><br style="color: #313131; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #313131; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #313131; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I learned the "Take a Penny" strategy last summer, and it has transformed the way my students subtract. I was at one of those workshops that you really don't want to be at but are required to go to, and boy was I amazed. The man that came to talk to us knew exactly how it felt to be in our shoes and did not waste one second of our time. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #313131; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">He taught us all kinds of strategies to make learning about math not only easier but fun. He only talked to us for two days, but I swear I would have sat there for a week just to learn more ways to help children understand and comprehend math in ways that we have never heard of. </span><br />
<span style="color: #313131; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #313131; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I have used many of his strategies this past year, but the one that has had the most monumental change is the "Take a Penny" strategy. I actually feel like I have cheated my past classes by not teaching them this strategy. Not only is it faster, but because there are less steps students rarely make mistakes. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuSYJAat7amSrs3qsFcsMBLWAGxEEWRKsGmk6Z9Bhsq35hSIWu4z18Hpty8hwC5swTXGcTHrnxexHdALD26U8iEpACAlwIq09sX_yHkF1HNSqLzHixZ2UhGxUJv6YrOLtJrUO8pEqZdY/s1600/Picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuSYJAat7amSrs3qsFcsMBLWAGxEEWRKsGmk6Z9Bhsq35hSIWu4z18Hpty8hwC5swTXGcTHrnxexHdALD26U8iEpACAlwIq09sX_yHkF1HNSqLzHixZ2UhGxUJv6YrOLtJrUO8pEqZdY/s320/Picture2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br style="color: #313131; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" />And it works every time, no matter how many zeros you have. The reason it works is quite simple. When you are subtracting two numbers, you are finding the difference between them or how far apart they are. When you "Take a Penny", you are not changing the distance between the two numbers because you are doing the same thing to both numbers. You are just make it easier to find the distance between the numbers.<br />
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I created a 23 slide PowerPoint presentation to help students and teachers master this innovative strategy. <span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This product introduces how to "take a penny" and then provides an abundance of practice in working subtraction problems that require regrouping across zeroes using this extremely innovative strategy. <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Take-a-Penny-Subtraction-Subtracting-with-Regrouping-Across-Zeros" target="_blank">Check it out at my TpT store. </a> I promise that it will forever change the way you and your students subtract!</span></span>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-24501181510252858122012-06-11T17:13:00.001-07:002012-06-11T17:27:02.402-07:00Orderly Organization<br />
This summer is all about organization for my home, my classroom...my life.<br />
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<a href="http://media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com/upload/125889752054067853_jrgCk8n3_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="writing center?" border="0" height="146" src="http://media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com/upload/125889752054067853_jrgCk8n3_f.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/2005-2006%20Photos/Classroom%20Pics/Library/IMG_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/2005-2006%20Photos/Classroom%20Pics/Library/IMG_0117.JPG" width="200" /></a>I am completely redoing my classroom. <a href="http://pinterest.com/liz4makers/time-for-a-change/" target="_blank">Check out my Pinterest board on my new theme</a>. I have cleaned out, decluttered, and deposited tons of "junk" into the trash. I have been inspired by Melanie at <a href="http://schoolgirlstyle.com/">Schoolgirlstyle.com</a>, <a href="http://www.clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/2012/06/pennant-banner-inspired.html#comment-form" target="_blank">The Clutter Free Classroom Blog</a>, Alicia at <a href="http://teachk-2.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Keeping it True in K-1-2</a>, Ashlee at <a href="http://www.izzyshare.com/album/3rd-year-classroom" target="_blank">Izzyshare</a>m as well as many, many others. I am excited about getting organized for the upcoming year. My most important year since I will be teaching my daughter and my niece in the fall!<br />
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<a href="http://media-cache-ec8.pinterest.com/upload/149885493818911427_vPRQPOLC_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Six Easy Steps to Re-Organizing your Linen Cupboard" border="0" height="200" src="http://media-cache-ec8.pinterest.com/upload/149885493818911427_vPRQPOLC_f.jpg" width="150" /></a>I am also "planning" on doing some major organizing in my home. I have a <a href="http://pinterest.com/liz4makers/orderly-organization/" target="_blank">Pinterest board</a> completely dedicated to getting organized. There are so many great ideas out there. I know that getting organizzed can make our hectic lives a little less stressful! Three kids, a full time job, a football coach for a husband, dance, gymnastics, daycare....all of these things make for a busy life. This busy life needs as much organization as possible.<br />
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What are the best things you have done to help organize your life? Do you have some "must-dos" for me? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Also, it would probably be a lot easier to do this if I would stop "pinning" ways to get organized and actually get started getting organized.Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-27768142782803448672012-05-28T20:10:00.003-07:002012-05-28T20:10:32.953-07:00Rounding Numbers Round UpI still remember my first couple of years teaching rounding numbers. It was so hard. I had the most difficult time getting through to children. They just could not understand when to round up and when to round down using the only tool I knew to use at the time: the text book.<br />
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Finally, two fellow teachers and I created a song that 10 years later is still helping my students be successful with rounding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4t9KEFQQABt3BHfdiHrkef6wk9Q2EnCsMReLJxbmpQJewWcOZ2vvrf5TDHy7CILtEK45UrC21E1-7S0AtXqb0w3dWQ6LeupBFjuUjlIu3392MXbiAnCox_-bfAuyZAQ8KPlMDvK4SERs/s1600/rounding+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4t9KEFQQABt3BHfdiHrkef6wk9Q2EnCsMReLJxbmpQJewWcOZ2vvrf5TDHy7CILtEK45UrC21E1-7S0AtXqb0w3dWQ6LeupBFjuUjlIu3392MXbiAnCox_-bfAuyZAQ8KPlMDvK4SERs/s200/rounding+2.png" width="157" /></a></div>
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In addition to the song, I developed a technique that has helped countless groups of students master the difficult concept of rounding numbers. This method helps students remember what place they are rounding to, focus on the number that tells you whether to go up or go down, and how to remember that everything turns to zeros.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKV4RXBQVWJXkgZpadBtB7_4qr7EDY-30qRMhRSFwiQmBhyphenhyphen2YejJE8rsh3jJ6hr6tS74h-ypIQ_3187eBUkmTIsE7iX9Ul3Us4FlYTlGJo-TK4D1RisutizLY0t40HKCkfs4mKGJEmtM/s1600/rounding+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKV4RXBQVWJXkgZpadBtB7_4qr7EDY-30qRMhRSFwiQmBhyphenhyphen2YejJE8rsh3jJ6hr6tS74h-ypIQ_3187eBUkmTIsE7iX9Ul3Us4FlYTlGJo-TK4D1RisutizLY0t40HKCkfs4mKGJEmtM/s200/rounding+3.png" width="154" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtko9biIMDMC0AieHxqlDiqNbP1z382reo15p6PfiP9vlXCH5VbVxfFlAPFfNV1MVIutgaF572FpMJ4ANvukjrqVOEnsEEGOP3S71U-pFnLjq2SdunWn2RkhSBb_Vb4v9FpihLyNUW0g/s1600/rounding+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtko9biIMDMC0AieHxqlDiqNbP1z382reo15p6PfiP9vlXCH5VbVxfFlAPFfNV1MVIutgaF572FpMJ4ANvukjrqVOEnsEEGOP3S71U-pFnLjq2SdunWn2RkhSBb_Vb4v9FpihLyNUW0g/s200/rounding+4.png" width="155" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E-_9is5aMBQKbJB5YS4zlgQALSKPHOmhGWLeCaVfGyvu3eUTamV3PK0hIn2E31utOTfydaCsUxx6o3GgzFQCF2iSFxNYbJ7C4Cv-P5tX9IIMy6aolmUON6BFBDpsvx4Z-SFr3G7r7Us/s1600/rounding+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E-_9is5aMBQKbJB5YS4zlgQALSKPHOmhGWLeCaVfGyvu3eUTamV3PK0hIn2E31utOTfydaCsUxx6o3GgzFQCF2iSFxNYbJ7C4Cv-P5tX9IIMy6aolmUON6BFBDpsvx4Z-SFr3G7r7Us/s200/rounding+8.png" width="152" /></a>I developed a packet to teach others this method. It includes notes for teachers, the unique song that we created all those many years ago, several printables on rounding to the nearest ten, hundred, and thousand's place, a Rounding I Have:Who Has game, and a list of Rounding Resources including videos, websites, and games.<br />
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See a preview of it at my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rounding-Numbers-Round-Up-Time" target="_blank">TpT store</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aKKmRvomdL6fcQaoeX3RlEbb7xgkRsEElbRVCzS_Ny1kfDyQVpOU6NWKOXqb1qo9TewZJum343H0l5Bp5BWxwC1RrGVJl6KYFZBH9rD0iopR-RWlzD3HSJfxFhOM53AS67pX67O5dkQ/s1600/rounding+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aKKmRvomdL6fcQaoeX3RlEbb7xgkRsEElbRVCzS_Ny1kfDyQVpOU6NWKOXqb1qo9TewZJum343H0l5Bp5BWxwC1RrGVJl6KYFZBH9rD0iopR-RWlzD3HSJfxFhOM53AS67pX67O5dkQ/s200/rounding+6.png" width="148" /></a>I also have several estimating and rounding PowerPoint Presentations and a multiplying by multiples of tens and hundreds at my store and on my Facebook page.Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-62146367231966807102012-05-06T16:51:00.000-07:002012-05-06T16:51:50.867-07:00Career Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolOOqA-zRr7a9XYnbjKaKXC-LPI6OnhwPeVenyH1-duc5aNL0iQdYqKaxWiICm2SXxNPVvx9rUpwQO9EyFGmv3yerWacjlItygb7-ud8mw9kPpDhbY9KB1UVLrRalfJWxOi5v2oaw3zw/s1600/career1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolOOqA-zRr7a9XYnbjKaKXC-LPI6OnhwPeVenyH1-duc5aNL0iQdYqKaxWiICm2SXxNPVvx9rUpwQO9EyFGmv3yerWacjlItygb7-ud8mw9kPpDhbY9KB1UVLrRalfJWxOi5v2oaw3zw/s200/career1.png" width="156" /></a>The end of the school year is rapidly approaching. In fact, we only have 10 days left! I can't believe it. This year has completely flown by...in the blink of an eye.<br />
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But in that same blink, the behavior of the students has gone off the deep end. They are ALMOST as excited about the upcoming summer as we are. The massive full moon does not help at all! It is crazy up in here!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMqJ8t_c5z31jbOKBU2NQeTYxHUz0lE3LBub8JRACOQvL4A3uF25oOKfaQjExHP6D4bmi6UP6r4oPPLopQ34-FMJo7X0dG9Flbf7o2UZqiQqR9s_Z9AgkLjzT2JN3HXIbd4wvbYDIIqk/s1600/career11.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMqJ8t_c5z31jbOKBU2NQeTYxHUz0lE3LBub8JRACOQvL4A3uF25oOKfaQjExHP6D4bmi6UP6r4oPPLopQ34-FMJo7X0dG9Flbf7o2UZqiQqR9s_Z9AgkLjzT2JN3HXIbd4wvbYDIIqk/s200/career11.png" width="153" /></a>So we are trying very hard to survive. And the best way to survive is to engage children. To get them excited about something, excited enough to try to behave. This year we have planned several educational, exciting, and engaging activities. We have a walking field trip touring our downtown, a 2nd/3rd grade picnic/orientation where our third graders will share their favorite memories and give them a tour of their future classrooms, and we will celebrate all of the places they will go with Career Day.<br />
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I created some phenomenal activities to help students share the career they chose to dress up as, research careers, set goals, and learn about all of the options that await them in this big world we live in as long as they keep their head on straight and pursue their dreams.<br />
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My Career Day packet includes a graphic organizer for researching, a crossword and word search puzzle, "My First Resume" sheet, an "I Have, Who Has" game...and much, much more! Check it out my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Career-Day-Activity-Packet" target="_blank">"Career Day: Oh the Places You'll Go"</a> packet at my TpT store.Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-76330429892288907152012-05-06T07:52:00.000-07:002012-05-06T07:52:03.609-07:00Esti...Who?Estimation! I love teaching estimation. It is so much fun when students realize how much easier it is to estimate the answer to two numbers than to add, subtract, or multiply them together. Over the years I have developed all kinds of tricks for teaching estimation.<br />
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My most effective trick in helping students remember how to round and estimate is the integration of some of my unique songs, chants, and raps. The first song I created help students remember when to round up or round down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8P6NPDnDMx7_He3SMvZGz6rWMxAy4gm_PqPtQfXoSV5FY5niZK2OMzAr0J_5VyCJg5UmgTAs2QAr4LcVemUiTeBxPxfWLih8O8Up39tM4T0lS3Z2qsFbntFArJhNKQ6OfV953_bvxEE/s1600/Rounding+Numbers+Song.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8P6NPDnDMx7_He3SMvZGz6rWMxAy4gm_PqPtQfXoSV5FY5niZK2OMzAr0J_5VyCJg5UmgTAs2QAr4LcVemUiTeBxPxfWLih8O8Up39tM4T0lS3Z2qsFbntFArJhNKQ6OfV953_bvxEE/s320/Rounding+Numbers+Song.png" width="247" /></a></div>
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Next I created a song to help students remember the steps to estimation. Students frequently want to add, subtract, and multiply first and then round their answers. The problem is that it could result in a wrong answer on a test. They need to remember to round first and then add, subtract, or multiply. You can hear the tune of the song when you purchase my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Estimation-with-Addition-Subtraction" target="_blank">Estimating with Addition and Subtraction PowerPoint </a>Presentation at my TpT store. (I honestly could not figure out how to add the sound here and I made up the tune.)<br />
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Finally, I (with the help of a class a few years ago) created a song to help students remember how to multiply after rounding by multiplying by multiples of 10's, 100's, and 1,000's.<br />
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You can hear the unique tune of Zero the Hero and get so fantabulous teaching tools, tips, and lessons when you purchase my awesome PowerPoint presentation <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Estimation-with-Multiplication-PowerPoint-Presentation" target="_blank">Estimation with Multiplication</a> from my TpT store.<br />
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Here are some of my favorite videos and songs from YouTube and United Streaming that I use when teaching my units on Estimation:<br />
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<br />Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-60078148484642427022012-04-23T16:34:00.001-07:002012-04-23T16:44:34.517-07:00Math Confusion<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-US" style="line-height: 119%;"> My idea for Math Confusion came from the fitness craze, <a href="http://www.crossfit.com/" target="_blank">Cross Fit</a>. The goal with Cross Fit is to do many different activities in a short amount of time, switching it up so that your muscles never know what is coming next. You work out your arms, then do cardio, then do abs, then do legs...and repeat as many times as you are able to make it through the circuit. It makes your muscles stronger and burns more calories because the muscles are working harder </span><span style="line-height: 119%;">when the </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">exercises</span><span style="line-height: 119%;"> are not repetitive.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="line-height: 119%;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> So as we were coming back from a field trip one day, I thought about using the same idea for a math review. Math Confusion uses the same idea as Cross Fit. Students work on lots of different math concepts in a short amount of time. They rotate from station to station working on place value, fractions, multiplication, addition… They get 2 minutes at each station and must try to get as many questions right as possible. The Confusion continues until time is up. The goal is for students to make it through the circuit as many times as they can in the time allowed and to get as many cards right at each station as possible.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh06_ZGYPqAH2NooAuY0GsMTsc-RtjbKRVRdr23vv003bIvsTxrbEgUvjQSv2kWFZaylqhB2KojM8R1Qrrvbc0EZ2InDDx5QhdKxipzDC6J0FECdh1HscOOJ1sS2DWHZrCtELIsOmGPgU/s1600/2012-04-13_08-56-44_345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh06_ZGYPqAH2NooAuY0GsMTsc-RtjbKRVRdr23vv003bIvsTxrbEgUvjQSv2kWFZaylqhB2KojM8R1Qrrvbc0EZ2InDDx5QhdKxipzDC6J0FECdh1HscOOJ1sS2DWHZrCtELIsOmGPgU/s320/2012-04-13_08-56-44_345.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="en-US">I created 11 stations 2 place value, 2 addition, 2 subtraction, 2 multiplication, 2 fraction, 1 number forms. I printed the circuit (instruction) card and activity cards on card stock and laminated them for safe keeping. I folded the circuit card in half and added Velcro to the inside to make a little pocket for the cards to fit in. All 11 stations fit nicely into a gallon Ziploc bag. </span></div>
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I set the stations up so that none of the same skills are side by side, hence the CoNfUsIoN! Here is an example of how I set up the stations: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxzlTFk6lc5AaWcNLyYixk11VzprYI-RGtndyb6IXUZg0lPC0pjEdcmdgmCMV85wy5jBxku4p6Udv5rIl7L9H5-cXYBeMAqXA6j7TJjA5i7DxA97kRda2FROTT9SVgShzn7S9cScnZVg/s1600/math+confusion+smaple+set+up.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxzlTFk6lc5AaWcNLyYixk11VzprYI-RGtndyb6IXUZg0lPC0pjEdcmdgmCMV85wy5jBxku4p6Udv5rIl7L9H5-cXYBeMAqXA6j7TJjA5i7DxA97kRda2FROTT9SVgShzn7S9cScnZVg/s320/math+confusion+smaple+set+up.png" width="245" /></a></div>
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Next I divide the students into groups of 2. Each group rotates from station to station spending 2 minutes at each station. There are 32 activity cards at each stations so it is rare for any group to finish a station before time is called. </div>
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Here is how I explain the confusion to the students:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsW714hFHoPYBikmtw5SWsekpDnvvV1c87C9zTdM21AH_f23Ugi4oM8zncHa8lAJQhCHs_gOtT_eJpS6o9N5QtiyYJRGWEmDsyu1k5mLKgytLYPMBIu1Iq6UVjUUuZLJo3LGu8T-vcIrg/s1600/2012-04-13_08-56-32_125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsW714hFHoPYBikmtw5SWsekpDnvvV1c87C9zTdM21AH_f23Ugi4oM8zncHa8lAJQhCHs_gOtT_eJpS6o9N5QtiyYJRGWEmDsyu1k5mLKgytLYPMBIu1Iq6UVjUUuZLJo3LGu8T-vcIrg/s400/2012-04-13_08-56-32_125.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="en-US" style="line-height: 119%;">T</span><span lang="en-US" style="line-height: 119%;">here are stations set up around the room. At each station, there is a set of cards face down. I am going to assign you to stations where you will sit and wait until I say go. When I say go, you are to turn over the first card and write, down the answer as quickly as you can. After you have written down the answer, turn the card upside down and check to see if you got it right. Remember, don’t cheat. If you cheat your muscles (brain) want get any bigger (smarter). If you get it right, put it off to the side. If you get it wrong, put it back into the deck of cards on the bottom. When I say stop, you must stop writing and count the cards you got right. Then place all the cards back in the deck face down, and return the station to how it was when you started. Do not rotate to the next station until I give the signal. When I give the signal, rotate to the next station. Sit down and don’t touch anything until I say to start. Remember, the goal is to get as many right at each station as you can and to get around to every station. Are there any questions?</span><span lang="en-US" style="line-height: 119%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was one of the best reviews I have ever done in my classroom. It reviewed every concept in Numbers and Operation in less than a 30 minute period. <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Math-Confusion-Numbers-and-Operation-Review" target="_blank">Check it out at my TpT store</a>! Download the free preview, or get it to use in your classroom. I was so pleased, and I am going to soon begin working on the Geometry, Measurement, and Algebra versions. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2047843074038170528.post-35767653626074825182012-04-22T17:39:00.001-07:002012-04-22T17:39:28.773-07:00K-5 Learning Review<br />
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I recently had the awesome opportunity to review a great learning program: K5 Learning. K5 Learning (<a href="http://www.k5learning.com/">www.k5learning.com</a>) is an online reading and math program for kids from kindergarten through grade 5. Our intent is to help kids build reading, math and study skills through independent study. K5 is designed for home use and can be used for after-school, weekend and summertime supplemental study or in conjunction with a homeschooling program.</div>
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<a href="http://www.k5learning.com/sites/all/files/K5%20Logo%20400%20px.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="K5 Learning - Main Logo 400 px" border="0" height="85" src="http://www.k5learning.com/sites/all/files/K5%20Logo%20400%20px.png" width="200" /></a><b><u>How it Works</u></b><br />
Kids complete an online assessment of 8 key reading and math skills, and then work independently at their own pace through over 3,000 online lessons and activities. The lessons are animated, interactive and simple enough that a 4-5 year old can use them independently. We automatically choose lessons for students (based on their assessment and past lessons), track student progress and provide reports for parents.<br />
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<b><u>Benefits for Kids</u></b><br />
K5 helps kids learn essential reading and math skills, develop good study habits, and fulfill their academic potential.<br />
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<b><u>Benefits for Parents</u></b><br />
K5 makes life easier for parents by allowing for effective, independent study by kids. Simplified interfaces, automatic lesson selection, student tracking and reporting all contribute to minimize the amount of daily supervision required.<br />
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When you first sign up, there are several helpful videos to get you started. They introduce you to the program, guide you through setting up assessments, and are there to answer any questions that may arise as you use the program.<br />
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I used the program with my 7 year old second grader, my 4 year old Pre-K student, and my 8 year old niece who is also in the second grade. I started with my children. Both are above grade level. My 7 year old is currently in the gifted program. After seeing how much they enjoyed the program, I signed my niece up. She struggles in math, so I knew the extra practice would be good for her.<br />
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All of the girls enjoyed the program. They liked the graphics and interactions the best. The games at the end of each lesson were an added incentive. However, they sometimes got bored with them because, even though they were great games, they seemed to be the same games over and over again.<br />
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I noticed all of the girls grew stronger in math and reading over the 6 week period that we utilized the program. My pre-k student impressed me the most by how much knowledge she gained in phonics and reading. I was worried that the lessons were going to be too hard for her but she seemed to really enjoy them. In fact, she was the one who constantly reminded me that it was time to practice her reading and math. I think she will be sad that our trial period is over.<br />
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I enjoyed the fact that my children could log into the program and start a lesson without any assistance from me. It was something they could do while I was working, and whereas the lessons did challenge them, they were easy enough for them to complete on their own.<br />
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I do wonder what standards the leveling is based on. When the assessment comes back and says that my Pre-K student is on a 1st grade level when it comes to phonics, what standards are they using to base this level on. Of course, that is the teacher in me coming out.<br />
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Speaking of being a teacher, this program would be extremely beneficial in after school programs and home school situations. It provides independent practice, support for students who are struggling with concepts, acceleration, and review with extra practice.<br />
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A few changes I would make would be that the assessments should be automatic. You should not have to request them. Before a child ever starts the program, they should be assessed in order to be placed on the appropriate level. There should also not be a limit on the grade levels above where a child is. For instance, my second grader scored on a 4th grade level in several areas but the program would not put her on that level unless I requested it. This resulted in her being bored a few times.<br />
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Something I would like to see added to K5 Learning would be an incentive program. This would be great and extremely motivating. It could be like a virtual bulletin board where they can pin their completions of levels and tests and print out certificates and awards for their successes.<br />
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This program is definitely something I would encourage parents to obtain for their children. It is a little pricey but the benefits definitely out weigh the costs.<br />
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My Pre-K student said, "It is very good! I like it a lot. I love reading now. It is my favorite part, but math is a little hard. And thanks for letting us use it."<br />
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My second grader said, "I like it because you can go to a spelling bee and it lets you read non-fiction and fiction books. You can also go to math and reading. On math, you can count, round, add, subtract, and lots of things."Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00838665503400429265noreply@blogger.com0