Math

Spotlight Series Part 3: Math

I hope everyone is staying cool now that is officially summer! (even though in Bama its been "summer" since about March) I think we have *maybe* two weeks of Spring. My dad always says we have 4 seasons: almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas. Haha :) Anyway onto math...

We actually have math in the afternoon. We have whole group from 11:30-12:00 and then centers from 1:15-1:45 (we have PE and specials in between). I like how our math is broken into two parts. The kiddos are focused during the 30 minute whole group and then they go do something different and come back ready for workstations. 

11:30-12:00 Whole Group

We get back from lunch at 11:30 and the students immediately put up lunch boxes and go straight to their spot on the carpet. We have enVision math at our school (the jury's still out for me). We watch the instructional video on the Promethean board and I stop and teach along the way. We do a lot of turn and talks and mirror (from the whole-brain method). Then I put up their practice sheet under the document camera to go over together. We choral read the directions and we talk about the problems and what we think they are asking us to do. This gives them time to clarify any questions or concerns and prepares them to work independently! Then I dismiss them back to their seats to complete the sheet on their own. If they do not finish before we go to PE, then they have to finish before they can go to workstations. Having them work independently allows me to pull a few strugglers to the back table or walk around and monitor each student. I loved this part of math and plan to continue this into next year.

1:15-1:45 Math Workstations

This year I used the Debbie Diller method for math workstations. You can learn more about that here. I partnered my students off using different methods (ability level, boy/girl, high/low) I changed their partners every two weeks or so. I had nine "tubs" total because I had 18 kids with two at each tub each rotation. I use a pocket chart to show the students which tub they are going to. I always had a BUMP game in my one of my tubs, I love it (addition practice...never gets old) and so do my kiddos!  There are many different varieties of this game but I always used a SunnyDays BUMP game. I usually had a place value tub and towards the end of the year a money tub. Two of the tubs ALWAYS had our concept skill for the topic we were focusing on during whole group. My other tub activities were usually holiday or seasonal themed that I grabbed on TPT so the skills varied. I wanted my students to be doing different skills at every station to keep them fresh in their brains. I am blessed with amazing and wonderful technology in my classroom. We have 3 iMac computers and 2 iPads. Those are my other 3 "tubs". The kiddos do our topic skill on IXL using the computers. Then I have 2 groups on the iPads playing any game in the "Math" folder.  If any group finishes their tub early they have a few choices. They can do tangram picture cards, whiteboard addition practice, or play with a deck of cards. Most of the time only 1 group finished early and they knew to quietly select their choice from our manipulatives shelf. During this time I was either pulling kids to the back table for intervention or going around to each group and sitting with them and watching them play the game or complete the activity. I loved watching their brains work during this time! Sometimes it was more beneficial than pulling kids to the back. Not to mention I got to hear hilarious conversations :) We did two rotations a day lasting about 12 minutes each (transitions usually took about three minutes to clean up and get out the new tubs).

I liked this part of math okay, but I was never in love with it. I REALLY want "the sisters" to finish that Daily 5 math book that I keep hearing rumors about!!! I have seen some ideas on Pinterest and TPT but I am just not sure. I am thinking about making something up and doing my own thing but that would take some serious time and planning. I ADORE how my reading block looks (Daily5) and would really like for my math block to be the same. I can't wait to read how some of you are doing math centers. I need some ideas :)

Calendar

Spotlight Series Part 2: Calendar! 

In my class we do calendar as part of morning meeting. When the students come to the carpet we do the calendar first. We flip over the new date card, say what today is, yesterday was, and what tomorrow will be. Then we count the days of school using the straw place value method. Then we go over our special for the day and who the helper is for that day. Then we talk about what the "dash date" (6-17-13) looks like and how to read and say it. We also do the Starfall calendar until Christmas. I LOVE this calendar because it completely interactive. The students love going up to the Promethean board to control the calendar. It allows you to add birthdays, special occasions, and every 1st grader's favorite~~a lost tooth! After Christmas my kiddos pretty much know the calendar and they decided on their own that they are "too old for the computer calendar."

This year I am thinking about adding another component to my calendar. At at first grade math workshop in our district we had a chance to talk about out math routines. One teacher said that her class counts the days of school using a ten frame. At first I thought "well thats great for the first ten days, but then what?" She said she adds a ten frame every ten days until the last day of school is reached. So, she uses a lot of wall space for her 18 ten frames BUT how great for a constant review and skip counting! We hit on ten frames for maybe a week but what a good way to talk about them all year. You could skip count by 5s and 10s all year. I am going to add that into my calendar routine next year...bet start clearing off some space ;)

Our calendar time before Christmas takes about 10 minutes and about 5 after Christmas. I love this time because I think it is so beneficial to them. It works the math part of their brain that doesn't require any difficult skills. Does this look like your calendar time? I would love to hear some new ideas!

Word Work Pack

Greetings from this sunburned lady! I was at the pool a little too long today....anyone else had this same fate yet?!? Ouch! I hope everyone is having a great week! Hopefully most of you are out of school and enjoying the spoils of summer :) I am already thinking about next year *GASP*. I just finished up a back to school short vowel word work pack. It includes 3 activities. You can grab it from my TPT store here! I am trying to get my brain back in the mindset that I am going to have a room full of kindergarteners, not big 2nd graders! They are such babies when I get them...too sweet! I will give this to the first 2 people to leave a comment below. Remember to check back next week for the second part of the "Summer Spotlight Series"! Happy Thursday!

Morning Work

This is the first post in the 10 week series from Kelli's Linky Party! If you haven't visited her blog before you need to stop by...she's ahhh-mazing! Okay, now onto my morning routine.

The first bell rings at 7:30 and the kiddos can come down the hall and sit outside our classrooms. We have 10 classrooms on our hall so 2 teachers monitor the hall each morning. (we all take turns). The students read books from baskets that we each put outside our doors. They can whisper but they have to stay seated. The second bell rings at 7:45 and the kids can come into our classrooms. Umm can I take a time out to say most working adults I know are barely up at 7:45 and I have 18 bright eyed and bushy tailed babies bouncing into my room!!! I mean when that bell rings I have to be "on"...hallelujah for venti starbucks or my beloved Kurig ;) and usually I'm shoveling my last bite of a Special K bar into my mouth....

I am blessed with an awesome closet that has backpack and coat hooks for each child!  When they go into the closet they hang up their backpacks and bring me their binders. *Small tangent to explain* I use 1inch binders instead of folders for each student. I have B.EAC.H binders to go with my theme. (Bring Everyday; Assignments, Communication, and Homework) I got the idea from this website. Inside the binders I have a zippered pouch for lunch, field trip, or fundraiser money. The front pocket is labeled Important Papers (anything that I or a parent needs to see goes here). I have a section labeled communication for parents and me to write notes back and forth if needed. Their behavior chart is in another section and the last part is our monthly calendar. The back pocket is labeled Keep At Home (graded papers or flyers from the office that I do not want back). The students are responsible for keeping this clean and organized.

Moving on... After the students unpack and bring me their binder they go to their seats and start on one of a few things depending on the time of year. While they are working broadcast comes on at 7:55 after the tardy bell rings. Broadcast usually lasts 5-7 minutes depending on the "news". At the beginning of the year they complete a literacy journal. "Over the weekend I..." "If I had $100 dollars I would..." Simple things they can do independently. Around the 4th week of school I introduce Mountain Math. (You can learn more about that here.) I ADORE mountain math!! There are 24 problems and the students complete 5 a day (except on Friday they do 4). When I first introduce it, we do everything together whole group and then it slowly moves into independent work.

Once we have been in school for 9 weeks, they start doing 2 things in the morning. First they complete their daily mountain math problems  and then they complete a literacy or math journal. If it is a math journal they have a small strip of paper with the problem at their seats and they glue it into their math journal and complete the problem. If it is a literacy journal the prompt is written on the board. If they finish both of those things before I call them to the carpet they read their "bag of books" (their read to self book pouches we use during Daily 5). We are finished with morning work around 8:15. Then I call the students to the carpet to start calendar and morning meeting.


WHEW!! That is our morning every.single.day. Stayed tuned next week for how we do calendar!

TPT Store

I just opened up my TPT store! I have made several things wanting to post them online but I had to get all my licenses in order first. I am starting small...I only have 5 things so far :) 4 of them are FREE so go grab your copies! I made my version of a sight word game called "SHARK ATTACK"! This game includes all of the Dolch sight words for 1st grade. I have posted the preview below but be sure to grab your copy from my store! I will give this game to the first 2 people to leave a comment below! I hope everyone has a great week, I am attending a math workstation workshop on Tuesday so be sure to check back for ideas after that! Other than that I see a few lake days in my near future :)

Grab your copy here! 

First Linky Party!

I am so excited to do my first linky party!!! I am joining Kelli over at Castles and Crayons for her summer linky party! This is a 10 week series that will allow us to go hour by hour and minute by minute in each other's classroom!! I am so excited to share how I have done things AND learn how you do them too!! Go over to Kelli's blog, link up and join the fun!!

Here is how the 10 weeks will go:

Center Storage

Okay I need some help from all of you wonderful teachers out there! How do you store centers AFTER or BEFORE you use them??? I like my storage system while the centers are in rotation but then when it's time to put them away at the end of the week I was always scrambling for a place for them to go! I've tried binders with each month labeled but the cards and pieces to the centers became bulky and too heavy for the binder to hold. So then they just became piled in the closet...which made me go bonkers every time I saw them in their ziplock baggies piling up in a stack. So how do you store your centers?? Files? Plastic Bins? Thanks for you help!! :)