Oh Pinterest, What Would I Do Without You?!

A year ago, I didn't even know Pinterest existed...then a few months into the school year, our technology specialist opened the door to the WONDERFUL WORLD OF PINTEREST! Oh. My. Goodness. I know you all are aware of how amazing Pinterest is, so I digress. I found a sign in/sign out magnetic board and decided to make my own. Wal-Mart has these small, rectangular magnetic boards for less than $4.00. It comes with magnets a the super-sticky pads if you want to mount it on the wall like I did. This allows me to know where all of my students are at all times. Their magnets will be on "Our Room, Bathroom, Nurse, or With Another Teacher." Instead of using students' pictures, I labeled magnets with each student's number. Lsat year, I had the numbered magnets up on my whiteboard and used them all of the time to group students, call on a student, etc... What the students never found out is that all of the girls magnets are small and the boys are the larger magnets. I did this because sometimes I draw magnets with my eyes closed or while I'm looking away, and I can choose whether the boy/girl combination that I want. ;) That way, my students never caught on and it always appeared to be random. I'm excited because now I still have the handy magnets up (not taking space on my board) but they have are multi-purpose now!

Name that Board!

I can't decide what to call this board! Bravo Board? Proud Wall? Brag Board? If you have any ideas, please share! I've started spending a little time in my classroom, and this is one of the projects that I completed this week. Instead of having a "Student of the Week" this year, our entire third grade team is creating an area where students can clip a picture/drawing/artwork up that goes with a monthly theme. For example, August will be "Summer." Students will bring in something that pertains to summer that can easily be clipped up on the board. I thought that ribbon would look cute to design "frames" for each student, so I headed on over to Hobby Lobby (gotta love that place!). It just so happened that they were having a sale on ribbon, which is just too much of a coincidence for me to pass up! ;) I stapled each side of the frame up (yes, one by one), but it went up fairly quickly. I finished the board off with some colorful clothespins that designate each students' frame (it has his or her number on the clothespin). I may add a title that drapes across to show what the theme is that month...for now, this is it though!

"Wipe Out!" A Game for Place Value!

I came across this game in a NCTM magazine last week and decided to try it out with a student. It helps develop number sense and better understand expanded form/place value.

I took one calculator for us to share. I asked him to create a three-digit number and tell me what it is. He created the number 745 (which he said was an odd number). I told him that we wanted to "wipe out" the tens column so that it reads as a zero. I wanted to see what he did first without me prompting him, so he verbalized what he was doing with the calculator so I could do the same on mine. At first, he wanted to just subtract 4, but we saw that if we take 745-4 that equals 741. This did not wipe out the four in the tens column like we wanted to do. I reminded him of expanded form for numbers (700 + 40 + 5 = 745), which helped to guide him through his next steps. He subtracted 40 from 745, leaving us with a total of 705, thus successfully wiping out the tens column!

This game can be used for the whole class, with points awarded for students who "wipe out" a digit to read as a zero or disappear completely. Here's another example:

Student A: (enters the number 4,307) Wipe out four (passing calculator to classmate)

Student B: (Enters - 400 = . The display shows 3,907. Realizing something is wrong, she does not score a point. Then she enters the number 5,713) Wipe out 5 (passes calculator back)

Student A: (Enters - 5,000 =. The display shows 713, so a point is awarded.

The game continues back and forth until time is stopped by the teacher.

Choose 3 Ways is a Math Must-Have!

CHOOSE    3    WAYS!

Circle three ways you would like to show your thinking:

                         Draw a Picture                Skip Count              Repeated Addition                        Multiply                   Divide            Make a Table 

 (Word Problem goes here)

Recently, I attended a Math Workshop where I was introduced to the concept of "Choose 3 Ways!" We watched the following video that takes you into a classroom with the teacher who created "Choose 3 Ways." Watch video now! It was extremely helpful to see how she sets up an environment where students are expected to try out at least three different ways to solve a problem. I made a worksheet that is almost identical to hers based on the video (see below). The text box can be changed for various word problems, but I just loved how it got students to think about a math problem in several different ways! Our school computers are currently being worked on, but I will scan in a copy as soon as everything is back up and running at school!


Choose 3 Ways!

Giving My Classroom Library Some Much-Needed Organization

 

I took quite a bit of time out recently to re-organize my classroom library. After the kiddos left in May, I was left with a bit of a mess book-wise. To tackle this project, I sprawled all of my books out on the floor and got to work placing each book in its' appropriate bin. After all books were finally put back in their bins, I pulled out some Sharpies and labeled every single book with a code. As you can see from the picture, this bin of Chapter Books has been labeled with a red triangle. That way, when a student takes a book from this bin and goes to return it, he or she can easily spot where it goes. Other codes that I used include: squares, happy faces, *, circles, etc... I am hoping that this will be a much better system than just having the bins labeled "Chapter Books, 3rd Grade Chapter Books, Animal Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Animal Character Fiction, Fiction, Series, etc..."

Another tweak to my system will be to have students use their designated clothespin (with class number on it) in the library. The system is simple:
1. Find a book you like
2. Place your clothespin on the tub you borrowed the book from
 3. Repeat steps 1 & 2 as needed.

Hopefully these tips will help you with your own classroom library. I'm looking forward to having a much more organized library this year! Bring on the book-borrowers! :)

My Newest Cricut Creation :)

I am amazed at how much my mind-shift has changed since July hit. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire month of June, without much thought to the coming school year. Wow! How that all changed last week! My to-do lists are growing by the day, and now I'm thinking constantly about my classroom! I put my Cricut machine to work today, making some posters and these super-fun nametags for my students' desks. I snagged a deal at Dollar Tree with the the nametags, and I already had the paper, so these nametags only cost $1.00! I can't wait to get them laminated and placed on the desks! It doesn't take too much to get me excited ;)

Catch the Reading Fever This Summer!

Hoping to get your kiddo reading more this summer? Try some of these summer reading tips on for size! Your child may not even realize he or she is practicing to become a better reader!

1.) Mail Man Alert! Have your child distribute the mail to its' intended recipient. When junk mail comes around, give it to your child. Have them circle any words that they know from the junk mail and read it to you! Then you can help your child learn the words that they didn't know. This helps to build a stronger vocabular and accuracy!

2.) In the grocery store? This is a great time to read! Have your child read the aisles to you and assist you in where you might find a specific item. Children can read nutrition labels, boxes...anything! All you have to do is encourage them to "help" you on your shopping trip!

3.) Stay up late! Allow your child to stay up later on a summer evening to read (no, not to play games...)!

4.) Have a hammock? Let your child pick a special book and lay in the hammock to get some R & R (Relaxing and Reading) !

5.) If you have a Nook, Kindle, or iPad, help your child to choose a book online!

If you have more tips you'd like to share, feel free to comment below! Happy summer everyone!