Word Walls and Crystal Balls

Word Walls and Crystal Balls ... can you tell we were discussing rhyme schemes in poetry today?  Anyway, this post has nothing to do with poetry ... just wanted to intrigue you with the title.  Did it work?

Lately I've been reflecting on my word wall.  I LOVE my word wall, and LOVE how it looks in my room, but I don't think I've done enough to make my students interact with it this year.  They're not using it as much as they should ... and I'm seeing spelling mistakes that they just shouldn't be making.  So I decided to do something about it.  Given my students obsession with my cootie catchers, I decided to make a package of cootie catchers designed to get them to interact and USE the word wall.  I'm going to hang an envelope on the word wall, and stuff it full of cootie catchers.  Every few weeks, when we have a few extra minutes, I'm going to get my students to pair up and grab a cootie catcher (I have 7 different ones in the package) to practice and actually USE the wall.  Hopefully, those little mistakes that drive me crazy will start to vanish.

You can click on the picture below to take a peek at my newest set of cootie catchers.

OK - so on to the crystal ball.  This is a product I've been working on for a while - all the page linking and animating took quite a bit to complete.  I wanted a SMARTboard lesson with a little WOW factor for the students, and I wanted it to be self-correcting so I could use it as a language center next year (already thinking about my working with words centers for the Daily 5 next year) if I was conferring with another student.  I made this lesson to practice synonyms and homonyms (getting a little extra vocabulary in, too).  You can click on the image to the right to preview it at my TPT store, but you can also take a peek at how it works on the video below (I've just recently starting using the movie capture tool with the notebook software).  I'd like to make more language centers with this same crystal ball template - I'm thinking parts of speech may be next ... what do you think?  Any ideas?

Happy Tuesday!!!

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Math Journal Sundays - Fractions

I've got two great math journal entries to share with you today, both about fractions.  With the end of the year in sight, our math journal entries will be coming to end soon, too.  These math journals have been my favourite addition to my classroom this year - hands down.  I'm so excited to be able to provide my students with a tool they can keep using for years to come.  We've got a highschool co-op student at our school right now, who just happens to be a graduate of our elementary school.  One day at lunch she told me how much she appreciated the math notecard system we used when she was in my class - she said she was able to use it as a reference for years - even into her highschool math classes.  I told her she had to stop by my class and see our new math journals - same kind of valuable reference tool, but so much more interactive.

Anyhow ... my first entry to share with you today is our fraction flipbook - focusing on converting fractions to decimals and percents.  I got my inspiration for this from this pin on pinterest - a fabulous idea from Buzzing with Mrs. B.  We cut 10 pieces of paper at various lengths to make this flipbook and stapled the pages together at the top.  I made a quick handout for each student that had 9 boxes for the labels, 9 circles and 9 rectangles for drawing the fractions, and 9 tables that had fraction, decimal, and percent sections.  Students cut out all the pieces and glued them into each section.  We did two sections together, and then the students were responsible for finishing the book independently so I could assess for understanding.






















We also completed a left-side of the page thinking for this entry, where students discuss what they already know, what they learned, proof, and a reflection.  Do you see the yellow dot in the top left corner?  This is our traffic light comprehension - students give a green dot if they found the concept easy, yellow for some difficulty, and red for a lot of difficulty.  We use our traffic light comprehension dots on our group work during our three-part lessons in math, but I hadn't thought of adding them to our math journals until now.  This gives me a quick way to see what students may need a little extra help with this lesson or concept.  Can't believe I didn't think of adding it to my journals until now - LOVE how the journals keep evolving this year!

Our second journal entry focused on Equivalent Fractions.  I've been using pizza fractions for years (and judging from the amount of pins on pinterest, so has everyone else).  ;)        I gave each student a circle and had them draw a smaller circle around the edge to make a crust for the pizza.  We then folded our circle into sixteenths.  I gave students the learning goal and instructions to make the pizza:  1/4 cheese, 1/4 pepperoni, 1/8 mushrooms, 1/8 sausage, 3/16 green olives (or alligator nostrils as my four-year old calls them), and 1/16 anchovies (had to get something in there to "gross out" my plethora of boys in the class).  We discussed that 2/8 equaled 1/4, and 2/4 equaled 1/2, and so on ...

We then cut along the fraction lines and peeled back the sections so we could practice our converting to decimals and percents (still working on that concept from last week).
















We also completed a left side of the page thinking for this entry.  I completely forgot to remind the students to add a traffic light comprehension dot to their page this time ... I think I'll get them to do that before I invite a student to share his or her journal entry as our review on Monday.

We also had some fun using my Fraction Cootie Catchers - such a fun way for partner review.  At this time of year, (and with the sun shining outside) I've got to pull out all the stops to keep my students engaged.  And I loved "eavesdropping" on the various conversations around the room.  When a partner got the answer wrong, the other partner had to "teach and explain" how to find the correct answer.  You can click on the picture to see this product at my TPT store.

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend - it's hot and sunny here today, so we'll be making some homemade popsicles to enjoy while wading in the kiddie pool this afternoon.

Happy Sunday!!!

Interactive Math Journal

Interactive Math Journal 2

Building Better Math Responses

Math Concept Posters

InLinkz.com

21

Mother's Day Purse Poems

I so wish I was one of those organized people who post their fabulous ideas days (even weeks) before special occasions ... but alas, I'm not.  I'm lucky I even squeezed in a Mother's Day activity this week.  So, I'm offering  you the next best thing.  This is what my class did for Mother's Day ... and if you like it, you can pin it for next year (I guess that's the best I can do).

We've been studying and writing poetry lately, so I wanted the kids to write a poem for Mother's Day.  And, I wanted to present it in a special way ... so we made Mother's Day Purse Poems.  

We used 12 x 12 scrapbook paper cut in half for this activity (I included the link for the pad of paper I used at the bottom of the page).  Fold the bottom part of the paper up, so that it is about 2 inches from the top of the paper.  Fold the top of the paper over to fold a flap.  Then the students cut the paper into a trapezoid shape.  I told them they could round off the edges of the flap if they wanted.  They cut a thin strip to use as the purse strap, and taped it to the inside of the paper.  We used a velcro dot to hold the flap down to the paper (purse).

For the poem we used one of the simple "I Am" templates found on the internet.  We just changed the "I" to "She".  Because some of my students don't have a mom in their lives, they could write about a grandma, aunt, or any mother figure they have in their lives.  Students wrote the poem on the inside of the purse, so that when the flap is opened, their "present" is revealed.  Cute, easy, and quick ... just what I needed on a Friday afternoon!

I also wanted to express just how jealous I am reading about all of you who are just about finished the school year.  I'm not going to tell you I still have 7 weeks (35 days) left ... wait, I guess I just did ... ;)  I guess I was living vicariously through all of you, and wanted to feel like the end of the year was just a bit closer, so I made up a fun little reflection activity for the end of the year.  End of the Year Cootie Catchers would make a great activity for pairs or small groups to get them thinking about all the wonderful things they accomplished and took part in through the year.  You could also turn one of the prompts into a reflection writing activity - a perfect end of the year activity for the students' portfolios.  Click HERE or on the picture to take a peek at my newest set of cootie catchers.

As always, I'd like to offer you a little treat.  Be one of the first THREE to leave me a comment with your email, and I'll send you a free copy of the cootie catchers.  Enjoy ... and HAPPY SATURDAY!!!

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A New Set of Cootie Catchers

I've just finished another set of cootie catchers - these ones are for reviewing money concepts.  I'm still trying to build all my math centers for next year, and I'm planning to include a set of cootie catchers in each tub.  I also haven't taught money yet this year.  My grade 5/6 students should come to me with a good understanding of money, so I was looking for a quick way to review this with them before our testing.

This set includes 10 different cootie catchers:  

• 3 for finding the value of coin combinations
• 2 for rounding to the nearest dollar
• 2 for making values with a given number of coins, and
• 3 for making change (change from a quarter, change from $1.00, and change from $5.00.

The set is available for sale at both my TPT and TN store for $3.00. 

 This set has pictures of Canadian coins.  See it at my TPT store or my TN store by clicking on the store links.

This set has pictures of American coins.  See it at my TPT store or my TN store by clicking on the store links.

AND ... just because I like you ALL so much ... the first three to leave a comment with their email will get a FREE copy (let me know if you'd prefer the American or the Canadian version).

Happy Thursday!!!

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Math Journal Sundays

It's a rainy day this morning ... rainy and chilly.  I guess it's nature's way of telling me to stay inside and clean my house today.  So ... let the procrastination begin ...

I've got some GREAT foldables to share with you today.  This week I had a reader ask me how I use my math journals in my classroom.  I guess my math journals are more of an interactive glossary or how-to manual.  Every time we have a new definition, or a formula or procedure, I try to do a foldable for it.  Students keep their foldables in their math journals, which is organized with a table of contents and page numbers at the top of each page.  I've been really excited to see my students use their journals as a tool during independent work or problem-solving activities.  I'm starting to see them go to their journals first for help, rather than lining up at my desk.  YAY!



So, we're diving into the world of prime and composite numbers, and factors and multiples.  LOVE this quick unit.  I have a few really fun hands-on lessons from my newest math resource (see my last post here) that I'm excited to try.

On Monday we made two four-folds to define and give examples of prime and composite numbers and factors and multiples.

On Tuesday we made a Venn diagram to show common factors and the greatest common factor.  We also defined these terms under the foldable.

And on Wednesday we started on prime factors.  So of course, we had to make a foldable factor "tree".

Thursday we had our big three-part lesson on prime factors, and so many students went back to their math journals to see the factor tree.


























I've been thinking I want to start math centers or stations in the classroom - something on a far more organized and larger scale than I've done before.  Okay - I've been more than thinking, I went out and started to buy a few things.  I got some large sterilite containers, some flashcards, some sticker paper for cute labels, and a few more things.  Getting it finished is my project for this week - hopefully I can get it finished by Wednesday so the students can have a center day on Thursday.  I can't wait to share it with you when I'm done.  I've been reading and researching a lot, and pinning ideas I've seen, but I'd love to hear if and how you do math centers in your classroom.  If you use math centers with your older students, please leave a comment with some advice for me.

And ... of course ... one of my math centers wouldn't be complete if they didn't have a pack of my cootie catchers (my students LOVE these).  So, I made up a pack of Factors and Multiples Cootie Catchers.  Each pack has 12 different cootie catchers - 2 of each for:  prime and composite numbers, factors, G.C.F, prime factorization, multiples, and L.C.M.  The pack also contains a BONUS Factors and Multiples worksheet to use as independent practice or a quiz.  Click on the picture to the right to preview it.  And as always ... if you are one of the first three people to leave me a comment with your email address, I'll send you a copy.

Happy Sunday!!!

Interactive Math Journal

Interactive Math Journal 2

Building Better Math Responses

Math Concept Posters

InLinkz.com

36

"TIME" for Cootie Catchers

Well, "time" is something I could definitely use a little more of.  How about you?  It's going on midnight here, but I'm determined to finish this up before I go to bed.  (Did I mention I still have to pack for our family mini-vacation tomorrow?)

I was doing a little marking of some math practice tests for our standardized testing (our testing isn't until the end of May / beginning of June).  And YIKES!!!  The concept of time is something my students definitely aren't getting.  I'm planning on doing a few more formal lessons, but I thought I'd make up some cootie catchers to add to our Friday math centres.  My class LOVES the cootie catchers, so I might as well capitalize on it, right???

This package contains 7 different cootie catchers:  an introduction to time, four for elapsed time (in varying degrees of difficulty to meet the MANY different levels in my classroom), one elapsed time word problems, and one for the 24-hour clock (a learning goal for my grade 6 students).  I've uploaded this product to my TPT Store and my Teacher's Notebook store.  You can click on the picture to the right to preview this at my TPT store.

And, if you're looking for a little more time ... I will email a copy to the first 3 people to leave a comment with their email address.

Happy Wednesday!  So looking forward to our mini-vacation tomorrow!  YAY!!!

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Catching Cooties, Birds, and Pins

Are you intrigued by my title?  I've got a few odds and ends to blog about tonight (my rule-breaking 2nd post of the day), and it's the most interesting title I could think of (I tried to be original and get a goat into the title, Kim, but I just couldn't figure out a way to get it in).  ;)

So, catching "pins" is all about Pinterest.  Have you read Laura Candler's post, "Do You Have Permission to Pin?".  If you're as addicted to Pinterest as I am, it's a MUST READ.  As you can see by the button on my sidebar, you have permission to pin images from my blog.  Please be sure you are pinning from the exact blog post (click on the title of the post) so that your pin links to the correct post (can't tell you how much time I've spent searching through blogs for ideas I've found pinned). You can check out my boards and pins by following me on Pinterest.

Moving on ... catching birds was part of our family fun yesterday.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and my youngest decided she wanted to make some bird feeders.  It sounded like a great plan so we got right on it.  I wanted to use bagels, but we didn't have any, so I found some old CDs and we used those instead (birds like shiny things, right?).  We slathered the CDs in peanut butter and then pressed them into birdseed.  Add a colourful ribbon, and you're all set.  Not long after we hung them we had a few little chickadees checking them out.  So much fun for the girls (and me).

Lastly, I've been catching some more cooties ... ummmm ... not the kind in the hair ;).  I need some fun activities for my early finishers as we're completing the last stages of publishing our book.  I want to keep the students engaged in learning, but in an entertaining way - I don't want them to feel punished for finishing early.  I've decided to set up a few stations around the room with various sets of my cootie catchers.  I just finished my Punctuation Cootie Catchers today and uploaded them to my TPT store.  Click on the picture to take a peek.And, like my others, if you are one of the first 5 to leave a comment on this post with your email address, I'd LOVE to send you a copy just for being the fabulous followers you are!
Happy Sunday!!!

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Fraction Cootie Catchers

What do you do on a long weekend?  Well, if you're a teacher, you plan, plan, plan ...  (that being said, I did enjoy some fun family time, and got a bit of baking done, too).

I've been thinking ahead to my next math units.  I'm doing geometry next (and I CAN'T WAIT to use the Angry Bird nets I found).

But then, after geometry, comes ... fractions.  I spent some of my free time this weekend creating a new collection of cootie catchers to help my students review fractions.  There are seven different cootie catchers included:  reducing fractions, equivalent fractions, improper fractions, mixed numbers, converting to decimals, converting to percents, and comparing fractions.  My students have almost come to expect some kind of new cootie catcher each month, so I think they'll be happy with these.  I gave the cover page a new look, too.  You can take a peek at my new Fraction Cootie Catchers by clicking on the picture to the right.

And ... just because I LOVE three day weekends ... want a chance to get a copy for FREE?  Be one of the first 5 people to leave me a comment below with your email address, and I'll email you a copy.

Happy Monday!

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Can You Catch a Valentine's Day Cootie?

Can you catch a Valentine's Day cootie?  You bet you can!  And don't worry ... it's not a some kind of flu bug ;)

Because I think you're all so sweet, and the little love note comments you leave me make me smile, I've got a little Valentine freebie just for YOU!!!  These little Valentine cootie catchers will be so much fun to give to your students on Valentine's Day.  Just click on the picture to download your own copy.

My Elizabeth wants to give these out to her friends for Valentine's Day, so we came up with a neat little way to do this.  It's only a matter of time before the other two follow suit ... guess what I'll be folding all day tomorrow ...

Happy Saturday!!!

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A Thank-You Gift

Yesterday's TeachersPayTeachers Cyber Monday Sale was amazing!  I was so excited to pick up many great products at a great price, and I was overwhelmed by the interest in my products.  So much so, that I decided to create a little thank-you gift to all my followers - here at my blog and on TpT.  My Cootie Catchers continue to be a popular product (all due to inspiration from my 8 year-old daughter), so I made up a fun little Christmas Cootie Catchers activity.  This activity contains 6 cootie catchers:  Christmas Jokes, Winter Jokes, Musical Next Lines, The 12 Days of Christmas, Christmas Movie Trivia, and Christmas Trivia.  This activity could be a fun little way to fill up those last minutes before the Christmas break, or could even be used as a stocking stuffer (at school or at home).  Click on the picture to download your FREE copy.  I hope you enjoy!!!

Happy Tuesday!

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Weekend To-Do List ... Check!

Well, it's been a busy weekend so far - I'm happy the weather cooperated, but maybe it cooperated a little too much ... that sunshine makes me want to throw away the list! Thank goodness many of our activities allowed time to enjoy the sun. And the "to-do" list ... almost done!

1) I used up the rest of the rhubarb given to me by a co-worker ... Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie - check! My two older girls weren't huge fans (just scraped the ice cream off the top), but hey - that leaves more for the rest of us, right?

2) My hubby got the rest of the vegetable garden planted - check! Here in Northern Ontario we have to wait a little longer to dig in the garden, but the veggies are planted, and the berries and herbs are weeded and thinned out.

3) Last dance classes of the season - check! My middle girl is the cutest little ballerina you've ever seen (in my completely unbiased opinion). Dance season is winding down, and we're looking forward to her recital in two weeks.

4) First soccer practices of the season - half a check! Oldest daughter had her practice, middle daughter goes later today. I LOVE summer soccer season - yes, I'm a true soccer mom, complete with soccer van.

5) Enjoy the weather - check! Dinner on the patio last night, bike rides, and cars washed in the driveway. Family summertime fun.

6) Recycled crayon project - check! How cute are these summer-themed crayons??? I've made them before to put in loot bags for a butterfly-themed birthday party. Super easy and super cute. I melt the crayons on an old cookie sheet (sprayed with non-stick spray) at 275 degrees for about 10 minutes. I spread out the crayons so they cover the whole sheet. When the crayons are melted I take them out of the oven and let it cool a bit. When they have cooled enough that they have just started to harden, I use a metal cookie cutter to cut the shapes out. LOVE them!

7) Beautiful bouquet - check! I picked some lilacs from my backyard for a fragrant bouquet for my dining room table. The girls felt the bouquet needed a little yellow, so now it's a beautiful lilac / dandelion bouquet. Not quite the look I was going for, but still pretty.

8) Find some time to relax - ummmm ... still looking for that - maybe after the kids go to bed tonight!

9) New product posted to TeacherspayTeachers - check! Even though I still have a month of school left, I'm also already thinking about next year. Next year I have the class with "the reputation". I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about. We're going to be spending A LOT of time discussing and practicing character education. My cootie catcher products have been so popular, and so much fun to use in the classroom, I thought I'd create "Character Cootie Catchers." Click on the picture to bring you to my tpt store to download a preview.

10) Blog entry - check!

Now, it's off to soccer practice I go ... enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!

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Catching Cooties and Cookies

So, I'm wondering what it says about myself if I keep getting my inspiration from my seven year-old daughter. I'm hoping it means I'm still "young at heart". Whatever it means, I stole another one of her ideas. My Elizabeth spent all day yesterday making "cootie catchers" for herself and her sisters - seems it's all the rage in her classroom right now - funny how these things always come full circle.  I totally remember playing with these when I was a kid.

Anyway, as I picked what seemed to be my hundredth colour and number, I had a great idea. Cootie catchers would be a great way for my students to ask each other questions during our pair/share for independent reading. As I started to plan it out, I thought ... why not make one for all seven of the reading strategies we study (asking questions, determining importance, inferring, making connections, summarizing, synthesizing, and visualizing). I also included a blank template because I think this would be a great way to have students come up with questions and review for a test. My girls were more than happy to oblige when I asked them to try it out - and I'm happy to say it got the Elizabeth stamp of approval. Click on the picture below to check my newest product out at my TeacherspayTeachers Store.

I posted another new product this week, as well. I've been doing book talks forever in my classroom, and am just about to assign another one to my students, so I thought I'd upload the file to my TeacherspayTeachers Store. If you haven't done them already, book talks are a great way to keep your students accountable for their independent reading, without assigning the traditional book report. They also help students practise their oral speaking skills, and build confidence speaking in front of an audience. Click on the picture to download a preview of the product.

Although I'm happy I got a lot of work done this weekend, the best part was definitely after supper tonight when we made my world-famous chocolate chip skor cookies (OK - maybe they're not world famous yet, but they should be). Another stamp of approval from my kidlets. And the fun continues tomorrow - here in Canada it's a long weekend. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE long weekends!

Sidenote: I'm only 10 followers away from my first giveaway!!! I can't wait - it's going to be a great one! Spread the word to help me get to 50 followers. Thank-you!!!

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