Pages

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Scrabble Math

I thought I might do a series of posts on word work ideas. I use Daily 5 but I am sure these ideas could be used for those of you who use literacy centers or work stations. As I was trying to decide which idea to start with I saw a post from Gonna Set This Circus Down asking for help finding Scrabble Tiles and BINGO, decision made. I can help her and hopefully the rest of my followers at the same time.

Scrabble Math
Materials needed: Scrabble tiles, spelling or word list, recording sheet, (counting cubes for K/1)

OK, here is where I will share my secret....you can get Scrabble tiles for FREE by writing to a wonderful company named Protiles. They will send you a box full of various letters. They may be different colors, but who cares?

Directions:
1. Students use the tiles to make a word from their spelling list (or word family list, etc.)
2. They write the word on their recording sheet.
3. They write the number on each tile and add them together.
4. At the bottom they then write the greatest and least numbers at the bottom.

Don't you just love it when you can combine subjects!!


Click HERE for a free download of the recording sheet I made.

If you download it I would love if you would leave positive feedback.
 


Separator

Giveaway Winner

Drum roll please.....the winner of my 700 follower giveaway is


Congrats,  Heather! Let me know which item from my TPT store you would like and your email and I will send it right out.

Separator

Castles and Crayons giveaway

Kelli has a very cute new blog named Castles and Crayons. She is hosting a giveaway for a $15 gift card to Target so head over and enter!

Separator

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

My giveaway ends soon!

Time is running out! If you haven't entered my giveaway to win any item in my TPT store get to it because I will be posting the winner tomorrow (WED) afternoon. Please post your comment (entry) on the original post HERE. 6 chances to win!

Separator

First Grade Fresh Giveaway!





First Grade Fresh is hosting her first giveaway for a $20 Lakeshore gift card! 
Head over there to enter right now!

Separator

Erica's Awesome Giveaway

Erica's Elementary Excitement is having a very generous giveaway. Hop over to enter to win
a $50 Lakeshore gift card
AND a $25 Target gift card!!!

Boy, would I LOVE to win these!!!!

Separator

Sunday, June 26, 2011

700 Followers Giveaway!

Yippee, I have 700 followers!!! 
I also finally have a blog button! Can things get any better?
To celebrate I am going to give a lucky person any item they would like from my TPT store. 
Maybe you'd like...
 OR
or maybe you had one of my other items in your wishlist?

Here's how you can earn 6 entries:
1. Blog about my giveaway on your blog.
2. Follow my TPT store.
3. Grab my blog button and put it on your blog (on my sidebar.)
4. Like me on Facebook (on my sidebar.)
5. Follow me on Twitter (on my sidebar.)
6. Follow my blog.


I will announce the winner on WEDNESDAY so don't delay!!

Separator

Blue Skies Giveaway

Jennifer over at First Grade Blue Skies is having a giveaway for a Target or Amazon card! I am crossing my fingers that I win so I can but some books for Kindle for my trip to the East Coast next week!
Maybe if I cross my toes, too?

Separator
Blogging Buddies, let's see if we can help some newbies. I had two new bloggers email me saying they have made new blogs but they can't seem to leave comments. Of course, this is making it difficult for them to get the word out that they have new blogs. So, will you please do me a favor and hop on over to their blogs and give them a big blogging welcome?

Erica's Elementary Excitement posted this cool sentence ladder idea from Whole Brain Teaching. (You may recall my video on me using WBT?)
 
Lisa at First Class with Mrs Mac posted free math task cards to help with 1 more/less and 10 more/less.


If you can figure out what is going on with Blogger and their comments you will be their HERO! Anyone have a guess who might figure out? My bet is on Kristen from Ladybug's Teacher Files. (No pressure Kristen, just a hunch.)

Separator

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Chapter 6 FREEBIE

I was so excited when I got back online to read Chapter 6 of Math Work Stations and it was on Place-Value -exactly what I am working on with the girl I am tutoring! You may recall that I made Place-Value Go Fish to use with her last week. So here is my version of Race to 100 (or 50) that Debbie mentions in her book. I had to change the name to use my cute dino clip-art!
I included the easier version where trains are made with unifix cubes and the harder version which requires the students to EXCHANGE 10 ones for a ten and uses base ten blocks.
I included the Math Talk cards for both versions.
I am sharing this game for FREE so click HERE to get your copy!
I would love it if you would leave me some positive feedback.
**** Edited to say that sadly, Scrappin Doodles changed their policies and I can no longer share games I made with their clipart for free so this game is now on sale for $2 like all my other math games.
If you haven't already, you must go check out the fabulous post by our hostess for this chapter at Oceans of First Grade Fun

Separator

A Different Making Words Folder Idea

Rachelle over at What The Teacher Wants blogged the other day about the folder she uses for Making Words. That reminded me that I don't think I ever shared what I use so thanks Rachelle!
This idea I believe was first shared by the Santa-Maria Bonita School District. 
All you need is file folders and the small size of post-it notes.
Make sure you write the letter on the file folder first so the kids know where to put it back. They think it is such fun to unstick and restick the notes to make a word in the big open space.

I use these in my guided reading groups so they stay nice since I store them. The best part is that this is inexpensive and very easy to replace a note if it loses its stick.

Comments make the {blogging} world go 'round :-)

Separator

Friday, June 24, 2011

Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to the two winners of my new game Place-Value Go Fish!

Shannon said...
I "liked" your facebook page! :) [Shannon-send me your email]
 
 
 
Janine said...
I follow you on Twitter @pinksmyink Faithful in First





Thank you to everyone for following me here, on Facebook, or Twitter!

 If you didn't win and would like a copy of the game it is in my TPT store for only $2.

Separator

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Facebook/Twitter and a Giveaway

I am excited to report my blog now has a Facebook page and you can follow me on Twitter! To celebrate my grand opening I am giving away a copy of the new game I made: Place-Value Go Fish.
It includes matching cards for the numbers 1-40. 
You could separate the cards into 1-20 and 21-40 to differentiate. 
My tutoring student and I had fun playing the Doubles version so I figured why not apply it to other concepts? This one took WAY longer to make though due to all the clipart (and my computer is acting up again..I'm convinced it does it so I will actually get off it for awhile!)

I made Math Talk cards again and I'm pleased to say that I used the doubles one with my tutoring student and it was GREAT (way to go Debbie Diller!) By the way, I have a bone to pick with you all-Why did no one correct me when I called it Text Talk? Where the heck did I even get that from??


On to the GIVEAWAY!
Here are 6 ways to enter for a chance at a FREE copy of my new game:
Leave a comment for each please.
1. Like me on Facebook (on my side bar.)
2. Follow me on Twitter (on my side bar.)
3. Follow me on TPT.
4. Follow my blog if you don't already.
5. Add my blog to the side bar of your blog.
6. Blog about my giveaway.


I will pick 2 winners on Friday!!

Of course, this game is also available on TPT if you can't wait. Even if you aren't interested in my game,  I'd love it if you would support me in one of the above ways. I love my blog friends!

Separator

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Chapter 5 Freebie: Go Fish For Doubles

I am loving this Debbie Diller book study.  Chapter 5 had some great ideas and linking to see other teachers ideas is so helpful. I knew I wanted to make the Go Fish game Debbie explained, so I did and I decided to share it with you as a freebie. Please leave me feedback or a comment.


Click here to download for free.
I left it black and white and thought I'd copy on colored cardstock.


Primary Graffiti is hosting this chapter so go check out her wonderful shares if you haven't yet. She even has a giveaway!

Separator

Saturday, June 18, 2011

I was nominated!

Thank you so much for nominating my blog!

I am honored and working on a freebie for all my wonderful followers!

Separator

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Puppy Patterns

I finished the other math game I have been working on. It is called Puppy Patterns and reinforces spatial (dot) patterns.



 If the card has a dot pattern, they have to name the number. If the card has a number, they have to build the pattern on their mat with counters.
 I also included a Text Talk card for those reading Debbie Diller's book.
If you are interested it is only $1.99 at my TPT store. The first person to guess what kind of puppy I had growing up will get a free copy of this game. :-)

Separator

Fern's Giveaway

Don't forget to enter Fern's awesome Giveaway. It ends today. Look what you could win! I would love to be able to get a few items off my wishlist!

Separator

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

New Ten-Frame Game

I meant to post this yesterday but I took 6 boys ice skating and then had a pizza, ice cream, nerf gun crazy birthday sleepover at my house so I was a tad busy :-)


I finally finished my new math game Bowling 10 Frames! 
(Did you notice the play on words? I know the kids won't but I got a chuckle out of it.) 
It practices recognizing numbers using a ten-frame.
Here are a few pics.

I included # 0-20. To differentiate (or early in the year/kinder) just print out two copies of 0-10 instead.




 This game took FOREVER to make and I think I will be seeing ten-frames and red circles in my sleep for weeks!
If you are interested it is available in my TPT store.

I included a possible text talk card for those reading Debbie Diller's Math Work Stations.

Separator

Monday, June 13, 2011

Common Core Question

So I have been hearing a lot about Common Core from all my blog friends but not one word from my district. My district is very large and not very progressive.  We are currently standards-based but with our own state standards.
I see on the Common Core website that my state, California, has adopted them. I just sent an email to our curriculum director asking where our district stands on implementing these.

I noticed 2 big differences in the math from my state standards:
1. NO MONEY??? Did I miss it?
2. Fractions -we currently don't do these. I have no problem with it although I am realizing our math curriculum (Envisions) doesn't support it.

So my questions to you are:
1. Are/have you implemented Common Core? ( I am curious how behind my district is.)
2. Is it your belief that having common standards throughout the country IS going to happen, it is just a matter of time?

I personally like the idea and I am thinking it will help when I create math games, etc to keep these in mind.

Separator

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Chapter 4 Freebies

I am really enjoying reading Debbie Diller's Math Work Stations. 
Thanks to DeeDee Willis for getting this book group organized! 

 As I was reading chapter 4, I was envisioning what these bins might look like. If the math talk cards were a simple talking bubble with no label, would they always get put away with the correct activity? How would I, when setting up the bins, remember all materials that need to end up there? SO, being the Type A personality I am, I made these from the activities mentioned in the book and thought I would share them with you all.
Beginning Number Concepts

I resisted putting directions because K/1 can't read them anyway but it seems like having the materials helps jog my memory which game it is. I would still make the I Can list WITH the students as suggested by Debbie.

I was thinking maybe if I make more I should add the standard in a small font to keep easily organized? Or maybe just copy them on different colored cardstock.
I'd love to hear your feedback. Do you think these are useful or do you have other organization ideas?

Fran Kramer is hosting the linky party for the Chapter 4 discussion and you should go check out her wonderful ideas and freebies if you haven't yet!

Separator

Friday, June 10, 2011

Time game now with more cards!

Busy Bee suggested that I add quarter past and quarter to cards to the hour and half hour I had in my Time Traveler game. I didn't know this was a 1st grade standard in some places! I figured it would be better for the second grade teachers or to differentiate for those high kids anyhow so I added them today.
 I color-coded them so you can differentiate easily.
Thanks for the suggestion Busy Bee!
The new improved version is now available on TPT for only $2.

Separator