Geometry FREEBIE and reviews

So, as I've said, a lot of my focus this year is on switching over to the Common Core State Standards.  This week we worked on:

1.G.1. Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size) ; build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.

 I gave partners a bowl of attribute links and had them work together to sort them into two piles by attribute.

You can download the sorting sheet for free {HERE}. We then shared out different ways they came up with. For example, the above picture could be 4 sides or 4 corners.

I was asked to review two products for Learning Resources. First up, Real World Folding Geometric Shapes. When I introduce geometric solids I try to bring some real life examples like a soccer ball, soup can, etc. I always struggle though to come up with something to hold up for a triangular pyramid, for example. Here is an answer to my problem.

Many different nets are provided that you can easily exchange. Cool, huh? Activity ideas are also included. Being able to physically touch the vertices & sides should make them easier to count. Anyone else's students have trouble with that Envision lesson (8-5) where they have to count vertices & sides they can't see? My game The Great Shape Race goes along great with these.

I also got to try Sentence Buildings that I hope to eventually put out as a center choice.

Each building is a part of speech. The students pick a card from each and arrange them into a sentence. To differentiate, simple sentences can be made by only picking pronoun, verb, noun, and punctuation cards. My plan is to try it with my high group in small group first. Again, a variety of activity ideas are provided. The quality of the cards is impressive so they will last!

Interested in keeping up with Learning Resources? You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Last, I wanted to tell you that I went over my Decoding Strategies sheet with the parents at Back-to-School Night and it went over REALLY well! I have had parents tell me they are using it nightly and others have commented that they wish they had it sooner. Woo Hoo! Click on the pic if you want to check them out. Thanks SO much to everyone who has!

Shake your groove thing!

Have you tried any of the videos from Have Fun Teaching yet? OMW, my kids seriously BEG me to play them. I let them get up and dance as long as they are still singing along. We've been playing the alphabet ones and in addition to the saying the letter sound (s) they also practice writing the letter in the air.  Today we tried the counting ones and they went nuts!  I am thrilled at how the songs have a hip beat so the kids think they are cool. These make the perfect break for antsy 6-year-olds and they are still learning!

Click HERE to go check out the counting videos! While you are there you may want to view the alphabet ones too! I just noticed tonight that they have shape songs and we are just starting out geometry unit so I am going to have to go check those out!

What is your favorite video? I am partial to the Counting Down from 20 since it says, "Shake your groove thing." LOL

Bugs and Bullies

Remember that quote from my first day about the lice?.............Yep, just got an email.  And the fun begins. Not the same student but apparently it was some foreshadowing. 

I had a major confrontation with a parent for the first time EVER. I won't go into details but she was shockingly aggressive out of nowhere.  NOTHING had happened but I guess there was history from last year. There was a point that I purposefully put my hands on my hips like, "READ MY BODY LANGUAGE. INTIMIDATION WILL NOT WORK WITH ME!" Kinda like making yourself bigger during a bear attack.  I remained professional and turned things around but the adrenaline was flowing there for awhile. Guess after 14 years of teaching I was due.

On a more pleasant note, let me show you some of the adorable self-portraits my students made.

 Love the last one! This was the most finished product I have gotten out of him so far!

I think I may have posted about this before but first I read ISH by Peter Reynolds.

It is a story about a boy who loses his love for art after his older brother makes fun of his drawing. Since he can't make his pictures look perfect, he crumples them up in frustration. Until, his younger sister shows him that she appreciates that his drawings are vase-ish and he learns to let go of his need for perfection. I found this book back when my son was in first grade and he would be reduced to tears when forced to draw as part of his homework. Now, when I draw in front of my class I will say something like, "Not a perfect cat, but is it cat-ish?" and of course the sweeties agree. Soon, you can hear them saying it to themselves.

SO, the first big test is this self-portrait. I do have the oval for the head pre-drawn just to start the sizing right but after that I walk them through every thing else while I do it on my document camera. They go over the pencil lines with a sharpie and then color in with oil pastels. I make mirrors available since it always cracks me up how many kids don't know what color eyes they have!

Congrats to Liz Sheils Howard for winning a copy of my Dot Cards! My dot talks are going really well and my students are so into them. Click on the picture to go grab a set for yourself.

I am so excited to have a 3 day weekend! We just realized my sons have never seen The Princess Bride so I'm off to have a movie night with my boys. Love that movie!

Dot Talks

How do you know school has started? Your 12 year old comes down with a 105 fever! And of course my husband is out of town so the fun is all mine.

My 2nd week of school was okay except my kidlets are too chatty. Looks like super strict is on the agenda for Monday.

They are also having a hard time remembering to use the restroom at recess instead of missing class time. I finally gave them each a stick with their name on it to use as a bathroom pass. This is their one freebie. After that, they have to put their clip down. Amazingly, the number of bathroom requests decreased.

I  have been incorporating some of the strategies I learned at my Common Core math training.
If you would like to try a Dot Talk (a version of a Number Talk), make a dot pattern with dot stickers (or use a bingo dabber) on chart paper, multiple times.

 Call on student to tell how many they see. List all answers, even misconceptions, on the right. I think some of my friends knew their answer was wrong but just wanted to share. I am told this will lessen with time.

Then I called on a student and asked, "How did you know?" The student describes how they arrived at their answer and I transcribe on the chart. Then I ask, "Who saw it a different way?"

What I love about this activity:
1. Students are learning to verbalize their thinking- a HUGE part of the Common Core.
2. Students see that there are multiple solutions to a problem and not only one right answer.
3. By putting their name on the chart, the student takes ownership and we end up referring to it as "Kyla's way." How empowering is that?!

Dot activities strengthen number sense by practicing subitizing.  Subitizing is the ability to immediately recognize the quantity of a small number of objects without counting. This starts with easy patterns like those on a dice but then can be expanded to decomposing larger numbers (10 is 8 and 2.) You can see how this is a precursor to knowing the parts of a number.

I also started using Dot Cards to first have students practice building patterns with counters on a work mat and then later to "Tell Me Fast" when I hold the card up quickly. I didn't want to deal with storing plates or stickers coming off so I made my own digital version and laminated.

 I made 32 large flash cards in different configurations for the numbers 1-10. Included in the download are directions for 2 different activities and a work mat. Click {HERE} to purchase from my TpT store.

Eventually I will put these in a math tub for partners to flash at each other for more practice.

As usual, I will give a free copy away if you would like to enter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Back to School!

Hey strangers! I have not visited blogland in a week due to school starting. That must be a record for me. I still don't have time right now but I wanted to hop on to tell you I contributed my Daily Editing Math Word Problems to the First Grade Fanatics Back to School Giveaway so go check it out!

My new class has some interesting characters I'd love to tell you about but I'm not sure how much I can?? I 'm trying to decide if I don't use names or pictures is that okay?

I leave you with my favorite quote of the week:
"My hair is black except it looks blonde when the lice is in it."
I wish I could have seen my expression.

I'm going out on a date with my hubbie but I hope to be able to visit with all of you soon! I hope you all are doing well at the crazy time!!!