Ms. K
Money Activities Published on TPT
I just posted my new Money Activities Unit on TPT. Below are a few pictures of the unit. There are 39 pages of activities and worksheets for coin recognition and coin counting including cooperative learning games to compare coin amounts, word problems, and mini assessments. These activities are easily differentiated because I have included scaffolded levels difficulty with several of the games and worksheets.
Money Unit Coin Recognition and Counting
No Cost Incentive for Passing Math Facts Races
At the end of this school year, there was no money in the budget for rewarding the students who had passed their math facts. I had already held a popcorn party and an ice cream party earlier in the year to reward students who had passed their facts, but these came with some cost and donations. I needed a no cost way to provide rewards to students who had passed their facts race. A few of my colleagues helped me think of the idea to give students a free dress code day. I am attaching the ticket I made to give to students who passed their test. You can change the date on the page to whatever date you are holding the free dress code day if you would like to use this idea. Math Facts Free Dress Ticket
Free Multiplication Drill Sheets Which Don’t Repeat Facts
I wanted to share these multiplication drill sheets which I acquired from a great math coach at another school. There is a sheet that has multiplication facts 2-10, 2-12 and an addition sheet that has facts 1-9. The facts don’t repeat with the commutative property (turn around facts), and they are the ones I used with the teachers at my school in my former post on June 23rd. I am sharing them with her permission below.
Addition Test Multiplication Facts Test Facts 2-10 Multiplication Facts Test Facts 2-12
How a School in Portland, Maine has Approached Project Based Learning
With the common core standards on the horizon, project based learning has been given more attention. With that said I have been looking into some schools which have effectively implemented project based learning. In Portland, Maine all middle and high schools have one to one laptops (each child has an Apple laptop). Students use these laptops to investigate and build the projects they are working on. Teachers plan together and work through the project to make sure it is doable before assigning them to students. Students work with the communities and sometimes outside of school to capture images and gather information for their projects. The former governor of Maine Angus King discusses how he began this initiative in 2002 and how students are extremely engaged in learning. (to see short videos, click on the links above.)
Use This Festive Tool to Motivate Students Toward Goals
Are your students working towards mastery of their multiplication facts? their AR goal? or maybe some other goal? When your students in class are working towards a goal, use a string of large C9 Christmas lights to represent each child. Label student names on each bulb with a Sharpie marker. Unscrew the bulb so that it won’t light up until the child has reached the goal. When a child reaches his/her goal, then screw in the bulb so that it lights up. Eventually the whole string will be lit when all of the children reach their goals!
Office Depot Teacher Appreciation Day 2011
Get your sneakers on so you can catch the freebies given away at Office Depot. At my store location, teachers enjoy 20% off the week of July 31st-August 6th. August 6th enjoy free breakfast from 9-11 am with a free tote bag, office products, and coupon book with offers for the whole year! To find the Teacher Appreciation Day for your Office Depot location, just click here.
Money–I Have Who Has Cards for Free!
I have been sorting through some of the activities I have made from this past year, so I can post some of them on Teachers Pay Teachers–one of my many summer goals :), and I just happened across this game which I made from the descriptions on math wire. I made them into card form, and I also am including a set which I added coins onto for students who need the visual–or you could use both sets for to differentiate! Until I went to the NCTM conference in San Diego, I wasn’t a big fan of the game I Have Who Has because it seemed ineffective to me to play as a whole class. However, at the conference I went to a workshop in which the presenter modeled playing in small groups. In his version groups of four to six students are give a deck of cards. Each child holds several cards, so they have more than one turn and naturally are more attentive to the game since they participate more than one time.
Simple Math Bulletin Board (or door) to Stimulate Student Thinking
This was my door from this past year. I don’t have an official bulletin board outside of my room, so I put my creative energy into the door. I always try to make my decorations something that will make students think. Someone else might be able to make use of the simple idea so I am sharing 🙂 .
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Free Ten Frame Cards
Click here for free TenFrameCards.
I must tell about a favorite phrase that I learned from Melissa Conklin–Math Solutions Presenter while she was modeling ten frame card game. Since young children have difficulty shuffling cards, she says to tell them to shampoo the cards on their desk just like they move their fingers when they shampoo their hair. Too cute!
An Unusual Classroom Reward System
Instead of rewarding students with, classroom bucks, tickets, candy, or the like try using beads. Students earn beads for good behavior which they string in their free time to make a necklace. When students gain enough beads to string on their necklace, they are allowed to take the necklace home. Students may take all year to build their necklace. If you buy a variety of beads at a hobby store in bulk, then you may have some beads which are more sought after than others. For example, a soccer ball, basketball, or football bead may draw your boys’ attention. If you decide to implement this system in your classroom, you will have to have a place for each student to store their beads so that they are not a distraction, and so that they don’t spill easily. I used a small plastic cup (old country crock containers) hot glued to students’ desks. If students play with their beads when they are not supposed to then take some of their beads. This system does take some planning, but elementary students absolutely love it.
