Problema Del Dia

Even on a day off, teachers work. Doesn't it feel like our brains are on work mode 24 hours a day? I was making a purchase today and saw two children not being very friendly towards one another and I tried very hard to not to say something as I would in my own classroom, but I failed miserably and had to say something about their behavior. Needless to say it stopped, but I wouldn't be surprised if one day someone decides to punch me in the throat and tell me to mind my own business. Luckily today was not that day. =)

Teaching is a disease and there is no cure..... no one is safe around us. Lol.

Anywho, Do you guys solve a daily math problem? I started doing this a couple of years ago with my Firsties and it has been very successful in my classroom (in the past).
My first year teaching first grade I didn't do this until January (when I was sure that all but a handful could read and handle their own). Last year, I started at the very beginning of the year, but only because I had a high group of 1st and 2nd graders.... we solved a problem every day until school was out.
Below are some sample images of their P.O.D. notebooks.

Not bad for Firsties, right?

Although they have been successful before, this school year I tried to implement them a bit early, but it didn't go as well as it had in the past. Maybe the problems were a bit overwhelming for the little ones due to not all of them being able to read just yet. I'm going to try a different approach this week as I make an attempt to implement P.O.D. yet again. For this purpose I made a cute little pack of Halloween themed word problems to get the excitement going.... I mean, who doesn't love Halloween, right?

CLICK HERE for a sample of this packet.
For the full product CLICK HERE to go to my TPT Store!
If you do grab a copy PLEASE leave a comment below and tell me if you like it. If it's a hit, I can try to make a pack of word problems for November.

As usual, thank you for checking out my page! See you soon, Lovely Peeps! =)

Calendar Math

Happy Saturday!

TGFIO- Thank God Friday Is OVER! Maybe one day I'll enjoy Fridays again... in the mean time... waaaaaah (in my Snookie voice). Lol.

I'll try to stick to the REAL reason for posting without going off on a tangent about some random thing. =)

Last year, when I taught my 1st/2nd split, I was looking for a way to incorporate calendar math in my daily routine without it being too babyish for my 2nd graders or too difficult for my 1st graders; I came across this Calendar Math/Number of the Day Sheet on TPT....

(If you want a copy of the above Calendar Sheet you can click HERE)

..... it was JUST what I needed.... EXCEPT..... I needed it in Spanish!

Random thought: Why is it so hard to find resources for such a large population?! Ugh!

The resource itself was perfect, so I did the next best thing I could... I translated it. =)

It's not IDENTICAL to the one above, but it is very similar.
Click HERE to grab your Calendar Math sheet in SPANISH! =)

A 2-Month No Show =(

Anyone out there still reading this? Anyone?! Lol. This year I'm not only teaching a Bilingual Classroom, I'm also teaching a 1st/2nd split classroom and it's been the CRAZIEST roller coaster ride ever! It really feels like I'm teaching a group of K-3 because these kiddo's are all over the place; talk about the pressure being on! Anywho, I'm still alive and even more MIA than usual; and although I have not blogged in a while, I have taken many pics for all the future posts I'm planning to write and am looking forward to giving you guys a little inside peeks to the last couple of months school. =)

Let's get this ball rollin'... Was at the Target dollar section a couple of months back and found this:

In case you're wondering what it is, I believe it's an ice cube tray. Being a hoarder teacher I thought, "this is pretty cool! The kids can sort; add; subtract; etc." and since it came in various colors (pink, blue, green, and purple), I bought one of each. Fast forward a couple of months, they were still in my closet... with the tags on! Hmm... what happened to all the fun activities I had planned in my head when I first saw it? I don't know, but apparently they were hibernating along with all the other stuff I bought for my classroom that day! Apparently, that same day I also bought this:

I'm thinking that the theory behind my thinking was that I could figure out a way for my students to use this simultaneously as a math activity. (Don't you think "math" when you see this?!) In case you were wondering what it is, it's table scatter from the $2.50 section of the Dollar Spot. ;)
So, on with my story.... I somehow convince my coworker and work-bestie to buy the same stuff (lol); she asked me the other day, "so what was your plan for this?!" and proceeds to show me the above items.... my plan, Ladies and Gentlemen? Well, my plan was a subtraction game with a 20 sided dice (and as I'm typing this It came to me that I could have done addition as well, duh! Lol.) Simple enough, right?

Since the tray has 21 spaces you start of with 21... you throw the 20 sided dice. Then fill the ice cube tray with the amount of table scatter indicated on the dice (that's the number you're subtracting from 21). The amount of spaces not filled would be the difference. I hope that makes sense.
I tried it out with two of my second graders they loved it; the only problem was that I didn't have a worksheet to match so there could be some sort of student accountability, sooo.... as you may have guessed.... I created one. (Now I'm thinking I should make an addition one for my Firsties.)

Click HERE to get a copy of 21 Squares Subtraction in Spanish



Click HERE to get a copy of 21 Squares Subtraction in English


The best part about it is that the table scatter changes year round to match the holidays or season, so the "oooo la la" factor will always be there because the fun stuff (manipulatives) are ever changing. =)

Number Grid Tetris =)

What a busy busy week! The end is oh so near.... I can't wait! I'm so sad. ; )
I've been trying to crunch every bit of knowledge possible into their little brains! Everyone is D-R-A-I-N-E-D! Especially me! The only thing they have to worry about is figuring out who to play with (that AND the homework packet I'll be sending with them over Summer Break! {Insert evil laugh here} Lol.) While, I have a million things to do and worry about. Oh, how I wish I were 6 again.... *sigh* =)
OK, back to reality AND the original reason for this post....

If you all teach EDM you know that the number grid is something that is used ALL THE TIME! We just covered lesson 9.something and it talked about the patterns of the number grid. Well, while browsing through the Really Good Stuff catalog, I came across the 100 Grid Ordering Cards and, although I really considered making the purchase, I decided to make my own. =)
In fact, I made a whole 40 page packet (20 pages worth of game cards and the other 20 are the game cards with answers for self assessment) dedicated entirely to the patterns of the Number Grid... and named it after my first thought when I saw it: Number Grid Tetris!
My students L-O-V-E it! I swear it keeps them nice and quiet for a long time (especially when they are racing against the minute timer).
I'm still debating whether I should put the document on Teachers Pay Teachers; I guess it'll have to be up to you all to decide if that is something you'd be willing to purchase.
In the mean time, here's a small sample for you to try out in your own classrooms. If you like what you see, leave a comment... it'll help with the decision making process. =)

Click on the Document Below to
Download the Number Grid Tetris Sample

Pattern Block Math Center, Anyone? =)

Buenas tardes, Damas y Caballeros! Lol. That's how I greet my little ones. I also tell them that men should be chivalrous at all times by always allowing ladies to go first. They had a bit of a problem with that idea at the beginning of the year, but now they are so used to it that they say, "Damas primero." as they direct them in the door. Lol. Their wives will thank me one day. =)

Back to business...
Sometime last week, I was looking for math activities in Bloggyland that I could incorporate into the Everyday Math Curriculum. We were on unit 7 which covers polygons and exploring patterns using pattern blocks. Many of the activities in the program involved the use of pattern blocks, but once the lesson was over that was it... it was over. I really wanted to find something that would allow their creative juices to flow and thought to myself "why not add these to a math center?" I know what you're thinking, "She barely came up with that NOW?!" Lol. You don't understand, this is my first year in first grade. Previously, I taught 3rd grade for 3 years and 4th grade for a few months before that. We didn't do math centers/stations in 3rd grade... it was all ISAT, ISAT, ISAT... DRILL, DRILL, DRILL.... Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. Lol. Centers for me are NEW.
Anywho, I did my usual "blog stalking" "nightly research" and came across this cool pattern block activity from Mrs. Wills Kindergarten. She shrunk some pattern block designs that she had come across previously and created a response worksheet to go along with it so that students had work to show, rather than just copy the design. When I saw her post I SCREAMED WITH DELIGHT thought, "Lucky me!" The only problem was.... have you guessed yet?... that it was in English. Lol. So, I took it upon myself to translate it AND, with her permission, post it to share with you all. =)


Click on the Document Below to Download the Pattern Block Activity Sheet in SPanish



Click the image below to get the patterns as well as the Original English Version of this activity from Mrs. Wills Kindergarten =)

Idea for Mclass Math

Here I go... again! Trying to keep up in this Bloggy World is tough... maybe if I spent less time blog stalking researching stuff for work, I'd have some time to share my thoughts and ideas. *SIGH* If only there were more hours in a day. ;)
Moving on... EOY MClass, DIBELS, and TRC Testing are JUST around the corner! I believe someone mentioned the testing window begins on the 30th of this month! OMG, Becky, I am nervous! I'm gonna start kicking everyone's rear into full gear (including my own). *SIGH* So much for watching trash TV Educational Programming. =(
Same book, next page.... given that the testing time is practically here (13 more school days), I've decided to share an idea that one of my wonderful coworkers shared with me. After all, sharing is caring, right? I tweaked it a tiny bit to suit my needs and wants, but the rest was 100% her idea (or at least I hope!).
Because number facts are the most weighed in MClass, we decided it would be a great idea to have students keep track of their Number Facts data/results with this Target Dollar Spot top-of-the-line pocket chart. They basically move their number up or down down the chart depending on how many facts they could solve in one minute. (For a thorough explanation, read below the pictures!) Seeing their number in the green zone gives them a sense of accomplishment and pride. =) I love seeing their little faces of excitement when they get to move up.... they're disappointment faces when they move down, on the other hand, break my heart. =(

Here is how it looks


Alittle bit of a close up


There is no particular reason for why the pocket chart itself is two different colors; I needed more pockets and the red chart was all I had. Basically this is how it works: I numbered the pockets from the bottom up with numbers 3-15 (I didn't use 1 or 2 because all my students can all solve more than 4 number facts). Numbers 1-6 are on a red card because at EOY (End Of Year) in MClass, solving 6 or less number facts is considered to be Intensive (far below benchmark). Numbers 7-10 are on yellow because solving between 7-10 number facts at EOY is considered Emerging. Numbers above 11 are on Green due to 11 being the minimum number of number facts needed to meet Benchmark at the end of the year.
As you can see, there are also blue and purple cards numbered from 1-27. These cards represent the students in my classroom; blue for the boys and purple for the girls. Every Monday, I progress monitor my students in Number Facts. Once the minute is up, I let my students know how many Number Facts they were able to solve. Then, they go to the chart and move their classroom number up or down depending on how they did that week. I'm hoping that by the opening of the testing window, most ALL of my students are at 11 number facts... I'm going to keep my fingers crossed. =)