Our Teaching Tribe...Product Swap!

Hey, hey, hey friends! Katie Palmer from Pop into Primary here. Thanks so much for hoppin' through our blog hop this morning! I was THRILLED to participate in this product trade-off and was paired with another Palmer....Suzy Palmer from On the Go Teacher Mama.

Suzy has amazing products, especially lots of QR code task cards. Check out her store here. The product I am telling you about today, and am super excited to use it with my kiddos, is 

her Easy Cheesy 3-digit addition with Regrouping Activities. I just KNOW my kiddos will love this. 

Click the picture above to see this product in her store.

Suzy is what I would call a Queen of QR codes! Several of her products include QR task cards, and this one is no exception. Every year my students love QR codes. One student once told me she loved seeing the "magic" when the code turned into a video. {I do QR videos on my math homework.} They take pride in knowing they know exactly how to use the codes {and it is iPad time...oh that beloved iPad time!! :)}

I am STOKED to use these QR task cards with  my kiddos. I am thinking we could use them for a Scoot game, or even at a Math station. {I am trying to implement the Math Daily 3 this year and I think the Easy Cheesy activities will fit into that great!!}

My students will enjoy sneaking around the room like little, quiet mice to solve the problems on the answer sheet and scanning to check their answers...I can't wait!!!

Also included in the Easy Cheesy Activities is a flip flap on the steps for addition with regrouping. How fun to add into a math interactive notebook?

The kiddos can go back and reference the steps whenever they need to if it is in their notebooks! I colored the flip flap, which I sometimes let my little notebookers do, but it would look great printed on colorful paper as well. I will do this flip flap whole group and talk/work it out together. 

And....don't you hate when you download a worksheet, give it to your students, and they have trouble reading the directions or font?? Well that is not the case with the worksheets included in this activity pack. 

Suzy uses nice, large font. My kiddos will love working on this concept...because, and tell me if it is the same for your students, my mathematicians love solving three digit addition and subtraction. Each year they love it! {Anyone else?} I don't know what it is about it, the speed at which they can solve three digit problems, or the regrouping...I am not sure, but they always love it. {I once told a class that we needed to work quickly but carefully on our 3-digit addition. Why? they all asked at once. Because the President called to say he needs the answers....quick! 2nd graders are too fun.}

How to explain this multi-step process to hands-on learners? Suzy has got you covered! In this Easy Cheesy 3-digit Addition pack are not only the flip flaps, but a cut and paste activity! Great for the hands-on kid. {Like me!}

Like I have said a few times...I cannot wait to use this with my 2nd graders this year! So many different options for practicing 3-digit addition and regrouping...there is something for every learner! AND make sure to check out Suzy's other QR task cards!

Thanks for stopping by!! {Make sure to click the picture below to head to the next blog!!}

Oh Snap....It's almost August!!

Greetings! I am THRILLED to be linking up with the amazing Teacher Deals, Dollar Steals blog for the new monthly link up. Just a quick post from me today, but I COULDN'T WAIT to share my latest product with you. For a LONG TIME I have been wanting to ditch my overstuffed file folders. Also...there MAY or MAY NOT still be files from two teachers before me...

I have been seeing recent posts of bloggers cleaning out and cleaning up their file cabinets. It is my dream come true to open those bad boys up and see neat, orderly binders. I plan on putting my binders spine up in the file cabinets. 

My Math files are the WORST. Just messy and PACKED. I am going to purge a lot of the old files and put the rest in the binders. Which leads me to the perfect products to create such math binders. (ON SALE until I finish adding the extra pages!!)

(To see the product click HERE or on the pic above!)

I included the Common Core strands for grades K-5!! Here are some of the covers. 

Spines for two different size binders!

I also created binder covers for 2nd Grade Everyday Math. (I know..specific..but I KNOW there are others who use it!!) I have 12 binder covers, one for each unit. This will be a growing product as I will be adding game dividers, etc. (The common core binder set will also grow as I add strand dividers!)

Click HERE or on the pic to check these covers out!

 Thanks for stopping by!

Click to get back to the linkup!

Back to School linky-Assessment

Greetings!

I am back for week two of this amanzing Back 2 School Linky party hosted by Mrs. D's Corner and Miss V's Busy Bees. 

Assessment. A pretty big buzz word in education today. However, I am not going to delve into the topic of standardized testing!! (As we say up north, Uffda.) I want to talk about the ways I quickly assess students in my classroom. Those of you that want to use buzz words: formative assessments. (There are a LOT of buzz words in education!!) 

There are many ways to do a "quick check" on student understanding. Below I will share a couple of ways I assess my students, one of them being a hands-on game that my students LOVE.ADORE.ASKTOPLAYEVERYDAY. 

One of the best ways to get an instant check on my students and how they are doing is through the use of individual whiteboards. I have a set of these in my classroom, but I also have them on my small group table......like stuck on the table!! They are the BEST small group resource ever! (Check out a previous post on these whiteboards HERE.) My kiddos think they are cool and these little stick on whiteboards have eliminated the, "Oh wait, I will be right back, I forgot a whiteboard." Also, I keep a basket of whiteboard markers at my small group table so no one can forget their marker, head to their desk to go get one, get distracted by Johnny who is playing a game with dice, etc....(You know exactly what I am talking about right??) You can order these sticker boards for yourself HERE.

Like I said, I also use the traditional individual whiteboards. These are great to use during whole group time. Here are two ways I use them:

1. During whole group math: We often start our math time with a quick review of what we learned the day before. The kiddos copy down a problem onto their board and "hug it" to their chest when they are done. Then, when I say "Show me your amazing work!" They hold it up in the air. The reason I have them hug it before showing me is it gives other kids a little extra time to work, AND it almost completely stops copying. 

2. During whole group reading: I most often use the mini whiteboards during phonics and spelling reviews. For example, if our sound of the week is "ch" I will have the kids write some words that include that sound. (Same with spelling, we review our words.)

The kiddos DO get sick of taking tests....and more tests....and still MORE tests. I mean, can you blame them? Like I said above, individual whiteboards are a great way to quickly assess students, BUT they will get bored of it if you use them too often. I was thinking about this one night (because a teacher's brain NEVER stops thinking of school!) and decided to create a review game for my students to use in math the next day. We were learning about grams and kilograms and my littles needed to be able to determine which unit (g or kg) they would use to measure an object. What popped out of my brain was "This or That?". In this game, students each get a "g" and "kg" circle (pictured below). We glue (or tape) these onto popsicle sticks, and when I say an object, "fridge" the students show me either g or kg. (After naming a few objects, I know INSTANTLY who gets it, and who needs a review in small group.) The kiddos LOVE this....they kind of feel like it is a game show. 

I have two versions of this game in my TpT store....so far. :) You can get my grams or kilograms version FREE! I also have an inches or feet version. Click on the pictures below!

Thanks for stopping by!

Trade 'n' Grade Swap!!

Soooo...I am so excited to be participating in the Trade and Grade product swap! Not only did I LOVE it...my kiddos loved trying the new centers!

 I was paired up with Jamie over at Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher. She sent over the COOLEST Math task cards!! She calls it, "Game Day Test Prep"for 3rd grade...how CUTE is that?? Her adorable (and by adorable I mean TOTALLY kid friendly design and great clip art) and usable Common Core aligned product  covers every domain: Base Ten, Fractions, Measurement & Data, Operations & Algebraic Thinking, and Geometry. 

Implementing these task cards in my classroom was a breeze! We do Math stations every day and I was able to have a cumulative review day using the Game Day Test Prep cards as stations! I walked around and participated in our Super Duper Review day. (One of my students dubbed it that!!) I observed great things! Here is what I love about Jamie's product:

1. My students were ENGAGED. Every station had little 2nd graders working intently on these sports-themed task cards. 

2. These task cards are a great quick assessment tool...I was able to glance at their answers and see if they understand the concept or not. 

3. They can be used in SO many ways: independent seat work (maybe even morning work?!), group or individual stations, early finishers, whole group, even as a SCOOT activity!! (We did this...loved it!) 

They really loved the True or False addition & subtraction center!!

 I cannot think of a better way to prep for those upcoming tests!!

Want to check out this great product? I have good GREAT news for you! Jamie over at Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher wants to give you a free sample of this product...YUP I SAID FREE!! Click the image below to download this freebie sample!

Once you check out this sampler I KNOW you are going to want to download this full product!!

Click HERE or the image below to get buy a copy of these task cards today!!

Enter the Rafflecopter below to win some of the great products featured in the Trade and Grade product swap!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

Khan Academy Rocks my Math World!!

Good evening fellow teachers,

I am writing this post in the midst of making headpieces out of shower caps and toilet paper rolls. Why you say? I am a co-director for our Jr. High Drama Club, and our production of Grease opens next Friday!! (The headpieces are for Beauty School Dropout.)

Despite being knees deep in hot glue and toilet paper rolls I am SOO excited to tell you about my favorite math technology activity....Khan Academy! (My littles love it too because they earn badges and points.)

We use this app everyday during math stations. (While I am teaching my small groups!) You can either post a QR code, or download this nifty app:

When you first sign up with Khan Academy, you will navigate to the "Coach" section and create a username and password for each of your students. I tape these down to their desks to eliminate the, "I forgot the password" question overflow. :)

Why do I love this site? Let me count the ways:

1. It is free!!

2. The kids work at their own pace! The site adds activities when the students are ready for them. 

3. Khan Academy sends me a weekly e-mail on student progress as well as what skills they have spent their time on. (You can also login at anytime to see this information and to add skills to practice.)

4. The kids earn badges and "energy points" and LOVE to tell me about their successes. 

5. Did I mention it is FREE?!?!

6. If you are unable to help a student with a question right away, Khan Academy has built in video tutoring!

7. I can add activities to student's dashboards that I want them to work on!!

8. FREE!

LOVE. THIS. SITE. 

I would be glad to help any of y'all with questions about Khan Academy!

Thanks for stopping by,