Getting Ready to Go Back to School

Posted in back to school, classroom ideas, elementary by

Hello everyone! In case you haven’t heard, I am going back to the classroom next year! I am super excited! I have spent a lot of time on Pinterest looking at ideas to decorate and organize my new room! I must also confess that I have been to several dollar stores and Targets as well as buying things from neighbors on beg barter Facebook groups. I know it seems early and I see some of my friends are upset about the back to school stuff being out in stores, but I am excited to get back and don’t want to wait until the last minute to get it all together!

First up, look at these colorful totes I found in the Target Dollar Spot (I might have gone to a few Targets to get the colors I wanted)! The labels were FREE from The Hungry Teacher.

Also, I found the triangles for a welcome banner using letters I already had! I am planning on adding some black and white polka dot ribbon to make finishing touches!

How cute are these colored clothes pins??? I think I will use them on this string to hang student work!

I also found these pencil cups and used FREE labels to prep them!

I was planning on making tissue paper pom poms, but lucked out at the dollar store and found these!

Should I hang them from the ceiling or use them to make truffula trees?

Last, but not least, these Dr. Seuss posters were a steal… All 6 for $1 at the Target Dollar Spot!!! The Seuss stickers were also $1 for each pack.

Here are a few rooms that I have been looking at for inspiration:

Target Teacher Hacks

And, don’t worry, I have not forgotten to prepare for the ACADEMICS! All this cute decor is fine and fun, but we do need to think about content and curriculum! Look at my last post to see all the fun games I have been making for my 4th graders!

Super Fun Fourth Grade Math Games

Want to see more? Check out my Pinterest Board:

26Jun2018

Super Fun Fourth Grade Math Games

Posted in addition, elementary, games, guided math, math, task cards, Uncategorized by

What is a great way to get your students to practice key math skills and stay engaged? Games! Here are a few of my favorite games for Fourth Grade Math!

Multiplication by 10s & 100’s Task Cards and Game Board – This collection of 40 task cards is perfect for solving problems multiplying by 10 and 100 and multiples of tens and hundreds. There is a Board Game included to print or you could use the cards for a Scoot or Scavenger Hunt! Record sheet and answer key included!
Place Value 4 Score – Written Form This includes 24 cards with written form of numbers in the thousands, millions, and up to 1 billion. The students find the number in standard form on the game board. Players earn tallies for completing rows of 4. The game is good for 2,3, or 4 players.
Place Value Task Cards and Game Board: Your students will love these cute task cards for reading and writing Whole Numbers in standard form, expanded form and expanded notation as well as describing the relationship in base 10 through the 1,000,000,000 place. Use the task cards in centers, small group, or as a scoot game! Students can work independently or with partners to solve the problems. There are 32 Task Cards. There is also a coordinating game board included. Also includes record sheet and answer key!
Comparing & Ordering Card Games Your students will have fun practicing math skills of comparing and ordering whole numbers with these game cards. This download includes printable pages for the game directions, cards, record sheets and suggestions for use.

For more great Fourth Grade Math activities, check out my Pinterest Board!

19Mar2018

Easter Egg Math Activities

Posted in addition, Easter, elementary, fractions, freebies, games, guided math, math, Spring by

Spring is in the air and Easter is right around the corner, so why not have some fun in your classroom? I am planning on having an egg hunt later this week to get my students moving while practicing word problems! I found a few ideas from other bloggers while looking on Pinterest this morning! Thought I should share! I hope you find at least one activity to try this week!

For more great Easter Egg Ideas check out my Spring Pinterest Board:

17Jan2018

Free Estimating Sums & Differences Game

Posted in addition, elementary, estimating, freebies, games, guided math, math by

Estimating sums and differences is a skill I have found students need a lot of opportunities to practice! I love to create engaging activities to help keep my students motivated while they practice! This game is great for students who need extra practice or a review! And today I would like to give it to my blog followers for FREE!

Materials Needed:

Game Cards & Game Board (download here for free)
Record Sheet (in download) or scratch paper
Crayons or markers

Teacher Prep:

Download free resource
Print game cards and game board on colored paper or card stock
Cut cards

How to Play: (directions are also included in FREE download)!

Students work in groups of 2,3,4 based on teacher preference
Students each need their own color of crayon or marker
Player one turns over a card
Solve on record sheet or scratch paper
Find the answer on the game board and color in the square
The next player follows the steps
The first player with 4 in row is the winner
Players can keep playing to see who gets the most 4 in a row!

16Jan2018

Engaging Valentine’s Day Classroom Activities

Posted in classroom ideas, elementary, guided math, hands on learning, science, Valentine's Day by

Looking for great educational activities for Valentine’s Day? Here are a few excellent ideas to use in your classroom in February!

30Dec2017

Discovering Multiplication

Posted in classroom ideas, elementary, guided math, hands on learning, multiplication by

Multiplication can be a daunting concept for some students. But in my many years as a teacher I have learned that starting out with a discovery activity can help students to understand the process of multiplication and relieve some of the stress.

I like to start off with a real world problem such as “Jessie has 4 plates of cookies. There are 5 cookies on each plate. How many cookies does she have in all?” I have students work in groups or with partners and with counters or color tiles to solve the problem concretely. I will walk around the room and discuss the methods used, and give a lot of praise for effort.

After working out the problem with the counters we will have a class discussion to recognize that there are many ways to solve the problem. Some students count, some skip count, some use repeated addition and some might already know a few multiplication tricks. I validate each method and move into the next phase, drawing pictures… Again I let students work in groups to find ways to draw pictures and then we share. After sharing I show the the way I like to make my pictures:

I continue this process with several more problems and then name multiplication as a way to solve problems with equal groups more quickly than adding.

We practice with picture problems as well and I reinforce vocabulary…

And, as with any skill, we practice, practice, practice!!!

I would love to know what strategies you use to introduce multiplication in your classroom! Add them in the comment section below!

20Dec2017

Classroom Activities to Celebrate the New Year

Posted in classroom ideas, holidays, science, student engagement by

Looking for exciting activities to ring in the New Year in your classroom? Here are some of my favorite ideas for making the week(s) back after the holiday break special.

Make a New Year’s Eruption in Science! Kids love chemical reactions and this one is extra special because, well … glitter is way cool!

Read special books to your class about New Year’s and talk about how holidays can be celebrated differently by different people. You could even have your class create a chart of things they do to celebrate the new year and point out similarities & unique traditions!

Brush up on Math skills with this great New Year’s Scavenger Hunt! Students will have fun working around the room finding the cute frogs and solving the problems.

Teach your class how to set goals. Then have them write their goals on special paper shaped like a party hat. Have them add a self portrait and a party blower for a fun classroom display. Another option would be to have the children trace their arms and hands on construction paper and write goals. This makes a great display with the title “Reach for The Stars”

This is a great time to review or teach your students about Growth Mindset! Have students reflect on skills that were tough at the beginning of the year and not so tough now. Talk about ways to grow as a learner!

Make a New Years Book or Time Capsule! This will be a keepsake for years to come!

For more great New Year’s Ideas, check out my Pinterest Board:

19Dec2017

New Year’s Math Fun!

Posted in addition, classroom ideas, elementary, games, kinesthetic learners, math, student engagement by

Looking for something fun to do when you return from the Holiday Break? This New Year’s Math Scavenger Hunt is a great way to practice engage students while practicing math skills!

Math Scavenger Hunts are perfect for guided math, whole class, centers or small groups! They are a great way to have students moving while working with a partner on Math.

And they are so easy for the teacher to prep! Simply print the problems, hang them around the room or another area. Print record sheets for your students and you are all set!

You can hang the problems on the walls in your classroom or hallway.

You can hide the problems on bookshelves or even have a scavenger hunt on the playground if weather permits! Just give students a clipboard to use while they work on their record sheets!

$new years math on playgrouond$

Click any image in this post to get the Scavenger Hunt!

$math new year scavenger hunt.png$

11Dec2017

How to Have Fun When You Don’t Have Time for Fun!

Posted in Christmas, fractions, guided math, hands on learning, holidays, math, multiplication, problem solving, student engagement, task cards, test prep by

Some of my favorite memories of my elementary school years involve making crafts and playing games! My favorite craft was making gingerbread scented salt dough ornaments! But, anyone who teaches in this day and age knows we don’t always have time to do the fun stuff, right! So, to make the most of the season I sneak in a little holiday cheer as often as possible! Here are a few of my favorite ways to sneak in some fun when you have too much curriculum to cover or a dreaded math assessment to review for!

As simple as it sounds, white printer paper, colored markers and stickers or stamps can add a little holiday cheer to even the most dull math tasks! Here is an example of a Math Review I did yesterday with one of my Fourth graders. She has a test this week so we needed to spend some serious time reviewing fractions, but you can see that we still made it fun!

$fractions holiday mixed and improper lines.jpg$

I bet you can figure out what my third graders are reviewing this week! Check out this simple array activity to practice multiplication! This could also be used for fact families!

But what if you have to work on a review with word problems? No problem! You make that into a present too! Take any review or set of task cards and have students make a cheerful answer sheet like this:

Well, if you know me at all, you know I LOVE MATH GAMES, so I will have to mention that you can turn any math skill into a game! Here is one of my favorites from my TpT Store:

$santa game math 2.jpg$

I would love to hear some other ideas people have for adding a little holiday fun to math class! Leave a comment below with your favorite activity!

4Dec2017

Holiday Math Craftivities and Activities!

Posted in addition, Christmas, elementary, fractions, games, guided math, hands on learning, holidays, kinesthetic learners, math, measurement, multiplication, student engagement by

‘Tis the season to be jolly … but, if we are in school we still have math skills to teach and review! Here are some awesome Holiday Math Craftivities and Activities to help your students have fun while still learning!

Have your students measure and cut strips of paper in specific lengths and use the strips to make Christmas Trees! This can be as simple as 1 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch or as complicated as area and perimeter or fractions depending on your students’ age/grade level.

How about fraction snowmen or “symmetries”? Cute, fun and educational!

This stacking cup game is designed for addition facts, but it could really be modified for any math skill!

These math games are lots of fun too! They are low prep and easy to play!

For more great Holiday Math Ideas check out my pinterest board!