FLIP FLAPS!

WOW! You've got to love the holiday break. 

I'm getting so much done and feeling very recharged!

I just finished a fun little packet. My kiddos love 'FLIP FLAPS'!

 (That's the name my firsties gave them) 

So I made a bunch more for a fun math review.

You can use them in math centers or as a weekly review. There are 37 different pages that align with most of the first grade math common core. 

You can check them out at my shops. 

There is a FREE download in the PREVIEW.

It is on sale at TpT this week for 20% off!

I hope you're all having a wonderful break!

Thanks for stopping by!

2 Digit Addition Algorithm or Not?

I'm a little depressed today because my spring break is OVER and it's starting to get cold again outside. It's been gorgeous ALL week so I guess if we have to be back in school then it can get stormy again.

On Monday, I'm going to dive right into teaching 2 digit addition. Our 'Go Math' book has us teaching it by adding tens (with no regrouping). Then we add on the hundreds chart (the problems would have regrouping if you're not using the hundreds chart) and finally with place value (tens and ones no regrouping). It never discusses the algorithm of regrouping (carrying).

I love how in depth we go with the base ten blocks, and hundreds chart. The kiddos really need to know the WHY of it. I'm thinking maybe the reason the book doesn't teach it is because they want the students to really learn the WHY before concentrating on the HOW (the algorithm). 

Last year I knew this concept was coming up on the new core so I spent a few days on it. Several of my firsties picked up on the regrouping with the algorithm without me showing them.

Sooooo do I show ALL of them the algorithm or not in first grade? I'm curious as to what you all do?

To add a little FUN to my week, I put together a little mini packet for 2 digit addition. It has 4 extra practice sheets, a game (my kids are going to LOVE), and a scoot activity.

You can check it out at my shops!

I'd LOVE to hear your comments on teaching the algorithm or not in first grade.

Have a terrific weekend!

A Hodge Podge of FREEBIES

Hey everyone, I hope you're all having a great Thursday.

I'm happy to announce my GIVEAWAY winners!

Congrats to Crystal and Marybeth!

Thanks to EVERYONE who commented!

I've been making some practice sheet here and there for different things and haven't got around to posting them. So I thought I'd post them now. This is very random and I hope you can use them either now or next year.

I used these to introduce 'How to Writing'. They are also a great sequencing review. Click HERE to download.

We've been working on counting to 120. So here are a few practice sheets. There are 4 'Fill Ins' and 4 'Start and Stop'. 

Click HERE to download. 

 This is a little game I re-made. Now it goes to 120. My kiddos LOVE playing it. 

Click HERE to download.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you've found something you can use in your classroom.

Come back tomorrow for news of my upcoming SUPERBOWL SALE!

Christmas Math FREEBIE & Giveaway Winners

Hi everyone! I hope you are all surviving these few weeks just before the holidays. It's starting to get CrAzY in my classroom. It doesn't help that we have had 6 straight inside recess days. And it looks like the rest of the week will be inside as well. It didn't get above 15 degrees today. A little too cold for my firsties to go out to recess. Thank goodness for Adventure to Fitness and some fun dance videos to get all that energy out.

We did a great math activity today. It was suggested by my terrific first grade team.

Our district has been BIG on math tasks this year. Which are real world activities that the students have to solve on their own with very little help from me. They are pretty simple on a first grade level but lots of fun. Here is the one I did today- called Decorate the Trees. The task was: "You have a total of 10 ornaments to decorate each Christmas tree. You need to use 3 different colors. Make each tree different. Write a number sentence for each tree." I was very surprised at how well my class did. Even my struggling students were able to do at least 2 different trees. We have just introduced adding 3 or more numbers so this was a great activity to reinforce that concept as well as changing the groups of addends to get the same answer. We have also been working on combinations of 10 and doubles. I let them use tiles or cubes if they wanted to. Tomorrow I will increase the number of ornaments for my higher kids and let them try it again. 

Here is what the activity page looks like.

You can download a FREE copy HERE.

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who commented on my last post. I just LOVE this fun, amazing, friendly, teacher, blogging world. The Christmas Spirit just hit me BIG today and I just couldn't pick only 3 winners. So I sent my Christmas FUN packet to everyone who commented before midnight yesterday. I hope everyone got the packet. I hope your students enjoy the activities. Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog!!!

More Number Lines with a FREEBIE

I know I've written a few posts about number lines before. So I'm sorry to bore you again and I'll keep it short. But I think they are important and lots of fun. You can find my other posts about them HERE and HERE.

I'm teaching them this week and made a fun little game to go along with it.

You can grab a FREE copy HERE.

I also found a FREE fun little app for the iPad.

You can watch a video about it HERE.

I have an AirPlay by AirServer on my Mac so I can send my app on my iPad to my computer and then show it on my projector. Pretty cool huh! This explains it better than I can.

You can check it out HERE.

I hope that's short enough!
Have a great weekend!

Name Frame Find

I found a GREAT activity for 10 frames and names. My dear friend Ms. Arnold over on Oceans of 1st Grade FUN blogged about an idea she found called Name Frames. Please check her out HERE. She is One-in-a-Million. And check out Ms. Nowak because the idea originated with her with a freebie on TpT HERE.

So I tried it with my class on Friday. It turned out AWESOME. First I did a name graph with my kiddos. You can find the graph HERE. We've been discussing more and less this week so this was a great assessment. We've also been talking about how important our names are since school began. And we've been exploring 10 Frames with our Nifty Number Book. You can find it HERE.

Then we did the name frames. It was a great culminating lesson.

THANKS again blogging world for such great ideas!

A GREAT New Find!

Sorry I've been MIA for a week or two. I've been swamped. School started and I took a little vacation for Labor Day with the family camping. I just haven't had time to blog. But hopefully, I've got my game together now and can get back to my routine.

I just found a FANTASTIC website. I'm probably late to the 'party' and everyone already knows about it but here goes. One of my grade level team members shared some great math lessons she found from Math Solutions. Thanks Kinley!! I tried the lesson today called 'Comparing Handfuls'. I knew it was going to be great because one of the authors of the lesson was Marilyn Burns! I've read things from her before and LOVE her work. The lesson went AWESOME! It was a great way to introduce comparing. So I came home and did a little research on the site Math Solutions. What a GREAT site. It has over 40 FREE lessons for K-1. There are lessons for grades 2-3 and 4-6. They are Common Core aligned and there are a ton of other great things for teaching math like free webinars, video clips, articles by Marilyn Burns, an on-line newsletter, and more.

Here are a few pictures of my class doing 'Comparing Handfuls'.

I made a recording sheet to go along with it. 

You can grab a copy of my recording sheet by clicking HERE.

You can go directly to the Math Solutions lessons for K-1 by clicking HERE.

Tomorrow I'm doing the lesson called 'More or Less'. I hope it goes as well as today! I can't wait to try some more. If you've tried some of the lessons, I'd LOVE to hear your comments!

New Math Packets

I've added some new math packets to my shops. I hope you'll check them out.

I have to give tons of credit to my wonderful team for this packet. We got together and decided what our I CAN statements should be for each week of the school year for math. This is a set of posters with each I CAN statement in KID-FRIENDLY terms with pictures and examples. It will be great for our ELL kids too. I like to use my snipping tool on my computer to take a picture of the poster I'm using that week. Then drag the picture onto my Smart board slide. I use this when I'm introducing the new objective for the week. Then I put the poster on my focus board for the week. Then the poster will go onto my Math bulletin board for the rest of the year so the kids can refer to it when needed.
This packet also coordinates with my Common Core & More Math Vocabulary Cards. You can check out a post about these cards HERE.

This next packet I created to help me with the number sense routines I'm teaching this year. I wrote a post earlier about this great book-

You can check out that post HERE.

I love how the author Jessica Shumway says when you start to teach Quick Images to have the dots in different colors so the kiddos can understand that you're trying to see groups of dots. She also talked about using ten-frames and dominoes for Quick Images. This is a great way to teach subitizing. So I made a little packet of Quick Image Cards that have those things.

You can check out all these new packets and more by clicking on my shop side bars or the picture of the packet above.

Don't forget to like me on FACEBOOK!

Number Freebies

Hi all! It's been a week since my last post but I've been a little busy.

I took a little road trip with my hubby to beautiful Lake Tahoe! Wow, was it gorgeous!! Now I'm  rested, relaxed, and ready to get to work. I'm heading back to my classroom on Monday to get things ready for the new year.

I've been doing a lot of work on math this summer because our district is implementing the new core this year.

Number sense! Number sense! Number sense!

That's the BIG focus for first grade. Whenever there is a curriculum change I have a struggle with what to keep and what to let go of. Do any of you have that problem? I have lots of games and lessons that I love but I've found some really cute, fun, new ones. So what of my old ones do I keep and what new ones do I embrace. Sometimes I just wish I could do them all. Our district is really good about not making us teach a textbook but encourages us to teach the core and gives us many resources. I LOVE that concept. The only problem is deciding from all the great resource what to use. Our team has meet several times this summer to hash out our new math map and I think it's all coming together. I'm getting excited to try out new things and new ideas!

Here's a little something I'm using at the beginning of the year after I teach and review 'Ways to show a number'.

If you'd like to grab a FREE copy click HERE and HERE.

P.S. I'm soooo excited to attend the Utah Bloggers Meet Up tomorrow. Can't wait to meet all the cool teachers and blogger in Utah! Hope to have pictures in my next post!

Math Vocabulary Packet Giveaway

I've been working on this new packet for the past 3 days and it's finally FINISHED!!

There are 83 math vocabulary cards with cute, colorful pictures and simple, kid-friendly definitions. It contains the 'common core and more' for FIRST GRADE. I like to place the cards I'm working on for the week on my focus board and then add them to my math word wall. That way the kids can refer to them throughout the year. I also use the snipping tool on my computer and capture a picture of the cards I need and drag them into my Smart board lessons. Then the kiddos can see the cards BIG for the first time. We do the Marzano's 6 Step Process for vocabulary with a few adjustments. You can read all about it HERE from an earlier post.

This is just a sample of some of the words.

I have to give credit to my great team. We had a meeting and went over all the vocabulary from the common core and our new math book. Our district came up with a list of 30 words but we felt like it wasn't complete. So this list is MORE baby!

I'm going to have a GIVEAWAY if anyone is feeling lucky. Just comment on this post, be sure to leave your email address. Then tomorrow at noon (Mountain Time) I will use the random generator to select THREE winners for my Math Vocabulary Packet. I'll be notifying and sending you LUCKY winners the packet.

The lucky winners were Angie, Carol and Kim!!! Congrats! And many thanks to all who commented!!!

Hey, I'd LOVE to hear how you do your math vocabulary.

More and Less Freebie and New Number Charts

Man oh man, summer is flying by at a rapid speed! I only have 4 1/2 weeks left and I have a ton of things I still want to do. Isn't that just how life is though. Why couldn't the school year fly by at a rapid speed?

I've completed my More and Less packet and it is up on my shops. My kiddos need lots of practice with this concept and I hope this will help.

 There are 12 activity sheets on different levels so you can differentiate your teaching or use at different times of the year. They are grouped as one more or less < 50 or > 50 to 120 and 10 more or less < 50 or > 50 to 120. There are find a friend activities, color it and the more/less boxes.

If you'd like a copy of this FREEBIE from the packet click HERE.

There are 2 activities that could be used in math stations or with your whole class. My class absolutely LOVES the Swat It game.

I also added some new number charts with cute new backgrounds.

This one is 'Nautical Theme'

This one is 'Owl Theme'

This one is 'Chalkboard Theme'

And this one is 'Circus Cat Theme' (aka Cat in the Hat but I can't call it that)

Some of the packets are 0-20 and some are 0-30. If you don't see a theme that matches your classroom decor, just email me and I can make one for you. 

You can check out all these and more at my shops by clicking on the my sidebar.

I hope you're enjoying your summer and it is going by very s-l-o-w-l-y!!!

Number Sense

If you teach a primary grade then you know how important number sense is. The main focus in the new common core for first grade IS number sense. Number sense generally doesn't get developed deeply enough in the primary grade because the focus of the teaching is often on facts and skills. That's probably why the change in the core.

I found an amazing book about it.

Number Sense Routines by Jessica Shumway

If you click on the picture, it will link you to Amazon.com for more information.

"This book is about tapping into every child's innate sense of number, providing daily experiences to develop and nourish number sense, and facilitating students' application of number sense in a variety of situations and context."
Have you ever tried to explain to a parent what number sense is? Shumway says "number sense is very complex and there are many layers to it. It is rooted within all strands of mathematics. Number sense facilitates problem solving, reasoning, and discussing mathematical ideas." She then 'unpacks' the term number sense for you which includes subitizing, magnitude, counting, on-to-one correspondence, cardinality, hierarchical inclusion, part/whole relationships, compensation, and unitizing.

Wow! Those are some big words with big meanings. If we are not sure what they are and we are teaching first grade, we need to do a little homework and get with the program. I know I need to and I'm spending my summer studying and trying figuring this all out.

What's great about this book is Shumway gives you valuable information about number sense. Then she goes on to give you the tools to plan effective strategies to facilitate numerical literacy with your students. It's for grade K-3 which helps you see where your students are coming from and where they are going. The routines are warm-ups- quick 5-10 minute experiences at the beginning of your math class. Shumways says, "the 'daily-ness'- the everyday interactions-with numbers, amounts, patterns, and relationships will build your students' number sense."

Some of the specific routines detailed in the book are: Quick Images, Ten-Frames, Rekenrek, Count Around the Circle, Choral Counting, Start and Stop Counting, Organic Number Line, Ten Wand, Ways to Make a Number, Today's Number, Mental Math, Calendar, Collecting Data Over Time, and Counting the Days in School.

Over the years, I've done many of these activities but Shumway goes into depth with thought provoking questions and activities that deepen understanding.

If you want a great book for your summer reading, I'd suggest this one. It would make a great grade level team book study.

Hope I haven't bored ya'll but I get excited when I find a great book.
I'd LOVE to hear your comments.

P.S. I'd LOVE for you to follow me on Facebook HERE.