Go on a Fact Treasure Hunt!

I don't know about you, but my kiddos love, love, love doing anything with non-fiction text! I found these adorable pirate graphic from Scrappin' Doodles and thought they would be perfect for creating some pirate themed non-fiction text graphic organizers. I'm working on putting a whole set together, but here is a freebie for you while you wait!

Click on the preview above to download from my new Teachers Pay Teachers store. I've decided to start uploading anything I make to that site as it will allow for more teachers to be able to find and access my items. Please leave feedback and subscribe, I will return the favor if you are a seller as well.

Clear the Board

As we start to wind down the year, we've been pulling out more and more math games to play with the kids. Honestly at this point, no one, including the kids feel like doing any real work, so games it is!

My absolute favorite game is Clear the Board which I've taught to most of first grade and about a dozen second graders so far. It's great for that fact practice and an added bonus is that there is a built in number line for any needed help.

I did notice that it tends to take a little encouragement to get the kids to use more than one operation to remove chips from their board. However, every time I taught a group of kids how to play, there was always someone who was upset because they were certain their partner was cheating. Why? Their partner had barely any chips on his or her side and they had a ton left. Nine time out of 10 this is because one player was using both addition and subtraction to remove chips, while the other was using only addition. I usually used this to make a point that this game required the use of both if you wish to win.

A few of my second graders are also starting to understand multiplication. I told them they are allowed to use multiplication to remove chips, but only if they are willing to help their partner use multiplication. All were willing and the result was new students beginning to gain an understanding of a new concept. Yahoo!

Click here to download the game board and click here to download the directions. You'll also need two 6-sided dice per partnership (I also heart double dice and so do my kiddos) and manipulatives of some sort. Standard size chips are actually too big and I  keep meaning to bring in beans to use instead.

Happy gaming!

Teaching money makes my head spin

Guess what?! Despite the fact that we have 34 days of school left (yes, I just counted) we will finish our math curriculum on Wednesday.

And do you know what that means?

IT'S TIME TO PARTY!

Okay well sort of. We will party because we will have completed all the curriculum for the year, but we will also party because it's means we can now move on to practice what my firstie friends really need to practice and have a little fun too. (Can we say buh-bye workbooks?!)

Up first-ish is money. I swear, I love, love teaching my little friends, but when it comes to teaching money (and time), I just want to run screaming to 5th grade (of course there I'd have to teach positive and negative integers, so maybe I take that back).

I've learned my kiddos l-o-v-e using spinners (that is once I taught them how to hold two corners with one hand, while they spin with the other). I bought some clear plastic spinners from Nasco and we've been using them with Jessica Meacham's spin and write games, so I decided to carry over the love to math.

I created a basic coin spinner, which they will use with a variety of game sheets depending on their level of money understanding. Eventually (read: this summer) I'll load all of the spinner varieties and game sheets into one document it and upload it, but for now, here is one of the basic spinner templates and game sheets.

(Click picture to download)

I created this game because some of my special friends are still having difficulty recalling the names and values of the the four basic coins. Hopefully the constant repetition of this game will help drill those names and values in their cute little brains. 

To play, the students take turns spinning the spinner and matching the coin spun to a coin value on their game sheet. First person to fill an entire column wins. Or to make it last longer you could say the whole board, or give a specific amount of money to be reached. It could even be played solo. Simple as that!

Now if only teaching money was that simple...

Have you finished your curriculum yet? What have you been doing/ what are you going to do when you do?

Home Literacy Kits

The school I'm currently at serves a military base. Many of our students are very transient, coming from other states and even other countries. Some haven't ever had a full grade level in one school, and others, although U.S. citizens, are better versed in a language other than English.

In the 1st grade class I am in, this has proved to be a big problem. I have students with special needs and/or learning disabilities, but I also have students who never went to Pre-K or Kindergarden or who attended a Kindergarden that was more like a Pre-K in the state of Maryland. One of my students came from a state where 1st grade was more like our Pre-K, and thus when she came in November, she didn't even know her whole alphabet. Yikes!

One of my (hopefully) solutions was to create home literacy kits. Many studies show that students who receive support/practice at home excel more than those who do not. My hope is that if I provide the resources, then maybe some of my student's parents/guardians will start practicing with them at home.

Here is what I put in the kits.

The green paper is the letter which explained the point of the kit and the importance of home practice in increasing reading ability and fluency. I also explained each item in the kit, and if needed, how to use it. The yellow stock is a decoding strategies sheet. Unfortunately I got it from another teacher and I'm not sure where she got it from. However, I found some cute bookmarks here and this page has a couple options as well.

Next is the orange sheet, which is just a list of books good for first graders. I found this list by just doing a quick google search, and a lot of schools have ones that are available to use. Lastly, there is the blue stock, which is a list of activities that can be done to practice sight words/spelling words (click here to download). I actually had a more extensive list, however because many of my students are from households on very fixed and limited budgets, I chose to keep to activities that would require very minimal resources.

I also included various readers. I'm not completely sure how much age-appropriate children's literature my students have access to, so I provided it. Plus, I don't know what it is about paper mini-books, but my kids are obsessed with them. The books on the top left are from the wonderful Cherry Carl. My favorite thing about her mini books are the ease to make them. If I remember to tell the copier to sort, then it takes me about 10 minutes to staple and cut a class set of books. The book in the top right is from Scholastic's Word Family Tales Teaching Guide and the books on the bottom right are from Scholastic's Sight Word Readers Teaching Guide. I tried to include a mix of books based on sight words as well as books focusing on word families.

The last thing I included in my kit was the ring with the sight words on them. I used the cards I had created for my memory game and just tossed the instruction cards (click here to download pre-primer cards and here to download primer cards).  I went ahead and made enough copies for each of my students to have both complete sets. At the end of the school year I'll just send anything left over home and cross some fingers that maybe they'll master them over the summer.

It took a little pre-planning to figure out the best way to efficiently manage these rings. First thing I did was cut out (over a thousand cards, with the help of my 16 year old brother), hole punch (with the help of my boyfriend), and "file" each word in an envelope.

Then I created each child's ring. For most of them I added words in consecutive, alphabetical order, such as words "a-jump". Some got more, some got less depending on their current level and needs. But for a couple of my "super special" friends, their rings were completely customized. To keep track of this, every child got a name label on the back of the "a" card, and I jotted down what I sent home on one of my data collection sheets (just a table with their names listed down the side). In my letter I instructed parents to send in their child's ring when more words needed to be added, so the labels keep me from mixing up whose ring is whose and my list let's me know where I left off for each kiddo.

Lastly, I bagged it up, and stuck another name label on the bag and they were ready to head home.

Phew! I know that seems like a lot, but it really wasn't that bad. Thanks to a very faithful parent volunteer, the help of my brother and boyfriend it probably only took me about 12 hours to get it all together (that includes the making of a few hundred additional books which are ready to be sent home when needed). Obviously you don't have to make everything in one fell swoop, however I like knowing that all I have to do is grab an envelope or pull out a stack of books from my crate to add to the kits. All the hard work is done.

Hopefully all this hard work will pay off, even if it's only for a few children. Only time will tell.

Kill the Math Drill

We've all done them, we've all probably given them, and I'm pretty sure we could all say that we hated them, and they never really worked. You know, those dreaded math drills, where you did flash cards, and sheets and sheets of fact problems. Can anyone say booorrrring! 


I can't say I was all that surprised when my boyfriend's sister emailed me asking for suggestions on more fun ways to do math drills since her daughter gets that glazed over look after about a minute or two. Hm, sounds like someone else I know.... just ask my mother.

Truth is, math drills are not fun, and research has shown time and time again that they don't work. I can definitely say I'm living proof of that, and I'm sure a lot of you could say the same thing. So from now on, let's plan on killing the math drill and replacing it with something a lot more fun.

But replace it with what you ask? Well, games of course! What kid (or adult) doesn't like games? I certainly have yet to meet one. So plan on tossing those fact sheets in the recycling bin, but do hold onto those flash cards, because you will need them, but not for drilling!

To play most of these games, you'll need to following items. These all are good items to have around for any math skill, so if you do not already own them, I strongly recommend adding them to your resources.

• Flash cards of all sorts (addition,subtraction,multiplication, and division) If you don't own any, you can easily make some with index cards. This time of year you can also find some at places like the Dollar Store and the Target Dollar Spot. (Don't go to a teacher store for these! You'll pay way to much.)
• Manipulatives/Counters If you have a student new to addition/subtraction, etc. keep some manipulatives handy to they can work the problem and check their work until they are more comfortable with the facts. You'll also need some for some of the games. You don't necessarily need the expensive store bought manipulatives either, dry beans, flat glass marbles, and poker/bingo chips all work great and can be found at the dollar store or even in your own home. Pennies also work great if you have a lot lying around. You can even make some with paint chips.
• Dominos Always good to have a set on hand.
• Dice/Number Generators 

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Clear the Board
This is by far my favorite game to practice facts. One, because it's really easy to disguise the fact practice with this game, and two because it requires both players to constantly be thinking, because you want to make sure your partner isn't cheating and adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing correctly. And in all honesty, this game is addicting, my fellow college classmates and I did not want to stop playing.

To play this game you'll need a game board (download here), game instructions (download here), 24 counters, and two number generators.

Follow the Leader
Grab a set of dominoes and the sorting board (download here). Lay all the dominoes face down on the table and then choose one to be the leader and place in the leader position on the board. Find the total number of pips (technical name for the little white dots) on the leader. (Note: Don't have the students write down the total, if they forget it, then it just means that's one more opportunity to practice a fact). Then flip over the remaining dominoes one at a time and sort according to their total in relationship to the leader.


Graphing
Kids love to graph and graphing totals is a great way to reinforce facts while doing a little work with data collecting and probability. There are many ways you can do it. You can use dominoes, a pair of number generators, and even flash cards if you want to. Have students add up the total, and record it on the graph (download here). Make the graphs reusable by using linking/Unifix cubes to record, or laminate or slip into a sheet protector and use white board markers. Be sure to discuss results when your finished!

Here and There
You can make the basic clear the board game more advanced by pulling out flash cards whose answer equals one through six and using those instead of a number generator. (Click here to download game board template and instructions).

Domino Train
Make a train with a set of numbers by requiring the  next domino's total/difference to either be one less or one more than the one before. (You'll want to have at least 3 or 4 sets to get a really good train going).

Total of my first is 6, one less is 5, one more is 6, one more is 7, then I made a mistake
and did 2 less is 5, and then another mistake with 5 again (I lost my brain apparently),
one less is 4, and one less is 3. You get the point I hope.

Addition/Subtraction Bingo
Just like a regular game of bingo, only instead of calling out N56, you'll be adding or subtracting with flash cards. You'll need a set of flash cards, game board (download pre-made boards here, or blank boards here), and a bunch of manipulatives to mark those spots.

I Have/Who Has
This is a really fun game to play when you have 5-10 minutes to kill, but only after you've taught it and practiced it a few times. To play, distribute the deck of cards out to all the players (it's okay if some people have two). Choose a player to start and have them read their card (both the "I have" and the "Who has" parts), then the person with the "who has" answer, reads their card and so on and so forth until it makes it back to the person who started.

For example: "I have 6. Who has 2+3?" "I have 5. Who has 5+6?" I have 11. Who has 9+1?" .... "I have 2. Who has 3+3."

You can make your own game cards using index cards (I suggest writing out all the cards on paper first to check your accuracy). There are also some additional play ideas and some downloadable cards here. I've also seen card sets available for purchase at various teacher stores.

Fact Family Triangles
Fact Family triangles were something new to me this year, but I really liked how they allowed students to see the relationships between sets of numbers. One of my first graders favorite things to do was to quiz each other with these triangles. Our sets came out the curriculum (Everyday Mathematics), but you can easily create your own. The total is always at the top of the triangle and noted by a dot. Two numbers that make up the total are in the other two corners.

When quizzing each other, one student holds up a triangle, covering one corner of the triangle. The student then must find the covered up number by using the other two numbers to solve. If you want to practice addition, have students always cover the top number (the one with the dot), and for subtraction, choose one of the bottom numbers. Or if they need work with both, tell students to keep each other on their toes and switch it up.

Students always love a race, so I suggest pairing up students, giving each pair a set of triangles and setting a timer. Let each students have a turn quizzing the other, and then see who collected more right answers. Kids also love playing with the teacher, and I am always sure to truly play, even if that means I beat the student. Then I usually tell them it's because I've practiced my facts, and boy does that motivate them to keep practicing! They love it when they can eventually beat the teacher because they've practiced enough.

Top is covered, so you must add the two numbers.
6+4=10 which is the hidden number.

Top number is shown, so must subtract bottom number from top number.
10-4=6 which is the hidden number.

Near Doubles Hunt
This isn't really a game as much as it as mnemonic device of sorts to help students solve facts quickly. Students usually are taught their doubles facts early on and tend to remember them better than the rest. By having them note facts that are near doubles, they can use that knowledge to help them solve more facts.

Have students take a set of flash cards or dominoes and pull out all the doubles. Then have them hunt for the near doubles to match them with (You'll want to have at least 3 or 4 sets on hand for this.)

Near doubles for 5+5 with dominoes.

War
I'm sure you have played the card game of war at least once in your life. Throw a little twist in by using flash cards with the largest sum/difference, etc. being the winning card. To play split the deck between two players. Then both the players draw their top cards, find the sum/difference, etc. and then determine who's is larger. The person with the larger number gets to keep both cards. If both cards equal the same amount, set those two cards aside and then each player lays 3 cards face down in from of them and then flips over a fourth. The winning card gets all 10 cards. Play continues until someone get's all the cards in the deck or time is up and the person with most cards wins.

I found this card set at the Dollar Store I believe. It's by School Zone.

Online Games
There are tons of online math games that your kids can play. Try the Math Arcade at Funbrain and Math Learning Games for Kids to get you started. If you have other recommendations, let me know!

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And there you have it! Plenty of ideas to keep boring math drills at bay. If you have any more ideas, feel free to leave a comment or write a blog post and I'll add your link to the list!

Sight Word Memory Game Cards

Now for something a little different. I've been giving you a lot of math stuff lately, so how about venturing into the language arts realm a bit.

I made two sets of sight word cards using the Dolch word list. These are made to be used to play memory games, but you can also using them to create simple sentences, practice writing/tracing, or whatever else you decide.

I only have made a pre-primer and primer set thus far, but let me know if you would like me to make a set using another list!

PrePrimer Sight Memory


Primer Sight Memory

How Long? How Wide? How Many?

Since I just did a post on multiplication, here is a fun way to have your students practice their facts. In this game, students roll dice to make boxes on a grid, trying to dominate the board by covering the most box and blocking their opponent from filling in boxes.

This game is called How Long? How Wide? How Many? And the play is pretty simple. You will need to provide your students with two dice (you can do just one, and two rolls), two different colored color pencils (these work best), and a game board (provided below).

To play, a student rolled the dice. Let's say he or she rolls a 3 and a 4. The student now needs to make a box that is 3 squares by 4 square. The player can put their box anywhere they wish on the board. Then the student outlines their box in his or her colored pencil, then writes the multiplication problem in the box, as in 3x4=12, and circles the total.

Once most of the squares have been filled, or each player has rolled 3 times without being able to place a box (or whatever you determine), the game is over and it's time to total. This is where the totals from all the boxes come in handy, and this is where students see how handy multiplication is. Because, instead of having to count each little square, they can just add each total.



The other nice thing about this game is that students don't actually need to know their multiplication tables by heart in order to play, which means this can be very multi-level (homeschoolers, wink, wink!). Students can count the number of squares in their boxes, and over time, if played often, they will start learning facts that haven't yet been covered.

Below are links to download two different game boards. One is a mini, half page version, which is perfect for quick play, such as when you have 5 minutes to burn. The second is a full page version, which is perfect as part of a lesson, or as a center.

How Long How Wide Mini

How Long How Wide Full

Insect Alphabet

So I've finally figured out how to share documents with everyone, so now I can share some of the stuff I've been creating for my classes. I hate knowing that I probably won't ever use some of this stuff, so I hope some of you can take advantage of it.

First up is one of my latest creations, insect alphabet cards. It has each letter of the alphabet, in both uppercase and lowercase, and an a picture of an insect that starts with that letter. You can have your students practice matching the upper and lower case letters, or play a game of memory or go fish with them.

Insect Alphabet Cards


*Folks, I have no idea how to make the link above nice and neat and not so large, so you're going to have to deal for now until someone decides to rescue me from my blogging stupidity. And yes, I'm fully aware that the cards run backwards, but you're going to cut them out anyways so deal!