Cute Counting Turtles!

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  I had to pick up my daughter, Megan, and husband at the airport.  They had spent the weekend in South Carolina house-hunting.  Before I could get them, however, I had to get the SNOW off of my windshield!  How crazy is that?

I have a friend who is going back into teaching after several years off.  She is overwhelmed by how to make all of the math and language centers she is going to need, so I decided to help her out.  I started by making this cute math matching game for numbers.  There are so many ways you could use it.

• You could make two copies of each page, cut them out and let the students play Memory with the cards.
• Layout cards with a missing number and let the student find the correct number.  (Example ___, 4, 5 and have the student search for the 3).
• Give them the set of turtles mixed up and have them place them in order.
• Make this into a file folder game.  Glue the number cards onto the inside of a file folder.  Cut out the number words and have the student match them to the numbers attached to the file folder.

This freebie will be part of a packet I plan to make and sell in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  The complete packet will include zero and ten, as well as counting dots, simple addition facts and tallies.  It will be in both color as well as black and white.  Click on the picture below to get your free sample!

 





Now to a fellow Teachers Pay Teachers Freebie.  With the end of the school year in mind hclark has a perfect activity that will keep your students writing.  Click on the picture below to see her freebie craftivity that has students remembering all of the good things that happened throughout the year!

 

 

Adding to Anchor Charts...Doubles!

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous and I love that we turn out of our street and face Pike's Peak.  The snow capped mountains are stunning.  We will be leaving them soon and I cannot believe how much I am going to miss them.  I am not going to miss the altitude, however.  I am back on oxygen for now and hate being trapped by a 50 foot cord.  That being said, it does give me some time to work on classroom activities.  I am continuing my Anchor Chart activities with a new pack...

These charts have one doubles addition fact on each page.  Use this as a classroom tool to go along with the free anchor chart you can find here.  Just click on the picture for a free download.

I found a fun activity to go along with this skill at The Kindergarten Smorgasboard.  Check it out for some laughs and extra practice!

Now on to today's Teachers Pay Teachers Freebie.  Joyful Rigor With Ms. Jones has an instructional book to show subtraction with regrouping.  You can click on the picture below to visit her store and get a free download.  Enjoy!

Adding to the Math Journals

First I need to apologize for not posting the past two weeks.  We had the virus that never ends passed from family member to family member.  When I got it, I thought I might die.  My husband Wayne (who didn't get it, so we all kind of hate him right now) would poke his head in and ask if I needed anything, I would beg him to shoot me.  He wouldn't, so here I am!  This stupid bug has a death grip on my ears right now, so I will be going BACK to the doctor again to hopefully get some antibiotics for an ear infection.  Then maybe I will feel human again and be able to stay on course with this blog!

If you have been following me from the beginning, (and I thank you!), you know I started with some math journals that were so helpful with my first graders.  I have these free fantastic covers you might want to check out if you missed them, and then instructional anchor charts to help build math skills as well as independence.  I mentioned I wanted to go further with each of these charts and how I would use them in my classroom and attach a math center game to go with them.  So I am starting a new series on adding to the Math Journals.  (If you would like to see the twenty or so free math anchor charts, click here).

I am starting with Friends of 10.  For a refresher, I will show it below.  This anchor chart will be included in the free game pack I will describe in a moment.

I would use this anchor chart to show the connections of numbers whose sums are 10.  Have the children take turns picking one color from the rainbow and discover how adding those two matching numbers will always result in ten.  Use manipulatives if necessary.  Then show them if they flip the numbers, the sum will still remain ten.  Let them pick their favorite color and write the sums to prove they add to ten.  This is a very important skill, so you need a lot of repetition with this. 

I have a fun game for the kids to play and reinforce learning which numbers make ten. Use the anchor chart to be certain they have a reference they get into the habit of using.  Once you have played a few of these games with the anchor chart always as a reference, put this anchor chart into their math journals.  The students will be so used to referring to it, you will be amazed at their independence to refer to it on their own once it is in their journal.

For this game of two players, cut out the addition flashcards, mix them up and place them face down.  Make sure each student has an answer sheet.  The first student picks a card and decides if it is a “Friend of 10”.  If the sum is 10, they write the problem with the answer in the column under the rainbow.  If it is any other sum than 10, they write the problem with the answer under the crying boy.  The first one that completes the rainbow column wins!

 

I suggest you print this on cardstock and laminate for durability.  The answer sheets can be written with a wipe off or dry erase marker again and again.  I would put the cards in a recloseable baggie and slide the anchor chart with the answer sheets inside a file folder for storage.
 

Think about making several copies.  This would be a fun game to send home for students to play with their parents or siblings instead of a simple worksheet for homework practice.

This center (other than the anchor chart), has both a color and black and white version.

Onto my next Freebie Monday!  I have collaborated with some fantastic teachers at Teachers Pay Teachers store and I am proud to introduce this week's Freebie!

Brittany Washburn has a wide variety of products in her store, and many involve technology.  She has given us a fantastic set of "I Can" statements that are for K, 1st, and 2nd.  This is a sampler that can be downloaded for free at her store, then you might want to stay around and shop for more things for your class.  Enjoy!  Click on the picture below to go to her store for the free download!

 

 

 

Snow Day!

Good Morning!  It's a lovely 5 degrees with about 9 inches of gorgeous snow this morning.  Needless to say, it was a snow day and I got to sleep in.  Pure bliss!  So my post is a little later than usual, but it will be worth it.

First of all, I finally get to mention a secret.  Teachers Pay Teachers is throwing a sale this Wednesday! (NOTE:  IT HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH THURSDAY!)  Many stores will be participating (me included), and you have a chance to save up to 28%!  It will be the full 28% at my little store.  Think about all of those bundles that have already been marked down, and you will be saving even more!  Simply enter the promo code HEROES at check out, and you will be thrilled!  Click on the banner below to start shopping wishlisting, then buy the products this Wednesday and Thursday!

I put a cute Counting Flies to Ten in my store.  It's a quick center that only costs $1.00.  I made a companion worksheet for it to put here.  It also works well as a stand alone practice sheet.  So here is this week's Monday Freebie!

 

 

 

 

Also on Mondays I like to collaborate with other sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers.  It allows me to share different Freebies with you!  Camp Kindergarten has a counting 11 - 20 freebie using ten frames.  So together we are a complete 1 - 20 skills practice set!  This has over 2,000 downloads with a 4.0 rating, so I know I will be trying it with my kids as well!  Click on the picture below for your Freebie!

 



Number Match to 50

Better late than never, I hope!  I try to get my Monday freebies out earlier in the day, but there was a terrible car wreck on our street.  A car slammed into a utility pole that, of course, disrupted internet service.  It's back on, and I can now present today's Monday Freebie!

 

Ta Da!  This one helps students practice numbers, number words, place value, and expanded notation through the number 50.

 



 

The actual PDF is much clearer.  Just print, laminate, and cut out the pieces.  The students will match the ice cream scoops to the cones.  Of course you can leave out certain scoops for certain students -- I love it when centers can be differentiated.  This is a skill the students really need to practice in order to internalize. The cherry is optional, of course, but that seems to be the favorite part!  If you would like a free download, simply click on the top picture and enjoy!

 

Now for my Monday Freebie from Teachers Pay Teachers.  Eugenia's Learning Tools has a cute Winter Freebie with 2 separate Graphic Organizers.  They are engaging and perfect to help students break down their thinking into manageable pieces.  I actually thought of taking the snowman to help organize some of my blogging ideas!  Be sure to click on the picture below to grab this freebie while it's cold!

 

 

Happy New Year!!

Happy 2015!  I am expecting big things this year.  I am cancer free after thyroid and uterine cancer diagnoses, and am feeling better than I have in years.  I had to quit my fulltime classroom job a year and a half ago because I was so weak.  Now I am hopeful I might get a classroom back next school year!  In the meantime I am working one-on-one with hearing impaired students throughout the state.  They are ages 3 - 17, so I have a huge variety of ages to work with.

Today I wanted to share a Math Center I made for my younger students.  I personally think it is a win - win because it takes a little time and the students are always begging for more.  I was inspired after a trip to Lowe's.

I despise Lowe's because my husband could spend all day there.  So, as a teacher I will look at an item and think "OK, what can I do with this?"





I think you might be getting an idea of where I am going with this!



Genius!  I bought the largest screws I could find and numbered them 6 - 10.  Then I bought several matching nuts for each screw.  I put different math combinations using price tags on each screw, and voila!  A fun math center that the kids love to visit!

And there you have it!  My mind began racing with all of the variations you could make.  Think about putting a letter of the alphabet on each screw and words with initial sounds on the nuts.  (like pair the screw "P" with nuts that have "pig", "pet", and "pan" on the screws.  Once I start thinking like this, my mind is spinning for days!

Hope this inspires you.  Please check my blog every Monday.  That's when I make Freebies to share.

I Have, Who Has to 120

I gave some Number Sense ideas last week along with a worksheet freebie.  This week I have a cute "I Have, Who Has" freebie to help your students with some more practice.

For Your Viewing Pleasure...Missing Number Worksheets!

So I have finished the Math Journals and I began thinking of what to do with those anchor charts.  I have a fantastic Missing Numbers packet in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, so I thought I would add some coordinating worksheets to go with them.  They also work well as stand alone products. 

I made missing numbers from 0 - 120 in sections.  0 - 20 has a butterfly theme, 21 - 40 has a bird, and so on.  My purpose was so they could easily be divided into whatever section of numbers needs more instruction.  This also helps individualize different skills the students may be working on. 

Click on the picture below to download the worksheets.  If you want the Missing Numbers packet, click on the link below to visit my store.  Enjoy!

Need some activities to practice number sense?  Here are a couple of ideas...

• Hand each student a flashcard number and scramble to put them in the right order. 
• Mystery Bags:  Have bags with popsicle sticks or other manipulatives anywhere from 0 to 120.  Have students partner up and take a bag, grouping the sticks by tens.  Once one student counts the number, have the partner recount to see if they are correct.  Then check the bottom of the bag where you have put the correct answer!  Once they are finished, switch bags with another team.
• Estimate:  Every day have a jar with fun items in it anywhere from 0 - 120 (mini marshmallows, large paperclips, erasers, etc.).  Have students estimate how many items are in the jar and put their guess on a post-it note with their name.  At lunch, give students a hint (the answer is greater than 40, the answer is less than 93).  At the end of the day, count as a class by tens and see who has the closest guess!

And click here to check out this Missing Numbers packet from my store.



Math Journals - What Now?

Freebie Monday! Here are the final anchor charts I have made to complete your Math Journals!  Click on the pictures for a free download!

 

 

 

I have shown you at least 20 anchor charts for your students to put together into their own Math Journal.  Now I want to help you put them together and will begin to add activities to go with them.  If you think there is an anchor chart I need to add, just let me know in the comments below!

 

Here are the completed Math Journals!

 

 

Notice they are in protected sleeves.

 

The students can go through and find information on their own, building confidence and independence!

 

Can you think of other anchor charts I should add?

 

Click on the top to pictures to download the final freebies!

Why Reinvent the Wheel?

Hello all!  I made it through surgery and am recovering on the other side.  Thank God for pain pills!  I also found out that I am cancer free! 

For this week's Monday Freebies I'm cheating a little bit.  I have not been 100% so I did not create a lot of new anchor charts.  Instead, I am sending you to another website that has some fantastic ones already created that I have used in my classroom.  Click on the pictures below to go link to "Step Into 2nd Grade with Mrs. Lemons."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doubles, Number Forms and More

Brrrr...November has arrived and there is a definite chill in the air.  We live just below Pike's Peak, and the wind that comes off the mountains can be fierce!  The snow on the mountain is absolutely beautiful, though.

Monday is here and with it comes another set of freebies!  This week is a big one because I am scheduled to have surgery this Thursday and I am afraid I might still be drooling on pain medications for next week.

If you go back to my blog post on October 13, 2014, you will see that I have started Math Journals, a resource for students to help them use references and gain independence.  By the end of this series you will have twenty or more forms to use in your classroom.  At some point my goal is to give you creative teaching activities to go with these skills, but for now I am hoping this will be a good start.  Click on each picture for free downloads!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ordinals, Number Words, Even and Odd

Helloooooo Monday, the perfect time for a little pick me up, if I do say so myself.  I have a few freebies for you to go into your Math Journals.  This is week three if you are just joining us, so be sure to look at the previous Mondays to get the full set.

Today I am sharing Number Words, Even and Odd, and Ordinals.  I have to admit the ordinal anchor chart was by far the most fun to make.  Click on the pictures below for free downloads!

 

 

 

http://freepdfhosting.com/339b85c4b0.pdf

 



 

 

Be sure to stop by next Monday for more goodies to add to your Math Journals!

Number Warm Ups!

Welcome to another Monday Freebie!  I think this helps make the week a little brighter, don't you?  If you remember from last week, I am working on a series to help you make a fantastic Math Journal that will help your kiddos get a quick grasp of number sense by having their own resource to refer to throughout the year.  The first quick freebie is obvious...Gotta have a number chart.  Nothing fancy.  I do suggest you put this in a sheet protector sleeve for a couple of reasons.  It will last much longer, but more importantly your students can mark on it with dry erase markers and use it over and over, saving time and paper.  Click on the picture below to get your free chart.

 

 

 

Now for the fun part.  Every day I have a number of the day.  The students take that number and do a variety of skills with it.  They keep a copy of the instructions in a sheet protector inside their Math Journal.  I give them copies of the answer sheets so they can turn it in as an assignment. Here is a sample.

 

Aaaaand, here is how the students would fill it out.

 



 

 

 

In the beginning I have the students mark that number on the 120 counting chart by circling it with a dry erase marker.  Then we go through each step together as a class.  By the end of the first week, many of the students are doing this on their own.  By using the counting chart the students are able to see a pattern with the numbers.  The repetition also helps them understand the numbers quickly.  Be on the lookout for next week.  I will be adding a reference for number words as well as even and odd!

 

 

Click on the picture below for a free number warm up template, and happy Monday!