Bulletin Boards....What the heck will I put up this year? (You don't have to brainstorm....Here's a giveaway)

I have to say that I have seriously slacked on my blog writing this last year.  I was at a new job in a new district and opened a new school.  Can you say stress?  This summer has been flying by and I am trying to get my mind wrapped around going back to the classroom.  Those friends who know me in real life, know that I have been in administration for the last eight years.  I am returning to my beloved elementary level this year and will be a Collaborative Learning Leader.  I get to interact with students (not about discipline....YES!!!!) and help teachers with their instructional craft.  I cannot be more excited.  I truly feel that this is where I am supposed to be and utilizing my strengths.  With that being said, we are selling our house and moving about an hour south of our current house.  I am sad to leave the closeness to my parents but excited for a fresh start and hoping that moving to a small town will benefit my family and bring a slower pace to our lives.  So....we are currently selling our house and hoping to move soon, but it looks like it'll be the end of August when moving occurs.....Did I mention that I am a magnet for stress?  Gotta laugh about it, or I might cry. 

I will be going to work tomorrow to set up my new room.  I always get excited to think about what I will put on my bulletin boards.  I know most teachers think of that last, but that's my first thought.  I think I try to avoid the rest of the work. ;)

So....I am going to use my Key Words Math Sort to use as a bulletin board.  I later use it for a station activity to review math vocabulary.

 

When I decide to change up my bulletin board, I use the words in a station sort activity.  I don't use all the words at once since it can be overwhelming with so many. 

I always start with the easier words in the station and work our way to the words that can be used for two operations

Afterward, I use it as part of my word wall during the year

There are 58 total cards with two doubles.  For example, the key word - Total is double since I really want my kids to realize that total can mean both sum and product.  I am always amazed by the complex and deep conversations that this activity creates for the groups of students during stations.  Sometimes, I have the groups write their answers on butcher paper and hang them up for a few days.  I did include a cut, sort, and glue evaluate piece if you needed that. 

Math Journal
I use math journals in my classroom.  My goal for their journal is to be a resource they use throughout the year, and it must have just as much (if not more) of their writing in it as print out/notes I give them.  Key words, like context clues, help us to make sense of these tricky word problems.  We add these words to our journals and we continue to add words we encounter later in the year as well. 

This is just a starting list.   We add to it throughout the year, and I see my students use it often to help when they get stuck. 

Here's a preview.  It'll be on sale through Friday.  Click the preview to go directly to the item. 

Or enter the giveaway, five winners will be selected on Saturday morning. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sharpen Up Your Vocabulary Skills!

Ok...so I have been in a few classrooms and I've watched students copy words from the glossary of the book. Success in Math depends on if the natives speak the language. You know math is its own language. Well, let's not kid ourselves

So my goal was to make vocabulary more engaging and to make something I could use throughout the year to spiral back in my stations.  I also realized that many vocabulary words are covered repeatedly.  I also wanted to incorporate how I utilize my math journal to help with vocabulary.  Ok...so here's the skinny

I created sets of 3 cards, which include the word, definition, and visual example.  I color-coded them to help kids narrow down the choices and to help my ELL kids.  There are 138 words in the file, which covers vocabulary from 2-5 grade.  Included are odd/even, prime/composite, sum/difference/product/quotient, divisor/dividend/quotient/remainder, graphs, geometry, measurement, etc.  If there are words you can think of that are not included, let me know and I'll add it to the file, but I think I have thought of almost ever word.  Here's an example of a set of three

This is how I recently utilized them.  I print out the cards that currently go with my curriculum.  Right now, place value is the big idea.  I cut and laminate them.  I give every student one card for this set.  They then have to find their partners (word, definition, and visual picture)

Sorry it's so blurry.  Then we add these to our math journals.  First we fold blank paper into four long strips.

Then we cut them and fold them in a tri-fold or z.

We then add the word to the first section

Then the definition behind the word and example on the facing side to the definition

Glue is last

Here is what a page in our math journal looks like

The kids love these.  I do have some already printed, which I give to my sped and dyslexic students who have trouble with transfer. 

As the year goes on, I spiral back to the vocabulary.  I put the previously learned vocabulary in my stations.  First, I do matching the word and definition

Then to increase their application skills, we match word and visual example

I thought I might put them on a ring by my door and also use them as a question out the door. 

Here's a preview, but it's so big you can't really see all 138 words.  Click on the preview to get your copy today, it's on sale!

Since I am so excited about this newest addition to my store, I am doing a giveaway!  Friday is Fair Day (I'm off!!!! Woohoo!!!), the giveaway will end on Friday!

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Math Journaling and Key Words

Well....I feel very out of sorts.  I'm not sure about the rest of y'all but my summer went by WAY too fast.  I had appointments almost weekly between both my daughters for their ears/tubes.  Our kids come back on Tuesday, so at least I have tomorrow to tidy up a bit and prepare.  We are doing a huge breakfast for our staff tomorrow so this may be a short post. 

Math Journaling....
After the first few items in their math journal (multiplication chart, and factor Ts), we start discussing those pesky word problems and how we tackle them.  I mentioned before that my goal of their math journal is to be a resource they use throughout the year, and it must have just as much (if not more) of their writing in it as print out/notes I give them.  Key words, like context clues, help us to make sense of these tricky word problems.  Rather than just have my kids list out the key words, I have them do a sorting activity call Who Knows Key Words?

There are 58 total cards with a two doubles.  For example, the key word - Total is double since I really want my kids to realize that total can mean both sum and product.  I am always amazed by the complex and deep conversations that this activity creates for the groups of students.  Sometimes I have the groups write their answers on butcher paper and hang them up for a few days.  I did include a cut, sort, and glue evaluate piece if you needed that.  Next we put these words in our math journals,

This is just a starting list.   We add to it throughout the year, and I see my students use it often to help when they get stuck. 

I, then use it as a super cute bulletin board outside in the hall.  Which I never change until testing time.

My teammate hung it on her wall in her room.

Here's a preview.  It'll be on sale through Wednesday. 

Have a great First Day!!!!

Shannon

Math Journaling

The next installment of Math Journaling. 

During the first week of school, after we've decorated our math journals, we practice our multiplication table.  We usually do our multiplication table during the first few minutes of class after our math warm up.  Then we begin our Factor Ts.  We use these throughout the year.  I teach prime/composite, divisibility rules, odd/even, factors, multiples, GCF, square numbers, reducing fractions, and so much more.  It's really important that the kids have the correct answers because we use them all the time.  It follows the same idea of factoring that most people call the rainbow method, which drove me insane since being a tad OCD, I never put enough space for numbers with many multiples (like 24) and put way too much space for those pesky prime number that were large (like 61).  Usually the second day of class, I allow the students to pick one partner.  Yes, I allow them to pick a friend if they choose, but after this time, they usually pick someone other than their friend.  There's something about learning for yourself that your best friend is not always the best partner during academic assignments.  lol 

1. Partner up
2. Calculator - I allow them since the focus of this is not to see if they can multiply but to determine all the factors. 
3. Assign them a set of 10 numbers (we do 1-100)
4. Give them some time (about 30 minutes) to come up with their factors.  During this time, many of them will begin to use strategies like skip counting.  I usually circulate the room and discuss divisibility rules.
5. Depending on time it's usually the next day for me, we (the students) list their factor Ts on the board.  This is the important part of the lesson because we want all the kids to have the correct factor Ts since we use them all year.  They will often correct themselves and discuss their strategies (like skip counting)  Ps...sometimes I give them extra credit if they copy a given number's factor T on their homework.  I am sure to mention this when we are going over them on the board - just to be sure EVERYONE is paying attention.
6.  Afterward, we discuss divisibility rules again and show lots of examples.  We color code our prime numbers and square numbers.  These factor Ts are a great way for students to get a visual of prime numbers and square numbers. 

Here's some pics

Hard to see but I started them on the left in pencil.  When we do the first few together, we discuss even numbers will always have two.  We discuss that we should know we are done when we do a U-turn (by this I mean - example number 6 - 1, 6, 2, 3 - the U-turn is from 2 to 3)  You need to see it on the paper to really understand. 

pencil is not looking good...I thought I'd never say it but pen in math on these (Don't let the kids do them in pen, they will have mistakes before you go over them together)

This is the process many use while skip counting (on twos now)

Below - you'll see color-coding the prime and square numbers - this will open up the conversation of the number 1.  Kids will question why it's not prime.  Read the definition to them and have them point to the factors - it will help them understand why it's not prime or composite.  BTW....49 always throws them - they will forget 7x7 - be ready

You get the idea.  I usually run these on colored paper so that they are easy to find in the journal.  They are the second thing I do, so at the beginning.  I ran out of space on those pesky numbers with lots of factors, so I will make them a little larger. 



If you want a copy of the Factor Ts, leave me your email address in a comment and I'll send it.  Or you can click on the last picture, and it'll take you to TpT to download it for free. 

Summer & Math Journaling

I've been MIA lately.  We've been a little busy (as has everyone during summer).  We've been enjoying birthday parties and a visit to the beach. 

It's the gulf so no beautiful blue water, but the girls still loved it. 

I'm getting excited about CAMT coming up.  My fellow presenter, Reagan @ Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits has been working hard on getting all the needed supplies.  It's my turn to help, so I'll be picking up some relish for our Place Value Picnic presentation for CAMT. 

I've been slacking on anything work related.  I only get about 5 weeks off (lovely administrator calendar) and I had to complete defensive driving (OMG....so painful online)  since I got a ticket in May on my way to work Grrrr 

But I got inspired this week to start to share my Math Journal.  I have used Math Journaling since I started teaching and it's been a work in progress every year.  I have done this training for my current district for about five years at all grade levels.  I teach my students that their journal is a wonderful resource throughout the year.  My goal is that every journal be their own, which just as much student writing as goodies I add to it.  Many times the notes we make (aka copies) can easily take over their journal.  We discuss, as a class, that we will do many activities together to add to their journal.  I encourage them to take it home daily to help them and parents when working on homework.  I do require it to be with them EVERYDAY.  I give away rewards to those who have it periodically throughout the year, random journal check kids!  Who's got it????? 10 points on your quiz!  I also periodically allow them an open-journal quiz, but it's never known ahead of time insert evil laugh.  Here's a sneak peek....

I bring lots of scrapbooking materials, wrapping paper, cardstock, and lots of stickers.  The first week of school we all decorate our journal.  I allow students to decorate however they please, but I verify any stickers and materials to make sure no vulgar language or pictures are on it. 

We have a pocket on the inside to keep our "never lose" items.

Example page - includes a 12x12 multiplication table that students have to fill in and then we discuss "special" numbers like square numbers and prime numbers. 

I am working on gathering all the files and editing them.  I've been doing math journaling for ten years so the files are on about 5 different flash drives/hard drives.  I will be sharing numerous freebies from my math journals...so check back periodically. 

Have a great weekend!