Back to School Freebies!!

If you're anything like me, you've been spending your time lately crying thinking about back to school.  I'm always excited about a new school year, but I can't help but feel a pinch of sadness for the end of Summer vacation.  But what better way to cure your back-to-school blues than with tons of FREEBIES!!!

I was so fortunate to be included in the Back to School Free-books, which are filled with tons of FREE resources aligned to the Common Core for all grade levels.  What I love most is that the standards are listed on each page, so you know exactly what you are getting!  Click on the pic and links below to snatch up your freebies!  This one is my favorite...are you shocked?!?! 

 

 

 

CCSS K-2 Math Free-Book

 

CCSS K-2 ELA Free-Book

 

CCSS 3-5 ELA Free-Book

 

CCSS 6-12 Math Free-Book

 

CCSS 6-12 ELA Free-Book

 

CCSS 6-12 Science Free-Book

 

CCSS 6-12 Social Studies Free-Book

 

Happy downloading!   

Math Night and a Freebie!

Just few weeks ago, we were celebrating all things literacy in true Dr. Seuss style.  This week, we went all out for math!  It should come as no surprise to you that I look forward to this night in a way that some people look forward to the birth of a child.  That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I have always had a flair for the dramatic...

Anyway, I do really look forward to nights like this because it is an opportunity to meet families, educate parents about your personal/school/district math teaching philosophy, showcase student work, and have some fun with math.  This year, we were lucky enough to be able to send simple math activities and manipulatives with students so that they can practice at home.  Kids went classroom to classroom to learn how to play a game, and then collect their loot.  It was like math Trick-or-Treating!

The game I played is one of my all time favorites because it can be used to address so many important math concepts, including computational fluency.  Since 3rd graders are expected to be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve multi-step problems, "Bowling for Numbers" seemed to be a good jumping off point.

In this game, students roll two double-dice to come up with four digits.  These numbers are then used to build as many equations using all four operations as they can to come up with an answer in the range of 1-10.  When they come up with one of these numbers, they "knock it down" by crossing it out.  If students get stuck, they get a second roll to try and knock down the remaining numbers.  At the end of the game, all remaining numbers are added up to determine a score, and the lower the score, the better.  My students love this game, and it was a pretty big hit with parents, too.  I love this game because students happily sit and practice using all four operations, and it can be modified and differentiated for any grade level.  Get your own copy by clicking the pic above!  

Enjoy, and Happy Friday! 

PS- Have you seen double-dice?!  Kids will do ANYTHING you ask if double-dice are involved! 

Superbowl Fun Friday and Freebie!

Each year, right before the Superbowl, my class seems to fall into the 3rd quarter "slump".  They've been back from Winter break for several weeks, and it seems like DECADES before Spring Break.  Pair that with the all-to-frequent, too cold for recess days, and you have a recipe for some antsy kiddos! 

Around this time of year, I will do anything to keep them motivated, and "Superbowl Fun Friday" has helped me with this mission.  In the weeks leading up to the Superbowl, I begin to drop hints about his fun-filled day, and of course, their curiosity is peaked.  It's always nice to have something to look forward to, so come Friday, my students are usually very excited!

Now, it's important to remember that I am in the trenches.  I know how important and crucial every day of instruction is for my students at this point of the year.  So my secret is...Superbowl Fun Friday is really just academic concepts that we are learning about anyway, just with football themes.  Friday is also my day with no pull-outs or specials, so we have plenty of time to accomplish all that we need to accomplish.

Fun Friday starts with each group deciding on their team name.  Throughout the day, I award points to teams who complete activities, show good sportsmanship, and work together as a team.  This year, our day will consist of football themed multi-step word problems (Operations and Algebraic Thinking, anyone?) and using the Distributive Property to determine the area of a football field in math, and football-themed reading, including a book by one of my favorite players (Peyton, not Eli):   

 

In the afternoon, we play a quick round of "Superbowl Quiz Game", which is just a Powerpoint I created.  I've played many ways, but I've found that two big teams actually works well because many of the questions take some schema that not all of my students have.  If I'm feeling crazy, I might even take in some football themed treats.  

Because it's almost the weekend, and more importantly, because you read this far, you can get your very own "Superbowl Quiz Game" for free here in my TPT store.  Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!