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Okay, so maybe that should've been my first few words, but it's how I feel right now! At looooong last.....my math investigations vocabulary cards for my math focus wall are DONE! I don't know why, but this set seemed to take the looooongest time to complete!
Of course, now I have to print them at home (no color copier at school), laminate, and stick a magnet on the back of them, but considering we're still hanging around unit 5 (hope to be finished by next week!), it wasn't quite a rush for me.
I had several requests though, which excited me. I mean, people who WANT me to make things. It's like the little glow I get every time I get a comment on the blog or a positive comment at one of the teacher stores. It means woo hoo! I'm doing something right! :)
Three of us were talking today because (sadly) we were at school because it was open (good thing after two snow days and a state rep coming in to observe on Monday!). Isn't it funny how teachers, who (if you're like us) continue to get paycuts, but here we are - working weekends, extra hours, etc.
My husband always wants to know why I can't use the same units year after year. Well, for one, I explain to him, my classes are different every year. This year, even though I had the collab class last year, the kiddos I have this year are a bit lower and I can't quite use the same things. That, and I'm weird and can never follow "scripted" units....even my own!!!! Its one reason I love Pinterest and teacher blogs - I'm always getting good ideas and like a chipmunk, storing it away till the right time!
He, of course, then just shakes his head and when my daughter declares she's going to be a teacher when she grows up, he leaves the room. Hah! :)
Anyway, back to these cards. I've noticed a lot of vocabulary is repeated over the units so I tried to make the pictures slightly different. I mean, these ARE the end units - they've had some of these terms since Unit 1! So, hopefully if you've been following me with these cards, you'll like these just as well.
I've also decided to bundle the whole nine units together and sell for one price, as well as keep the individual ones that people have already bought.
Here's a peek:
Click on the pictures above to link to TpT or click {here} for Teacher's Notebook.
I hate having to go backwards to go forwards, but I guess that's what happens when you have to finish your projects before starting new ones, right? So, unfinished projects: Elf Economics unit (which honestly can be adapted to regular Economics unit...watch next year we teach it in the spring - Easter Bunny as producer???), Famous Americans, and Math (Unit 4 Investigations) Graph Unit.
I polished them up, PDF'ed them, zipped up and (tried) to create pictures. Unfortunately I can't do those wonderful unit pictures in Powerpoint I see a lot of teachers doing that shows you a little of everything for the unit. No, I fight the old fashioned way and do the "save as" a jpg file. Of course, I found out Word does not like that. So much for my shortcut! The pictures I did come up with, TpT said were too large, so unfortunately it's a dorky picture for the unit. Teacher's Notebook came out a lot better. :)
So, without further ado....I've talked about the Elf Economics enough, so click on the picture for TpT or {here} for Teacher's Notebook.
Next up is the Famous American unit! I always have fun with this one. This year, I decided to throw in a bit of review for my students (especially after they had no idea who Pocahontas was for our Native American unit!) from Kindergarten and first standards. We covered Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Helen Keller, Susan B. Anthony, Jackie Robinson, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Reviews included George Washington Carver, Eleanor Roosevelt, Pocahontas, Powhatan, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, Independence Day, President's Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Whew!
See my earlier posts on Famous Americans to see all of the activities it includes (paper bag books, I Have/Who Has, Crayon Box that Talks, Famous American project, etc.).
Click on the pic for TpT and {here} for Teacher's Notebook.
Last, but not least, it's my Math Graphing Unit, roughly based off of Investigations Unit 4 (I use a lot of the same ideas, but had to create an easier version for my students. They do better when things are broken down further. Yes, I know.). Click on the pic for TpT and {here} for Teacher's Notebook.
Whew! Okay, think I can start planning on January now? :) I know I'll appreciate making sure everything is together next year or when we review at the end of the year!
At long last - they are FINALLY finished! When I first started doing these cards, it was summer (well, the first set). I had time. Doing this next set - whew! (I'm going to start the next set over Christmas break!).
Sorry if some of you have been waiting on them and have moved on to unit 4. We just started the unit because my kiddos move a little slower this year. I was hoping to have them done last week (since I was due for an observation - as my principal put it in a meeting last Monday, it had been a "long, long time since" he'd been in my room! Not sure if that's a compliment to my teaching or not! LOL).
So, voila! Here they are!!!! Also, I finished my Investigations class! WOO HOO! :) It's been hard balancing everything and having that looming over my head! It was nice to get other perspectives of the series. I know in my district there are some haters that have turned into lovers, and those of us who are still a little wary of it (especially since it doesn't quite cover all our standards, and no one in my district seems to want to order the $99 supplement package that makes it Common Core compatible!).
Anyway, here they are, in all their glory (well, 2 pages out of 16!). You can click on the image to check it out in TPT or click {here} for Teacher's Notebook.
We are doing verb tenses this week and I found some adorable freebies I'll share with you later, including a "Phineas and Verb" or you can check out my Pinterest page on it. That inspires me to offer my lil' idea to you as a freebie as well! Click {here} for Google Docs and my verb tense snowmen! :)
Oh my - is it just me, or do I feel like every few weeks we're changing our calendar over??? I'm linking up with Farley for her November Currently (I think I missed October...that's how crazy time has been!!!). Sure, I'm trying to get work done here at school on my makeshift workday (schools are closed for Election Day....sooo nice! This is only our second year of doing this!), so what am I doing? Blog stalking. Yeah, I just slapped my hand. :)
I think most of this is self-explanatory :) I don't know what's wrong with me this year, but I've had the worst time with respiratory stuff! Every time I get in an exercise routine, it seems to happen, and trust me folks, I NEED TO EXERCISE! It's not just the pants anymore, it's also for stress. My assistant very nicely told me I have been "super grumpy" lately...and I'm usually not like that! The time factor is also when I seem to be running my kids to different activities. Granted, I am VERY happy that my son, especially, wants to be involved, but 4 out of 5 days, I'm either picking up or taking him somewhere. I'm glad the "season" is almost over!
Gosh, music. Classical, as soothing as it is, would put me to sleep! I like something with a beat, something the kids can sing along to. Kids Bop is perfect! It's current, upbeat, and I don't have to worry about screening lyrics! Believe it or not, my kids are more productive when it's on. They have to be quiet to hear it so the noise level goes down, which helps them focus more and stay on task. I don't care about singing (sometimes I've been known to sing as well) and let me tell you - a class of 2nd graders singing "My Heart's a Stereo" is precious! I also have on the shuffle (and yes, I set it to shuffle) Alvin and the Chipmunks and some songs from various albums that my kids have (Rio, Tangled, etc.). It adds a nice variety and the kids get excited to hear songs from movies/shows they know.
Hmm...maybe my "needing" should have been advice. If you've read this far, please see my previous post on Investigations. If you do this program, I need a little advice! Also, I am FREAKING OUT about math fluency. I am taking this course and have to admit, am laughing my head off disagreeing with the fluency factor. Investigations claims that by playing the games, students will be more fluent with their facts.
Hmm..well, if that was so, then why is one of our Correlates now in charge of a math fluency program we are implementing? Anyway, the way it reads, we do some things in the classroom, but it's basically left to the parents to help their children learn facts. I have some awesome parents. However, I have some very busy parents - ones that don't always have time/energy to sit down with the kids and go over facts. My son, in sixth grade, is suffering b/c he doesn't know his facts (he also has a processing deficit that is either ADHD or something else....they won't test b/c of the ADHD...but that's another post) with higher math.
Anyway, I created some triangle math flash cards for my kiddos to take home. While I know they could pop out to the dollar store and get some, these are more "personal" for my kids. I took some things they like (pirates, star wars, xmen, etc.) and created flash cards for them to use at home. Hence, no excuse AND I can keep a set in the room. I'm hoping that with the characters, they'll be more apt to study them. (It worked with place value!). I've posted them on my teacher stores but I won't plug them here...you can click on the link to the side to visit any of my stores. I do like the whole "triangle" concept and have used it for years (cutting index cards into triangles)....but even though it's cardstock, let me tell you, it'll save my wrists! I figure I'll have my kids pick what "character" they want and only print out that number. If they get lost, I can replace them.
If you've never heard of the triangle concept, it's basically a card with 3 numbers and the "+ -" signs in the middle. I like them because it also helps the kids realize...hey, 2+3=5 and 3+2=5 and 5-2=3 and 5-3=2....good ol' fact families!
Any other suggestions besides games and flash cards? Any magic fluency fairies out there????
Okay, so I am taking this online course about Math Investigations. I am soooo trying to stay positive. I am not a big fan of "scripted" courses. Granted, I feel that some teachers who are starting out, it can be a big help! However, being that I seem to always have a different set of learners each year, I feel that sometimes Investigations makes it a "one size fits all."
Don't get me wrong. There are some good things about the program. For those of you who have been following me for awhile, you know I am a big fan of students being able to explain their thinking, having different methods of finding solutions, and using manipulatives! Investigations does go along with that.
But there are things they are sorely lacking in their program. Not to mention, they only have second graders going to tens and ones places with Place Value (our standards go through hundreds and sometimes, I even approach the thousands, depending on my group!). There are a few other things I could nitpick, but I guess my question to you is this: Does your school use it? How do you implement it?
I force mine into small groups, which means I have "math workshop" everyday (sort of) with my BUILD centers. I pick and choose some activities and frankly, if it seems to complicated, I modify it or completely change it to something I've done before the program.
Do you send home the math games for your students and families to practice? How do your students do with math fluency? I realize part of the series emphasis on fluency is by gaming...but my kids simply aren't learning it that way.
If you don't use Investigations, is there another series you use? I've heard of "Singapore Math," but frankly, I have no idea what it's like. I think "Saxon Math" has fallen by the wayside, but maybe there are some out there that use it as well.
For now, I'm trying to be positive with my class. I am trying to get my answers without being too negative (and it's only been 2 sessions!). It's through Moodle, which is a new experience for me (I've previously used Blackboard).
Okay, well, on a happier note....I used Place Value War (Star Wars Edition) with my class and they absolutely LOVED it!!!! It's now been put into one of our BUILD centers and I have a feeling it might stay there awhile. Funny how a lot of my kids rooted for the "bad guys" to win!
So, that inspired me to make another game...this time to emphasize fact fluency since our school is emphasizing this right now with another program. It's one our correlate came up with, and it'll be interesting to see the results. We did a benchmark with the kids last week where they had facts flash up on a powerpoint for a few seconds before another came. Some of my kids did okay. Others just stared at the screen and said nothing. The whole time. I felt so bad for them!
So, since Star Wars motivated my kids to learn their ones, tens, and hundreds, I'm hoping maybe some more characters might help them with some of the facts I remember struggling with as a kid (like 9+6 and 8+7). So, here it is:
The students have to find the planet/city/bank robbery, etc. with the sum so they can find out where the superhero will save the day! I hope they like it! I figure I'll make a few more, with subtraction and other things we've learned, as soon as I find time. Nothing like having the kids give you their honest opinions!
If you're interested, you can click {here} for TpT and {here} for Teacher's Notebook (it's on sale at TN!). I'll let you know my students' reviews next week! :)
