Show and Tell

I am linking up with forever in 5th Grade for Show and Tell Tuesday!

This was a last minute read aloud last week. I always keep a stack of books on hand for those unexpected gaps in our schedule. My students really took to the message of Silver Packages by Cynthia Rylant. I will definitely do more with this book next year.

I sent my students home with a math packet and reading challenge. This packet could also work for snow days and a review the first week back.

I love holiday decorations and more specifically LIGHTS. Our first trees always had white lights and were decorated with red and silver. As the years progressed ornaments made by my sons took center stage. Now when I look at our tree...I have to laugh. My grandmother always decorated her tree with blinking colored lights...not my taste at the time. But now when I look at our tree I can't help but think of those tabletop artificial trees in my grandmother's living room. I always tell my boys when you think you have enough lights...put on one more set.

Have a great holiday!

Winter Break!

The tree is decorated minus the star.

 Thanks to...

My house is filling up with one more scheduled to come home on Tuesday! Love my Christmas memories...

I know many of you have a couple more days so I'm sharing a few ideas that helped me get through our final week. After completing quarterly tests, it was clear that we needed to work on word problems. This mixed set helped us practice problems using addition, subtraction, and multiplication. There are also 7 multi-step problems. These could also work for your first week back if you want to plan ahead.

Silver Packages by Cynthia Rylant was a last minute addition to my December read aloud list. It really captured the attention of my students and led to a great discussion. Love this book!

I sent each student home with a reading challenge from More than a Worksheet. I have used this FREEBIE for many years, and invite students that complete the challenge to hot cocoa after the break.

I put together a math packet challenge with an emphasis on multiplication. I printed all 26 pages, but you could also send a few pages home and complete the rest after the break. 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog! Merry Christmas!

Five for Friday

I am enjoying the day off and linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday.

First of all, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It took crazy logistics and trains, planes, and automobiles to get my family home for the holiday. Wednesday was busy...1/2 day of teaching, 3 doctor's appointments, and picking up a rental car after a fender bender...but Thanksgiving did happen with my family of 14.

December is all about multiplication and division. I'm doing some prep to get ready for Monday. My students are all over the place in terms of how well they know their multiplication facts. My goal is for all to be able to create a multiplication table independently.

We definitely need more work on word problems. In addition to kiddos creating stories to go with equations like 6 x 7 = 42. I will pull out this set of mixed word problems with emphasis on 2 digit by 1 digit multiplication.

* 4 addition problems

* 4 subtraction problems

* 9 multiplication problems

* 7 multi-step problems

You won't catch me near the mall today...but I am checking the online sales and putting together gifts for my sweet students. Every year I give out goodie bags with a packet of cocoa, clementine, piece of candy, and a pair of magic gloves.

Enjoy the rest of your break, and thanks so much for visiting my blog. Be sure to check out all of the great ideas at Doodle Bugs Teaching.

Five for Friday

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday Sunday.

This was my first view of the day...

I have always loved the feeling of living in the treetops even though we are just minutes away from major roads, subway stations, and shopping malls. Yes, this was part of the inspiration for my blog name, but it's not the whole story. I'll save that for another post.

With teenage boys my days of making costumes are over, but here are two of my favorites...

 

The truth is I've only made two costumes! My kids always liked the store bought costumes, but at least I have proof that I did try.

A few things to review this week...

Have a great week and thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Five for Friday

I'm finally linking back up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday. 

The rest of October is all about decimals so I have been planning away. I love games that are quick and easy to put together...and this card game is perfect from the Coach's Corner. No prep and instructions are easy to follow and sure to help with improving number sense.

I had to make something seasonal...

Even the calendar has a decimal theme...

My class loved this video on reading with expression. We watched it last month and one of my kiddos referred to it this week. He is working on fluency and after reading a passage made the comment..."I tried to read with expression not like a robot." So cute!

Don't Read Like a Robot on GoNoodle

Now for the best part of my Friday. I'm heading to the airport to pick up my son. It's fall break time! 

Have a great weekend and be sure to check back with Doodle Bugs Teaching.

Why so many sets of decimal cards?

A quick visit to my TPT Store and you will notice multiple sets of decimal cards. You may wonder if that's the only thing I teach. The reality is that my students look forward to these monthly themed cards almost as much as I love the quick review and conversations that occur during the activities. A few years ago we were days away from end of the year testing, and I pulled out a set of decimal cards. The students paired up to play a game of war, and it was clear that some students still had some misconceptions about comparing decimal values. By the end of the activity, the class was back on track. It occurred to me that the multiple use cards should be in our routine more frequently. To add some variety, the seasonal cards just make it more engaging. Each set of cards includes a rounding activity to supplement the war game. To wrap it up, students order the cards from least to greatest or greatest to least. I give 2-3 students a set of cards, and early finishers can help check the cards after groups put them in order.

Let's start with a FREEBIE...

Rounding money...

The cards in this pack give the word form or fraction for students to write as a decimal.

We will complete the Decimal Unit in November so this set will be a perfect review in December.

Visit my store for other resources on this topic...and thanks so much for stopping by my blog.

Back to School

The count down has begun...I have three weeks, but that time will fly! I always like having a couple of activities on hand that give my new fourth graders time to interact...and me a few minutes to prepare for what's next or handle those little hiccups typical of the first few days of school. We always begin with a geography review so I use United States map puzzles from Dollar Tree. Students can work on the puzzles in pairs or on their own. The conversations always flow as they are busy putting together their puzzles. I review geography as part of our first Social Studies unit...always great when you can incorporate the curriculum into beginning of the year fun!

I love glyphs! This is a great way for students to get to know each other. They decorate their names, and it is an instant decoration for my cabinets. I always point out how different our name glyphs are...and that's what will make us a good team. Directions for this Name Glyph Back to School Activity can be projected to help students with the steps. I use this as a way to go over routines and following directions. 

We play games throughout the week so we can work on routines for math stations. One game that I go back to again and again is "war". We can use the same cards to compare, order, and round. I have a set of money cards that my fourth graders will have an easy time comparing. We can also practice using task card recording sheets by using the cards for addition and subtraction. Since my focus is on routines, I want something that the whole class can do together. In a few weeks I will pull the cards out to introduce rounding. There is an answer sheet included for rounding to the nearest dollar.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog.

Have a great weekend!

Five for Friday

Five for Friday...

Place value will be our first unit. It's perfect for introducing math stations. Most of the unit is review...we are just using bigger numbers. I love the products that people have been sharing on Pinterest and Instagram...place value disks and jumbo playing cards. I just keep adding to that Amazon order!

I created a Place Value Review Activity that can also be used as an assessment. There are 3 options...students create a number to the ten thousands, hundred thousands, or millions place. I post the half sheet task cards around the room, and students respond to questions based on their personal number.

I let students complete the activity at their own pace. So if I need more stations, I add computer stops where students complete a short activity or a teacher stop where students read numbers.

Today it's their birthday...

Tomorrow one leaves for college!

And the other in two weeks! Where did the time go?

Have a great weekend! Be sure to check out Doodle Bugs Teaching!