Fall Math Word Problem Pack for Young Learners {With Pictures}

I am just loving this season!  I have created a new pack to share.  I actually already do this in my classroom and I have for quite some time, but another teacher told me I should share it.  So I put it together into 4 packs.  I have uploaded the FALL version, but it can really be used at any time.

I took a regular spiral notebook and cut it in half. Each day I put the daily math word problem on the next clean page. You can do this ahead of time for the whole month or teach your students to do it themselves. I find it easier to do it for the whole month.

I have the students write the date at the top. They are to read the word problem and circle the numbers. Then they need to underline or highlight any key words (i.e. in all, altogether, etc.). Once they have done this, they are to draw a picture to show me how they got the answer.

Once I have taught them to write a number sentence, I ask them to write a number sentence under their picture.

Lastly, I ask them to write a word sentence about the problem and/or answer (i.e. There are 3 balloons left.). This incorporates their beginning writing skills into the math program.

I use these labels for bell work, but you can use them for a ticket out the door, early finishers, etc.

This packet uses Avery template 5163. Please make sure you are using the correct labels to print for the best quality.

If you do not have labels, you can print these on regular paper and cut them apart. Then have your students glue them into their journal.
You can get you copy here!  Stay tuned for the other 3 packs!

 Happy solving!

'Tis the Season

I just wanted to check in and see how everyone's Thanksgiving went?  I hosted this year, and I think it was a big success.  Have you started your holiday shopping?

A great place to start is on Teachers Pay Teachers!  And if you haven't started your own shop, you totally need to.  Share your best resources with other teacher.  Here is a link to get you started.

I also wanted to tell you about a new Christmas Review Pack I have posted.  Use this 7 page packet as a review of basic skills over the holiday break. Students will be able to continue writing and putting words in ABC order. Also included is a color-by-number and a holiday word search.

I created it to help encourage some learning over break.  I also encouraging reading over the break.  It saddens me when students come back and have not even read with their family over break.  I hope these fun activities are things they can work on together.

The countdown is on....25 more days until Christmas!

It's Almost Here!

I am not sure if I am referring to Thanksgiving or Black Friday.  Here are a few pictures of some things we have been working on this week and last.

Here is what my kindergarteners did for number recognition practice.  You can get a copy of it here!

I was getting tired of the kids focusing on spelling all the time and not getting their ideas on the paper.  So, I put a prompt on the paper and we brainstormed words we might need for our writing.   drew a picture next to each word so that students could easily find it.  To give them some ideas, we read the book Thanks for Thanksgiving.

Last week, or was it two weeks ago already, we made a general chart of words we might need for the whole month.  I really like this idea for each month because I find the kids using it and not asking me how to spell everything.  With it, I have noticed their writing improve.

Happy writing!

A Short Post

Today is my last day of Fall Break!  Oh how I love my job, but it has been very nice to have a week off.  I cannot wait for the next day off.  I could totally get used to not going to work, but knowing me,  would be ready to go back fairly quickly.  And I would be working on stuff for the classroom anyway.

I am back to work tomorrow until the two days we get off for Thanksgiving.  I do have to say that I love this time of the year.  Do you have any special plans coming up in your classroom?

Happy Fall Y'll!

I know it has been over a month since I have posted.  I have not been doing a  great job at keeping my blog up.  I can list all my excuses or just continue to get back on track.  Here is a summary of what I have been doing:

Grad School:  I posted this summer that I decided to go back to school for my Master's Degree.  I have been spending a lot of time working on that.  Working full time and trying to balance that is a tough one for sure!

Student Council:  This year, I was asked to be the student council sponsor. So far I am loving it.  We had our elections and I got a great group of kids.  We have since helped with the school BINGO night, school store, spirit day, and we are working on  can food drive as well as a float for the local light parade.  I am having a ball with this one!

School Store:  This goes with student council, but I listed it separately because it takes my time alone.  I have to count, sort,  and roll the money that the kids bring in from what they sell.  I also have to order and track the items we sell.  I could spend a whole day just doing inventory.  But it is for the kids and I have found if I do a little bit each day, I can manage it.

Work:  I still am working full time and loving that too.  I have a great group of kids this year.  Next week I am starting our Halloween writing prompts and I can't wait.  This week we are going to be writing about pumpkins, but next week is probably my favorite activity of the season.  I did it last year too and you can read about it here.  I am referring to my ghost writing prompts.  During the week we discuss transition words and how writers use them to sequence events or steps.  Some people teach this using PB&J.  Since I love Halloween so much, I teach it with ghosts.  I have my students make ghosts out of cheese cloth and then we write the steps using transition words.  The kids love it as much as I do.

Home:  I also have my responsibilities at home as well as everything listed above.   I don't know how you all do it.  I am ready for bed when I get home.  And now I am moving, so I have to come home and pack.

That's my update for you and I will try to get back to writing at least once a week.  In the mean time, be sure to check out my TPT Store for updates!

Back to School

I know it has been a little over a month since I have posted, but here I am.  So much has been going on at work.  A lot of changes on top of the usual beginning of the year stuff.  Some days I still feel like I am a chicken running around with my head cut off.  But then I remind myself that it is only August and that is allowed for the first few weeks.

As you know, I am a special education teacher.  Well, my district is implementing full day kindergarten.  Guess who works next to the kindergarten classrooms?  Guess who may have to move their whole classroom?  Guess who finally has their classroom how they want it?  The answer to all of those questions is ME!  The other special ed teacher moved this week.  If enrollment continues to increase,  I will be next.  I work in a very transient area, so it is hard to determine our enrollment at certain times.

But, don't get me wrong!  I totally love the idea that we are offering full day kindergarten.  I think in the long run it will be very beneficial to the students.  It just creates a lot of work to start up.

I am also the new sponsor for student council this year.  Just got home from a sponsor meeting.  Can't wait to get started with that.  Oh and my grad school classes start up this week too!  Did I forget to mention, I teach all day too!?

When school is in session, it is a never ending day.  Sometimes the days blur together.  I am exhausted by Fridays!  But, I love what I do and I cannot imagine doing anything else.

How is your year starting off?

Putting Together a Classroom

One of my teacher friends got a new job this year and I was recruited to help put it together.  Being the more crafty of the two, I got the crafty projects (which I love).  I didn't take a picture of everything, but you can get some of an idea of what we spent two days doing.

This is my absolute favorite part of her room.  This is where she will display the objectives each day.  I just love this idea.  I loved it so much, after I made hers, I went home and made one for my classroom (see mine below).  They were super easy to make and turned out super cute.

I took a picture of my favorite wall in the classroom.  This is where most of the instruction will take place.  She has her SMART board on the right and a whiteboard on the left.  On top she has her thinking maps.  Her school is big on using thinking maps for everything!

I could go on and on with more pictures, but then this post would be way too long.  I am so happy for her and wish her luck and success on her new position!

Milk Crate Seats

So I have been enjoying my summer break, but it is time to think about the new school year ahead.  With that, I want to share my newest addition to the classroom.  I can't wait for the kids to see it.  The ribbon acts as handles to use the crate as storage as well as seats!

End of the Year: In Pictures

The school year has ended and I have some pictures of things we did the last few weeks of school.  I have not been good about posting pictures, so hopefully this will make up for it.  I finally got around to getting the pictures off the camera.  So here they are for you to enjoy!

Greater Than, Less Than, or Equal To Game

Frogs!

Numbers!

Sentence Man---Love this activity!  Next year I want to start with this.

Kinder Mornng Work {FREEBIE}

I just wanted to share something I am working on for next year.  I create these items with the intention to use them as spiraling and assessment samples.  This allows me to track several different skills on one sheet.  Since the skills are addressed several times, I can look for understanding and guide my instruction.

You may be asking why I post several different grade level skills.  The answer is that I teach many different grade levels, so I am always looking for ways to meet the many needs of the different level of students I work with.

Please leave feedback and let me know if you find these as helpful as I do!

It's Here!

Some people have seen the sample on TPT and have been waiting ever so nicely for the whole thing.  Well, I am here to tell you that it is done!  Well, most of it anyway.  It depends how many weeks you need.  I am talking about my 1st Grade Common Core Weekly Homework Pack!  I have uploaded the first 40 weeks.  They are in packages of 10 weeks.  You can check out the first 10 weeks here.  I have uploaded the rest of the weeks so that you can determine how many weeks you need.  My plan is to finish with 50 weeks.  I have 40 weeks up already.  While I do not teach at a year-round school, I know people do and would like more weeks.  I also considered that some parents want extra practice. 

I do need to say that I have included several skills many different times throughout the packs.  These are the skills my students seem to need the most work and practice with.  If you have a need of a skill you would like to see more of, please feel free to let me know and I can work something up for you!

As always, please leave feedback.  I enjoy reading your comments and it allows me to provide better items to meet your needs as well as mine.

Happy planning for next year!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Ok, so my post has nothing to do with Mother's Day, but I do want to wish all the moms out there a great day! 

Anyway, I am doing a quick post to let you know that I have posted a FREEBIE on TPT.  You can grab my CVC Picture Words {K.RF.2d} FREE!

Two more weeks until schools out!

Out Sick!

I have been out sick, and it sucks!  I want to be back at work.  I miss my job!!  And of course I am worried about my students!  Anyway, as I start to feel a little better and can actually keep my eyes open, I have started checking my work email and trying to plan for the next week.

 

I am also working on another Common Core Pack.  This time for 1st grade math.  I have about five pages done already, but I want to add more.  I will of course post it on TPT for everyone when it is done.

 

We have less than 15 days left!  How many do you have left?

Almost May People!

Ok, it is still April, but we have offically hit the triple digits here.  The good news for you it that it is too hot during the day to do much.  Most things will get done in the late afternoon or early morning if it is outside this time of year.  What does that mean for you!?  Well, since I am stuck inside, I have lots of time to create things for you. 

Of course, I broke down and went to the teacher store today and spent most of my afternoon after work there.  I just can't get enough of that place.  I even asked the guy if they were hiring!  Ha Ha.  Anyway, it is so hard to believe that I have less than a month of school left this year.  And like I said before, I am thinking of next year (always).

I want to share my biggest pack yet.  You can get my Addition and Subtraction Practice Pack for only $5.00!  This pack aligns to the common core standard of K.OA.1. It includes 15 pages of subtraction practice and 15 pages of addition practice. Each page includes pictures to help students solve the equations.

Happy solving!

Common Core Goodies

Like I said in a previous post, I have been thinking about next year, as this year comes to a close.  I know, I know, we have one month left, but I am still thinking and getting excited.  I am super excited about the Common Core.  I have been using it for over a year now and I am totally in love with it. 

Why am I in love with the Common Core?  First off, it makes it so easy to share resources not only within your grade level, but others too.  If you have looked at the standards, you can easily see how the grade above and below are connected to your grade level.  Plus, since everyone is on TPT these days, you can easily find what you need by typing in the standard.  We no longer have to worry about individual state standards.  This means more resources from all over the country!  How exciting!  What teacher wouldn't be excited?

Here is what I have been working on for my classroom:

One Week of Review {1.NBT.1}-This pack is 5 pages of review of this standard.  You can use it how you see fit in your classroom.  I plan to hopefully make a packet for each standard in the near future, so be on the look out!

Sentence Structure {1.RF.1a}-This is just a simple page I am going to use as a review of our sentence structure.  I do an activity in the beginning of the year with my kids about the parts of a sentence.  In this activity we discuss how we can make sure our sentence is a masterpiece sentence.  This page reviews that information at the top.

Clown Car Coloring {K.RF.1d}-This is a simple sheet for my kinders who are still working on matching upper- and lowercase letters.  There are two on a page to save paper.

If you like what I have been working on, please feel free to leave feedback!  Oh, I forgot to mention that everything I add to TPT from now on will have a Common Core standard attached to it for easy reference.

Weekend Sale!

I have been busy working on a lot of fun stuff.  I know the year is not over yet, but this is about the time I start thinking of next year.  I think about the things I want to keep, things I want to stop, and things I want to start.  Here is a sample of something I have been working on.  Since I work with small groups, on a variety of different skills, I am going to either use this as review, homework, assessments, or bell work.  I have not yet decided.  I am also working on a few other things.  All of which you will soon be able to check out on my TPT page.



You can grab the pages above at my TPT store!  This pack is fully aligned to the Common Core.  I have labeled each page with the standard for easy reference.  My goal is to now label everything with the standard to make it easier for me.  How do you stay organized?



Standardized Assessments

Ok, so we just had our meeting where we sign our life away to say that we will not copy or cheat on the state test.  We have to do the training every year regardless of how many years you have been teaching.  Oh well!

 

So we have been prepaing and practicing being quiet for a long period of time and repecting others while they are still working.

 

In the mean time I am busy preparing for next week and of course, while I should be writing my lesson plans, I am on TPT.  Maybe I will come across some fun activities to do after testing!

 

I am also starting to think about next year.  Im thinking about things I did this year.  Things I liked and want to do again, and things I didn't like and will never do again!  What are some things you do every year and will continue to do it?  What are some lessons you learned from past years or even this year!?

Love You More Than Gold

I know you can't believe that I am posting two days in a row, but here it is.  Today in class we did a writing activity about someone that is worth more than gold to us.  Here is how it turned out.  You can get this great activity here.

Word Problem Pack

Hey friends!  I just created this great math word problem pack and I wanted to share it with you!  It has several different skills.  I am excited to use it to help my students review for our standardized testing.  Please feel free to leave some feedback.  If you have an idea for a product you need, let me know.

Picture Perfect Post

So what can I say?  I am bad with keeping up with the pictures!  But instead of a daily post of pictures, you get a big post with many pictures (ok, not that many, but still).

Some fun independent work activities I made.

Noun vs. Verb word sort.



100th Day

I don't have any pictures, but yesterday was our 100th day of school.  Because I do not have a class of my own, I didn't get to do all of the fun activities, but I sure heard about them today from my kids.  It was great.  Our PTO provided stickers that read, "I am 100 days smarter" for the kids along with a cookie at lunch.  The teachers had their kids make 100 of something.  All the classes helped to give a 100 reasons we love our school.  One class made 100 hands and another put 100 words in ABC order.  The kids had a ton of fun and I loved listening to them in the hallway looking at what each class did.

Tomorrow we have our Family Bingo Night, so I will be busy with that.  I have been very relaxed about blogging, and I am sorry for that.  I just got back from working out.  We are doing Biggest Loser at work and tomorrow is our first weigh-in after out base weigh-in.  Cross your fingers I actually lost at least a pound.  Even if I don't win, I just want to lose some weight.  That in itself is a win in my book!

See you  next week!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year readers!  I am off to work tomorrow.  We had two weeks off and now it is back to reality for me and my students.  I hope to get back into the blogging routine as well.  I am off to enjoy my last few hours of my break. But, before I do, I want to share some pictures from the weeks before break.