Hands On Learning: Weighted Numbers & I Spy Bottles

Hello again, Café Friends!!!

 

It's been a while since my last post. I feel like I've been MIA! Finishing up National Board Renewal has zapped my time! It'll be submitted in less than a month, then hopefully I can get back in my "normal" routine - whatever "normal" might be! :-)

 

All of this renewal business has really caused me to reflect on my teaching and help me to remember WHY I do what I do with my students. I've been working on a component about student engagement and wanted to share a few activities I used this past week in centers to help promote hands on learning and student engagement.

 

(1) Weighted Numbers

 

I love using weighted numbers to show how to balance addition equations. These can be found at most teaching resource stores and online for about $20. I would suggest getting a couple of sets so students can balance equations with larger numbers.

 

Each number has the number word on the back so the 6's and 9's don't get mixed up. Plus, this helps reinforce number word recognition.

 

The picture above shows 6+3 = 9. I also wrote on the board: 9 = 6+3. This is such a hard concept for a lot of my students. The balance scale is a concrete learning tool that helps them see the "balance" {equals}.

 I always tell them when they see the equals sign to think of a balance scale. Both sides of the scale {equation} must be equal in order for the equation to be true.

 

I put the scales and numbers in my math center for students to explore balancing equations, helping them to understand that 6+3 is the same as 3+6.

 

 

(2) I Spy Bottles

 

Another hands on activity my students LOVE are I Spy Bottles that I made. Each bottle contains various objects and ten sight words. I've used these in my literacy centers for word work. They're also perfect for time-fillers. My goal is to make enough for a class set.

 

These are great for your kinesthetic learners and students with attention difficulties. I typed a sheet with the I Spy items, laminated the sheets, and students use dry-erase crayons {or markers} to check what they've found. Coins are the hardest to find. It keeps them busy for a while! They love the challenge.

 

Click Here to view an older post about how to make your own I Spy Bottles.

 

 I'd love to hear about engaging activities you use with your students! Feel free to share in the comments below. :-)
 

Thanks for stopping by the Café!

St. Patrick's Day Fun & FREEBIES!

Happy Saturday, Café Friends!

 

There are about 60 school days left! OH. MY. GOODNESS! I don't know whether or not to be excited or freak out because there's still SO much work to be done between now and the end of May.

Spring break for us will be in a few weeks and time usually flies by after that.

 

 

St. Patrick's Day is almost here and I'd like to share some of the activities we've started working on in our math and literacy stations.

 

In our Word Work station, students love searching for words on the Itty Bitty I Spy. They use a magnifying glass to search for words, then write the word on the lines.

 

 

 

The Lucky Charms activity gave student extra practice recognizing and writing numbers within 120.

 

 

This upcoming week I will be using these activities in my math stations:

YOU CAN PICK UP THESE FREE RESOURCES HERE!

 

We've been working on place value so I thought this sheet would give students some extra practice. It can also be used as a quick check-up to see if students know the basics of understanding tens and ones.

 

This sheet allows students to represent tens and ones using "sticks" and "stones". This is the most effective method I've used so far to help students draw tens and ones. It's quick and it really helps when they start to add and subtract 2-digit numbers. They can easily see and count the tens and ones.

 

This activity will be used with my table groups. Students will pick a card and represent that number using manipulatives {rods & units}. Now that we have iPads, I'll also do this whole group and let them show me how to represent the number on their iPad whiteboard {Educreations app} using the "sticks" and "stones".

I like to have a station that includes puzzles and games. This station usually has pattern block activities, jigsaw puzzles, memory games, pentominoes, etc.

This week I'll use these tens and ones matching puzzles. I like to copy this on green cardstock to make it thematic for St. Patrick's Day.

 





This fun freebie will be used at my table groups. Board games are always needed to help encourage cooperation and social skills. We should do them everyday! This game uses dice to help reinforce addition and subtraction skills as students race to the gold.

 

YOU CAN PICK UP YOUR FREE RACE TO THE GOLD GAMEBOARD HERE





 

 

Thanks for stopping by the Crazy Critter Café to check out my St. Patrick's Day activities. I hope you'll find them helpful with your students!

 

Have a great week!

Effective Reading Activities & Resources {K-3} Linky Party

Happy Friday, Café Friends!

I could get used to working only Monday and Friday with 3 snow days in between.

Everything's wonderful until I get back to school this morning and try to make up for the 3 days we were out! Just when I think I'm getting back into our daily groove, the fire drill sounds! Go figure.

TGIF is all I have to say!!

 

Mid-term reports just went home this week and we're in full-swing with getting these little first graders reading at and above grade level. With only 3 solid months of school left I've been trying to find various ways to help ensure my students are ready for second grade. {My heart just skipped a few beats and my anxiety level just rose a bit when I typed that---3 MONTHS!} Where has the year gone?!?!

If you're like me, you're constantly looking for new tools, tricks, and activities to help your kids during this "crunch time".

 

Join the party!

Feel free to link up to 5 EFFECTIVE READING ACTIVITIES, RESOURCES, or BLOG POSTS that you've used and found to be SUCCESSFUL with your K-3 students in helping them become better readers. Please be sure the links are suitable for K-3 students.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

 Thanks for stopping by the Crazy Critter Café! I hope you'll join the linky! {it ends 3/9/15}

Once the linky party is over, stop back by, check out the links, find some awesome resources for reading and get ready to finish out your school year with ease!

 



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Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! ~ Art and Writing Activity

What a COLD week it's been here at the Crazy Critter Café!

We had 2 "snow" days here in NC--freezing rain, no fluffy stuff {yet}. :(

 

Since it's been so icy lately, I thought it would be perfect to continue our penguin activities.

Each year I love having students create their own penguin scene using construction paper and chalk.

 

Each student is given:

~1/2 sheet of black construction paper to make the body and wings

~1/4 sheet of orange construction paper for the feet and beak

~1/4 sheet of white construction paper for the belly

~1 whole sheet of blue construction paper for the background

~scissors, glue, and white chalk to create their scene

 

First they create their penguin and glue it onto the blue paper. Then students create their snow scene using white chalk. It's interesting to see all of the wonderful creativity!

 

Check out these adorable penguins!!

 

   

Some early finishers wanted to get extra paper, so they made a penguin family. How cute!?

 

 

 

Afterwards, I pulled a page from my Writing Paper Templates Pack for students to write their final draft of penguin facts.  



Finally, we read the book Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barner.



 

It was a perfect, arctic week to continue with our penguin fun.

Now, I think it's time to pull out my Spring files! Maybe that'll help these cold temps to rise!

 

I've had enough of Winter already. Anybody with me? I know my friends up north have BEEN ready!