Calendar Math Center

After redoing and revamping and rethinking my Math centers for 450th time this year, I've decided to make one of my Math centers a Calendar Math center.  I searched all over Pinterest and blogs and found so many great options for Calendar Math pages.  I really, REALLY wanted to just use one of those wonderful pages and not reinvent the wheel, but of course I ended up making my own version.

Trust me . . . it's not because all those other versions I found weren't great.  It was because some of them are too easy for my higher learners and others covered more things on calendar than I have covered at this point in the year with my own kids.  (I might use those later in the year when I've gone over more skills during our calendar time.)

Anyways, here's my version.  I hope it can be useful to someone else as well!  I've also included a Calendar Math Word Bank to differentiate for my varying learners.  Higher students will not need to consult the word bank, but it is available for my other students who need a little help.  =)

Click the preview to download a copy.

Or click here to download it from Teachers Notebook or TPT.

Sweet Measurement

In an interesting turn of events . . . 1st Grade Common Core only covers nonstandard measurement of length!  I've always taught nonstandard units, inches, and centimeters.  Now my big rules for the kiddos in measurement are:

1. Make sure all your nonstandard units of measurement are the same in size (uniform).
2. Start at the beginning of the object - line 'em up!
3. Make sure all your units of measurements are touching.  No spaces in between and no gaps!

Here's a fun, seasonal activity:

Click the picture to get it from TPT.

Grab a FREE copy of this measurement page and some candy corn and Smarties from the store.  I went to Dollar Tree and found the candy and cute baggies there.  I put about 10 pieces of candy corn and a roll of Smarties in each bag.  (So it cost me only about $4 for all 23 of my students with some left over to treat students . . . or teachers!) 

This is activity is simple enough that your students can do this as a little independent practice, at centers, or even with you as a form of performance assessment!  For this activity students need to practice the rules of nonstandard measurement using 2 different units of measurement: candy corn and Smarties!  At the end of the activity students are asked whether the 2 different candies delivered the same results.  As you know one of the goals of the Common Core is to "dig deeper".  Here is where we hope the students will be able to conclude that it took more Smarties to measure each object than it did candy corns because Smarties are smaller in size. 

The student's prize for being so smart?  They get to eat their tools of measurement!  =) 

Actually . . . I'm sending the goodie bags home with the kids so they can show their parents how they use nonstandard units of measurements.  THEN they can eat them!

A Year of Common Core Aligned Math Tests!

Oh my goodness this took forever, but I am SO happy to say that I have finally finished my packet of 1st Grade Math Common Core Aligned Assessments!  I am pooped!  I've worked my tail off this week between finally completing this beast and planning/preparing for my daughter's 2nd birthday!

I know there are other packets of Common Core aassessments out there that were completed before I could finish mine, but you know how it is when you have a vision for something.  You just have to see it through!  The way I designed this packet was to create a Unit Test for each of the 4 broader standards set out by the CCSS:  1)Operations & Algebraic Thinking, 2)Number & Operations in Base Ten, 3)Measurement & Data, and 4)Geometry.  Then I created Unit Subtests for each of the standards listed under these headings.  I then created a Problem Solving assessment for each of the Unit Tests and Subtests to help extend student learning and assessment.  These are written in the style that some of you may know from "Exemplars".  They should be solved using problem solving strategies such as drawing a picture, number sentences, graphs, charts, tables, and then completed with a written explanation of the student's thinking. 

Well I'm not sure if I'm feeling generous or if I'm just delirious from all this cooking and baking, but how about a sample of the assessment packet for free?  Get the Unit 1 test by clicking on the image below!

 

or get it here from Teachers Notebook

Want to go ahead and buy the packet?  Click the image below to get it from my TPT store!

or get it here from Teachers Notebook

Hey!  If you're still reading this you may be in luck!  In celebration of my baby's 2nd birthday the 1st 2 people to comment on this post will get the ENTIRE PACKET for FREE!  Please leave me your email address, so I can email it to you!

And just for fun . . . these lollicakes are just one of the many, many things I did today that's contributing to my present delirium!  Aren't they cute?!?

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to my baby girl, Analise!  Mommy loves you!  

(And now so do 2 lucky people!  J/k!)

Journal Prompts in the Newsletter!

Do you get the Teachers Pay Teachers newsletter? If you're not already signed up I think you should consider it! Each week they feature great products for sale AND great FREE downloads!

If you check out this week's newsletter, look out for my Year's Worth of Math Journal Prompts! (Yea! We made it in the newsletter again!)

Click here to go to this week's newsletter.

Guided Math

We are big on Guided Math in our school.  I know it's a growing trend across the country.  This past Wednesday I went to a staff development after school for Math and Science.  In the Math portion the teachers presenting mentioned Debbie Diller's newest book on Math Work Stations.  Have you read it?  Do you use it or implement some of her strategies?  I have yet to read it, but I asked my administrators if they could get us copies of it.  What's your opinion of the content of this teaching resources?

Math Mobile Follow-Up

I started the Math Mobile in my Math centers this week.  I made my sample, printing it on pink cardstock for strength and durability.  Here's how it turned out.

I had high hopes that with my careful instruction the students would be able to hole punch themselves (since I only have one hole puncher) and then string the cards.  I knew there would be potential problems, that it would take some time, and that I would need to go back and assist some students.

I think my hopes were a little too high!  =P

I don't think my students currently have the fine motor skills or experience to do as I hoped, so the mobiles weren't a huge success as a center.  I fell back on Plan B.  (A good teacher always has a Plan B!)  We "hotdog" folded a large sheet of construction paper and glued our cards on instead.  It works!  Not as pretty or cute as a mobile, but it serves the purpose.

If you do the mobile, you may want to consider my errors and use an alternative.  If you think of another cute way to make the mobile more manageable as a center, please leave feedback!  I'd love to hear your creative ideas!

The next time I try the mobile, I think we will do it as a small group.  One of my friends is doing it large group this week.  I'm eager to hear how it turns out!

Math Mobile

Are your kids having trouble recognizing key words and vocabulary that tells them to add or subtract?  Maybe this will help!  Here's a Math Vocabulary Mobile you can do as a small group, whole group, or even center.  Hang one up in class as a reference and send the student mobiles home as reminders!

It's here . . . and it's free!  Hope it helps!

Fun Flash Cards!

Check out my new product on TpT!  These French Fry Addition and Subtraction Facts provide a fun way for students to practice their addition and subtraction facts!  These french fries serve as self-checking flash cards when pulled out of the french fry sleeve.  First students will answer the addition and subtraction facts.  (This week my class will be concentrating on composing and decomposing numbers to 10 in Math.)  When done they'll need to cut out the french fries and assemble the french fry sleeve (just cut, fold, and glue).  French fries are slipped answer side down into the sleeve so that answers are hidden until the fries are pulled out!

I'm going to put this in a center next week.  When the project is done they'll have fun flash cards to take home to practice!  The better they know their addition and subtraction facts, the easier other Math skills will come if they don't have to concentrate on those basics!  Students can always challenge each other with these French Fry Facts!  I do these every year and my kids always love it!

A Year of Assessments!

I don't know about you, but sometimes I find myself scouring my resources looking for a good assessment for some hard evidence of whether my students have learned what they needed to learn.  Sometimes I feel like I need to "Frankenstein" resources to get a good comprehensive assessment.  Well, guess what?!?!  The Lesson Plan Diva and I have been working hard and we have created a package of an entire year's worth of assessments for both Language Arts and Math!  We even took into consideration the amount of time it takes for teachers to grade, so we've made each assessment 10 questions long for easy grading!  You won't even need that handy EZ-Grader!  =)

That's right!  I'm offering 28 pages of Math assessment goodness!  For each of the 12 units there's a 10 question test and an "Exemplar" style problem solving question for students to think creatively and explain their thinking to show that they are "Experts" in the skill tested.  (Not sure about other schools, but our school is HUGE on Exemplars!  I think they're wonderful . . . not nearly as intimidating as they seem.)

Visit my TpT to pick up the Year Long Math Assessment packet covering 12 units of Math. The Diva and I have got your 1st grade assessments covered all year long.  ;-)

And click on the preview below to get The Lesson Plan Diva's Language Arts Test packet!

(BTW - If you don't know about Exemplars or have questions, let me know.  I'd love for you to maximize the Problem Solving portion of the assessments.)