Review the Room, Marshmallow Math, Main Idea

       We had a fun filled week with many activities and lots of learning. Last year I started making review activities for my students to use the day before a math test to review all the concepts that would be on the math test and see who needed some reteaching before the test. I shared them with my teammates and they began using them, too. Over the summer I tried to figure out how I could expand the idea. It finally dawned on me as I was driving down the road that I should do them to go with each of the reading units. That was the beginning of my Review the Room units. (Which can be found in my TpT store here.) My vision was to use them the way I did my math Review the Rooms last year. I would hang the problems up around the room, and students would walk around answering each questions. Then they would come to me to have their paper checked. My students looked forward to these very much. They would be so excited when they would see new problems hanging and couldn't wait to get through reading to start math. Well, my students and my schedule are very different than last year. So, the way I utilize them has changed, too. Instead of hanging the problems up, I print out black and white copies for each set of partners and they students stay in one spot to answer all the problems. My morning class has done very well with this and I now let them choose a spot in the room to work. Of course I forgot to take any pictures of them working. I did snap a pic of my afternoon class working. They are still working at their desks.

They share the Review the Room paper between them. They each have their own recording sheet, but they work together on the answers.

I am hoping to eventually move towards using them as a get up and move around the room activity as I intended, but until then I'll do what is best for each class. 

       Another really fun activity that we did this week was Marshmallow Math. I was looking for a way to inject some fun into my math lessons. I read Amy Lemon's blog this week and she talked about Abby's Marshmallow Math and it looked like just what I needed.

I took her paper and tweaked it to make it work for what I was teaching. We were learning word form this day so I added a spot for that on the page. And you know when somethings are just meant to be? We are in the fourth week of school and I still hadn't been able to get my document camera to work. I had asked two people to help but they couldn't remember the steps for the fix. I hadn't gotten around to asking anyone else. On a whim I decided to try it again because it would have really helped to model how to set up the marshmallow math. It worked! and it worked all day for both classes! That made the lesson go so much smoother.

I set up the marshmallow place value under the document camera.

Here is what the screen looked like. Don't ask why I took a pic of the laptop  instead of the Promethean Board. I don't know why. But you can see how the students could see my marshmallows, how to draw it on their paper, and the dice we were using to generate the numbers.

The students are working hard to complete their work, so then they can eat their math tools. :)

You can see where I added a line at the end where the students wrote the number in word form.

In reading we are working on main idea. My student loved these main idea trees. They are also from Amy Lemon's. 

I love how the exact same tree pattern can turn into so many different trees. They each had their own opinion on where the leaves should go.

       On a totally random note, my youngest daughter has become a rather picky eater. Picky meaning she would rather pick cookies, candy, cake or ice cream than any other food. I gave her a banana with her lunch today. She likes to take the complete peel off, but then today she didn't touch it at all. I asked that she eat at least one bite (so I didn't feel like it had been a total waste.) She asked if she only had to take one or if shehad to take more. I said one would make me happy. When I walked back in this is what I saw. 

I don't know why but the bite out of the side of the banana just struck my as totally funny. Like proof that she took ONLY one bite. 

What sunshines and giggles filled your week?

Free Saturday Fun at Toys R Us!!!

All summer we kept meaning to go to the free Saturday morning activities at Toys R Us. Once school started we finally remembered to go. This Saturday was out second time going. The girls had such a good time, and it was completely free. Each girl walked away with both hands full, and we didn't even spend any money on anything else there.

Lego Table

The girls got to build an Ice Cream Cart. Two weeks ago they built an airplane.

Victoria did really well. I would point to the directions and she would find the piece and put it on. Cristina did the whole thing on her own.

I didn't get any pictures of it, but they also had a table for making bracelets. You weave little rubber bands together and add a tiny s hook and you have a bracelet. 

After those two fun filled activities, they had a Thomas event. It started with coloring crowns for the new movie King of the Railway, followed by a scavenger hunt that let to games and a puzzle prize. 

Cristina was really into the scavenger hunt.

Victoria lost interest in the scavenger hunt when we walked by the Thomas game table.

Rubber Band bracelet, Lego Ice Cream Cart, Thomas crown, Thomas puzzle, Thomas poster

and two happy girls!

Popsicle Sticks

          We are now three weeks into school. I had a rough start to the year. It felt like I couldn't learn all 41 of my students names much less get to know them. Well I feel like I do know them now. I don't know a lot of personal things about them (family life, favorite things to do), but I do know them as students. I know which quiet kids aren't answering but know what is going on, and which quiet kids aren't answering and don't have a clue what is going on. I know which ones need extra time but they can do it themselves, and I know which ones are going to need extra help. I also know which ones get bored easily and need constant things to keep them busy so they don't get in trouble. 

          I also have found the key to keeping the noisy class quiet. I have a morning class and an afternoon class. The morning class is vying for the quietest class that I have had in my 10 years. Three weeks into school and they can write quietly for 20 minutes. I can give them an assignment and have to watch carefully for the ones who need help because they will work quietly on it. Even when they help each other, they do it quietly.

        For every bit of quiet that my morning class it, my afternoon class is loud. For the first two weeks of school I don't think there was more than a few seconds that went by that someone didn't say something. Out of desperation earlier this week I stopped in the middle of class (which some didn't even notice because they were talking to their friends) and gathered up some containers I have stashed in my cabinet. They are the tall thin containers that Crystal Light drink mix comes in. I put one at each group and grabbed a handful of Popsicle sticks. I gave each group 5 Popsicle sticks. The whole time I haven't said a word. I finally have their attention. They are trying to figure out what on Earth is going on. What are we doing with Popsicle sticks? My theme this year is superheroes. I told my class that whenever they did something that made me happy (taking out their journal without everyone talking, opening their book without everyone talking, using their connecting cubes correctly) I would give them a stick. Whenever they did something that made me unhappy I would take a stick away. Whichever group had the most at the end of the day was the superheroes for the day. One student immediately asked if we win what do we get? I repeated they get to be the superheroes for the day. They asked why not stickers or a prize. I counter why would I give you something when you have been bad. I have to put the Popsicle sticks out because you are being bad. You don't get stickers for being bad. That made some kind of sense in their head (and I wasn't really sure it would, I thought they might say but if we had the most we were being good) But I was trying to stress that the reason I had to get the sticks out wasn't a good reason so getting the most didn't translate into a prize. Well it worked like a charm. It worked better than I could ever imagine. They must be the most competitive class ever because they will do anything to earn a stick. I try to dole them out generously so that the positive behavior is constantly rewarded, but I also take them away as much as needed. The best part is I have done this several days in a row and it has continued to work. The winning group does get to line up first now, but I still refuse to reward the winning group with a material reward. I want it to become intrinsic and not cost me anything. 

         Now for a new challenge. For the next three weeks my morning class will come to me in the afternoon and my afternoon class will come to me in the morning. (It has to do with the dual language program and our schedule this year. The student only get writing once a day. Sometimes in English and sometimes in Spanish. My class has only had English writing so far, so it is time for them to be in the Spanish teacher class during writing time.) This means some new procedures. Most things will be the same, but things like backpacks and getting ready to go home will be new. Hopefully it will all go smooth. 

What's up at school?

The second week was better that the first, and the third week is shaping up to be even better. I am beginning to figure out the schedule. My district has changed the framework that I follow for curriculum. In reading, I now teach in one week what I taught last year in two weeks. While I am told what to teach and when, I get to decide how I want to teach it. I think I have now figured out a schedule for reading that will fit in the most important things and not make me go crazy. My favorite part is on Thursday when I use my Review the Room reading skills that I have on my TpT store http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Jennifer-Hollingsworth-5705 . I am working to add one for every Reading Street unit.

I teach in a Dual Language Enrichment program. One of the important components to it is the use of partners. Some years it seems like torture to get the kids to work with partners. Some students are very territorials and like to have MY paper and MY manipulatives and I control them on MY desk and YOU stay over there. When I give only enough manipultives for them to use as a partnership rather than individuals they sometimes don't seem to understand that if they shared they would have enough. Luckily this year the partnerships seem to be working out really well. Here is a pic of my wonderful students playing a game where they had to share cards and even share a piece of paper. Look at that partner work. That makes this teacher smile. :)

Pillow Chum and TCU cousins

Until recently Cristina was in a group at gymnastics with girls who were mostly 4 or more years older than her. (They have moved up to a higher level, while she stayed at her current level. She is now with girls closer to her age - some are even younger - and that makes this momma happy.) Several of the older girls she is friends with at gymnastics have cell phones. She really wanted one so she could fit in with them. Well, there was no way that was going to happen while she was in first grade. We compromised and told her if she earned all As and Bs in first grade we would get her an iPod touch or something similar. She did really well in first grade and earned all As and Bs, but then we had a problem. For Christmas my parents bought all the grandkids Leap Pads. This gave her a device with apps and games. She already had a DS that also gave her a device for games. Now, she told us she wanted the iPod for music, but listening to music just isn't something she does a lot. We told her we would find something she would really want to reward her hard work, but that we didn't want to buy her something that would just sit on a shelf and not be used. We went to San Diego this summer. At the San Diego zoo they have an arcade area. The ring toss game was giving away giant pillow pet penguins. Cristina just happens to love penguin pillow pets. She has the regular sized one. She has the mini one. She has the dream light one. She even has the mini dream light one. She decided that was what she wanted instead of an iPod. Eddie briefly considered playing to win her one, but then thought of having to buy an extra airplane ticket to get the thing home. I mean it is four feet wide. Being the expert googler that he is, Eddie found where to buy Jumbo Penguin Pillow Chums. (Basically the same thing as pillow pets, but a different brand.) As soon as we got home, he started trying to order one. They were constantly out of stock. This went on for the rest of the summer. Finally, during the first week of school, Cristina decided to check to see if they were in stock. They were!!! Eddie sat down and ordered it immediately, even though we were in the middle of getting ready to go to school. Now came the agonizing wait for it to get here. Finally, all the waiting has come to an end. The collection of pillow pet penguins has grown enormously. 

The box arrives!!!

So excited!!!

Finally, she gets to hug it.

OMG! They both fit on it.

On Saturday we tried to go to the TCU football game. Football should not be allowed in 100 degree weather at 11 in the morning. We made it just past the first quarter when we had to admit defeat to the heat. Luckily the Horned Frogs did not admit defeat. Go Frogs!!!

Cute Cousin Cheerleaders cheer on the Horned Frogs

First Week of School and Labor Day Weekend

First Week of School

I managed to make it through the first week of school. I am trying to stay really positive, but it was a really rough week. I have a morning class and an afternoon class. My morning class I have for 3 hours and my afternoon class I have for 2 hours. This made it really hard to get to know my afternoon class, and while I got to know my morning class I didn't really feel like I had bonded with them like I usually do. Luckily, during a spontaneous moment on Friday, I felt like my morning class and I bonded. I could feel things turning around and feel more like it is supposed to. And, I think I finally know all the kids names in the afternoon class. I am hoping that bonding moment will happen with them this next week, and all will be right with the world. If not, the next week after that my classes switch (my morning class comes in the afternoon and my afternoon class comes in the morning). Then I will have the extra time the other class and that should help.  (My teaching partner and I will switch which class goes to who first based on the writing units. I teach in English and he teaches in Spanish, so the classes switch so they get equal English and Spanish writing time.)

Labor Day Weekend

I still have half a day left of my Labor Day Weekend, but it has been a really good one.
Friday night was a normal Friday. My oldest had gymnastics, then we went out to dinner with my parents. We do this every Friday night. We take turns picking where we go. This was our weekend and we picked Jason's Deli. I love their salad bar and broccoli cheese soup. Saturday was the TCU/LSU game at Cowboy's Stadium. We may have lost, but we had a really good time at the game. We got to see Casey Pachall come back as quarterback. We got to see a 100 yard kick off return. We got to see the teams leave the field for half-time only to have the refs change their minds and decide that it wasn't half time yet and let LSU kick a field goal :( We got to find out that not all LSU fans are rude. The couple sitting next to us was really nice. And we got to see a 2 or 3 year old LSU fan trying to convert to a frog fan. The camera put him up on the jumbo screen. He is all decked out in LSU gear, but he is making the horned frog hand sign. You could see his parents in the background trying to stop him. It was so cute.

Many other things made my weekend good, but I think I have written enough. I am going to go enjoy the last half day of my three day weekend.