Good Peachy morning to y'all.

It's Gary from

 

Today's Technology Tuesday comes to you from a staff development I attended this summer.  I'm going to share with you a program called ThingLink that I think you'll find interesting.

 

You have plans to choose from. The free one allows you to enter up to 100 students, so you could probably use this account for a few years, eh?

 

 

 When you sign up in the free account, you are allowed ONE group that you can enter up to 100 students to. There are two ways to do this, send students a code for them to sign up with their own email accounts, or 'register' each student yourself. If you register them, make sure you print out the page with logins and passwords. They are very funky and I didn't find a way to create unique codes.

 

It basically allows you to use any photo (from the web, from a computer upload) and attach 'tags' to it and then share with others. You can add sentences, other images, links, and videos. I'm sure you could also have your students record a report piece that you could then attach as well, but I haven't figured that one out yet.

 

 

Here's one I created for Paul Revere. You can click over the little colored dots to see what I've added. You have to upgrade to the paid account to get access to other than just some basic tag icons, but I think students would waste too much time trying to decide which icon to use than finishing their work.

 

 

Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

 

 



 

Think of all the fun you could have with this software. Book reports would no longer be boring, research could come alive, All About Me pages could be so much more interactive, and parents could see a lot more of what you do in the classroom.

Addition Strategies and FREEBIES!

When the Common Core rolled out, I know lots of people were slightly distressed about teaching students multiple ways to solves problems.  Or maybe not people.  Maybe just parents that were totally unfamiliar with the strategies.

"What do you mean there is no crossing out and carrying!  We only carry in this house!"

Or something like.  Or maybe something like this?

Huh?

Or like this?

Yeah.  At my school, too.

I worked really hard to teach the parents as much as the kids because it is a huge shift in thinking.

First, I always get the question, "Do you really teach your kids ALL the strategies?" Yes and no.  I don't teach all the strategies because there are so many, but there are several that I do teach.

The CCS in second grade states:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.B.5- Fluently add and subtract within 100 using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.B.7- Add and subtract within 1000, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method. Understand that in adding or subtracting three-digit numbers, one adds or subtracts hundreds and hundreds, tens and tens, ones and ones; and sometimes it is necessary to compose or decompose tens or hundreds.

So it doesn't explicitly WHICH strategies to teach- just that it need it follows "place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction."

So many strategies fall under place value (in my opinion).

I stick to four main strategies: adding with base ten blocks, adding on a hundreds chart, adding with place value, and adding on an open number line.

These are my personal preference and you may be mandated to teach other ways (especially with mental math and Number Talks) by your district.

When teaching about the strategies I like to create a chart like this to show the different strategies for solving the same problem.  I don't fill in the chart at one time, instead we fill it in as we learn each strategy.

This chart stays up for a long time and is a great reference and reminder for kids!

As far as what order I teach the strategies, I always start with base ten blocks.  They are the most concrete (and familiar) of the strategies.  I don't actually have much to share on that strategy since it is nothing fancy! LOL!

Click here to get a FREE copy of this parent letter!

When the numbers are within one hundred, I usually move on to teaching adding on a hundreds chart.  I like to use three color tokens when teaching this.

We had these available at my school.  If your school does not have them, you can buy them super cheap on Oriental Trading.

 The first color token is the starting number.  Then, I use two separate color tokens to show adding with the tens and ones.  I think it just makes it easier for students to visually see how the "hops" work. Eventually, kids move to using a dry erase marker on the hundreds chart to using just their fingers to make the hops.

If you are looking for more practice to teach this strategy, I have this pack in my store.  It has over 30 pages of practice for only $3.00!! Click here to check it out!

I like to teach this strategy before jumping into adding with place value because it reinforces adding the tens and the ones.

Click here to download for FREE!

This is my MOST favorite strategy  Simply because it is how I choose to add mentally! It takes a good bit of modeling and I always go BACK to the base ten blocks to model it first. Then I relate the blocks to a written method like this:

Do you like this work mat?  Laminate it so kids can build with the blocks OR draw on it with a dry erase marker! 

Click here to download for FREE!

Adding with place value can be a tough strategy to find resources for so I have a 15 page FREEBIE of all kinds of goodies for you- including a whole class game of scoot!

Truth time: my least favorite strategy for addition (or subtraction) is an open number line.  My brain just does not work in a linear line! LOL!  However, I DO teach it to my kids, in case they get it.  This tends to be a more difficult strategy to explain to parents.

Click here to download this FREE!

I like to send this parent letter home for a reference. This is another strategy where there just aren't too many things out there.  I made this pack in my store.

There are over 20 pages of practice for only $3.00! Click here to check it out!

Do you teach any other strategies?  What are your favorites?

Organizational Tips and Tools: Linky Party Week 3

Hello lovely peaches! It's Erin from The Elementary Darling! We are on week three of our Organizational Linky party and we have some fabulous blog posts linked up already! We will continue this every Sunday this summer! We would love for you to link up with us, join anytime!

This week I am showing you how I organize my math groups! I use NWEA MAP scores to group my students. I actually added a group after I created my sticky note groups! This is a great way for me to move kids based on the strands in each group.

Each day my students complete two math groups. I see two groups, and I organize them on my white board with magnets. This way I can move them if we don't have school on a Monday or Friday or if I change the groups. 

Each group has a color and the rest of their activities are in the color basket that correlates with the color group they are in. The baskets are from Really Good Stuff and the folders were from Amazon.

When I plan in advance (this doesn't happen often :)) I use the colored hanging folders to print out each groups differentiated worksheets or interactive notebook pages. 

You could do this for any kind of groups! To find out more about my math groups, you can go here!

How do you organize math groups? Let me know by leaving a comment!

An InLinkz Link-up

"Spiffy Up" Social Studies Lessons with a Great Read Aloud!

Hi!  It's Shannon here from over at Bryant's Brain Train!  

Can you believe that it is almost the end of June?  Summer time please SLOW DOWN!  Even though most of us are still on our summer breaks, I want to share with you one of my favorite ways to "spiffy up" my Social Studies and Geography instruction.

Today it's time for another installment of... 

I want to tell you about one of my FAVORITE books that I use to use to enhance Social Studies instruction...Around the World in 80 Tales by Saviour Pirotta.

This beautifully illustrated book contains stories from around the world.  Each story is just a page or 2, so these read alouds are easy to work into any lesson with taking up too much time.  The tales are divided in the book by continent, which is great for both student and teacher reference.

Here are just a few examples of how I use the book to enhance our topical studies.  When studying the rain forest, we read "The Rainbow Snake" from Venezuela.  When studying bird adaptations, we read "The Kiwi's Gift" from New Zealand.  Economic principles can also be taught through stories like "White Pebbles"  from Ethiopia.  The possibilities truly are endless!  When time permits, we even make "souvenirs" or complete extension activities to accompany our "trips" to each country.  

For example, White Pebbles is a game that is played much like Mancala, so we play online at http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-mancala.  What a great way to link critical thinking to geography!  

When we study bird adaptations and read "The Kiwi's Gift," students use found objects to design their own bird nests.

Want to see even more ideas from me related to this resource?  I would love for you to stop by my blog and read more at http://bryantsbraintrain.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-post_26.html  

     

Best wishes for a wonderful weekend!

Make your own - Construction Paper Mailboxes

Hi y'all.

It's Gary again from

 

Can I just tell you how much I HATE my system for construction paper storage? I'm talking about the big stuff. That 12x18 monster that doesn't fit anywhere. For the smaller sheets, I use my filing cabinet and hanging folders. That is awesome. But for the big stuff I laid all of my sheets inside my cabinet on top of each other. So if I needed a certain color in the middle of the pack, I had to use my poor overtaxed arm muscles to lift up the rest of the papers and pull what I needed out. All the while I'm praying that it doesn't rip or crinkle and make some kid cry.

 

It's time I came up with a PLAN! I recently saw a Pinterest post about creating student mailboxes out of those FREE Priority Mail boxes at the post office. I immediately ran over and picked up 30 of them. No one batted an eyelash. Looking at them I thought it would be a lot of work to put something like this together. So I let them rattle around in my trunk for a while.

 

Then it hit me. Why not use them to hold construction paper? Oh yeah, each color could have their own slot and I could put them up against a wall in my teeny weeny classroom. Perfect. Making 12 boxes seemed easier than making 30. So I set to work.

 

The boxes measure 12 inches lengthwise and 17 inches widthwise. I want some of the paper to hang out, so I cut the tabs off the open end after sealing up the bottom of the boxes. This made the box now 14 inches long instead of 17.

 

 

 

 

 

I found some duct tape in our new school color (they had the lime green as well, but that's not my favorite). I placed three strips along six of the boxes across the bottoms to hold them in place. Then I wrapped the entire perimeter with tape on the bottom and top. Voila!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They don't fit  perfectly inside because the box is 12 inches and the paper is 12 inches, so they bend a little. But I figure that's better than what I was doing, right?

 

Cost? All about $1.00 worth of materials. Time? About 30 minutes to attach six boxes together. It helps to watch your favorite trending Net Flix show season. For me it was OITNB.

 

Let me know if you make one as well. I'd love to see it!

 

 



 

  

Tips for teaching Gifted students

Hello Friends! It's Erin from The Elementary Darling. 

Today is Keep it Fresh Friday and today I am here to talk with you about my favorite ways to keep my gifted and advanced content students challenged. 

In my county, Advanced Content is a class where the gifted and advanced students are placed. I teach a little differently and sometimes on a faster pace, depending on the students and the year. Every year is different and after teaching all "kinds" of kids, I finally feel that I am teaching exactly what I need to be teaching. I have never loved teaching more! 

 Last week, I taught an all day professional development for my county on differentiating for Gifted and Advanced students and I want to share some of my tips for those of you who may have one or two students in your class. You know those students who finish everything in ten minutes and then play while the rest are working :) Those are my FAVORITE kids! haha 

Here are a few tips for you to keep those kids learning and busy!

1. Creativity- You have to step out of your box and release control. You can do it, I promise!

Creativity is a big motivator for many students. When they can make something their own, it means more to them. Creating anything, squiggles, projects, pictures, writing pieces, and making things out of trash or leftovers are all fun ways for kids to create. This also brings me to tip number two, Technology!

2. Technology- My kids are OBSESSED with i-Pads. We don't just use them for the apps, we create things. This year they created popplets, books (on book creator), pictures, pic collages, and anything else they can get their hands on. I have used it for every subject. If you aren't blessed with i-Pads, Donors Choose is a great way to get any technology or you can use the good old computer. My students still love the computer even with their i-Pads. I love technology because it gives students a choice, which leads me to tip number 3!

3. CHOICE- Yes, I am asking you to release control again. My best teacher friends say that my classroom is controlled chaos, I just call it a hot mess, but whatever it is, it works. Obviously you have to do what works for you, but I 100% believe in giving students a choice. It is the best mind trick out there and the kids perform better when you give them choices. I let me kids choose what math center they go to, ELA center, how they publish a technology project or finish an assignment. One way is a tic tac toe board where they can choose three activities or a choice board where they can choose one. By using Bloom's Taxonomy and the Multiple Intelligences, creating a choice board is a fun way for students to finish a unit that you have taught them. It is also FUN!

4. Literature Groups- My students LOVE literature groups and it is a great way to differentiate. I had so many cute Christmas books I wanted to read this last year and not enough time to read them all. I looked up each Lexile for the students and the books and grouped the students with the books. They all chose a way to present the information I asked for (story elements) and then presented in their groups of three. One group created a book, one created a poster, and another wrote a play. They were cute and all of the students got to hear about the different Christmas books. Win - Win!

5. Project Based Learning/ Genius Hour-  I love Genius hour! I just tried it for the first time this past year with my students. It was fun and the kids loved it. We took about 20 minutes of each day to learn about something the student was passionate about. You should definitely look it up and try it! 

Here is a link for the website!

Project based learning is also a great way to push gifted and advanced students. There are so many ways to incorporate project based learning. This activity we compared a fruit, vegetable, and flower seed.  I wrote about this project here if you wanted to read about it! It was fun and the students learned all about plants. 

I hope that you are enjoying your summer off! It is flying by for me. Leave us a comment if you have any other great ideas for gifted or advanced students or visit me on instagram @theelementarydarling. I have met so many gifted teachers on there and I love seeing what they are coming up with! Have a wonderful weekend, friends!