back to school · classroom management · common core · daily 5 · homework ideas · math · math center ideas · math intervention · Uncategorized

Roll a Number!

There’s something about adding dice to a printable worksheet that turns a boring page into something kids think is fun.

This is a spin on the traditional number of the day for numbers 1-12. Students roll one or two dice (two different worksheet options) and fill out the page based on the number that was rolled.

I find this worksheet perfect for math centers or a quick math warmup before a lesson.

 

If you are going to use this sheet daily, consider printing a copy for each student, stuffing it in a sheet protector, and have students fill it out with a dry erase marker! When students are done, either collect or have them place on the corner of their desk and you can quickly walk around and glance at each student’s paper to check understanding. Then simply erase and it’s ready for the next day!

You can download the product HERE! Hope you enjoy and happy back to school this month (for many)!!

-Mrs. B

classroom management · homework ideas · math · math center ideas · math intervention · math multiple methods · Uncategorized

One Stop Shop for Teaching Addition Multiple Ways!

Calling all primary teachers! Do you teach addition (double and triple digit) to your students? Of course you do! Well I’m (hopefully) making it super easy for you. I have created multiple resources (SOME FREE), to help teach/practice/master addition for ALL your students.

That’s right…even your struggling math students will be able to understand and master addition using these methods. Forget the traditional way (well maybe don’t completely forget), but give students the opportunity to fully understand the concept of addition with and without regrouping using these methods and resources:

  1. The Base Ten Method- This method is my favorite to use for math intervention. In fact, I start by teaching this method first because it really helps with conceptual understanding.

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Base Ten Resources:

Base Ten Addition Pack!

2. Partial Sum Method- This is my personal FAVORITE of the methods. It blows my mind for some reason! YES, YES, YES to whoever realized and created this way to add! I have resources for both double and triple digit addition for this method and a FREEBIE.

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Partial Sum Resources:

Partial Sum Freebie

Partial Sum Triple Digit Addition Pack

Partial Sum Double Digit Addition Pack

Partial sum Double Digit Holiday Pack

(Can you tell this is my FAV??)

3. Decomposition Method- This method takes a little longer to master, but is really important to help students understand decomposing numbers. It helps with so much more in addition to addition!

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Decomposition Resources:

Decomposition Addition Pack

Resources that include ALL 3 Methods:

January Multiple Methods

February Multiple Methods

As I continue to create more resources for addition, I will update this page 🙂

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Mrs. B

back to school · classroom management · common core · math · math center ideas · math intervention · math multiple methods · Uncategorized

Partial Sum Addition: Triple Digits!

After creating multiple products to help teach addition with multiple methods for double digit numbers, I decided to start creating some for triple digits too!

 

This product is designed to help teach addition through the hundreds. It has resources for addition without regrouping and with regrouping.

The product includes:

-3 mini posters/anchor charts for partial sum triple digit addition

-4 printable worksheets and answer keys (2 without regrouping and 2 with regrouping)

-2 assessments and answer keys (1 without regrouping and 1 with regrouping)

-1 cut/paste sorting activity to help with partial sum of numbers

 

I hope you enjoy it! You can preview the entire product HERE!

-Mrs. B

back to school · classroom management · routines and procedures · Uncategorized

How to Keep Your Pencils from Disappearing in the Classroom!

Do your personal teacher pencils disappear? Do you feel like you’re always buying new ones for yourself and your desk? If so, look no further with this FREE and easy way to keep track of your pencils!

When I taught fourth grade, my pencils went missing daily. Sometimes it was fault. I would walk around with a pencil and know that I didn’t bring it back to my desk. By the end of the day, the pencil was nowhere to be found and it never was…

I also had a feeling that at times my pencils ended up in my students’ hands. I wanted to get to the bottom of my missing pencils. What was happening to them?

So….

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This simple trick that took minutes was all it took! I took a sharpie, made an easy design by the eraser, and POOF! When my pencils went missing I could do a quick glance around the room at all the pencils being used or laying around the room and could easily find mine!

Hope this makes you as happy as it made me HAHA!

-Mrs. B

back to school · classroom management · common core · Data and assessment · homework ideas · math · math center ideas · math intervention · math multiple methods · Uncategorized

January Edition: Multiple Methods to Teach Double Digit Addition

I hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing, and fun holiday and New Year! While I spent the majority of my time spending quality time with my family, I did manage to sneak in some time for creating more products for all you!

I’ve been so pleased at how many of you like and have implemented the use of multiple methods for teaching addition into your classroom! So, I’m trying to create more products for you all to use! Here’s a “January” (or any winter month for that matter!) pack for double digit addition. These charts are perfect to help introduce or practice each method, handouts for parents, or reference pages for your students. The practice pages are perfect for math centers, independent work, morning work, homework, sub plans, etc. And an assessment is always helpful as well!

 

This product includes two charts for each of the three methods (one chart for regrouping and one without regrouping), 2 practice pages for each method with answer keys, and an assessment. You can preview the entire product HERE! Enjoy!

-Mrs. B

 

back to school · classroom management · Data and assessment · ELA · reading intervention · Uncategorized

How to Easily Assess Sight Words

I always get a little anxious before report cards and conferences. I am the type of teacher that spends so much time debating what grade I’m going to give each student for every single standard. I have found that the easiest way to ensure each student is getting the most accurate and appropriate grade is to have artifacts/assessments/work samples from each student that demonstrate their knowledge on each thing. Sight Words is a big one in second grade. It comes up multiple times directly and indirectly on the report cards we use (sight word knowledge, reading fluently, reading at grade level, etc.). I want to make sure I know exactly what sight words my students know and don’t know. So, I created this easy assessment!

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Using this assessment pack, you can assess students’ sight word knowledge one on one in about 5 minutes!

Here’s what you do:
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Have one of these checklist pages printed for EVERY student. I keep an assessment binder with a divider for each student. On the divider I write their name and number so I can easily find their tab.

Give your student this sheet below. I have ones made for all the DOLCH word lists (pre-primer, primer, grade one, grade two, and grade three).

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The words on these sheets are in the same order as the checklist. As the student reads them aloud, you are highlighting or checking off the words read correctly on the checklist! It’s that simple!

I have found that this way is extremely effective, and I have a list of all the words that the student knows (and doesn’t know) when I’m ready to do report cards and parent teacher conferences. I also give these word lists out to parents at conferences so they have a copy of the words to practice at home.

HERE’S THE LINK TO THE ENTIRE ASSESSMENT PACK! 

I hope this assessment pack will help some of you before conference and report card time!

Let me know how you like it!

-Mrs. B

classroom management · daily 5 · ELA · literacy centers · reading intervention · Uncategorized

Reading Strategy Cards

I remember a day a few years back when I was reading with a student. That student was completely guessing on words she didn’t know. I had recently taught the class the strategy “cross checking” (Does it look right? Does it sound right? Does it make sense?). I knew that we had an anchor chart displayed in the room somewhere and I kept reminding this student to look at it. It was apparent that the student needed a reminder right in front of her to help her with this strategy. So, I created READING STRATEGY CARDS! 

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Here’s what you do:

  • Print a bunch of them (I suggest at least 20 of each strategy card)
  • Laminate and cut them all out
  • Organize them in baggies, a file folder, a binder with sheet protectors and dividers, or any other way that works for you so that you know how to easily get to each strategy card
  • Have them ready wherever you work with students (mine were in a binder on my guided reading table)

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Then, when you are working with a student and you see that they need to be taught/reminded of a strategy, bring out the card, teach/reteach the strategy to them, watch them practice it, and send them off with the strategy card. They can keep them in plastic bags or keep them on binder rings.

I have all my students have all their strategy cards out in front of them while they read in the classroom. When I meet with students one on one to read, they have them out and we review them. When I meet with small guided reading groups, they have them out. When they partner read, they have them out. They are ALWAYS out when reading.

When I notice that a student doesn’t need that strategy out as a reminder anymore, I have them return the strategy card to me. This just makes it so they don’t have 15 cards out in front of them. I suggest no more than 3-5 cards at a time.

I have created 36 reading strategy cards that are all aligned with the Common Core Standards. Here are the strategies that are included:

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You can get the reading strategy cards here!

Still aren’t sure you will use them and LOVE them? Try a few out for free here!

Let me know how you like them!

-Mrs. B

back to school · classroom management · routines and procedures

Why I NEVER Call on Volunteers

Hi everyone! Today I’m going to share with you something so simple, yet LIFE CHANGING (at least for me)!

Years ago, I began my teaching career as an English Language Development teacher. I taught in a school where nearly 100% of the students were English Language Learners. I quickly learned how important it was for the students to TALK, TALK, TALK! This was something that I think is so true, not just for ELLS, but all students! Imagine if a teacher asks a question, and calls on ONE VOLUNTEER. There are many problems with this scenario…

  1. A student is only going to volunteer if they know or think they know the answer
  2. You are only having 1 student participate (that’s a small percentage of your class)
  3. The students that REALLY need to be TALKING are probably NOT the ones volunteering

I began the year trying to think of various ways to maximize student engagement. I tried many great practices (think-pair-share, etc.), but after attending a Kagan Cooperative Learning Workshop, I found (and tweaked) something that has worked incredibly for me (and other teachers I’ve helped).

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

-Students should already have an assigned partner. My students have a shoulder partner (sitting next to them at their desk), a face partner (sitting across from them at their desk), and a carpet partner (student sitting next to them on the carpet). These partnerships are strategically designed by me with a lot of thought put into them (a future blog post…) In these partnerships, there should be a Partner A and Partner B. You can get creative here…partners can be anything from “ketchup and mustard,” “cookies and milk,” etc. The most important thing is that the students know who is who!

-After raising a question to the class, rather than ask for volunteers (ahhhh please don’t), tell them it’s time for “Partner A” (or whatever you call that person) to talk. Give them a designated time depending on the question. During this time, Partner A is the ONLY partner talking. Partner B is SILENT! (THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE MODELED, TAUGHT, AND PRACTICED, PRACTICED, PRACTICED). In the beginning, you will notice many students say a few words and then sit in awkward silence for the remainder of the time. This will get better with time and more practice.

-After the designated time is up, tell them it’s time for Partner B to talk. Repeat what happened when Partner A talked, just with Partner B now.

THAT’S IT! SIMPLE!

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This small little strategy will literally change your life. After you raise a question, instead of one volunteer participating, you will have 100% of your students that were engaged and talking! WOW! Think of all the practice your students will be getting with talking! Think of how much more talking your ELL students will be doing! It’s awesome!

-Mrs. B

 

back to school · classroom management · routines and procedures · Uncategorized

Welcome! Back to School Routines and Procedure FREEBIE

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the very first post on Created by Mrs. B! I want to personally thank those of you who are reading this…you’re here at the beginning of my blogging journey! Thanks for joining me on this new adventure!

A little about me:

I’m born and raised in sunny California. I live with my husband, son, and many animals 😉 I have taught English Language Development, 4th grade, and 2nd grade. I love to read, travel, and spend time with my family and friends.

 

I hope everyone is having a fantastic beginning of the year so far! I personally think the first weeks of school are so important in setting the tone for the rest of the year. Routines and procedures were my #1 focus (even before the content) during the first few weeks. If you get your classroom management set up correctly, you will save SO MUCH TIME each and every day and maximize your students’ learning time!

I’m a little crazy when it comes to routines and procedures. I have one for nearly EVERYTHING you can possibly think of in the classroom (tissues, broken pencil, asking for help, you name it!). It’s a lot of time and effort to model, teach, and implement each routine and procedure, but I PROMISE the pay off is huge! My students pretty much run the classroom and there is little need for student discipline because of all the routines and procedures in place. I’m never nervous for substitutes or guest teachers and they always comment on how smooth my class runs.

I’m sure I’ll have many other posts about specific procedures and routines in the future, but for now, here’s a FREEBIE for you!

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BACK TO SCHOOL ROUTINE AND PROCEDURE CHECKLIST

It’s a checklist of the majority of the routines and procedures that I teach at the beginning of the school year. Just print and check off each one after your students have been taught the procedure or routine. Remember, each routine and procedure takes TIME! You must teach, model, practice, and repeat multiple times for it to be successful!

Good luck teachers and happy teaching!

-Mrs. B