Running Out of Time

Yesterday it started to snow around noon. The kids were so excited! You see, here in the desert, we don't get a whole lot of snow. In fact, we've been in a drought, so while the rest of the country is complaining about it, we're loving it! We went on a field trip to UNM to see a performance and had to walk across this playing field to get to the theater. The kids found "The Biggest Snowman in the World" and just about flipped out to see it up close.

Note how little snow there actually is?

Also, due to the fact that we live in the desert, we are not well equipped to handle the snow (or any precipitation for that matter) so we had a two-hour delay today and my daughters' district cancelled school altogether. There may have been an inch. Maybe.
My kiddos normally arrive at 9:00 so today they showed up at 11:00 which is just in time for lunch. My morning plans had to be scrapped so we focused on math for the majority of the day. This week we have been working on telling time. I've been using It's About Time by Amy Lemons (love her stuff!) and supplementing with a few of my own things. Some of the stations I set up this week can be seen below:

The kids really love math stations and it gives me a chance to teach new games, practice new skills or do informal assessments at my station. My principal observed me during stations last week and noted how diverse the stations were and how engaged my students were. Whew! I love that she said "engaged" when all I saw was "overly excited". I try to incorporate different activities each week so that they don't become stale. Here's how I store my centers:

It's nothing fancy, but it is practical. I also made a Telling Time QR Code Task Card Set. It's only $2! I have a few other QR code task card sets in my TPT store as well (addition, subtraction, money, fractions, etc.). The kids love scanning QR codes to check their answers.

It is supposed to snow again tonight and chances are that we'll have another delay tomorrow. Well, I better head out so I can take my youngest to soccer practice. Don't worry, they play indoors!

February Currently

I'm linking up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade on her February Currently.

Listening: I really can't stand watching the news. To me, it is overly repetitive and often sad. I can still hear from the next room but I can kinda tune it out. Since he is watching, it gives me some time to blog! 

Loving: I just can't stand January. It is like 50 Shades of Brown here in NM and I miss my flip flops. One month closer to spring break...

Thinking: That I wasn't as productive as I should have been yesterday. I woke up early and *click* the brain starting going.

Wanting: My fam just doesn't like red beans and rice BUT because there is a "big game" today I am making it anyway. So there!

Needing: see Thinking. 

Fib: I have not met Gwen, but my hubby did!

Truth: I have met President Obama (before he was elected) and it was quite exciting. My hubby had a friend in the Secret Service and when Obama was campaigning here, I got a front row seat! 

Truth: I have met Garth Brooks and his wife Trisha Yearwood. They are the most down to earth celebrities. I got to hang out backstage with them and then watch Garth perform in Las Vegas. My brother set this up for my birthday and it is one of my favorite memories! 

Garth, ME!, my bro and Trisha

Not the greatest picture, I know!

Five For (Thank Goodness It's) Friday!

I am beyond glad that I finally made it to Friday evening! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for

I have a new student teacher and she is basically AMAZING! She is only with me two days a week this semester, but just having that extra pair of hands, eyes, and ears makes all the difference in the world on those two days. The kiddos love her and she has just jumped right in, which I appreciate so much.

         

Money, money, money! All week long we have been absorbed in learning to count those coins! I am pretty darn proud at how well they've done so far. We used the Big Money unit by The Teaching Twosome and the kids have had such a blast!

My principal observed me this week and I wasn't even nervous! We have a new evaluation system here in NM and we are observed several times a year. Our principal has to enter scores on the teacher competencies and then uploads evidence she observed into the site which we also use to upload lesson plans, "artifacts" and commentary about our lessons. I think the observation went well and I am so happy to have that off my back for a couple of months. Whew!

We are all about polar bears as we hit up all our ELA standards the next few weeks. My little darlings just adored studying penguins during our last unit so I decided to carry on with the cold weather animals. It is just so much easier to sneak in some extra science this way. To transition, we did a Venn diagram on the Promethean Board comparing penguins and polar bears. One little guy really loved my glitter!

My car hit 100,000 miles this past week! I was with my sister and made her take a picture while I drove on the freeway. I'm pretty sure 80% of those miles were soccer related: 4-6 out of state tournaments a year, 4-6 practices a week and 3 games a weekend (not to mention random team meetings, dinners, and parties) for the past 5 years. I'll sure miss those days when my girls are in college, but I won't miss putting in the miles on my car.

That's all for now! I'm going to cuddle up in my favorite PJs, make a cup of tea and watch something mindless on TV. Have a wonderful weekend!

100th Day Lessons Learned

Over winter break I made my 100th Day Pack and was pretty excited about using it with my class. I shared it with my grade level team on the condition that they give me honest feedback after using it. We celebrated the 100th day yesterday and after just a little scurrying around to find those last minute items we needed, we were ready to go! My little darlings were just too excited this week as their 100th day projects trickled in. We had some really "interesting" collections this year from army men to Q-tips. My favorite, of course, was 100 Box Tops!

I went around the room, snapping pics of the kiddos hard at work and having fun.

 They L.O.V.E.D those headbands! A couple kiddos had trouble keeping track of their 100 sticker counts, and one little genius had the idea to number each sticker with a sharpie. They really are 100 days smarter!

We had some trouble with the penny stack station, though. At lunch, my colleagues and I discussed some ways to make it work better. One smart teacher taped 100 pennies together. I had to think on my feet and decided to make a little "splint" with rulers to keep that stack steady.

For the most part, things went smoothly. There are always a few "oopsies" here and there. But I learned so much about product design by implementing this with my grade level. One lesson learned is that the adorable yellow frames just do not show up when printing in B & W. The roll, tally, and graph activity needed more lines on the graph and it IS really hard to stack 100 pennies. I made some adjustments to my product and now I'm offering it for 50% off until the end of January. Check out my store to get your copy at this steal of a price.

 Even though it was exhausting, it was all worth it when one of my little sweeties said, "This is the best day EVER!". Their writing was funny and sweet, they practiced some math skills, they listened to counting songs, read books, and had a great time. These are they days they'll remember most.

Have a great weekend everyone!

3-Digit Addition and Subtraction Task Cards {with QR Codes} FREEBIE

Maybe I just have the winter blues, but I just couldn't resist making this math center with bright spring colors and cute butterflies.

We just finished our measurement unit and will start time and money next week, but my kiddos still need to practice these skills so they don't lose them. There are 16 task cards with addition and subtraction problems (with regrouping) and QR codes so kids can check their answers and get immediate feedback.

I know my students will feel a tad more cheerful when doing their math centers if they have these fun task cards. They just love scanning those QR codes and getting the right answers! I'm putting this product in my store for FREE for a limited time, so you better get on over there and grab it quick! All I ask is that you please leave feedback. Thanks so much! Enjoy your 3-day weekend!

Counting Coins and QR Codes

After giving a presentation about using QR codes in the classroom to the staff at school, a few of my colleagues have been using QR codes in their classroom. It is really awesome to see an idea spread, even if it is gradual. Either way, it inspired me to make a few more items using QR codes. After my measurement unit, we'll be working with money and time. My students just love it when I have a QR code activity in math centers, so I made my Counting Coins and QR Codes task cards.

 

I used coins in color (fronts and backs) to help with identification. Sometimes I just set this type of activity up as a math center and other times, I will post them around the room so students can get up and moving. I just print the task cards (in color if possible), cut, and laminate so I can use them over and over again or lend to colleagues. Then, I just copy the recording sheets, stick everything in a zip top (gallon size) bag and go! My little darlings are so excited when they see QR code centers and they always make sure to stay focused so they can have accuracy. I just love hearing the kids say "Yes! I got it!" after they scan the QR code and get it right. Immediate feedback is so important, but equally important is the side effect of less grading for the teacher. To me, it is a win-win situation!

 

Many people have asked me how to set up the management of using QR codes. I have two methods to deal with students using either iPads or iPods to scan the QR codes. I either set up one or two iPads in a central location (within my line of sight) as a scanning station, or I have 4 or 5 iPods that I will hand students when they show me their completed recording sheet. My students have been taught that they must complete all the tasks in order to scan. Believe me, they hold each other accountable for this! The second thing I have taught them is how to make a checkmark on the correct answers and to go back and try again for the ones they missed. Often, when introducing a new concept, the QR code center will actually be at my teaching table so I can monitor progress. I'm also finishing up a Telling Time and QR Codes activity that will be very similar. In 2nd grade, we have to tell time to the 5-minute interval, but I am planning make a set that works on telling time to the quarter hour for my first grade friends. Well, I better get back to lesson planning!

 

Measurement

My kiddos have been loving this measurement unit this week. It is really fun to change things up a bit and have a break from all the addition and subtraction. One of my little darlings said, "Measurement is so much more fun than math!". I have been using Amy Lemon's measurement unit and it has been perfect! 

Here they are looking for things around the room with a buddy that were a certain length. 

Look at those measuring skills! I have to say that after the first few days of learning to use the rulers, they are getting pretty good. 

This was an activity that I did in small group so I could really watch their estimating and measuring skills. I can't wait to see how much better they'll get next week.