Five for Friday (and Free Math Resources)

Hey there! 

I'm linking up with Kacey at Doodlebugs for Five for Friday again! Lots of math stuff this week--hopefully you'll get a few ideas. :-)

1

This Five for Friday has to kick off with pictures from last night's KU game. We decided it was time to take our kids to Allen Fieldhouse for a game--before their basketball seasons got started. The Jayhawks did not disappoint!

 

This picture actually made it on the big screen! I'm pretty sure we are famous now. ;-)

 

This was our attempt at a family selfie. The usher felt sorry for us and took the one above. Ha! And yes, if you're keeping track, I am now a "coppery" brunette.

2

Math Rotations!

They are in full swing! 

I just love it. 

The kids love it.  

Here's how it works in my room:

 

I have three rounds of math rotations each day. 

This PowerPoint is projected on the board. It is a basic pie chart and I just added the names to it. Easy Peasy!

The activities change daily and are written on the whiteboard (in the example - Math Game, MM/ML (Mountain Math/Mountain Language), and Mrs. R. When I change slides, the groups move to the next activity.

We rotate groups every 15-20 minutes.

3

Here's a snapshot of one day of math rotations (including links to some great free math resources):

 

 

Comparing Numbers Task Cards (freebie from ChiliMath)

 Double Digit Addition (w/o regrouping) Word Problems (freebie from Step Into 2nd)

Rounding With A Number Line (freebie from Rachael Parlett)

Note to Self - rounding to 10 is okay this time of year...100 not so much. 

4

I was asked to make sheet cakes for the Booster Club to sell at our theater production--Wizard of Oz. I can't wait to see it tonight! I couldn't resist tasting them, so I made minis for my family and me.

 P.S. Peanut butter wins for me, but hubby says chocolate!

5

We're rocking and rolling on our HOTSHOTS! 

We do one 2-3 times a week and the kids are pretty much working by themselves now. They get excited when I tell them to get out their "Hotshots" folder.

Our first grade teacher has a math smartie who needed an extra challenge, so she is actually using the 1st grade HOTSHOTS designed for later in the year.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a snapshot: 

Sometimes I project on the screen so we can work through it together or to explain a challenging problem. 

These are a great way to get some daily math review along with a "Fix the Sentence." Easy to differentiate too. LOVE them!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

What do you mean--Hotshot?? #MakeYourMasterpiece

This week's #TPTSellerChallenge was all about making a new product. It was the perfect motivation I needed to *finish* a product I've been working on since March!

We call it HOTSHOTS.

I want to explain how these daily math and language "hot topics" review pages came about. I also want to explain how I've used them and how I plan to use them this year in my classroom.

You're also going to want to stick around and check them out for yourself because they are 40% off today!

Two years ago (when I switched schools and switched to 2nd grade), I had 15 minutes at the end of the day in my schedule when we returned from specials. We called it "Snack and Pack" but it didn't take anywhere near 15 minutes and my bunch would get talkative and rowdy waiting to be dismissed. It was a complete waste of time!

I also had a group that struggled with math and wanted to give them all the practice I could on the skills that seemed to cause them the most problems. I created some PowerPoints with math review questions on them and projected them on the board. Students worked in folders to complete them before being dismissed.

I did the same this past year until March. 

I had noticed some things I wanted to tweak and tried out my new HOTSHOTS for the remainder of the year. 

SUCCESS! 

The first problem...projecting on the board. Some students struggled to follow along or copy problems from the board. Also, if they needed to go back later and finish, I had to pull up the slide for them. 

The second problem...sentences! My second graders (which I would call a "high" class) were still struggling to use correct conventions and misspelling "easy" words. As I thought back to when I taught first grade, I remembered Kristi and I used a "Fix the Sentence" book. We thought it was a bit hard, but it definitely made them be detectives and spot those common errors in sentences. 

So HOTSHOTS was created!

#MakeYourMasterpiece

In my classroom we don't do them every day (to make a complete product, I made 180--four sets of 45). We usually do 3 each week, but my students remind me if we haven't done them. They loved them. Of course, it helps if you really "play up" the name and tell them they have to be Hotshots, show me their stuff, etc. :-)

I'm also excited to have plenty to choose from. Sometimes I have kiddos with wandering eyes (if you know what I mean). It would be easy enough to give half the class HOTSHOT #1 and the other half #2 (for example).

If you purchase HOTSHOTS, you're going to get two versions. One with a margin and one without. As I mentioned, my students kept theirs in folders with the brads so the margin is needed.

No folder at home, but you get the idea...

 You'll also get the version without a margin--perfect for a printable worksheet or putting them in a plastic sleeve to be completed with a dry erase marker. 

This is the direction I'm leaning for next year. I'm considering putting them in my math rotations. I love it when I can save paper, and my kiddos love using dry erase markers! 

Don't worry my First Grade Friends. Kristi is working on a HOTSHOTS set for you! 

Second Grade Friends - Head on over to our store and check out HOTSHOTS for yourself. They will be 40% off until tomorrow morning!

#TeachMiracles

Thanks to Ashley at Teach Create Motivate, Jen at Sparkling in Second, Amber at Peppy Zesty Teacherista, and Emily at Third in Hollywood for putting together the #TPTSellerChallenge!