Five for Friday .. and a Math Freebie!

It's Friday, it's Friday, it's the end of the week it's the last day..!  Whew this has been a WEEK!  I was exhausted... until I took that marvelous nap!  Thank. God. for. naps.   I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for 5 for Friday!  Here's what's been going on in and outside of the classroom this week:

I busted out my Winter Literacy and Math Center pack this week for some math fun.  It's filled with some REALLY great math activities for those difficult Operations & Algebraic Thinking standards (students have THE toughest time with them).  I put a true and false sort and fact family center in their math bins this week for some review.  Check below for a  freebie!

Check out the COMPLETE bundled pack with math and literacy sources!  

 I have quick 2-3 minutes individual conferences with my kids to discuss glows and grows  before they fill out their data chart.  They feel more ownership with their learning and it's great to here them communicate their own strengths and areas to improve.  This is a picture of a student who scored a 20% on his pretest and just saw that he scored a 85% on the post!! Woohoo for growth!!! 

My Thursday night line up is back!!  I haven't watched Grey's yet this season, but so glad Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder are BACK!  Get the wine ready!

 I needed a new heart rate monitor and something to get me motivated decided to invest in a Fitbit.  It was double the price of my old monitor, but so worth it!  Initially, I thought I didn't care about steps or sleep patterns, I just wanted to know how many of those tiny creatures called calories I burned during my workout.  After having it for a week, I realized that knowing all that information was motivating.  You can set up goals for everything that is tracked and it syncs with MyFitnessPal, which I use to track food.  The best part is that you can challenge other Fitbit friends.  I'm competitive, so it motivates me to get up and moving.  Add me if you own one (Chankyna Aribo)!  I'm also looking for more people to challenge.

 Are you ready for some football?!  I grew up in CT so when I'm not rooting for my beloved Redskins, I root for my Michigan man Tom Brady and the rest of the Pats, BUT I really like Wilson and want him to win back to back Superbowls.  So basically, I'm just hoping for a great game, good commercials, an entertaining Katy Perry performance and fun times with my friends (that's not too much to ask is it?)!

100th Day of School !!

This past week we celebrated the 100th day of school!  I can't believe it's been 100 days already.  I know the 2nd semester is going to fly by, just about every month we have some sort of break... except for March.. longest month ever -- maybe we can get lucky and get some snow  ;)  I've been hyping up the 100th day since well day 1 so my kids were READY!  Unfortunately, we are on a tight scope and sequence learning schedule and I can't completely forgo our usual standards.. not even for 1 day.  I wanted my students to still feel like we were celebrating the "whole day" so check out what we did below.  It is FULL of freebies!  If you haven't celebrated already, I hope you can use some of these ideas!

 "I WOKE UP LIKE THIS!"  I bought the wig from Party City, found my best "granny" clothes I had in my closet and become Mrs. Aribo at 100 years.  My kids loved it!  Funniest part of the day was when my wig fell halfway off my head during the math lesson. I have ALOT of hair... Oops!

As soon as the kids got in they had a folder (folded large piece of construction paper) and cover to color (Source: Mel D from Suesstastic) , stickers, bingo markers,  and 10 strands of construction paper.  I wanted them to get their hats made right away so that it wouldn't take out too much of our instructional day. I preassembled the ten strips onto the large strip and all they would have to do is add 10 stickers, drawings, or use the bingo markers. I used the "100 Days Smarter" template from Cara's (The First Grade Parade) 100 Days Freebie Packet.   Then they had the option to have me close it or leave it open!  I had one buddy that wanted to leave it open.  I loved that he didn't mind being different! 

MUSIC:  To make it even more fun I had a 100 Days Playlist playing the background on repeat.  

Here's the link  to my 100 Days Playlist.

 I also loved Cara's stations idea and I thought with our time constraint that would be the best way to get the most out of our time. My kids are also awesome at our usual centers so there wasn't a lot of management necessary.  I had 6 stations going!  I placed everything they needed in labeled bins and  quickly went over each station and the contents of the bins.  I let them know that there were directions if they forget and that I would be walking around.  I also had printed out some other 100 day activities to put in their folder, so that if they finished their station early before time was up, they had something else to engage in if necessary!  Here are some 100 day freebies I stuck in their folders  100 Days Graph , 100 Day Freebie from Two Pink Peas,100th Day Freebie from Cahill's Creation.

STATIONS (Sorry I wasn't able to take pictures of everything: hopefully the explanation will suffice).    If you would like a copy of  bin labels and recording sheets CLICK HERE

1.  Build It to 100: The students during our math lesson had to use the cubes.  I had them "help" me figure out the best way they could organize the cubes so I could quickly count out 100 for their bins.  I told them I didn't have much time.. and they told me to put them into groups of ten ;) .  I then had 3 bins of 100 cubes and they were to try to build something using all the cubes.  For once I told them these cubes are not just our math tools, but they can be treated as TOYS (and they all cheered!! hah)

2.  Read to 100:  I had a bin of words ranging from sight words to CVC words.  I just took words I already had in their literacy station.  They were to read and record as many words as possible.

3.  Pattern Block to 100:  Students created a design using 100 pattern blocks.  It was so nice to see their creative juices flowing! So sad I didn't get to take any pics!

4.  100 Years Old Selfie!:   The students drew a picture of themselves at 100 yrs old vs. today. I used the template from this freebie from Cahill's Creation!  I downloaded an App called "AgingBooth" and at the end of the station I took a picture of the kids so they can see themselves transform.  I put them all in a folder on the IPAD and played it as a slideshow at the end of the day.  SUPER EASY and fun!

5.  Roll and Race to 100 - Oldie, but goodie!  The kids rolled two dice add them together and marked it on their 100 chart with the bingo marker.  Whoever got to 100 first won!  I told the kids they could play multiple times and just choose a different color bingo marker. 

6.  100 Day Necklace - This station took the longest to complete  so if the kids didn't finish in time, I let them stay for a second round.  The kids that were meant to go to this station just joined them.  I had this laid out at  large table so if a 2nd group joined it would be ok. I never had more than two groups at a time.  If you have a lot of kids, you might want to just make this a separate whole group activity.  This page from Mrs. Jone's Creation Station 100th Day of School Freebie helped them speed things up.  

 We got all the stations done in an hour and a half (15 minutes at each station) to end our day and it was a success!  The kids had a blast and I didn't go out of my mind.  I can't wait for next year! 

Let the Countdown Begin...

One week left... I think I've been counting down the days since Thanksgiving.  Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but let's be real, it's just that time of the year where they talk a little more, can sit still for about 5 minutes (on a good day!) ... yeah it's time we all have a break.  In order to keep all of us sane, I make sure to embrace the holiday season.  I know some might say that this encourages their "restless behavior," but I love celebrating the holidays, too!  Here are some things that I am currently doing in my class.  There are LOTS freebies in the post so PLEASE read all the way down!

1.  Elf in the Classroom -  It can pretty much be found in anyone's home or classroom now...  infamous Elf on the Shelf who does naughty things and keeps and eye on the kids for Santa.  Well my class named him "Hezekiah" (he is a student's brother's name) and he's much more of a silly elf than anything.  I started off with a letter (you can find lots of freebie letters here).  I love seeing their innocence and how they just eating everything I say up.  We read his favorite book "The Polar Express," and I ring the bell that is in the stocking he came in (all the kids make sure they can still hear it lol)! I move him around the room at the end of the day after school lets out  and if they have a good day "he" will bring in treats (candy canes, pencils, Little Debbie cakes etc.)  Here are some of the places he's been in my room.

 

Here he got caught eating one of the snacks he brought the class!  

 He's hanging from one of our group signs!

2.  Mystery Pictures (Winter Holiday Pictures) - This is the time of year when my students aren't as um.. focused.  We have loads of formal district, school wide, and benchmark assessments so I basically NEED them to stay focused. I created this mystery picture packet a couple years ago as something fun, but full of review and math practice.  They LOVE these pictures.  There's lots of ways to differentiate for different levels.  Click the picture or here for a freebie!  I'm sure your kids will stay engaged while practicing critical math skills.  

 

 Click for the Freebie!

 

Click the picture if you are interested in the whole packet! 

3.  Holidays Around the World - This will be my 3rd year doing "Holidays Around the World."  This year I'm only spending a week on it and my teammates and I will be spending one of those  days rotating our class so we can get 3 done in a day! There are LOTS of ideas and resources on pinterest and TpT.  I use What the Teacher Wants "Holidays Around the World Part I and II" Packet  !  I print out the student pages and turn it into a book that they fill out as they learn about each holiday tradition.

The students receive a boarding pass,  passport (thanks to Rachelle from What the Teacher Wants for the freebie), and this year I'm providing each student with a map (Thanks to Sarah from Sarah's First Grade Snippets).

Everyday we will go to a country, I find video snippets or books (depends whats available, lots of links in the packet) and the students fill out their book.  They get a stamp in their passport and make a craft.  This year for one day my teammates and I will each host a country and complete the lesson with all the first grade classes (there's only 3 of us ) !  So many standards taught through this activity (map skills, traditions, culture, family ... and of course literacy standards)!

4.  All Aboard the Polar Express - The last day of school before break all my students get on the Polar Express and make their way to the North Pole.  We use the book as our weekly read aloud where I choose several words for vocabulary and work with the story throughout the week (Day 1 - Read for pleasure Day 2 - summarize, focus on 5 vocabulary words Day 3 - make vocabulary flash cards Day 4 - I read the book and students put up their vocabulary flash card when they hear the word in the story).    On Friday, we will watch the movie!  Students will change into their pajamas, I give them tickets (freebie Thanks to Love to Learn!) and as they watch the movie, serve them snacks and hot cocoa.  I use it as a behavior tool all week because they have to earn their seat on the "train." 

I hope you will be able to use some of these activities for your classroom or even next year!  Have a great week and let the countdown begin...!

Trick or Treating... all over the WEB! (Loaded with Freebies!)

My students have been waiting since September to do anything that is related to the "H Word" ... yes Halloween!  I remember doing calendar math and asking  what month is after September and they all said Halloween.  Well since then, they got know that October is the month after, but they still have Halloween on the brain!

I have a strict scope and sequence to follow in all subject areas so that means any thematic studies occur during Math and Reading.  I never get to go "all out" bats , spiders, or pumpkins as I see many of my teacher friends get to do, but I'm glad I can still fit it in somewhere.  My resources include freebies (gotta love those!), purchased items, and some that I made. This was my version of trick or treating all over the web!  I hope you can find some things you can use!

This week we focused on bats during our literacy block.  On Tuesday, I read "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat."  The kids got a kick out of it!  We reviewed sequencing and how it helps us retell a story.  I found this quick activity (FREEBIE!) that the students were able to complete in their reading journal from  Sharing Kindergarten .  Click the link and download the free preview.  The sequencing activity is included as a freebie.

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat Freebie

Source:  Sharking Kindergarten

For our main read aloud this week (we work on this read aloud for 3-4 days and use it to learn new vocabulary and reinforce our focus comprehension skill) was "Stellaluna."  We created bats and retold the story ( beginning, middle, and end).  I really want to focus on getting my kids to write down their answers and not just orally retelling.  Using the bat was great because there was just enough space for them to focus on the important  events.     I cut out the parts for my kids to save time and then drew lines on a slightly smaller version (used the copy machine to shrink them to about 80%), copied those and had them cut out those pieces to glue onto their bat.  My wonderful teammate found the pattern and from there I sort of freehanded it to get the right size.    I attached template (I didn't use this exact one, but I wanted to share something!) and all you would have to do is add lines!  Click here!

Pattern

In small group, I used 3 different leveled readers from my group.  One was from Deanna Jump's Bats Math and Literacy Packet.  The other two came from A-Z Reading.  I signed up for a 2 week free trial since my school hasn't renewed our subscription yet. If you don't use it , I would definitely sign up for the trial!  I love using their leveled readers for my small groups.    Here are the two leveled readers used for our non-fiction reading on bats!     "Bats"  (this is level O and my high group read this with assistance)  "Bats Day and Night"  

In my small group, we also worked on segmenting sounds.  Yeah, I already had various versions of sound boxes, but I couldn't pass up a freebie.  I first had my students use pumpkin erasers to segment sounds and then I had them practice writing the letters for each sound.  I found this freebie from Teach 123 - Michelle.  She has a whole seasonal packet with 3-5 word sound boxes for FREE!

Source:  Teach 123 - Michelle

We also made some creepy crawlers for our work with short e and used it to make a quick and cute bulletin board (Web of Words).  I used Thank God it's First Grade's spider word families activity. The kids LOVED it!   Tip:  To save time, tape the legs to the body for your students  and then have the students complete the rest of the craft.

Source:  T.G.I.F - Thank God it's First Grade

We will have more seasonal fun in math this upcoming week, but I did use roll and cover mats from my Monster Math Unit!  Click to download the freebie - my treat to you!  If you would like more monster math fun you can purchase the whole activity pack from my TpT store.  I will be using more of the activities this week for "monster week."  First 2 people that comment (leave an email)  can get the whole Monster Math Unit for FREE!

Source:  The First Grade Formula

I hope you were able to find something that you could use in your own class.  In the upcoming days, I will be adding some of the activities we are doing this week.  Check back soon for some more "treats!"

Five for Friday..ish

Linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching and doing Five for Friday!  I know it's technically not Friday.. but let's just pretend I linked up on time!

 Well if you have visited me before, you can see that my blog has had a MAKEOVER!  I absolutely LOVE it!  Tenille over at Designs by Tenille did an AMAZING job!  I just answered a few questions, made some requests, and she did the rest.  It was such an a quick and easy process (2 week turn around time) if you are looking for a new look, make sure to check her out.

 In Social Studies, we are learning about location.  Many of my students have never had the opportunity to leave their neighborhoods so location can be sort of a difficult concept for them to understand.  I used the books "Where I Live" and "Me on the Map" to help explain that we can be in multiple places at once and they immedielty got it (a lot faster than previous years). I gave them a little book of their own to fill in as we read the book "Where I Live".  It took about 4 days to complete.   Click the picture for the FREEBIE!  Next week, we will focus on the names of all the continents and oceans.  We will also complete a circle map where they will independently identify their street name, city, state, and continent.  Look for a freebie in that upcoming post!)

 I spent Tuesday at a training.  I'm never happy to leave my kids, but this training was actually... really good and beneficial!  It was all about creating valid commen assessments.  I never find the perfect weekly formal assessments for math that align with what we teach every week so I'll usually cut and paste or make my own.  This training was about which questions should be on an assessment, how formatting makes a difference, the benefits (increase of 36% in student mastery) of students tracking their own progress (even at the Pre-K level), and how to differentiate on a test.   I definitely will post in more detail.  For right now, here is another freebie!  My kids are using  this as a DRA Tracker for the year.   Click the pic to download!  I made mine with a 1st grader in mine, but added a couple of blank pages that you can write in.  I also plan to test my kids 4 times this year because I have a smaller class size for EIP, I really think it's important they see their progress as much as possible.  I plan on creating a kid-friendly tracker  for the other subjects soon!

So this is completely not school related BUT I have to say I am in love my spin class. Sometimes its hard to get there after a LONG day, but I always have so much fun and burn so many calories, I don't have a lot of good excuses not to go.  During the school year, it's so easy for me to fall off my workout regime, but I'm determined to not let that happen this year.  I've been getting my co-workers to come with me so on the days I am "too tired", I have someone else holding me accountable.  Check out his class below.. and yes every class is like this!

 

KTX Fitness Instructor: Keith Thomspon

 And on another non-school related note.... I randomly picked a show to start watching on Netflix and now I'm hooked on "Army Wives." LOL yes, I might have picked it because I am an Army wife, but it's actually pretty good.  It will also fill that void until my usual Fall TV line up comes back... (Scandal, Grey's, Revenge, AHS...)

There's my five!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!