Favorite FREE Websites for Math

Happy Memorial Day!

It's Jennifer from Elementary School Garden!

Looking for some fun, FREE, educational, math websites to use in your classroom?  Here are my top 3 . . .

Xtra Math
Use this site for a quick and fun way for your students to practice their math facts both at home and at school?  You simply create a username and password, set up your class list, print out your students log-in and password info and your off and running.  A quick video plays for them when they log-in and it walks them through all the steps.  The best part is Xtra Math emails you, the teacher, weekly data for how your students are progressing with their math facts.

Sheppards Software
This site contains hundreds of educational games, activities, quizzes, articles, and more all for FREE!  Use this site to reinforce math, language arts, science, and social studies concepts throughout the day.  I have students access this site during math center rotations.  There are loads of fun math games that focus on common core math standards.

Common Core Sheets

Looking for some Common Core worksheets to supplement your curriculum?  Check out this site.  I love how there is a spot along the right hand side for students to record their answers.  Answer keys are included for each worksheet with the answers along the same side to make for easy grading.

What are your favorite math websites?

I Am Poems {A fun end of the year activity}

I don't know where you stand, but for me, I only have 9 more teaching days left! This happens to be a bittersweet moment for me. I LOVE teaching, since I was 5 I have dreamed to be a teacher. However, I am taking a break from teaching for awhile to raise my family. While I can't wait for summer, my heart is breaking as I pack up my class :( Change can be so hard! The final days before summer break are always the hardest for me to plan. The end of the year testing is over (thank heavens!), but the kids are ready to be done, and frankly, so am I :). But it is important to keep the kids engaged and working or the last few days can feel like an eternity. One of my favorite lessons to do near the end of the school year is I Am poems. The general outline for these poems is the same, in fact, here is a freebie template I created for students to fill in for their poem:

First I take my class outside and let them choose a location around the school for a picture. This picture will be the background of their poem. Next I have students fill in the template. Depending on time, I will correct for spelling errors, or I will just let the computer do that when they type it :). When we get to the computer lab, I actually have students type in PowerPoint. Make sure they change the orientation of the slide to "portrait" and the dimensions to 8.5 x 11 so it matches the size of paper they will print their poem on. To do this, click on the design tab. In the lower left corner, the icons "slide orientation" and "page setup" will allow you to do this. Next, I have my students insert their picture as a background so they can change transparency, and so the picture fills the entire slide. Underneath the design tab in PowerPoint, on the right-hand side, there is a button called "background styles". Students click there and then click "format background". Once in the formatting, they choose "picture or texture fill," and choose a picture from "file". I like to make a folder that all my students can access through our school drop-box so they can easily retrieve and insert their picture. Once their picture is formatted as the background of their PowerPoint, they can change the transparency. I like to make it at least 50% so the writing will show up over their picture. Last, students type their poem. They can choose a fun and readable font, as well as change the color of the writing as desired. A finished poem will look like this:

Have fun and good luck with your last few days of teaching! This project is included in my {Autobiographies and Biographies, Writing by the Month} product. Available for 4th, 5th and 6th grades!

End of Year Activities And A Freebie

I can't believe so many of my fellow contributors here on Who's Who and Who's New are entering their last days of school.  As a Canadian teacher, I will be working this year until June 27th.  I realize that we don't start school until later in September (after the Labor Day weekend) but when I hear you are nearing the end, I can't help but be a bit envious.  I thought today I would post about some of my favourite activities I will be using to finish out the school year and hopefully they might help give you some new ideas for your class.  I also have included a freebie!

1.  Memory Lapbooks 

 Last year was the first time we made these and what I loved the most about them was that the students worked independently to complete them  which gave me some much needed time to check a few items off my long list of "things to do" at the end of the school year.  I teach grade 5, however I think with some guidance even younger students would be able to make them.  I made a sample of what the final product should look like and they used that to complete their own.  If you have used foldables this year your students would probably be used to making most of these anyway. 

End of Year Lapbook

2.  End of Year Powerpoints

If you have access to a computer lab with enough computers for each student or at least enough that students can share a computer then this is a great activity.  I always take pictures of my students during the school year to make an end of the year slideshow.  Students love receiving them and their parents have loved them even more.  A different take on this same idea is to have students create their own end of year powerpoint using some of the same pictures.  I put a small sampling of the pictures taken during the school year in a student shared folder on our computer network.  The technology teacher at my school always helps me to set it up.  Thank you, Kevin!  

After the pictures are posted and I show my students the basics of Powerpoint they are set free to create.  I am always amazed at their final products.  Students who don't always like to write during the year always add lots of detail in describing the pictures.  After all the projects are complete we show the final projects on the SMARTboard in the classroom.  We do up a schedule and show four or five a day during the last week.  You can hear a pin drop as the students look to see what pictures were used and what each student highlighted as their favourite memories.

3.  Basketball Review

All you need for this fun game is a small basketball (I got mine at the local dollar store) and an empty trash can.  We move the desks to each side of the classroom to make room for our basketball court.  Place the trash can at one end of the classroom and then mark off three throwing lines on the floor.  Each line should be a little further back on the floor.  If a student threw the basketball from the furthest line it would be worth 3 points, the next line which is a bit closer to the trash can would be worth 2 points and the closest line is worth 1 point.  

   Students are then divided into two teams.  When it is a student's turn they have the choice as to which line they will throw the basketball from.  Before they get to throw the basketball they have to answer a question based on material covered during our school year.

   I have written and sorted the questions into three piles based on difficulty before the game starts.  The harder questions are worth 3 points while the easiest questions are worth 1 point each.  

Every student gets a turn to throw the basketball and the team with the most points wins.  My students always have a blast playing this game!

4.  End of Year Display 

School Year Selfies

Every year I always like for my students to reflect on their year and then select one of their most favourite memories to write about.  This year my grade 5 students are really into "selfies".  I thought it would be fun if I used this popular theme to capture their attention.  It worked!  They loved drawing themselves in their smartphones with their favourite things about this school year drawn in the background.  We have received many compliments from staff and students on this one.  If your would like to try it out you can get it here.

And finally a little freebie to use with your class!  Who doesn't love an activity that gives you a few extra minutes at this time of year?  Get it here.  Enjoy!

 

Over the Summer Letter Writing

The end of the school year is in sight!!  When I was a kid, I had no idea that my teachers were probably more excited about summer break than I was.  :)  Even though I am pretty psyched about wrapping up the school year, I am really going to miss my kiddos.  This class was one of my all-time favorites, and since I'm moving out of the classroom to be a reading specialist next year, these little guys are particularly special to me.  

So that I can keep in touch with my students over summer break, I'm going to invite them to write letters to me!  I've never done this before, so we'll see how it goes, but I am really looking forward to it.  What I'm going to do is send a letter home asking parents to return a slip with their address if the child wants a letter from me.  About 3 weeks after school is out, I'll send letters to those kids who are interested, and include my home address so that they can write me back if they like.

If you'd like to give this a try too, click on one of the images below.  You'll be able to download (for free) a parent letter to send home, as well as some fun tropical writing paper to use to write your letters.

If you teach K, 1st, or 2nd and are also interested in sending home summer learning packets for your kiddos, click on one of the photos below.

            

Wishing you a wonderful and calm end to the school year!!

Table labels with a freebie!

Hello again!  It's me, Hilary from Second Grade is out of This World!  I am going to share with you today how I label the tables in my classroom.

Each week we have five spelling words that we concentrate on, then every other week we take a spelling test over all ten words and some surprise words based on word chunks from the spelling words.

Anyway, one way that we practice our words for the week is that I name each table after one of the words.

Then, when I call a table, we all spell word together.  I also call tables by different aspects of the words:

The table that has 2 vowels.

The table that starts with the /d/ sound.

The table that end with the /s/sound.

The table that rhymes with because...

The possibilities are really endless. 

I made my labels with a space theme, because my classroom is space themed.  I printed two copies of each circle on cardstock, cut them out, glued them back to back and then laminated them.

I then write the words on each side using a dry erase marker and hang them above each table.

On Friday, it is the table captains job to take them down and erase them and put them on my desk so that they are ready for me for Monday!  

I have attached a freebie that includes the space labels and some without the aliens (just click on the picture above or HERE!  Enjoy!  

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Before & After

Way back in August I spent hours setting up my classroom in what I felt was the perfect arrangement.  But, as time went on I moved things here and there.  Even though it is nearly time to close up my classroom, I thought I'd share some "Before" & "After" pictures of my "home away from home." 

Originally our Word Work Station ~ with a large table ~ this area has morphed into a small work area.  I have a couple little cuties who often take their work here so they can "concentrate."  :-)

 

I moved the large table in the space next to our computers to create a new Listening Station.  (I forgot to take a picture of it.)

 

My original Listening Station sat on a round table ~ not really the best arrangement.  It works so much better next to the computers.  I snagged this table from our Kinder workroom ~ it was really just a catch-all ~ so no one really misses it.  With the help of the custodian, I lowered the legs & now have a great Word Work Station! 

Before ~ top left, Mrs. S's table ~ next to my wonderful Word Work cabinet.  (Click HERE to see a better picture of it.) After ~ below left, Mrs. S's table is in the same spot, but now sits up against the leveled book cart.  Before ~ top right, our classroom library with the Word Work cabinet facing in.  After ~ below right, I switched the leveled book cart & Word Work cabinet.  It made sense to for the bins to face the Word Work Station.  Plus, the back of the cabinet gives the kiddos something to lean against when they are in the library!  (I should get some pillows...)

 

OK, sometimes I admit that my excitement in setting up a new classroom ends up in some odd arrangements.  It really worked in my head...  This was going to be a fun & engaging pocket chart center.  It was really a crowded space that no one ever used.  The big blue pocket chart was hanging on the wire shelves (standing on end), the other charts are on a tall rolly cart.  I like the new arrangement so much better.  Not only is it more usable, but the lower profile is much less visually cluttered.  I have four sets of trapezoid tables pushed together for student seating ~ I swapped out the round table from the old Listening Station and gained the two trapezoid tables (here & in the first picture).

 

The tables by the arrow are the ones I swapped for the round table from our old Listening Station.  I only needed to seat four students in this spot, so it works perfectly!

 

I hope you enjoyed reading my post ~ now, go and move some furniture around your classroom! :-)

 

 



Relay Recess: Relay for Life!

Hi there, it's Christy from Teaching Tales Along the Yellow Brick Road. School is ending for me in just a week {crazy how fast this school year has been!} In the last few weeks, there have been many fun filled events around my building, but none quite as great as the one I'm sharing with you now.

 Relay for Life has been a huge event in our community, and one of the teachers in our building made it an event even our students could participate in.

For 25 cents, students could purchase feet in honor or memory of someone with cancer; with all donations going to Relay for Life. It amazed me, in only five days, students had purchased enough feet to line the walls both upstairs and downstairs. The two homerooms (one from 4th and one from 5th) who raised the most money, had their homeroom teacher sumo wrestle the principal at the Relay Recess.

The Friday that we held the event was beautiful. Our principal ran the music. Students, teachers, community members, and survivors walked the path around the playground that had been lined with luminaries that the students had decorated. Throughout the playground centers were set up so that students could learn about healthy lifestyles.

Various laps were taken, some to the song, but none as moving as the survivors lap. 200+ students cheering on true heroes was priceless.

The afternoon ended with the sumo wrestling match. Our principal lost both rounds, to the many cheers of our students. Another Recess Relay event was planned for the 2-3 building as well.

Has your school done an event such as this? I'd love to hear about if you have. I know that my students loved taking part and that we are looking forward to making this event a tradition in our school!