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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Fractions... Decimals... Number Lines... Snow Day?

Today is a "Snow Day" for my district... I'm in a coastal town in Southern Texas... We don't get snow. So today is a WASTE OF A TEACHING DAY!

I know, I know, I should be thankful for a paid day off in the middle of the week... But I LOVE to teach. I LOVE my students. I LOVE my school.... So I WANT TO BE TEACHING! Not to mention, because of district benchmarks, holidays and a random late-start weather day last week, I haven't been able to get in a full week of teaching since before Christmas! Ugh!

Since I'm home today, I've looked at Benchmark data (lame to some but so interesting to me), worked on RTI ideas and paperwork and most importantly, made a new TPT product - Rockin' Number Lines!!



I'm super excited about this product... I decided to make it because I have a handful of students still not understanding numberlines. The majority of my classes get it, so I want a quick, fun way to review with them. Have you ever heard of Quiz-Quiz-Trade? It's a Kagan Cooperative Learning Strategy that ROCKS.

Here's how it works:
- Each student gets a card and holds it in their hand all sneaky like (since the answers are on the back)
- Students find a partner and take turns quizing each other, then they trade cards and find a new partner to quiz
- For this set of cards, the students will need to see the number line and identify the point as a decimal or fraction (the set contains halves, thirds, fourths and fifths)


What's awesome about this is the students are constantly getting new questions to answer AND ask... So if you use this as a 5-10 minute activity, they've been exposed to numerous questions and answers AND they've had the opportunity to teach their classmates AND if they miss a "quiz", that card becomes theres to ask so they're exposed to the question again AND, AND, AND... the list could go on and on. But to sum it up, Quiz-Quiz-Trade is a fabulous activity and KAGAN is genius.

ADDED BONUS: Once you're done using the task cards, throw them in a center. If you purchase my set of DVD Games for Centers or Stations, there's always a math game ready for the kiddos to play - grab some task cards, grab a DVD case and BAM! Instant game time. My students LOOOOVE these.


Hope you can get some use out of these Task Cards! Stay warm peeps!



Wednesday, January 1, 2014

1 for ME Linky Party

Today I'm linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for a "1 for Me" resolution of sorts.


Last New Year, I decided I'd eat better. 

Eh-hem. 

Didn't happen. 

This year, I'm deciding to WORK ON MY STRESS LEVEL. I have all sorts of awesome aches and issues because of stress.... I have neck, shoulder and back issues. I've seen doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists. I grind my teeth at night, which also led to jaw issues. I don't really think my body knows how to "relax"because I'm constantly tense. To sum it u, I'm a giant ball of STRESS MESS. So this year, I'm going to find ways to relieve stress. I'm going to start with yoga. I LOVE YOGA. A few years ago when I actually did exercise, yoga was my favorite activity. I remember how my body would hum after a yoga sessions - every muscle was used, stretched and relaxed. I need that back in my life! So my "1 for me" is RELAXATION through YOGA! Yay!  

Happy 2014 my friends! Don't forget about my fantastic TPT sale that starts today and runs through Jan. 4! Just click HERE to go to my store! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!