1-2-3 Come Do Some More Math Core With Me

Yesterday, I published a huge 70-page Common Core Thanksgiving Math packet.  It met with rave reviews and became one of my top downloads this month.  If you want to read that article, simply scroll down to yesterday's blog post. 

As with most of my ideas, I have a zillion going on at the same time.  When a packet starts to get pretty big, I try to sort through items that can be used as a separate file, such as a particular craftivity, game or assessment. 

Such was the case with today's posting.  Initially, these activities were going to be part of the Common Core Thanksgiving Math packet, but didn't quite fit that worksheet and game format, so I pulled them to make the following separate activities that I hope you'll enjoy.

Mayflower Mayhem is a quick, easy and fun counting game.  The mayhem comes in, because in order to win the game, you need to use critical thinking skills and a bit of strategy, as there are several "routes" your Mayflower can take.  Some of them include shortcuts, so there's that to consider as well. 

Children pick a partner and take turns rolling the dice.  A roll of 1, 2, 3, or 4 moves your ship forward, where as a roll of 5, has you going backwards one space. A roll of 6, puts your sails in "irons" and your turn is skipped.

There's more fun to be had, if you land on the same square as your opponent; one of the perils of going in the same direction as your partner chose.

This simple and quiet game, is perfect for that crazy last day before Thanksgiving break.   Click on the link to view/download the Mayflower Mayhem Math game.

Fact Family Feather Fun, is a cute turkey craftivity that your students will enjoy making, while they practice fact families, writing them on the turkey's feathers. 

I added a "real" feather to the top of the turkey's head for that finishing touch. 

Turkey Talk, is a quick, easy and fun way, to whole-group assess: listening and following directions, numbers, number words, ordinal numbers and colors.

Because the teacher reads the directions, you can omit various steps for younger students, who may be at different levels.

Completed worksheets are really quite cute.   Click on the link to view/download the Turkey Talk Whole Group Assessment Tool.

Finally, I had a request for some Thanksgiving sliders.  Cindy, from Virginia, has used a few of my other seasonal ones, with her young kinders, and wanted to know if I had any with a Pilgrim or turkey.  (Didn't - - but do now.)

Sliders, are also a quick, easy and fun way to whole group assess a variety of standards. 

I call them "sliders" because children slide the paper strip up or down, to locate an answer in the "window" of their manipulative.

I've included a boy and girl Pilgrim, a boy and girl Native American, as well as a turkey slider pattern in the packet. 

I made black line ones so your kiddos can color them, but also included ones in color, so teachers can easily make samples to share. 

There are slider strips for upper & lowercase letters, counting to 30, counting backwards from 10 to 0 and 20 to 0; skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's, plus one for shapes.

The packet also includes a 10 frames spinner game.  These completed projects, make a nice bookmark.

Click on the link to view/download the Thanksgiving Sliders & 10 Frames Game packet.

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  Winter has hit Michigan earlier this year and everything is blanketed in the sparkly white stuff this morning. 

About 8 inches, so it's time to trudge outside to try and unbury my car.  Wishing you a snuggly, warm-fuzzy kind of day.

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~W.T. Purkiser

1-2-3 Come Do A Few More St. Patty's Day Activities With Me

I had a few special requests this week, and thought I'd combine them all in today's blog article.  I hope you enjoy them.

Kyanne, from Wisconsin, wanted a simple St. Patrick's Day word search for her young five students.  Even though there are a lot of word search generators out there, they mostly have uppercase letters. 

Further difficulties arrise,  because they share letters, show the words going backwards, as well as diagonally and vertically, so I usually make up my own.  I like to include a shape to add interest as well.

Word searches are a great way to practice spelling and build vocabulary, so that's why I think they should be in lowercase letters.  I also like them relatively easy (showing the words in forward-horizontal fashion) so that my kiddos don't get frustrated. 

If you want to do these easy ones with older elementary students, simply give them 1-minute to find as many as they can.  Speed games, help prepare children for timed tests in a non-stressful way.   Besides using them as a game, they are a nice plug-in for your Daily 5 word work activities too.  Click on the link to view/download the 2 St. Patrick's Day word searches.

Another way to work on words, is by giving students a themed-word and challenging them to create other words, using only the letters that appear in that word.  With that in mind, I created How Many Words Can You Find in Leprechaun, and another one for the word shamrock. 

Surprisingly, I made 97 words from the letters in shamrock, and found 161 words using the letters in leprechaun.  The packet includes recording sheets, as well as my answer keys.  Click on the link to view/download the How Many Can You Find St. Patrick's Day activity. 

Betty, from Texas, wrote that she's collected most of the number puzzles for center activites, for her PK students.  She wondered if I had any puzzles for St. Patrick's Day.  I didn't, but do now. 

I made 16, which includes some in color, as well as 5 in black and white, so that students can color their own. 

The puzzles help students practice counting to 10, counting backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip counting by 10's to 100.  Click on the link to view/download the St. Patty's Day Puzzle Packet.

Gloria, from Wisconsin, collects my alphabet cards, and wanted some with shamrocks and kites, two big theme weeks for her kinders. 

I had already made shamrock alphabet ones, and am now working on the ABC kite cards, to add to our growing collection. 

All of the alphabet packets, include a tip list of what to do with the cards, including games like Kaboom, plus a separate set of upper as well as lowercase letters, so that you can play Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?"  games.   Click on the link to view/download the shamrock alphabet cards.  The kite cards will be done and posted by Monday.

Finally, Sara from Maine, likes to change her 10 frame math center each month.  She was looking for some with shamrocks.  I spent quite a bit of time making 10 frame templates, so it's pretty easy for me to plug in appropriate clip art to make them for any theme you do. 

If you have a special request, simply shoot me an e-mail, and I'll see what I can do.  diane@teachwithme.com  Click on the link to view/download the Shamrock 10 Frames packet.  

Just a reminder, that all of the 10 frame packets, have matching 1-2-3 Count With Me 10 Frame-Based easy readers to match. Click on the link to view/download the 123 Count Shamrocks With Me.

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  Feel free to PIN away.

"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow beloings to the people who prepare for it today." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Use 10-Frames With Me.

As promised, I got the rest of the fall 10-frames completed this week.  Pumpkin 10 frames, Spider 10 frames, Scarecrow 10 frames, Leaf 10 frames, Football 10 frames, Bat 10 Frames, Fire Safety 10 Frames and Candy Corn 10 Frames are now ready for instant download. (Whew!) Just click on the links.  If you missed the apple 10 frames, or the owl 10 frames for September, simply click on their links.  To view all of my 10 Frame FREEBIES click on this link.

Thinking about numbers using 10 frames, can be a helpful and easy way for students to learn basic number facts. A 10 frame is a simple graphic tool that allows people to  “see” numbers.

They will help your students with number sense, place value, patterns and relationships, as well as subitizing (being able to recognize at a glance, domino and dice patterns, without having to count the dots).

There are lots of activities that you can do with the 10-frame packets besides the obvious.  Use them as flashcards, examples in your pocket chart, switch up your number word wall to be seasonal, and post a themed set there. You can make laminated sets for games and/or run off copies of whatever you'd like your students to work on, and use them as a table top lesson, math center, or to make booklets.

A set of numbers, number words, and math symbols (plus, minus, equals, greater and less than) allows students to make equations (covering more standards) plus play a variety of games. i.e.  Match the 10 frame to the number card, or number word, to play a Memory Match game, or play "I Have; Who Has?" 

You can also use the number word cards to ask questions of "How many more to make ______?" i.e. There are 2 pieces of candy corn on the candy corn number cards.  How many more are needed to equal the number on a particular card.  (1 more is needed for the one card, 9 more for the ten card etc. ) 
Do the same with the bat number word cards, that feature 4 bats. 

The scarecrow-number word cards have 2 different pictures in an ABAB pattern.  Ask students which picture is on all of the even numbered cards and which is on the odd numbered cards. You can do the same with the spider number cards as they are 2 different colors.

I'm always looking to improve things, so I thought I'd make some extra tiles for you to print, laminate and cut out, so that your students can use these as matching manipulatives for the 10 frames.  Use them for the above games to fill in a 10 frame.  Children can also count, sort, and pattern with them. For added fun, and a sweet treat, give students 10 pieces of candy corn when you're working with the Candy Corn 10 frames.  As a reward for wonderful work, students can eat a few at the end of the activity.

If there's a fall theme that I missed, that you'd like a 10-frame packet for, simply shoot me an e-mail diane@teachwithme.com and I'll see what I can do.  10 Frames for Turkeys and Pilgrims are in the works for November.  I'll also be making 10 frames for winter and a set for spring as well, so if you have a request, let me know.

If you'd like some links to a few wonderful 10-frame videos and 10-frame games, click on the link to pop on over to that blog article.  For more 10-Frame practice that incorporates reading standards too, try our 1-2-3 Count ____________'s With Me booklets.  They are themed easy-readers, based on 10 frames.  All of the above 10 frame packets, have matching "Count With Me" booklets, that would be wonderful seasonal extensions.  Click on the link to zip on over to my 10-frame section, and scroll down to see all of the 1-2-3 Counting booklets.

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"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything you gave me." -Erma Bombeckdo