Common Core Math & Literacy Fun

This post will give you easy, fun ways to work with your students on cardinality, one-to-one correspondence, counting, odd-even numbers, addition and subtraction and with working on cvc words and spelling.  And you can use recyclable materials too!

How many of you love your Keurig Coffee Maker?  I do!  I was sorting out my coffee when all of a sudden I had a great idea of what to do with the little cups that are left over.  You know teachers turn trash into treasures don't we?  Here is just a small preview of what we've been doing.

Counting, Cardinality, One-to-One Correspondence, Putting Together, Taking Apart

1.  You can use these cups for counting by rolling a dice then counting out the cups.  Say your student rolls a 5.  Then that student would count out 5 cups.

2.  Put the cups in numerical order.

3.  After putting the cups in numerical order, divide the cups by odd and even numbers.

4.  Draw a domino and put the cups in order to make the number with 10's and 1's using place value. Bump up the level and roll 3 dice.  Use the cups to build 3 digit numbers.  Or roll 2 dice.  The first dice represents the tens number and the second dice represents the ones number.

5.  Use the cups to teach the counting on method.  Roll 2 dice.  Determine which dice is the larger number.  Put a cup to represent that number.  Use the second cup to represent the smaller number by using the side with dots.  Students say the number "5" and count up to six.

6.  Differentiate by having dots on one side and the numbers on the opposite side to provide the supports your students need.

7.  Make combinations of 5. Add using the dot side.  Use the the darker cups for addition and subtraction signs.

8.  Make fact families.  We turned it around to make a fact family using subtraction.

Flip it and finish the fact family of 5.
2+3=5
3-2=5
5-3=3
5-3=2

9.  Use a cookie sheet divided into 10 equal parts to create a 10 frame.  Put numbered cups in each frame.  Use for manipulatives on a 10 frame cookie sheet.  Roll a dice.  Subtract that many off of the 10 frame.

This student rolled a 2.  Teach them to start at the bottom right corner to subtract.  This will leave them with the answer.  Have them record their number sentence in a math journal.  

This student rolled a 5.  

10.  Use the cups to spell CVC words.  Programs the ending word family with the same color to help students remember the word family.  On the other side on the "n" cup, I have other letters such as "t" and "p".  Students can turn the cups around and build other words.

Students can stack the cups on top as they build more words.  How tall can they build their word tower?

Students continue making new words and recording them on a recording sheet or in a word book.

11. Have students use the cups as manipulatives to practice blending the sounds together to make words.  Students can push one cup forward at a time to blend the sounds.  Ex:  "m" "a" "t" = mat

12.  For fine motor practice, let your students play "stack the cups."  

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Common Core Valentine's Day Math

When you look at the Common Core State Standards in Math, working with 5 & 10 are focused standards of learning for kindergarten students.  These also allow 1st grade students to master working within 20.  I have created a fun Valentine's Day Math Game pack that addresses all of the above.  You can use it during guided math groups for teaching, reteaching, or as enrichment depending on where your students are along the continuum of learning.

Here are some sample pictures of the activity pack.

 Click HERE to view it on Teachers Pay Teachers.  If you purchase it today, Super Bowl Sunday, it is 28% off!  It is regularly $4.00, but for today only, it is $2.88.  Enter the code SUPER when you check out.

Super Sale TpT Sale

I am participating in the Super Sale at Teachers Pay Teacher today, February 3, 2013.  Everything at my store is 20% off the regular price.  Enter in the TpT code SUPER for another 10% off the sale price which gives you a 28% savings.  Have a SUPER SUNDAY!  Click HERE to visit my store.

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Common Core, Writing, Research, & Technology

Are you wondering how to incorporate technology as listed in the ELA Common Core State Standards?  Try Animoto.  Remember, in the early years, using digital media is with guidance and support.  Let your children take pictures of your research project along the way.  When you are finished, use Animoto to make a video of the learning that took place.  It's a great way to create a timeline of learning while using digital media.  Click HERE to learn more about Animoto.  You can use it from your computer or there is an app for it too.

Making an Avatar

Wow! That was a lot of fun to make. Actually, I made quite a few different ones just playing around. You can choose from animals, smiley faces, people, cartoon characters and many other choices. I wish my hair looked like hers:-) You can even choose holiday theme Avatars too. You can choose a talking heart for Valentines Day. I really think this would be a great way of getting our students' attention or a new way to review or even teach procedures. There are many ideas on how to use Voki in the classroom on their website. Click HERE to check out Voki.

Literacy Alive & The Common Core

Today's post is at the heart of my teaching.  I've been doing this in my classroom for over 12 years, and I would have to say it 's had the biggest impact for my students whether I was teaching kindergarten or 1st grade.  I called the whole process Literacy Alive because I highlight a student each day and do literacy activities around that student's name.  It is currently being used in many schools throughout the United States, and I present on it frequently.  I was working on a packet for Teachers Pay Teachers when another blogger Peace Love & Kindergarten wrote about how much it helped her students.  I guess that is called perfect timing.

Here are some pictures of my students and other classrooms that use this program.  If you want to get your students motivated to learn, this program integrates many of the Common Core State Standards for learning letters/sounds, phonological awareness, phonics, sight words, and concepts of space (spacing, punctuation, and capital letters). And it just takes 15 minutes a day.

Students sign the chart everyday using "Smelly Markers."

I model correct spacing of words, capital letters, stretching out sounds,  learning our letter sounds and sight words.

Depending on the age of the student, they get the chart ready to go.

We interview each other with our Questions of the Day.

We used a megaphone to ask our questions until we received a "real" class microphone.

We post our Questions of the Day on our Smart Board.  Before we had a Smart Board, we posted them on a chart in the room.

We do this activity in the morning as a twist to morning meeting.  Instead, we focus on individual students.  As the children are ready, they begin writing the "Happy Talk" for their friends.

We have 6 rounds of Questions.  A "round" is what it takes to highlight a student using the same questions.  When we finish, we start another round.  This chart is from a teacher who uses the program in her classroom.  She calls them Super Hero Leaders of the Day.  They wear superhero capes.  Some teachers call them Star Students.  Others call them Student of the Day.  

My students like to cheer for the Student of the Day at the end.  We make up motions that go with our cheer.  Enjoy this short clip of their cheering.

I just completed a teaching resource lesson guide to my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.  It is a year-long map for incorporating this program in your classroom along with some very cute whole class books to make with your students.

Click HERE to view this packet on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Also click HERE to get a FREE Cheer Book that complements this program.

One Month Later We Remember

I started my blog in December of 2011.  My plan was to dedicate a week in December to celebrating my one year anniversary of starting a blog.  Instead, as a nation, we mourned the loss of many innocent children and their teachers in a senseless shooting that forever changed how we view our roles as early childhood teachers.  I was speechless, sitting in dismay at the unthinkable.  I couldn't even think of words that week to write in my blog, much less celebrate.  Actually, I went several weeks without posting because I couldn't find the right words that would sum up how I felt about all of the lives that were lost.

You see, as early childhood teachers, we are always the "protectors" of our young students.  We are constantly looking out for their well-being.  We are proactive in searching for areas that might be of concern to their safety.  We tend to scraped knees, bruised elbows, and broken hearts.  We are with them when they are sick, tired, and hungry.  We buy school supplies for our students.  We buy books for our students. We provide clothing, coats, and backpacks for our students who need them. We work diligently to ensure they have a safe, nurturing environment to thrive in both academically and socially. And we routinely practice all of the required drills and problem-solve what we would do if the unthinkable were to happen.  But truly we were innocent to what other teachers in middle schools, high schools, and universities across the United States have faced.  We were innocent.  On December 14, 2012, that innocence was taken away.  And I just wanted to say one month later, I still remember.  For every students' name that was read on the television and for every picture that was shown, I could name a student in my classroom who had similar qualities both physically and characteristically. Little girls whose favorite colors were pink and purple.  Little boys who loved sports and were enthusiastic about reading and learning.  Students who were natural born leaders. Young children who would greet me at the door every morning and light up the room and my heart with their smiles.

I was asked shortly afterwards to represent teachers in what we do to prepare for such an event on our local television station in Tulsa, OK.  The following is the interview that took place that day.  I really didn't know what I would say or how I would be able to talk about it.  It hit so close to home.  I was an early childhood teacher.  Our students are part of our extended family.  So I brought a piece of my classroom with me.  It is a quilt that was made for me last year by a former parent.  She made me a quilt with an individual square for each child telling what they loved about their teacher.  And for the month of December, I wrapped this blanket around me many times when I sat on the couch. It now stays on my couch. I always planned on hanging it in my teaching office, but never got around to it.  I wanted it to stay beautiful and perfect.  Those plans changed that week. So I clung to my quilt and ask the same questions that everyone else was asking.  Why did this have to happen?  Why were these beautiful children and their teachers lives taken so early?  So one month later, I just wanted to write, "I still remember those beautiful faces and names. I always will.  I will never forget."