Saturday, February 2, 2013

Super Bowl Sunday Sale and Football Freebie


This weekend only, you can nab my football themed lesson for free on TPT, in the spirit of the Super Bowl.  Yes, I said free!   Please leave a cool comment if you grab the football freebie (normal cost $3.00)!  Also, I am having a SUPER Sale!  Read below for the promo code!

Need a game for Super Bowl week, or just want to have some "Game Day" fun? 
This is just what you need. Students answer a card by
adding or subtracting 1, 10 or 100. Then, they place it in their cup. 
When students are busy working on their math skills, they can get a
touchdown, field goal, fumble and interception.

While you are in my TPT store (on Feb. 3rd), I will be having a sale!  You can use promo code SUPER to get 28% off of everything in my store!  Enjoy the game tomorrow and all of your new lesson plans at a reduced cost! I love making snacks and hanging out with friends! I have lots of lesson that will get you through the month of February!  You can complete Girl Scout Cookie fraction problems, gather a Froggy math bundle with over 24 math activities, treasure a President's Day Fast Facts activity and learn about Martin Luther King for Black History Month to name a few!

Friday, February 1, 2013

February Math Pack

Besides feeling like the walking dead, due to the flu, I've spent part of my Christmas vacation creating a February Math Bundle. The bundle includes 24 math skills for 2nd grade! This will be a nice supplement to your math curriculum. This pack would be a great review or introduction to the skills shown! It is based around 2nd and 3rd grade Common Core.  Click on the picture to the right to grab the pack from my store!  Click on the document above to get a free game sample!!! Happy Valentines!


 

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Calling All Monster Trucks!

Let's get the kiddos excited about rounding! Pull out your kids' toy monster trucks and toy cars and you have a center! This is most likely my last lesson created for 2012! Enjoy!

New Years Lessons Bundle

I'm sitting at home watching Netflix movies and uploading my New Years Bundle! This set includes a dress up photo opportunity. I think I will print my students' pictures in 8.5x11 and let them choose the props they would like to glue to their photos. There is a writing page that can be included on the bulletin board. They can write a personal narrative of what they were doing at midnight. There are several more fun activities included. My class loves the opportunity to make words, complete crossword puzzles and color! There is a coloring activity where students can create a lantern. Maybe you want your students to work on regrouping 3 digit numbers when adding and subtracting. Or, if you are like me, you want a tier reading lesson plan. There is a reading piece with comprehension questions included. The crossword uses some of the vocabulary/important words from the passage.





Sunday, December 2, 2012

Wild West Suffixes Preview!

Last week my kiddos were struggling with adding -ed and -ing suffixes.  They didn't know whether to drop something, double something or just add the ending!  A couple even questioned whether they knew what a consonant and vowel were.  Oh my!  So, I came up with a wild west themed packet just for this skill. You can purchase it in my TPT store.  Hopefully this will be easy enough, that even my substitute will be able to use it!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Polar Express Unit Ready for Christmas

I just finished my Polar Express Unit in time for Cyber Monday!  The unit is 147 pages long and if it doesn't knock someone's socks off, I don't know what will!  There are all kinds of activities, experiments and lessons inside.  You even have a final exam and activities for a Polar Express movie day.




Monday, November 12, 2012

Veteran's Day Friendly Letter

Thank You For
Keeping Us Safe!

This morning I was scrambling because I realized my students brought $1 per red, white and blue outfit and that money was being donated for veterans.  It was a school wide event.  I had a really neat booklet to use from Second Story Window, but needed a writing piece to use....











So, I came up with friendly letter paper.  You are free to use it!  Sorry it is late, but you may still be able to use it this week.  There are all different types with both boys' and girls'...Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, etc!  Click on the pictures to get the Google Doc.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Thankgiving Quick Write Freebie

I know that your next couple of weeks are going to fly by!  So, I'd like to give you a few pages for quick writes!  Quick writes only take 5 minutes for students to complete, then everyone gets a chance to share!  Spelling is usually not important, however, you can do a quick brainstorm on the board before setting the timer.  I highly suggest this if you have students who won't write anything without being perfect!  When the timer goes off, the sharing part is so important, because you see students editing their wording as they are reading their writing outloud.  It's usually one of those "ah ha" moments! And, for those students who have U-G-L-Y handwriting, you get the chance to visit with them later about their inability to read their own handwriting!  I don't make students share if they don't want to read their piece aloud, but after doing several, they are usually comfortable enough to volunteer.



There are 3 writing prompts included in this freebie! They are..
1. On Thanksgiving I look forward to...
2. Once a turkey ran away from...
3. On Thanksgiving you might find me cooking...(boy and girl paper)
* Just click on the picture to get the GoogleDoc.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

One Special Lady!

This year I decided to take my blog and revamp it!  So, a mom friend of mine sent me to Andrea from A Kay Web Design. Let me tell you Andrea is AMAZING!  Hooking up with her to accomplish the task was the best thing I could have done! Andrea is knowledgable, hard working and humorous!  I think she made this place look great!  If you want your blog to scream "I teach and love it!" you should head her way!  Her blog design packages are very reasonable and she is superspeedy, especially for having twins!  I would have Andrea create another blog for me in a heartbeat!  Click on her picture to go to her website!  She has her design process and examples on there!
"THANK YOU ANDREA!"

Superhero Readers

Okay, my son comes into my classroom after kindergarten each day.  Sometimes this is a good thing, and sometimes he is into everything!  Last Friday, he saw my new copies for my Syllable Types Reading Hero Unit.  Well, he decided he wasn't leaving for the weekend until he could create a mask himself!  Glad to know that the mask I created fits the face perfect.  I guess he completed the trial and error check!  Tada!

During tier time next week, my class will be using the mask to look through books for words with different syllable types.  My son used all of  the colors in the box to decorate his mask (shown above)  Your students can color their mask any way they like.  Or, you can go the quick route and copy the masks onto colored cardstock.  In this unit there are several pages of word cards to sort, a booklet for students to keep track of words with the rules, and an I Spy page.  I just love the Melonheadz Graphics sets!  The clipart tickles my heart!

Shout Out!

I need to give a shout out to some very special men in our community.  These men are from Station 35.  They've been very active with the students in the school.  Lately they've put on a production titled Fire Clowns, where they left their everything on a stage to teach students about fire safety.  They've also been in the classroom working with small groups on math facts.  Last week they played a game of mine called Super Hero Subtraction Sticks. And last, but not least, the 2nd grade class visited their station to conclude our Readers Theater titled A Trip to the Fire Station.  During the fieldtrip the firemen set up an obstacle course (resembling a bedroom, window and safety area) to help students practice techniques for how to get out in an emergency.  They also showed us the manly tools on the fire truck.  Let me tell you, the jaws of life are for real! 

Thank you Station 35 for making a positive difference in the lives of children. Your support in the classroom is appreciated!  Click here for a writing page freebie my class used when they learned fire safety rules.  Maybe you can use it next year during Fire Safety Week.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Laundry...I Usually Hate It!

My students helped me with the laundry this week.  But, we didn't put it away in drawers and hang it up like I usually do!  This is the dreaded job around my house!  I usually fold and transfer, no problem, but taking it to the closets seems to always get put on hold! 

I created a new lesson that you don't want to put on hold though!  My students had a blast getting to act as endmarks!  Who knew punctuation could be so much fun?  The worksheets attached to this lesson (located inside my TPT store) have enough questions for students to all get a chance to wear the shirts.  The class read each sentence with expression and picked the correct person for the job (sentence). 

I made the t-shirts for $8 total using my Michael's Craft Store Teacher Discount.  The shirts were 2 for $5 and then I flashed my teacher id!  What a steal!  T-shirt paints were rummaged from an old stash of paints I used a few years ago with Girl Scouts.

Healthy Snacks Freebie



This week I had each student bring a healthy snack to school. We are currently learning about the food groups and starting to graph in math.
 So, I sent home a note and everyone brought a smorgasbord of snacks.





On Thursday, we graphed, completed a worksheet and had a small plate of treats during science. You can grab this healthy snack freebie with parent note. Just click for the GoogleDoc here!

Thankful for So Many Things!

I can't wait until next week? Can it be Thanksgiving yet because I've got a lot of lessons up my sleeve!   Also, I can't wait to see one of my cousins who is coming back from college!  She is my Black Friday shopping partner!  The booklets from my unit are created and copies are made.  Now, it is time to share it with you!  If you are looking for an easy unit to implement and a cute craftivity, you've found it!  Click on the picture to snab it from TPT.  I will post pictures of the craftivity when my students finish.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Mohawks and Curls...Student Art


3D Baby!  This was a fun art project.  The mohawk on the first picture was actually sticking out from the wall...what a designer I have!  Maybe this artist can help me in the business.  The best enjoyment from this art is that these pictures actually share the personality of my students this year!  In fact, I bet another teacher could come into my class and decide who made which picture.  If you would like to grab the writing paper we used, click here!  To grab the glasses and such, you will have to visit here

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Calling All Doctors...Help with Balancing Equations

Okay, I'm on a roll with freebies this week!  Today the 2nd grade math para and I were trying to think of a good way for students to balance equations when there were missing addends.  Students were not grasping that they would have to balance the equation by reading from left to right.  You may be able to run to the printer faster than I can.  What tricks do you have for students balancing equations?  Please share!


Monday, October 8, 2012

100 Followers Giveaway

I was ecstatic today when I rolled over to 100 followers.  So, I am sharing the love with a giveaway for everyone.  Please enjoy my newest Instant Math Lesson Instant Math Pack with Jack.  It will be a great review or introduction to any geometry unit!  There is a bingo game, flipbook, and matching game included.  Thanks for following my blog and store!  You totally made my day!

Love,
Instant Math Mama with More


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

It's About Time! Classroom Organization Photos

Okay, so after fishing with my son and having a blast this summer, I spent a little (okay...a lot) of extra time this summer getting totally organized.  I went through everything (almost!).  Do you feel like you do this at the beginning of EVERY year?  Below are photos of the results.  Sorry, I should have done a before picture!  At our school we have to pile up everything on the counters each summer so they can wax the floors and paint.  I have several organization resources in my lesson plans and resources page found above.  This summer I decided to clean out the cupboard that I can't reach into.  I created labels for my reading and math games.  You know you probably buy lots of TPT games (or download freebies!!!) and need a way to organize all the games.

 Let's start off with a view of the hallway. We are doing a camping theme this year, so I used Posteriza (Posteriza.com) to enlarge clipart for decorations! The process is super easy if you have some cute clipart that you've purchased! I will try to do a post on how to do this soon. The banner is made of burlap that I pinned together with a stitch and wrote on with permanent marker. The tree just took lots of tape, staples and patience! I got very lucky that another teacher was giving away a Magic Tree House Stand-Up. I used rocks from my grandfather's pasture, moss and a cardboard fire to decorate the outside of my room. Let's go right on inside, head left.

When you walk in, here is your view. Welcome to my 2nd grade classroom! Wondering already what is behind the curtain? One guess. My new storage area! I labeled paper boxes (free...go run and grab them from the copy room!!!). Now, when it is close to say...Valentines, I can go and grab my box which holds centers, materials, manipulatives, teacher read aloud books,, etc! The labels for these boxes can be found here. Yes, you could fancy the lids with colored masking tape and more. You also have the option of adding these to plastic tubs you've already purchased. My boxes have a simple piece of cardstock taped to the front of the box the label.

My son is sitting on the new benches we made. Did you know that a body pillow fits perfectly as stuffing for a 3 crate bench. Easy route, I did! Walmart has body pillow for super cheap. The crates were found on sale at Menard's for roughly $2 each before school started. The rug area is where I work with students in small groups. I also do read alouds here. If we are working on a worksheet, students bring their show me board (dry erase board) to write on. The boards provide a hard surface so they can fill in their worksheet, etc. I like having students right in front of me! The crates (under the benches) house more book series!

Behind my son are black tubs. Inside the black 3 drawer tubs are math centers that are laminated and stored in ziplock bags. File folder games get stored in jumbo (not gallon) storage bags. It is nice to be able to go and open the "place value" drawer when we are studying that skill. The labels for these tubs can be found here. I have several instant math centers inside my TPT store....too many to name here. Go see for yourself why I am the "Instant Math Mama!"

After having the math drawers all perfect and just the way that I wanted them, I decided to do the same with my reading centers and games. They too are organized by skill. So now, when I am studying "plurals" or "compound words" all I have to do is go and open the drawer for hands on activities, pocket chart activities, file folder games, word cards, etc.! Even my tier reading paras can go and open the drawers to find the items they need which is nice. The labels for these are found here.'



Now for my favorite make-over! I reorganized my classroom library this summer. It's so organized that even the students hate to see books misplaced. On the outside of the book spine I added a garage sale sticker with the reading level for each book. I covered the sticker with a small piece of packing tape, so hopefully the sticker will last for the life of the book. The book bins came from Menards. It is really important to get bins that are not wider on top than the bottom, otherwise they will topple over. It's worth the extra little price.
Wondering what is inside the macaroni colored cubbies? This is where I keep all of my multi-sensory materials and manipulatives for reading. I have my sound deck, teacher books, FCRR activities, rice tracing materials, syllable type materials, plastic letters, favorite teacher read alouds, etc. all in one location. I added a new syllable type set to my TPT store this summer. I can't wait to laminate it this week on my plan time! It is located here. A preview is below. My kiddos are going to love completing the silent e word mat tomorrow! The fishing word wall collector is available here. I add words to the laminated pages as the year goes and as we talk about them. Mainly, the list includes often used and often misspelled words. Students like the opportunity to check and see if a word they are struggling to spell is on the wall. I included a booklet A-Z with the poster set. Students might be able to write them down, then use the booklet during writing time.


Students each have their own Math Box.  This is an idea from Everyday Math.  Inside is a calculator, money vial, measuring tape, place value maniulatives, etc.  I add each material as they learn to use it.  These are very handy.

The photo to the right is my listening center pocket.  It houses books with cds and tapes.  On the labels is the reading level and title of the book.  When I am unavailable to do a read aloud because I am progress monitoring or working on something important with a furious deadline, a student is able to turn the pages while the story is being read aloud.  Life saver!  I will be adding a poster that has listing skills displayed very soon.....just trying to get to cutting out lamination!

Last but not least is my clip chart for behavior. It is seen to the far right!  I love it!  When students make it to the top twice (we don't restart each day) they get rewarded.  I put a garage sale sticker on their clothes pin when they make it to the top once, then they go back to the middle.  I don't think I'm going to have to call a single parent this year!  It's a nice reminder to myself that sometimes we have a bad day and have to clip down (i.e. forgetting homework, being rude, etc.) but overall, I have wonderful students who like to be recognized just as much for positive behavior!  The students love clipping up (standing nice in hall, first team ready, bringing back an important note, helping others in their team be ready to go, getting compliments from other teachers, etc.) and have shown a lot of community.  For rewards I use Mel D's reward coupons (55 ideas total).  They fit perfect inside my little necklace badge holders.  The rewards don't cost me hardly anything.  I hold 8-9 badges out upside down and tell the students "pick a card, any card."  Then, they get rewarded the very next day and wear their badge for the day.  Some of the rewards include wearing flip flops inside the classroom, getting a new pencil from me, sitting at my teacher desk, etc.  I love not having to purchase a lot of prizes like I used to! Thanks Mel, you've transformed the way I deal with difficult behavior!  Okay, goodnight all!  More next time.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Addition and Subtraction Mega Pack

Alright, so after a couple of late nights, I know why my favorite clipart designer named herself the "3AM Teacher."  I stayed up until 4 a.m. working on this mega pack.  Then, awoke by 8 to tutor!  All is good, because I can nap later!  This 81 pages of goodness mega double digit pack is now available inside my TPT store.  The hunk of this pack includes 4 booklets.  The booklets are 10 pages each.  There is one for addition without regrouping, addition with regrouping, subtraction without borrowing, and subtraction with borrowing.  The booklets are easy to print. I added 2 centers/games for an extra little bonus and chance for practice.
 
* Update!  Since using this product, I've discovered one thing!  The students love using their free time in class to complete their 4 booklets!  I let students add their 10 stickers all at once, to avoid lots of grading time.  When they finish a packet, I grade their whole booklet at once.  We glue these into our math journal (composition notebook) to save as a reference.  The sticker page goes into their homework binder, so parents can see when progress is made!  I need to go and create some more difficult booklets for the few that have finished all 4 booklets (40 pages!!!).  Way to go kiddos!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Chef's Needed! Division Practice

Okay, I am ready for teaching about division now!  I just finished a 13 page mini-booklet after enjoying stuffed crust pizza at Pizza Hut.  I always find it funny and a bit strange how I come up with ideas in random locations (hence...while eating pizza tonight).