Math Ladders

I'm so excited to release this post today! I've been working on a center activity for the last couple of months with my students and, after going through several changes to work out finer details for keeping these things numbered in an organized manner, the first few sets are ready to be released! I'm calling them Math Ladders. Basically, students work independently (or with a partner) at a center. They're given a baggie of strips that have problems on them. They find the START piece, solve the problem on the right side, and find the corresponding answer on another piece's left side. Laying the second piece above the first one on the game board, they solve the new problem. And so on, and so forth, until they reach the top. My kids loved it those last few days of school and didn't even mind doing long division the week before school let out!

What's really great about these - at least what I intend to use them for next year - is that each center has multiple sets and they build on one another. So, differentiated curriculum is a breeze. I just have to print enough sets and then hand each child the set they need to work on depending on their individual skill level.

I have a bunch of different ideas up my sleeve, but for now check out two freebies (basic facts for addition & division) and a couple of long division sets. Each file contains at least 8 different sets which could turn into 8 centers. A table of contents/skill list is on each product page and part of the file.

 

  

Silliest Little Invention Yet - Ceiling Magnets!

So, my school's custodian asked that I stop putting paperclip hooks in my ceiling leaving me at a loss for how to hang things. I came up with the coolest invention - only to discover it's already been invented! So, if you'd like to pay $1.85 (plus $1.20 S&H), click here and follow the link to Amazon. If you'd like to make a million of these things for pennies - well, dimes - keep reading.

These are the three types of hooks I've tried. Do-it-yourself good old paper clips bent every which way, purchasing the clips that slide into the ceiling (Too expensive! But, I will continue to keep a few around for the heavy solar system pieces), and my little magnetic paper clip.

Supplies you need: magnets, hot glue, and paper clips.

Simply hot glue the paper clips to the magnets, let them dry, and hang them from the ceiling. When hot gluing, I took my time and supported each paper clip until the glue hardened enough to let it stand alone. I was able to make about 50 of them in an hour.

These easily hung a food chain craftivity. Granted, they won't hang heavy things - like an inflatable sun or most of the planets. But, they're good when you have 50 student projects to hang from the ceiling.

Oh, and to get them up there without using chairs - run over to Dollar Tree and pick up one of those long-handled tools with a claw on the end to pick things up.

Long Division

Ahh....a teacher's favorite skill to teach a bunch of kiddos that haven't quite mastered basic division! My class has been hard at work - our new benchmarks require students to divide using up to 4-digit dividends. To help them practice, I created a little game that grows with them. Best of all, they enjoy it and even ask to play it! :)

TPT Sale Extended!

Due to traffic overload on the TPT site, they have decided to extend their sale through May 8th. My site will also be on sale, 20% off, through May 8th. Grab a few things while you can get that 28% off (code TPTXO).

Teachers Appreciation Sale!

Combinations in Math

Okay, when I first started teaching students how to figure out how many different sets of outfits they can make out of 3 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, and four pairs of shoes (or the sheets & quilts that showed up on our practice test), I had no idea how to do it myself and make sure I actually had all the sets. Fast forward nine years and I've finally figured it out. The hardest part now, for me, is to get my kiddos to follow my logical instructions. So, as soon as I saw Krista Wallden's clipart set - Fashionista - I knew instantly what I was going to make with it. But, instead of this simply being another set of task cards, I included four pages students can use to lead their own small group as a review of how to find ALL combinations.

Spring Break

Well, this week has been crazy. I've taken some time off from the classroom and am ready to head back to school on Monday to get ready for my Survivor test prep before our state testing. Actually, the kids & I are quite excited about the test prep. I base the two weeks between Spring Break & the test on the TV show Survivor - complete with award challenges, immunity challenges, & tribal council! While the kids were working on math games & make up work the last half hour of class last Friday, I dug out my Survivor decor and started inflating palm trees, monkeys, & the treasure chest. That sure got their attention! They left excited to come back and see exactly what's in store for them. :) More to come later about my Survivor theme - and probably something for Teachers Pay Teachers.

In the meantime... I've uploaded two more products I finally had time to finish. The first one I used before we left for the break and then cleaned up/created an answer key/made an answer sheet for posting. The second one was created to use for review next week during our test prep.