Addition Time!

Happy Spring! 

At this point in the year, Kindergarten is all about addition and subtraction! This is absolutely my favorite time of year for Math - addition is such a fun concept to teach.  

Teacher tip: I love teaching students how to use a number line by having a HUGE one on the floor that students get to jump on. :) I make it out of duct tape and it's already looking a little rough because we use it so much! 

My district's math program (Investigations - LOVE it) emphasizes teaching students to use a bajillion different strategies [not exaggerating] to solve problems.  The majority of my students love using pictures (as you would expect) but they also love using number lines.  

As a result, I created these story problem pages for my students:

They love them, I love them, and their ability and comfort level with addition has increased exponentially! Click here to get them at my TPT store! 

**Stay tuned for my SUBTRACTION pack and my HIGH FLYERS pack! I'm excited to get done with both, but especially my high flyers pack; I feel that most challenge packs require students to go beyond the grade level standards instead of just using more challenging problem types.  My high flyers addition and subtraction pack will stay within our kindergarten standards (add and subtract within 10) but use the more challenging CGI problem types that make kids think! 

Five for Friday!

 One more week closer to SPRING BREAK!

Teacher Appreciation Week! 

This week was teacher appreciation week at my school! My kinder-babes showered me with love, flowers, tangerines, sparkling water, Starbucks, and babybel cheese! This job is always worth it - teaching the little ones is probably one of the few jobs where you can SEE the affect you have and see the results of your hard work.  That being said, when we work the crazy hours we do and expel all the energy we can into our school and kids, teacher appreciation week makes you feel even more special! Our PTA was AMAZING this week - everyday we were shown how much we were appreciated in our teacher's lounge! I am lucky to have such loving and giving parents at my school!!! 

A New Student! 

I got a NEW student this week! That officially makes 24 kinders... 24 kinders and a TA in my room for an hour each day (AT MOST). It's a little crazy here in NC and it's even crazier in my classroom. 

(If I get many more, I'm liable to run out of cubbies! Yikes!)

 Bugs, Bugs, BUGS!

This week was all about BUGS in my class! We read so many non-fiction and fiction books, sang songs, did bug dances (so FUNNY), observed bugs (dead ones), created and wrote about bugs, and then CREATED our own bug! It was such a fun week! Really, how many topics do you get to teach where you get daily "ewwwwwww"s?? Amphibian week is next week - if you've got any good information that will get some eww's out of them, let me know :)

 Boosterthon Fun Run! 

Boosterthon starts NEXT week! Does your school do the Fun Run?? We L.O.V.E. it here! The students raise money for our school, while earning fun prizes and RUNNING in the Fun Run! PLUS, teachers get to keep 10% of all money their class earned to spend on their classroom! It completely rocks!! Check it out and get it at your school ~ they're everywhere! www.boosterthon.com 
(I promise I don't work for the boosterthon, I just LOVE it!)

Counting Down!

Countdown to spring break: 35 days! I can't wait to get myself to Chicago for vacation!! On a side note, I am SO thankful that the winter weather skipped my world here in NC - no more make up days please! 

Dr. Seuss Week - Part 2

Oobleck. 

Oobleck is kind of messy. Really, really messy. Like...wow. And then, even when you clean it up, there is a white powdery layer on all your tables. Really. 

But, guess what? I LOVED it! And the kids LOVED it! And I will make be making oobleck with my littles next year, and the year after, and the year after, etc., etc. forever and ever. The end.

And I'm sure when I clean the tables for the third fourth time tomorrow, the powdery look will be gone. Right? 

Here's what we did:

1. Read Bartholomew and the Oobleck - stop reading around the time everyone in the book is REALLY concerned about the Oobleck and how it is sticking to everything! 
2. I gave each group of kids (4-5 kids in each group)
• 1 bowl
• 1 spoon
• 1 paper drinking cup
• 1 box of cornstarch
3. In each group, I assigned the kids a number (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) so that when I told the students a step to do, I also said a number so that there would be NO FIGHTING!
4. We dumped the cornstarch in the bowl
5. We got one cup of water and poured it in
6. We got a second cup of water and poured it in
7. We attempted to mix it with a spoon
8. Step 6 was an epic failure so I picked a number and told that kiddo to mix with their hands [oh, BOY were they excited!]
9. Then I told the kiddos to take turns mixing with their hands (screams and yippee's all around)
10. Then they got to PLAY! ["Keep your hands over the tables and please try not to make too much of a mess..." - feel free to say this; I did. Also be prepared for your pleas to go unanswered.]
11. While they were playing, I went around and talked about how the Oobleck feels, what it's like, etc. (I made sure to hit on that it feels hard at the bottom but if you pick it up, it liquifies!)

Then we tried to clean up (emphasis on tried). We talked about adjectives and words we could use to describe the oobleck [messy, hard, soft, gooey, slimy] and reviewed HOW we made it. We wrote how-to's on this snazzy paper, then finished reading the book!  (click on the picture to get the paper!)