If I Could Turn Back Time.....

Last week we began focusing on telling time. We started with a week of telling time to the hour. Students quickly and easily mastered this skill. However, this week we have began telling time to the half hour and it has been more difficult. I guide my students through a "self talk" lesson of how to figure out the time. I tell them first we look at what two numbers the hour hand is in between. Then we use the physical movement of stepping back to tell them we aren't going to pick the number moving forward, but we are going to step back on the clock. That way we will pick our hour. Then we already know the minute hand equals 30. I also am using websites to help them each day. I am using:
brainpopjr.com:
Parts of a clock
Time to the Hour
Time to the quarter hour and half hour

Time to the Half Hour Website
http://www.fi.edu/time/Journey/JustInTime/time_quiz.html

Time to the Half Hour Website:
http://www.primarygames.com/time/question1.htm

Time to Go Website
http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/WebLessons/TimeToGo/default.htm

I also read stories and have them make the time on individual clocks and then model the correct time on my big clock.

How do you approach teaching time?

I Want Candy........

The celebration of fall corresponded wonderfully to tie in with our literacy unit. We are reading "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," as part of our first grade common core ELA units. The students have really enjoyed hearing about little Charlie Bucket's life and were truly happy for him when he found a "Golden Ticket." In math we are learning addition strategies so I thought as a treat on Friday it would be neat to give each student a chance to find his or her own "Golden Ticket." I found a great template online and printed it out on white paper. Then I cut out the giant sized "tickets" and wrote an addition sentence on the back of each ticket. Then today I hid the tickets inside the students math books. When it is time for math instruction, I will tell them that a little something special has been left for them courtesy of Mr. Willy Wonka! They will then have to solve their individual math problems to get a piece of Willy Wonka candy. I can't want to see the look on their faces tomorrow. This also gives me a chance to do a type of "Quick Check, or Ticket out the Door" because each student has a different math problem and I also gave students addition sentences based on their level right now. Some students are still working with counting on 1 or 2. Some students are doing well with doubles facts, and some students are able to find missing addends so each child has a quick chance to practice at his or her own level. Students will then be able to take their "Golden Ticket" home to show their families.

Monster Mash

Okay, this is just a purely fun post! As we get ready for costumes, carved pumpkins, and cooler weather children's first focus to fun times is Halloween and trick or treating. Our school held a "Going Batty Bake Sale' this week to help boost our PTO funds. It was a great success and we had a lot of help. We use the term bake sale loosely because we take anything and everything and sale it. From repackaged Little Debbie snack cakes, to homemade pound cake. As the PTO president I had to represent! Although I am not a baker...that honor belongs to my hubby. I wanted to contribute. I came up with this monster mash, that included fresh popped popcorn, candy corn, animal crackers, marshmallows, little orange cream cookies, rice crispy treats, berry burst cereal, gummy bears, and a few other goodies. It was truly kid focused and they grabbed up the "little monsters" as quick as we could put them out. We sale everything for 50 cents and hold it for two days. We make $200-300 in roughly 1 hour.

Sing....Sing a Song....

As a follow up to my post about addition, I wanted to share a song that I wrote and performed at my school's talent show a few years back that talks about the steps we use for addition and subtraction in the first grade. Enjoy!
"Math Facts," by Dr. Chantrell Bruton

ABC, Easy as 1,2,3

We have started with addition. Well, we have been doing addition since the first day of school in our number collection boxes and daily morning worksheets, but we have actually started concentrating on learning certain steps that will help my students become fluent to 10 as the new common core math standards state.

Below is one of the activities that I do with my students. It is a way of using pictures, symbols, and numbers to represent addition sentences and numbers. I can also differentiate the activity by giving student his or her own set of numbers.

In the first column students use counters to show the two addens. In the second column they draw a picture to represent the addens. In the third column they use numbers and sentences to create an addition sentence. If you look up at the top of the picture you can see the two numbers that this student was given to use to add. Each child received a different pair of numbers. At the bottom, the Postit star shows my commentary about the student's work. We try to use a combination of computer programs, hands on manipulatives, and the provided workbook to practice addition.

Readers are Leaders

At our school, we follow the Leader in Me program based off the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. A few years ago we instituted the motto "Readers are Leaders." We make reading and rewarding students for their reading achievements a big priority so I am always looking for ways to get creative with how to stress the love of reading at home. We participate in Pizza Hut's reading program.

And I have recently heard about a program through the Six Flags theme parks. If you are interested in inspiring future readers at your school, you may want to see about signing up your class or your entire school to participate in these programs!

Get Busy! It's Your Birthday!

This past weekend, I stepped out of the classroom and brought my love of reading to the community with a service project entitled "A Book Lover's Birthday Bash." It was part of Walden University's Global Day of Service. A part of Walden University's mission is social change and I wanted to strengthen the home, school, family connection with a fun event that celebrated the love of reading and since the service day was the actual date of my birthday, I thought it was a great way to give back. I used the story "If You Give a Pig a Party," as a basis for the party. There were tons of thematic activities available from the publisher website. I also added a few of my own including making bookmarks, pig puppets, and pin the party hat on the pig. We also read "I Can Read with My Eyes Shut," and a Curious George tale. There was also dancing, and sing a longs. The highlight of the event was the fact that each child was able to take home 2-3 books and parents were given handouts that provide resources that were both fun, free, and easily accessible to help their child spark a love of reading. My heart is so in grained into teaching and I am so thankful for all of my blessings this past year. I couldn't think of another way to spend part of my birthday then by combining so many things that I love.