Hole Punch Answer Key

I just have to share how my friend Heather saved me a ton of time grading my math tests. On this test, my kiddos had to fill in a bubble answer document. This type of test is usually tedious for me to grade. Heather suggested that I make an answer key and use a hole punch to punch out the answers. Next, I placed my answer key on top of the student test and filled in any blank circles with my purple pen. Then, I lifted the answer key and counted my circles to determine how many problems the students missed. It was so easy!!

January Currently

 

Guess Your Number Freebie

My kiddos LOVE playing Guess Your Number! It is a quick game that is fun for the kids while reinforcing basic addition and/or multiplication facts---win, win. I decided that I would spread some holiday cheer with a Christmas Edition freebie. My sweet kiddos are going to get a kick out of playing with the elf cards I created. Click here to get your free copy.

Fruity Arrays

Math is everywhere! Our nutrition program at my school requires each kiddo to get a fruit even if they don’t plan on eating it. So instead of throwing it away, they give it to me. In the afternoon, I draw numbers from my equity sticks to see who gets the fruit of the day.

It seems like every day I walk out of the lunchroom holding an armful of fruit. I think my kiddos give me the fruit to see how much fruit I can balance walking down the hallway. ---Yes, Yes, I know I need a basket.

Anyway, each day after lunch my class likes to arrange the fruit in an array. I’m a math person, so of course I love this. Besides, it usually doesn’t take them but just a few seconds.

The other day however, there were a couple kids trying to get the fruit in an array unsuccessfully. Then, another couple of kids jumped in to “help.” Finally, I asked them what was taking so long. One of my sweet kiddos explained that they were trying to make an array as he began lining the apples in one long line off my table. (The only possible array.)  

I counted the apples and told the class that there were 17 apples. I asked them to write in their journal why they thought we were having so much trouble putting 17 apples into an array. Some kiddos thought it was because 17 was an odd number. Many thought it was because 17 was a prime number. Do other odd numbers have more than one array? This was a perfect moment to review prime numbers.

In the end my kiddos made this 3 by 5 array with 2 extra.

Build-a-Bundle

Scavenger Hunt

This week, my students created an “ways to make _#_” poster. After a brief mini lesson, pairs of students were given a numeral card containing a number less than 100. First, students used 1-inch square tiles to build all the possible arrays of their number. Next, students cut arrays out of grid paper and glued them onto an 11x17 piece of copy paper. My kiddos also wrote the dimensions on the outside of each array and listed the all of the factors from least to greatest. In years past, I have allowed my students to work on their posters for 3-4 days, but I found the richness is in the discussion afterward not in the poster making itself. This year for day 2, I created a scavenger hunt and a complete set of posters. I wanted to have my own set of posters that I knew were accurate and easy to read for the scavenger hunt. We began day 2 with a scavenger hunt which required students to look at the posters for number of arrays, dimensions, and factors. My students LOVED the scavenger hunt! They were completely engaged. Afterward we had a great discussion on prime numbers, composite numbers, square numbers, and odd numbers. I have created a set of printable factor posters. Check them out in my TpT store. 

27 Factor Posters

Last week, we made an array city on the wall outside our classroom. This great idea came from E is for Explore!

The Best Move Ever

I am one of those people that have a million ideas. Every once and a while I think one of my ideas qualifies as genius. This is one of those ideas. Two weeks ago, I moved my red kidney table from the back of the room to the front of the room. Let me tell you, this was the BEST classroom rearrangement ever!! At the beginning of class, my kiddos that need a little extra help grab their math journals and meet at my red table. During whole group instruction, these students have a front row seat which is perfect because a few students struggle with attention issues. During small group intervention, I have access to my Promethean board which is FANtastic!! I also have a better view of the entire classroom. I have worked out a system in which I have six students around my table at a time. I keep a 7^th seat to my right as a “feeder seat” which I use if I see a student is struggling and needs one on one. There is even space on the floor to my left where a pair of students may work playing a math game. Let me tell you, I LOVE my table at the front!!

 

This week, one of my sweet kiddos gave me an apple with a division symbol on it.---How Neat!!