Halloween in full gear!

Hello again, friends! I hope you're Monday has treated you well. If today was in indication of what the rest of the week will be like, then I am in for some trouble. If you're like me then you had school today despite the fact that it is Columbus Day. It wasn't all bad;  however, because it was the perfect teaching moment for our U.S. Symbols and Heroes unit. Luckily, I found this precious packet from Tangled Up in Teaching.

It gave me all the tools necessary to properly celebrate the holiday with my kiddos! They adored making their Christopher Columbus hats, and their "Stick Stories". Too fun!

In other news, we have just started our new math unit which focuses HEAVILY on making "friendly 10s" to add. Luckily, all I had to do was whip out my Spiders Sums activity and we were good to go! I also prepared a little Candy Corn Addition activity to get us used to making 10. For the activity, I provided each student with a recording sheet and an 10s frame mat with two 10s frames each. The students would then read the addition problem (ex. 9+4) and would place 9 regular candy corn on the first frame and 4 candy corn on the second. This was the perfect lead-in to a discussion on strategies we could use to compose 10. It was so awesome to hear them explain how we could take 1 away from the 4 and move it to the group of 9 to complete the 10s frame. 

Proud teacher, right here!

Once they figured out how to make 10 on the 10s frames, we recorded the two problems on the recording sheet. We wrote the answer using the original problem and the making 10s way. If you'd like to snag a copy of this easy activity, you can click the link below!  

And, last but not least, my October unit is FINALLY posted! I have worked my tush off trying to finish up this latest unit. In fact, the whole reason it hasn't been posted until now is that I was too busy printing and laminating the activities so I could use them in my own classroom. 
Why can't there be a couple more hours in a day!? 

The unit is filled with 16 math and literacy activities that are bat, owl, and spider themed. Each activity is correlated to a Common Core Standard, and the standard addressed is displayed on each recording sheet. In addition, I have created 2 versions of several of the activities to suit the needs of the many different learners in my classroom {and hopefully yours, too}! If you'd like to take a closer look at this packet, you can click on the picture below. Let me know if you have any questions! 

I've also posted some October themed "cut, glue, and solve" word problems in my little shop. I'll be sharing a post later this week to give you more details on those!

 

To celebrate this new product and my October Word Problems unit, both items are going to be 20% off for the next 2 nights!

Have a wonderful night, teachers, and a very happy Tuesday!

Updates and a Freebie

Happy Tuesday, friends!

I don't know about ya'll, but this wonderful fall weather has left me in the BEST mood lately. I love the way it feels when all of the holidays start rollin' around, and I am getting SO excited preparing for them in my classroom! 

We are still knee deep in all things creepy. For centers, we have been using all kinds of activities from my Things That Go Bump in the Night packet {I know I said it'll be posted soon, and I promise it will be!} We also began practicing our subtraction skills and used this little diddy I threw together to help us learn our facts. 

As I read the story I also used some great {and glittery} black spiders I got from Wal-Mart for a whopping $2 bucks! My kids LOVED going along with the story, and they didn't even realize they were using math! Since it worked so well my kiddos, I thought maybe ya'll could use it too! If you'd like to download my "Ten Little Spiders" story and the corresponding center activity and recording sheet, just click the picture below! This is PART 2 of my October mathtivities. 

Speaking of spooky....the other morning I waked into my classroom to find this little surprise....

                                                         Oh the horror, the horror!

Your eyes don't deceive you. It is most definitely my beloved Scentsy in pieces on the floor of my classroom. That Scentsy was just about the only thing keeping my classroom smelling great. Naturally, my students blamed it on our Halloween ghost and I have to admit, I was pretty freaked out myself. Looks like I know what I'll be putting on my Christmas list this year...

In other {non-spooky} news, my cuties have become SO into reader's workshop. Our stamina has grown and we have FINALLY made it to reading with a buddy stage...and let me tell you, it is by far the kids {and my}  most favorite time of the day. Nothing makes this teacher happier than looking around at a class FULL of students reading together and talking about their books. 

 Ignore all the  creepy happy faces and enjoy...

 

*Sight*  It's a beautiful thing.

Before I leave you today, I thought I'd share something with you that made me smile BIG this week. One of my students lost a tooth and wrote a note to the tooth fairy. Naturally the "tooth fairy " wrote back, and here's what she said...

I just about DIED when I read it. How cute! Luckily the parents laminated the note so that the whole class could enjoy it. Of course all my kids ate it right up and loved thinking that their teacher has a secret identity. I have to admit...I may have given them the idea myself. :)

Have a great rest of the week, sweet friends! Get out and enjoy the weather!

Happy teaching!

October Fun!

Happy fall ya'll!! Mother nature was very punctual this year, because the weather outside feels GREAT! Too bad it won't stay that way for long! In celebration of the first day of my most favorite season, I have some finds and freebies to share with you today!

I've been gearing up to get my class ready for our next unit....Creepy Creatures! Since we can't officially "celebrate" Halloween, I try to find other ways to make the season fun. Throughout the next few weeks, my class and I will be learning ALL about pumpkins, spiders, bats, and owls! 

To prepare myself for one of my most favorite units of the year, I stopped by the Target dollar section and Dollar Tree, and boy did I find some treasures!

As soon as I saw all these creepy creatures, I just knew I had to snag them and find a way to sneak them into my math tubs for next week. I'm currently tying up the loose ends on my newest TPT unit, but until it's ready to be posted, I thought I'd share a few of the math activities with you as freebies.

Both math activities you'll find in this little packet use the manipulatives you see above, or the ones I provided for you to print! Both activities focus on addition {since that's the concept my sweeties are currently studying}. In the first activity, students use the ice cube 10s frame OR the one provided on the paper to make a sum of 10. Students roll the dice, place that many orange (or black) spiders on the 10s frame and then add the other color until they make 10. When finished, the students record their number sentences on the recording sheet. I have provided two different recording sheets for you to use, depending on if you use ice cube trays or the 10s frame provided for you on the page. I have also added some spider manipulatives in case you don't have any of your own!

Here's a look at the recording sheets:

Here's the sheet to use if you don't have ice cube trays of your own:

The next activity I created using the Target Dollar Section stickers (or any creepy creature stickers you can find). Students will place the stickers on the recording sheet and make a matching story problem.

To download your own copies of the activities you see above, just click the picture below!

I hope that these activities help you in your classroom this month!! Please check back soon, as I will be uploading more creepy creatures activities in my newest unit...

Have a great Sunday!

Happy Teaching!!