Math Homework Made Easy!

Hey there teachers! I hope you are enjoying your remaining weeks of summer as much as I am. Actually, that may be only partially true. I've been working my tush off lately trying to get things prepared for the upcoming school year. You know what they say, third times the charm. If that saying has any truth to it, then this upcoming school year should be an absolute breeze. 

As part of my preparation for school, I have been getting together my homework packets. You see, homework is always something that I absolutely loathe getting together. I have a hard time sending home lots of work for my students to do, but I also want parents to stay involved and have opportunities to work on school with their kiddos. Many times, I'm disappointed with the homework pages my curriculum has to offer, so this year I've decided to homework into my own hands. Drumroll please....

Let me introduce you to my newest labor of love: Mastering Math. Of course, the sole use of this packet is not just for homework. The great thing about it is, you can use it in any way that works best for you! It would be a great independent practice piece, or for re-assessing kiddos who need a little extra help.

This packet goes hand in hand with my math assessment packet, and has enough work to keep your little ones busy all year long! I included enough practice pages for each week (Monday-Thursday). I also included a homework rubric that will go along with my phonics packet that I will be posting soon (pinky promise). When I get that up and posted, I will share with you just exactly how I plan to send home my homework packets each week. Until then, I wanted to highlight a few of the activities in the Mastering Math packet and show you how I keep it all together.

To start, I printed off every single page in the packet (just once!). Then I placed each page in order in page protectors ( back and front). I have the pages organized by skill and labeled by standard. So, I printed all the header pages (see picture) and put the corresponding practice pages behind them. That way, I know what standards go with each and know exactly where to look when I'm teaching say...addition.Or subtraction. Or time. Or any other skill you address in first grade. I promise...they're all there! 

Now, when I go to prepare homework for the week, I know exactly where to look. No searching through files or textbooks. Easy Peasy! 

Sounds pretty simple right? If you'd like to get a closer look at the activities in this packet, you can head over to my shop by clicking the preview picture below. I will have this packet as well as my corresponding math assessment packet on sale for the next week! Get them while they're hot! 

I'll be back soon to give some classroom updates, and to post my phonics homework packet. Until then, enjoy your break! See you soon, loves!

Happy teaching!

Top 5 Tips from Vegas!

Have I mentioned I've been to Vegas recently? Please pardon my repetition, but it was *hands down* the best trip ever. As I mentioned in my last post, one of the best things about the trip was all of the wonderful women I had the opportunity to meet. One of these women just happen to be my new friend Becky. Have you heard of her? Sweet Becky made the solo trip from Tennessee all the way to Vegas to attend the TPT conference on her BIRTHDAY! Yep, that's right. Talk about dedication ya'll. I was fortunate enough to meet Becky and share a small birthday celebration with her, and now I'm fortunate enough to be linking up with her on her blog to share a few of the tips I learned from Vegas.

Be Authentic

One of the most emphasized pieces of advice throughout all of the conferences was the importance of being yourself. By doing so you can bet your work will be unique and valuable. Nobody wants to see the same thing over and over again. Staying true to yourself is a great way to make sure your products stand out against the crowd.

Give it a test run.

Before making a product "live", try it out on your little ones! I know first hand that my students are the best way to catch a mistake. Trying it out first helps you know whether or not your activities are helpful and realistic for the classroom.

Protect your work

We put SO much time into all of the wonderful activities we produce, so it's important to make sure we product all of our hard work (and the work of others). Make sure you put your copyright information at the bottom of your pages, and secure your documents to prevent others from copying the clip art you use.

Check and Double Check Your Work

This goes hand in hand with testing out your work before posting. Edit your work yourself, but also have others check it over. Chances are they will find mistakes that you looked over.

Treat it Like a Business

If you want to be a successful TPT seller, you have to treat it like a business. That means setting time aside each week for creating, marketing, revising, and whatever else you need to do. It will pay off in the long run!

As you can see, I learned a whooole lot on my short little trip. I am excited and inspired to start implementing these tips in my personal life. If you'd like to read more about what others learned from the recent TPT conferences, check out Becky's blog. 

Check back soon for my updates! 

Happy teaching, sweet friends!

Viva Las Vegas!

Hey there, sweet friends! So happy to be back here on this little blog of mine. After taking a break from blogging for the last few and crazy months of school, I thought there was no better time to rekindle our friendship than after spending an amazing weekend in Las Vegas with some exceptional educators.

That's right friends, I was lucky enough to attend the very first TeachersPayTeachers convention, and let me tell you....it did not disappoint. My bestie Ms. Winter and I managed to make our way west for the week of a lifetime.

First up, we started out with a keynote speech from the man himself....Paul Edelmen. Ya'll, words cannot express the wonderful and inspiring messages he shared with us. I have never felt so proud to be an educator or a part of TPT. Totally and completely life changing.

Following the keynote I had the privilege of listening to some truly amazing women share their TPT tips and experiences. Seriously....I was pinching my cheeks in disbelief. I am still in shock that I was able to sit in the same room as all those ladies who never cease to amaze or inspire me. 

No you aren't dreaming, that is most certainly Erica Bohrer, Cara Carrol, and little ole' me! 

It's ok to be a little jealous. 

However, my most favorite part about this weekend was meeting all of my new friends. 

Hands down. 

My greatest takeaway was the connections I formed with some wonderful ladies who I would have never met without TPT. That alone is what made this trip truly money well spent.

Now, don't go thinking that my trip was all conventions and connections.Of course, we snagged a little free time for some fun!

Well friends, that about wraps up my weekend.

We laughed, we cried, and...well you know how the story goes.

Now I'm heading back home to put all this new found inspiration to good use!

Please check back soon for some truly exciting news from myself and my new friends!!