Authors We Love: Ezra Jack Keats

We've made it through the week back from spring break and now we're on the countdown to the end of the year . . . craziness.  I was so happy that our author study of Ezra Jack Keats fell this week.  Since I love, love, love, Ezra Jack Keats, I had a little bright spot returning from break.

Here are a few of the activities and resources I used as part of our learning with Ezra Jack Keats . . .

Early in the week we watched a Brain Pop Jr. biography about Keats.  There was also a companion episode about collage that we watched as well.  For the rest of the week my young learners were all about spotting collage and other special elements in Keats' illustrations.

Of course we read as many Ezra Jack Keats books as we could.  We primarily focused on the Peter books.  They offer so many opportunities for comprehension discussion and character comparisons.

After reading all about Peter, we made a super quick and easy graph showing our favorite Peter books.  I gave students a "Willie" to color and cut.  I arranged our Peter books on our white board tray.  Students placed their Willies above their favorite books.
This year, Peter's Chair was our class favorite.

We did a little Willie themed addition and subtraction review.  I made a few versions of Best Dishes Willie, focusing on mixed addition and subtraction and three digit adding.  One version includes touch numbers for students that need a review of that strategy.

If you would like a FREE copy of these printables, click on one of the pictures below.

We also created some Ezra Jack Keats inspired artwork.  Students used construction paper, crayons, and glue to make their cityscapes.  They had so much fun making them.
My classes have made this project for a few years and I love how they turn out.

We had a great week with Ezra Jack Keats.  Now I think my kids love his work as much as I do.  Planning class activities around favorites is a perfect way to keep the weeks leading up to the end of the school year fun, engaging, and productive.

I'll leave you will a few pics from our spring break.  We took a trip to Disney World.  We had a magical (and exhausting time).  After this winter, it was such a blessing to go somewhere warm and sunny.  It was exactly what we needed. :)

Math Daily 3, How We Started

When the second edition of The Daily 5 came out earlier this year I was thrilled to see the authors included a chapter about math.  The ideas in the first edition of The Daily 5 really changed my classroom for the better by helping me create independence with my young learners, which allowed me to more easily work with small groups and individuals.

A few years ago I tried to implement the Math Daily 5 that was outlined on the authors' website (thedailycafe.com).  At that point there were five components to their math block.  I found that I did not have enough time to get to all five activities each day.  So, that year I toned it down a little and did my version, which by coincidence was three parts (math by myself, math with a partner, and math with the teacher).  We stuck with that structure for the rest of the year, but I didn't love it enough to continue on that same path the next year.

Fast forward three or four years and finally, Chapter 8 of the second edition of The Daily 5 is published.  Hello Math Daily 3!  

Math Daily 3 includes:  Math by Myself, Math with Someone, and Math Writing.  

Of the three elements, Math Writing was the one I was most concerned about implementing with my first graders.  After a lot of thought and some research, (checking out what other bloggers are doing with their Math Writing) I decided to use a couple of resources that are ready to print and go.  No point in reinventing the wheel, right?

I took advantage of Jennifer Whites' Math Question of the Day Pack and Reagan Tunstall's Math Journals, to get my students started with the Math Writing portion of Math Daily 3.  Both of these packets have printable pages that students can glue into their math journals and then write their responses.

We spent a good couple of weeks doing Math Writing together as a class.  I wanted my students to understand the quality of responses I expect to see. 

My main concern with Math Writing was (and is) that students will complete it much sooner than the other activities going on during the Math Daily 3 rotations.  So I'm working on some early finisher tasks.  I plan to use math centers (that do not require recording sheets), simple games, and puzzles.  Of course, students may not need additional activities during their Math Writing time, but it doesn't hurt to have them ready just in case.

Math By Myself, in my class is a time for students to work on their math assignments independently and a time to meet with the teacher.  I meet with a leveled group of students and we do some work on the day's skill.  We use might use white boards, counters, activities mats, and so on.  After we complete our hands on activity, I'll give instructions and answer questions about that day's written assignment.  Students will return to their desks to complete their assignment, I will be available to them if they need my help.

For example, this week we worked on Touch Math addition.  During their time with me students used white boards to practice drawing the dots and circles on the touch numbers.  They also practiced writing touch math addition equations and solving them.  After our meeting students completed their assignments independently.

While Math by Myself may not be totally "by myself," it does give students some time to work on their own and it gives me some time to level instruction for the diverse needs in my classroom.

For Math with Someone I am mainly using math centers.  Most of these centers are review and some of them lay the groundwork for upcoming concepts.  

Each day students choose a partner and then a center they would like to complete.  In the past I assigned partners and setup a schedule for our math and literacy centers.  However, after reading about a simple idea to keep track of math center completions, I knew I had to try giving students a little more autonomy.

Here's how it works . . . I printed a list of student names for each center and then laminated them.  When students complete the center, they mark their names off the list.  Love it!  It's less on me and the students actually get to have some choice.   (Thanks for such a great idea Cara Carroll.)

The centers we use during Math with Someone include center pieces and recording sheets.  Each student is responsible for completing a recording sheet.  If students finish their center before the rotation time is up, they mix their cards up and match them again.

Student usually love Math with Someone.  They get an opportunity to work away from their seats and to work with a partner.  I love math centers for because they provide that constant review students need to stay on top of math skills.

For a free copy of the math center in the picture, click on the picture below.  Ten Frame Apples on Top is a ten frame/equation matching center inspired by the book Ten Apples Up on Top.  It is from my September Smarties {10 Math Centers} packet.

If you are looking for more activities like this one, click on the picture below.  I have bundled all eleven sets of monthly math centers together for a go-to Math with Someone resource

Math Writing, Math by Myself, and Math with Someone is the rotation portion of Math Daily 3.  I've not even mentioned the mini lessons.  The mini lessons are also very important to your math time.  Mini lessons are your whole group instruction time.  The lessons should be kept very brief, ten minutes at the most.
Mini lesson content is not laid out the second edition of The Daily 5.  The curriculum is up to you.  Math Daily 3 gives you a basic structure for your math time, it does not determine what you teach.
Below is my basic schedule for Math Daily 3.  The rotations are 15 minutes each and the mini lessons are ten minutes or less.  I am flexible with the last mini lesson.  I like to go over our Math Writing during this final mini lesson.  But, if we are short on time, that lesson can be omitted.

Although I am not following the book to a tee, so far Math Daily 3 has been working well in my classroom.  There are so many resources out there that have made it fairly easy to implement.  I'm sure I'll have some new insights and ideas about it as we progress through the year.  But, for now things are up and going, so I'm pretty happy.

Back to School Math Ideas (Plus a Free Math Center)

While everyone is heading back to school, I thought I might share a few math activities we've been working on in class.  I really like to use the first three or four weeks to review and lay the ground work for the rest of the year.
We usually spend a lot of time on numeracy by counting, writing, and identify various representations of numbers.
One way we practiced these skills is by using Wikki Stixs.  There are so many ways to use Wikki Stix and the kids love them.  We made number bonds on white boards using Wikki Stix.

We made part part whole mats using white boards, Wikki Stixs, and counters.

We made ten frames using white boards, Wikki Stix, and counters. 

Using Wikki Stix was a great hands on way for students to create these models.

We also used Wikki Stix to practice memorizing the touch numbers.  

We always spend the first weeks of school putting the touch points on the numbers (over and over again), mostly with pencil and paper.  Using Wikki Stix to form all the dots and circles that go on touch numbers is a perfect ways to mix things up a bit.

Beside getting Wikki With It (where is the smiley face button on my keyboard?), we also started our first Calendar Connection Journal.  It is a supplement to our calendar math time.  Students have to work with calendars, counting, number representations, and graphing.  This month we'll work on most of the activities together.  Of course over time students should will become independent with these tasks.

We also used bubble maps to work with numbers 1-10.  Students had to decide which bubbles were ways to show each number.  Representations included addition & subtraction equations, ten frames, touch numbers, pictures, dice, tally marks, and number words.

I bagan introducing our math centers for the month.  I must admit, my goal was to have them up and going by now.  However, my new class, as a whole, is not quite ready.  So, I'll continue to introduce them to the group and know that we'll get started with them eventually.

If you are interested in math centers for the first months of school, check out my Bright Beginnings  {10 Math Centers} and September Smarties {10 Math Centers} packets at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  They are filled with centers that are perfect for this time of the year.

If you would like to try out a center from my Bright Beginnings packet for free.  You can click on the picture below.  Ten Frame Turtles is a basic ten frames matching activity that will help students start memorizing ten frame patterns.

I hope some of these ideas are helpful.  Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Back to School Season!

Getting to the Point With Touch Math (Plus a FREE Set of Posters)

Happy summer all!

I cannot believe how quickly it is passing.  I (like most teachers this time of year) am preforming a balancing act.  I'm trying to balance productivity with some needed down time.  Since I was on vacation last week, this week I decided to check a couple of items off of my to do list for school.  One item on my list was to complete my touch math addition packet.

I am a huge fan of touch math.  Using touch points to add and subtract has served my students well over the years.  I am always please with their accuracy and I have touch math to thank for it.  

All along I have been teaching touch math with the same set of materials.  They're great, but they're getting a little ragged and I can really use some additional practice printables.  So I came up with Touch Math Magic {Basic Addition With Touch Points}.

This packet includes an informational note to parents, touch point number posters, desk helpers, memorization cards, and 40 printable practice pages.  The practice pages are simple and come in a variety of layouts.

There is also a set of play dough (or wikki stix or dry erase) mats that are perfect for touch point memorization.

(I'll use these mats as part of my beginning of the year math centers.)

I'm really excited to start the year with this set of resources to supplement what I already have.  If you are interested in this packet, you can find out more about it at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  

Below you will find a FREE set of touch point number posters from this packet.  Click on the picture for your copy.

Touch math is a great math strategy for young learners.  If you have never used it before, it's definitely worth checking out.

As always, thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend.

Five for Friday: Five Favorite Freebies

Is it just me or do Fridays seem to roll around really quickly on summer break?  When I was a kid, summers stretched on endlessly and now . . .  not so much.  But since it is Friday, I'll mark the occasion by linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching's Five for Friday.
This week I'd like to do a little something different.  Instead of posting five random things from the week, I'd like to repost five of my favorite freebies that I've been honored to share over the past year.

Number 1

Last summer I compiled my Number of the Day printables into one packet, Number of the Day for a Year.
I created these printables to spiral in complexity as the year progresses.  I really like using these number of the day handouts as part of morning work two or three days a week.  I think they serve as a great review for my students.
If you would like more details or to get your own free copy of Number of the Day for a Year, click on the picture below.

Number 2

Word Work It is a packet of five word work printable activities that I like to use as part of my word work time during our Daily Five time.  My students work with manipulatives, the Ipad, the computer, and these printables each week to practice their spelling words.
While I would prefer to keep our word work time all hands on, the reality is my students need a bit of accountability in order to stay focused during this independent practice time.  Mixing in some written assignments along with the other activities has really helped.
These activities are not specifically designed for use with The Daily Five.  So, if you do not do The Daily Five in your class, these printables can still be useful to you.
Click on the picture for your free copy of Word Work It.

Number 3

The next freebie is for the second semester, which seems like a million years away right now, but bare with me.  If you think you might be able to use this activity, you can always pin it.
Make Way for MLK is a packet that includes two literacy centers, two math centers, and a writing craftivity focusing on Martin Luther King Jr.  Having these centers and the writing activity really gave me a great jumping off point to plan for learning about MLK.
If you would like a free copy of Make Way for MLK, click on the picture.

Number 4

If you use Touchpoint Math, you'll want to check out my Rockin' Touchpoint Numbers.  This freebie is a math center that I use at the beginning of the year when my students are memorizing where the points go on the numbers.
If you are not familiar with Touchpoints or Touch Math, do a little research online.  My students have had great success with addition and subtraction accuracy using this method.
For more details about Rockin' Touchpoint Numbers or a free copy, click on the picture.

Number 5

My final freebie is my set of Whole Brain Teaching Class Rules.  Whole Brain Teaching Class Rules and Mini Book is a packet that includes a variety of posters featuring the Whole Brain Teaching Class Rules and a printable mini book for your students.
I use the posters all year and the mini book is great to use early on when your students are learning the rules.
Like all of the goodies above, click on the picture if you would like a free copy of this packet.

I hope some of these freebies will be useful to you.  If you like them, be sure to browse around School Is a Happy Place.  There are many, many more free activities ready to share.

Thanks again to Doodle Bugs Teaching for hosting Five for Friday.  

Rockin' Touchmath: A FREE Math Center

Hi all.  I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  Last night was my school's Fall Festival (plus grade cards went out on the same day, yippee).  Since all of that fun is over with, I can breathe a little easier.

I did want to take a minute and share with you about a math strategy that I absolutely love.  Touchmath.  I was introduced to Touchmath when I stared teaching first grade, several years ago.  I have used it ever since.  If you are unfamiliar, there are imaginary points that can go on the numbers 1-9.  Those points allow students to simply count to solve their addition and subtraction problems.  I even think upper grades can use Touchmath for multiplication and maybe division.  Touchmath also has a program for money and for time.

The main reason I love it so much is that it basically gives students "counters" that will not run out, unlike fingers.  Students always have access the Touchpoints, unlike number lines and manipulatives.  Touchmath makes three digit addition a snap.  Plus my students' accuracy rates in addition and subtraction are strong.

If you use Touchmath (or are interested in trying it out), laying the groundwork is very important.  My student spend a few weeks memorizing where the points should go before they ever start using Touchpoints for computation.  I usually begin this process the first week or two of school when we are doing review work with number recognition and representations.

During the beginning days of memoriztion, my students look at posters and count the Touchpoints.  We do some movement activities to help remember where the points go.  Students have to draw the Touchpoints during written assignments.  There are also fun hands on activities for memorization, check Pinterest for some ideas.  Pictured below is a hands on activity I created to help my students learn where all the points go on the numbers.

As you can see, the center pieces are Pete the Cat inspired and who doesn't love Pete?  The points are his groovy buttons.  Mine are printable, but if you had enough larger and smaller buttons, real ones would work great.

You can have a FREE copy of this activity by clicking on the picture below.

Touchmath is not the only strategy I use in class.  I also use manipulatives, numbers lines, ten frames, part/part/whole charts, and more.  Touchmath has been a great method for my students to learn.  If you haven't tried it, you really should check it out.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Best.