Nonstandard Measurement: A FREE Resource

I love teaching nonstandard measurement in my class. There are so, so many hands-on ways to practice this skill. 

I put together a prep once and use multiple ways activity to take advantage of the variety of units students can use for nonstandard measuring.

Rainy Day Nonstandard Measurement is a set of activities that is perfect for springtime.  It features twelve measurement cards and an array of recording sheets that allow students to use different units of measurement.

Pictured below are some of the ways Rainy Day Nonstandard Measurement can be used.  The activities are in no particular order.

First off, students may measure the measurement cards with raindrops.  The raindrops are on the recording sheet.  Students simply cut them apart and line them up to measure each object.

Students can also use cubes for measuring.  Each student will need about ten cubes to complete this version of Rainy Day Nonstandard Measurement.

Next up is measuring with round counters.  (I tried to keep in mind what kind manipulative are generally available in most classrooms).  Students will need about ten counters for this version of the activity.

The final option features a unit of your or your students' choice.  Decide what kind of unit(s) you would like for your students to use.  You can put out a few choices for your students to pick from or you can assign a unit.  Some possible options are pennies (or any other coins), pattern blocks, paperclips, erasers, etc.  Students will write the unit they used near the top of their recording sheets.

For my class I printed the measurement cards four times on different colored paper.  During math small groups, students partnered and shared the cards.  Four sets worked perfectly for my groups.
On a side note, when printing multiple sets of the same activity, I like to print on different colors of paper.  That way, if a card accidentally gets separated from its set, it's easy to return it where it belongs.

It is no problem if you do not have time or resources to print and laminate sets of these cards.  You can always print the cards on copy paper and toss them when finished or let students color their own sets.

I really like this activity because I can prep my materials once and use them (well really) as many times my students need. If you would like your own FREE copy of Rainy Day Nonstandard Measurement, you can click here.

Oh, by the way...I also included a nonstandard measurement assessment in this resource as well. 

I hope you and your students enjoy this activity.  Thanks for stopping by.

All Things Green: Fresh Finds for March (Including FREE Literacy and Math Activities)

Can I just say how happy I am to see a little sunshine.  February was brutal.  It made me even more grateful for March's longer days, tiny buds, and early flowers.  Plus, spring break is next week.  

Before we left for spring break, we did plenty of green inspired learning.  One resource we've used (and will continue to use throughout the month) is my Oh So Lucky Literacy {10 Literacy Centers for March}.  With these centers, we're reviewing many skills that we've worked on so far this year, verb tenses, parts of speech, rhyming words, synonyms, antonyms, and syllables.

Students also practiced sentence sorting (determining if sentences are statements or questions).  We've worked on this type of activity in different centers over the few months.  It's encouraging to see how much better my young learners are at sorting sentences in this way.

We also did a favorite writing activity, How to Catch a Leprechaun.  These assignments are so fun to read.  It's a great way for students to practice using sequencing language in their writing.

For a FREE copy of my How to Catch a Leprechaun handout, click here.

We made these St. Patrick's Day themed glyphs to hang outside of our class.  Students answered various questions to create their glyphs.  Then, to get in a little math practice, we did some data collection and analysis, based on our glyph display.

This was the first year we made this particular glyph and they turned out terrific.  

If you are interested in making this project with your own students, click on the picture below for more details.  My Lucky Lad {A St. Patrick's Day Glyph} will be on sale at my Teachers Pay Teachers store through St. Patrick's Day (Tuesday).

Many of our math centers for March are green as well.  We've been using my Oh So Lucky {10 Math Centers for March} to review and sharpen our math skills.  

Students have been working on time to the half hour, fact families, missing addends . . .

number comparisons, fractions, addition, subtraction, balanced equations, place value, and more.  

These type of activities offer the ongoing review that my students need.  Before I started using math centers on a regular basis, students would forget that they learned certain skills.  But, with math centers, they can have that much needed review all year long.

Speaking of review, we did a little green themed nonstandard measurement write the room during math at the end of the week.  I printed two sets of these cards and placed them around the room.
I then divided the class in half.  One group rotated through one set of cards and one group rotated through the second set of cards.
I set it up this way because there are only ten cards to measure.  I wanted the students to work independently.  With our class size, two groups measuring at the same time worked out perfectly.

Students measured each picture with their clover rulers.  My more advanced students had to use a standard ruler on each picture as well.
If you would like a FREE copy of Lucky Day Measurement, click on one of the pictures.

March is passing by so quickly.  So many things going on, both in and out of the classroom.  I feel like if I blink, it is going to be April.  If that means pretty weather, green grass, and more sunshine, I'm a happy lady.

Oh, one more green goodie you'll want to check out is a awesome spring giveaway over at Primary Powers.  More than 20 fabulous products for your classroom and 10 winners.  Be sure to visit and enter.

FREE New Year's Activities for the Primary Classroom

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone is rested and ready for the second half of the school year.  January offers lots of special learning opportunities.  One of which is New Year's themed classroom activities.  New Year's holds a special place in my heart because it is a time to focus on goals and can be a clean slate (if you want it to be).  New Year's Day is also my birthday, so I really enjoy extending New Year's past January 1st with my kids at school.
There are loads of free New Year's themed resources out there.  Here are some that I've used in the past and some I'll be using this year.

First up is a new math center I created to go along with my monthly math centers (Baby I's Cold Outside {10 Math Centers for January}).  It is called New Year Number Sense.  It provides students practice with identifying and ordering numbers that are 10 less, 10 more, 1 less, and 1 more than a given number.

The center includes colorful number cards and a blackline master recording sheet.  The recording sheet can be a stand alone activity if you would like.  Click on the picture below if you would like a FREE copy of this New Year's themed math center.

Another free resource I love (that includes some great centers) is Cara Carroll's Happy New Year! packet.  She shared this a few years ago and it's still a go to for me when we return from winter break.  It has activities for time to the hour, basic addition facts, abc order, antonyms, and for making words.  

You can click on the picture below for more details.

Last year we did a little non standard measuring with backed peas.  It turned out really fun, although I'm fairly certain some of my kids ate the uncooked peas.  Not to worry, we had plenty.

Students estimate how many black-eyed peas it will take to measure each picture.  Then students use black-eyed peas to measure.  

For this activity there are color and blackline master options for the picture cards.  There is also a blackline master recording sheet.  If you would like a FREE copy of this packet, click on the picture below.

An adorable New Year's freebie that I just recently came across is from The Glyph Girls (pic is from their blog).  At their Teachers Pay Teachers store they are sharing this colorful craftivity that students can write about their goals for the new year.  

Again, you can click on the picture for more details about this project.

If you are looking for a writing activity along the same lines, but do not have time for a craftivity.   You should check out the First Grade Buddies' New Year's Writing printable.  Students get a chance to write about their accomplishments from the past year and what they want to accomplish this year.  This print and go activity has been updated it for 2015.  You can visit their blog for your own copy.

If you are working on or would like to review number comparisons, you may want to check out my free greater than and less than printables I put together a few years ago.  If your students are like mine, they need constant practice recognizing and comparing numbers.

You can get your own free copies by clicking on the picture below.

Finally, I'd like to share my math word problem mini book for the New Year, Out With the Old and In With the New.  I'm all about using seasonally inspired word problems with my students and this booklet is a perfect way to do that.  

I've updated my New Year's themed math mini book through 2025.  You can have your FREE copy by clicking on the picture.

There are all sorts of fun classroom activities to go along with the celebration of the New Year.  I hope the suggestions above make your planning a little easier.

Best.

This Is the Way We Write the Room (Three Write the Room FREEBIES)

It's really not my intent to be a once a week blogger.  But it's that time of year at school when all systems are go and in a blink, Monday becomes Friday.  It's also a great time of the year to mix things up a little bit for young learners.
We haven't "wrote the room" in a while, so I put together a telling time write the room activity for math early in the week.  We were wrapping up our work with time to the half hour and this activity went over really well.  My firsties thought it was fun and I thought it was a wonderful assessment tool (every o'clock and thirty time was somewhere in the room).

If you are interested in using this activity with your class, click on one of the pictures for a FREE copy.

Since our time write the room activity was such a hit, I was really excited to pull out a nonstandard measurement write the room activity I used last year with (one of my favorite books) Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy.
I love to kick off my unit on measurement with Measuring Penny.  It is a great introduction to measurement since it covers many types.  Every year my students really love this book, with this year's group being no exception.
I used Measuring Penny as an inspiration for a  write the room activity where students use dog bone rulers to measure different Penny related pictures.  You can also use the picture cards with other measuring units, like cubes, paper clips, and even rulers.

For a FREE copy of this activity, click on one of the pictures below.

We also used write the room for a review of r-controlled vowels.  I printed various ar, or, er, ir, and ur word cards and placed them around the room.  With clip boards in hand, students sorted the words on their recording sheets.  I actually used it for morning work one morning, since we ran out of time to do it the day before.  It was a great way to start the day and awesome practice.
As a side note, any of these activities could work as a center as well.  Just don't post the cards around the room.

For a FREE copy of this write the room activity, click on one of the pictures.

Yes, I might have went a little overboard on writing the room this week.  But once I got going, it was hard to stop.  It's a fabulous way to get students moving and can be used with any subject.  It's my goal to use this format once a week for something.  If I come up with anything of interest, I'll be sure to share.  So . . .  check back :).
Best.

A Mentor Text and Two Free Activities for the New Year (Plus a Giveaway)

There's only two more days on our Advent calendar until the big day.  With a six year old at the house, the excitement is off the chart.
Although, we're not to Christmas yet, I'm thinking ahead the first few days back after the break.  One book I'll be using is Shante Keys and the New Year's Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport.

This book follows Shante as she visits neighbors to borrow some black-eyed peas for her family's New Year's meal.  She learns about different ways other cultures celebrate the New Year from her neighbors.  The text is rhyming and the illustrations are bright and lively.  If you do not have this book in your library, you really should check it out.  It is informative and a great way to start the New Year in your classroom.

To go along with this book, I thought it would be fun to do a nonstandard measurement activity with black-eyed peas. So I created New Year's Measurement.  This free packet includes New Year's themed picture cards for measuring and a recording sheet.

 Students will estimate how many black-eyed peas it will take to measure each picture.  Then students will use black-eyed peas to measure.

There are color and blackline master options for the picture cards for this activity.  If you would like a FREE copy of this packet, click on the picture below.

We will also be working a bit with word problems.  I've updated my New Year's themed math mini book for 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 through 2025 and I plan on using it .  If you would like a FREE copy of it, just click on the picture below.

There are all sorts of fun classroom activities to go along with the celebration of the New Year.  I hope the suggestions above can make your planning a little easier.

Oh, and one last thing . . . To mark School Is a Happy Place's first anniversary, I'm having a little giveaway for a $50 Amazon gift card.  Anyone can enter the giveaway once.  For additional chances to win, join School is a Happy Place as a new follower and/or become a new follower on Bloglovin.

Good luck.  The winner will be announced on December 30th.  (Sorry-the giveaway was in 2013)

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