Friday, September 1, 2017

Place Value Ideas to Start Your Year!


As the beginning of the year approaches (or has started for some), we look at lessons and units to help start off the year. One of the units is place value. Why? It helps students understand the meaning of the numbers they are writing and using. Without this foundational knowledge students can struggle in regrouping, understanding expanded notation, speaking, and writing the word form of standard numbers. 

Some friends of mine and I have shared a few of our ideas and units to help strengthen students place value understanding.



Place Value Houses Project Idea – Mrs. Hansen’s Helpfuls

One strategy I use to help build the skills for a strong place value foundation is to create Place Value Houses. This project allows students to visually see how numbers are grouped into “threes” and allows students to practice number formation, speaking, and writing. They are simple to make. Just draw houses with three bedrooms a piece. Label the house bedrooms ones, tens, and hundreds. Then name the houses hundreds, thousands, millions, etc. Students even love to make it look like a neighborhood. Students can also make number cards to fit into the houses.





Other practice is also available through self-checking task cards. Students can decipher expanded notation and word form to make the standard numbers. Students look at the task card and then build the number on the Place Value Houses. To check students simply flip over the card. Once the Place Value Houses are built, these task cards can make a great center!

Interested but don’t want to make them from scratch? No problem, try these products:​

Place Value Houses Project

Place Value Task Cards – Self-Checking


Math Mysteries – Mrs. J’s Resources

Revisiting and building on place value knowledge is a necessary task to set up students for success to learn new math concepts later on in the year. The place value math mystery “Case of The Puzzled Pirate” has been built as a fun activity to practice and consolidate a variety of place value skills in one. Its design for different levels allows for you to choose the best option for your students. 


Choose an earlier (or easier) grade level to refresh students before starting a new Place value unit, or choose the level that meets your standards to review content learned at the end of a unit. The added factor of the mystery will help students try and persevere with challenging sections, and will help you gauge just how much your students know (or don’t!)

Click the link to view the bonus free video hook that comes with "Case of The Puzzled Pirate":


Practice Makes Perfect! – Kelly Malloy

Once your students have mastered the place value skills required for your grade level, you will want to make sure to practice and review them so that they don’t lose them! I Have, Who Has games are a great way to practice skills in the classroom. They are a great whole group activity that can be used for review, test prep, fluency, listening skills, and mental math. My students and I love using these games to review our skills and place value is no exception.

  

I have a special freebie Place Value I Have Who has game that you can download here.



I also have Daily Math Review Resources for 1st through 5th grade that not only review place value, but other skills as well!  You can find them here.





Celebrate 2017 Back to School Season with a $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Card Giveaway

Week 5 of our Back to School Giveaways has started, and it is time to give away a $50 Gift Card to Barnes and Noble.  Just think of the great books you can buy for your classroom!

Once you have entered, be sure to click on my Giveaway tab to enter all of the other giveaways this month!





GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Card


Co-hosts: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher),  

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter.  Giveaway ends 9/8/17 and is open worldwide.

Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog?  Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Monday, August 28, 2017

Weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway August 28, 2017

I have two reasons to be excited this week - we go back to school and it is time for our weekly giveaway!  Teachers start back today and our students start on Thursday!  Wish me luck, and good luck to you in our weekly giveaway!  You can enter below.




GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)




Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter.  Giveaway ends 9/4/17 and is open worldwide.



Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!






Friday, August 25, 2017

Celebrate 2017 Back to School Season with a $100 Target Gift Card Giveaway


Some of my favorite Teacher Authors have gotten together to help you out with some great giveaways for Back to School!  This week we are giving away a Target gift card.

Once you have entered, be sure to click on my Giveaway tab to enter all of the other giveaways this month!





GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $100 Target Gift Card

Giveaway organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)




Co-hosts: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher),  Kelly McCownTeacher JeanellLIVIN' IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER, Teaching Superkids, MM BilingualMrs Hansens Helpfuls, Ms. KPatricia HudakCarrie ComincioliThink Grow Giggle, Heart2Heart TeachingThe Chocolate TeacherWalk with Me a SecondPurple Palmetto, Teacher GameroomIt's a Teacher Thing"Dee Bibb - Teaching at the Beach"Melissa CloudJackie Crews, Its Kinder TimeTeaching Second GradeMomma with a Teaching Mission1stgradefireworksTraci Bender - The Bender BunchSouthern DrawlGlitter is Everywhere, 180 Days of ReadingTeaching Ideas For Those Who Love Teaching, and SumMath Fun.

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter.  Giveaway ends 9/1/17 and is open worldwide.

Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog?  Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Tuesday, August 22, 2017

5 Ways Teachers Can Say No Without Feeling Guilty

No is only a 2 letter word, but it can be so hard to say sometimes, especially when you are a teacher!




We've all been there, sometimes you are in your classroom busily getting things done during your prep when your principal, fellow teacher, or parent pops their head in and says, "Can I ask you a favor?

Sometimes, of course we are happy to say, "yes".  The favor is something we want to do, is rewarding, or a win-win situation.  But other times, we feel anything but excited about the situation.  We feel obligated, pressured, resentful, and even guilty for wanting to say, "no".

Teachers are natural overachievers.  We are the perfectionists who want to do it all and then some! Couple that with our urge to be care-givers and you have a recipe for not being able to say the word no.  Unfortunately, that can lead to burn-out and frustration!  

I have learned that saying no not only helps me to be a happier and healthier person, but it also gives me more time and energy to focus on my students and instruction. Win-win, right?

But, what if the natural people-pleaser in you doesn't know how to say, "No"? 

Here are some tips to help:




Just Say No

Maybe your principal asks you to serve on "just one more committee" or a parent asks you to pull together work for a week for their student while they go on vacation starting tomorrow.  Sometimes, you just need to say, no you simply can't!  

Frame it in a nice way.  

"Thank you for considering me for the Sunshine Committee, but I really need to focus on improving my math instruction this quarter." 

"I would love to put work together for Johnny, but unfortunately it is impossible to do that with such short notice.  I will have his missing work available for him when he returns to school."

Be a Matchmaker

If you can't help someone with a problem, offer to hook them up with someone who can. 

 "I can't serve on the committee, but I know that Ms. Smith has a lot of great staff morale building ideas!"

It's Not You, It's Me.

Let them know that your not saying no because of them personally, but it is just your own personal boundary.

"I'm sorry, It's my policy to have students make up work when they return to school so that I can offer instruction and support if they need it."

It's Just Not the Right Time

Your principal might ask you to take the lead on a project that sounds interesting, but you just can't take on another thing at this time.

"I would love to implement XYZ in my classroom, but I am swamped with report cards right now.  Can I start that next quarter?"

Reverse the Question

Let's say your principal is asking you to do several tasks at once, or is adding additional things to your already overflowing plate.  Turn question back over to them.

"I would absolutely love to do X, Y, and Z, but I am going to need additional time to do them.  How would you like me to prioritize them?"



Monday, August 21, 2017

Weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway August 21, 2017

I have one more week left of summer vacation and then we head back to school.  We start back next Monday and the students start next Thursday!  So, you better believe I am spending a ton of time lesson planning and getting ready for the upcoming year!

At that means I am spending a lot of time on Teachers pay Teachers!  So many great resources!

If you are also perusing TpT, I have some great news for you - it is time for our weekly giveaway!  Every week we give away a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card to one very lucky teacher!




GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  



Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card



Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)






Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter.  Giveaway ends 8/28/17 and is open worldwide.



Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers! 






Friday, August 18, 2017

Celebrate 2017 Back to School Season with a $100 Really Good Stuff Gift Card Giveaway


Week 3 of our Back to School Giveaways has started, and it is time to give away a $100 Gift Card to Really Good Stuff! They aren't kidding when they say Really Good Stuff  - because they have some amazing teaching items for you!

Once you have entered, be sure to click on my Giveaway tab to enter all of the other giveaways this month!






GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $100 Really Good Stuff Gift Card

Giveaway organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)



Co-hosts: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher),  Sandra NaufalTeacher JeanellLIVIN' IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER, Teaching SuperkidsPreK KristinHeart 2 Heart TeachingTrending Technology in TennesseeJackie Crews, Teacher GameroomKathryn Watts"Dee Bibb - Teaching at the Beach", SimoneTeach with HopeKB3TeachTeaching Second GradeMomma with a Teaching MissionIt's a Teacher ThingLove Luck and Laughter, Mrs. Hansen's Helpfuls, Pitner's Potpourri, and It's Kinder Time.

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter.  Giveaway ends 8/25/17 and is open worldwide.

Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog?  Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers! 






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