Saturday, February 28, 2015

Book Study Bliss: Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites

Hi, Teaching Friends!

Have you noticed lately how many teacher bloggers are admitting to being nerdy? Even the ones who you know really aren't? ;)


Here's my nerdy confession: I am somewhat of a geek for professional books. I love to read them, and I tend to keep them forever. I've always wanted to be part of a book study but couldn't get anyone else interested. The one time we had a book study at school, it fizzled like a wet firecracker after the first few chapters.


So I am Very Excited  to be embarking on a study led by a terrific group of bloggers who also like to talk books and teaching. I even love the title of this one, Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites.



 bookstudy


Boo to the trend toward worksheets that seems to be rearing its head again. {it's that old swinging pendulum thing...}  I know that active teaching is physically demanding and handing out worksheets isn't.  I know that probably every teacher has had moments of wishing her classroom was at least a little bit quieter at times. { True confession: I may have occasionally let Writing Workshop or silent reading time run beyond the scheduled time because they tend to be the quieter times of the day! Wild and crazy, huh? } 

And I also know that some districts/administrators require some sort of written accountability piece from each student for everything you teach. Seriously, people, in K/1??? Does your school require this?

All that being said, we all know that both the research and our own classroom experience show that the best, long-lasting learning is active, not passive. That's why I'm kind of uneasy about the appearance of  all these no-prep resources. Some of them are games, or surveys, or "semi-active" learning that at least includes interaction and conversation. But in my opinion far too many of those new resources are just plain old worksheets fancied up with cute clipart, but worksheets nonetheless. I don't think that's the best use of our students' learning time.  A little bit of paper and pencil here and there is one thing, but too much of it takes the fun and excitement out of learning.


That's the underlying premise of this book. But the great thing is that the author, Marcia Tate, goes beyond the research to the reality, with very specific suggestions for including active learning throughout your day, regardless of what you teach.


Chapter One focuses on the importance of conversation. That's where I found my *aha!* connection: Think-Pair-Share! It's one of my favorite strategies to keep children actively listening and processing information. When my students come to the rug, they sit with a "Rug Buddy", a partner that changes every week or two. Students expect there to be times when they will "turn and talk" to their buddy, in response to whatever I'm reading ( "How does this character feel? How do you know?", "What do you predict will happen next?", etc.) or teaching ("Explain to your partner how you would add these three numbers", etc.).  This expectation keeps them listening, and the pause to review consolidates their learning. 


The twist to my use of the Think-Pair-Share strategy was the last step. Sometimes, I'd ask a student to share what his or her partner had said in their conversation. Voila! It's an easy way to provide multiple opportunities to talk, listen, interpret, process... and understand and remember! And most of the time that learning is going on, the teacher's mouth is closed and the kids are doing the talking.


I love that so many bloggers will be sharing their reactions to this book!  The linky today is being hosted by Elizabeth at Kickin' It in Kindergarten.  Visit to find new ideas for keeping the dendrites growing in your classroom!

Grab button for Kickin It In Kindergarten



Happy Teaching!



Monday, February 23, 2015

Celebrating Teacher Heroes with a Super Sale!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

In the current climate where teaching sometimes seems to top the list of disparaged professions, take a moment to think about the things that make you a hero in the eyes of your students every single day.

You are a hero to the child who had no breakfast when you slip him a granola bar.

You are a hero to the child who gets no academic support at home when you don't dwell on the undone homework but instead give him a few extra minutes of help during your lunch period.

You are a hero to a child when you give her the first smile she's gotten all day.

You are a hero all day, every day. It's a heavy responsibility, but if anyone can handle it, we all know that it's a teacher!

So, as you may have heard by now, Teachers Pay Teachers is celebrating You, the Heroes, with a sitewide sale!





As I've done previously, I've created a little Followers' Newsletter to guide you to some of my new resources and old favorites, too. I hope you'll stop by my store to download it!  In it, you'll also find links to more than a dozen freebies! Do you like my optimism in titling it "Spring Newsletter"?  ;)





If you're a follower at my TpT store ... THANK YOU!! Your support is such an encouragement to me! Please remember to check your TpT Inbox for info on how to get your Followers Exclusive Freebie!

Happy Teaching!





Tuesday, February 17, 2015

No-Prep Math Games - A Giveaway!!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

I am so excited to have finally finished a set of math games that I've been working on for a long, long time!!




This is a jam-packed set - 45 games, enough to use in small groups and supply your centers for a full year! They're effective, they're fun, and they're even ink-friendly ... less than 20% of each page uses color ink!

But what you might like best of all is the fact that each game is only one page. That means no cards to cut, so you can have these games ready-to-use in no time at all! Yay for saving time!!!

Here they are!













Would you like to win a set? I'm giving three of them away on my Facebook page today and tomorrow, 2/17 and 2/18! Actually, I do lots of giveaways on my page ... you might want to think about following! {wink! wink!}  You'll find it right here, or just click on the Facebook button in the column to the right. Thanks!

Stop by for a chance to win!!



Happy Teaching!



Sunday, February 8, 2015

Counting Coins - How Parents Can Help!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

Working with coins can be such a challenge for little learners ... and teaching about coins can be equally challenging for their teachers! Mastery (or even just reaching a developmentally-appropriate level of comfort!) takes time, patience, practice, practice, and more practice!!

Asking parents to help at home is great, but sometimes a little assist is called for. Even the most well-meaning of parents can take working with coins a bit too fast and end up inadvertently overwhelming and confusing their child.






Keeping practice light and short is key. Sadly, some of the same little ones who struggle with coins are also struggling with many other things, so adding to what may already be a frustrating homework time isn't going to help anyone!

That's what makes the Pocketful of Coins game a success for lots of kids! It's fun, it's short, it's focused ... and it doesn't feel like homework!

Download this printable that will explain how the game works at almost every level of ability. It's a great set of strategies to demonstrate at a Family Math Night, but since not everyone has that opportunity, here's a printable that you can send home to explain it. 

The activities are listed in order of difficulty, so if the ideas go beyond where your kiddos need to go right now, just snip off the ones that are not appropriate for your needs!





Have some fun with coins during this Presidents Day week! They're a great way to get some discussion going about familiar presidents and to introduce one that may be new to your students.

Coin rubbings are an oldie-but-goodie activity that kids love. When your K-1 students rub the side of a pencil point across a paper with a coin beneath it, all of the ooohs and aaahs will make you think that someone just pulled a rabbit out of a magician's hat! {You might want to sort out those sneaky state nickels and quarters - good for other purposes, but not when your focus is on presidents!}



In case you might be looking for some more activities for counting groups of US coins, here's an activity that you and your students will love! These riddle card are ideal to focus your students at the beginning of lessons about counting money. You'll also use them for...

    *  Math centers
    *  Homeschool
    *  Early finishers
    *  Morning warm-ups
    *  Exit tickets

Click to see these riddle cards at my store.






If you need even more money riddles, you'll save by buying the set above as part of this huge riddle bundle, which also includes a coin game and a template to guide your students as they write their own coin riddles!







Happy Teaching!



Thursday, February 5, 2015

Conquering Teen Numbers ...plus, a Freebie for Valentines Day!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

We've all come to recognize that teen numbers are among the "sticking points" in early math.  

Bridging the decades in counting, writing numbers greater than 100 (you know the ones I mean, like "10014" for "114"), ... but even before those come along, there are the tricky teen numbers.

Unfortunately, for as critical this understanding is, the way numbers are named in English doesn't always make this easy.

First of all, the naming of eleven and twelve is illogical.  If you want to read some truly confusing (and confused) theories about the naming of 11-13, try googling "oneteen, twoteen, threeteen".  

The Spanish words seem so much more meaningful: ten and one, ten and two, ten and three, etc.  ESL/ELL/bilingual teachers, I'm wondering if it's easier for your students to understand the teen numbers because of that.

So, we do what we can to make these numbers real for those who struggle with them, to take them from rote counting to the deeper understanding they'll need to move forward in place value?

Hands on, hands on, hands on. Can't say it often enough. Your students need to touch, move, and construct to develop understanding.

Even the youngest learners can move rote counting beyond ten ... which is a good time for you to step and correct confusions like "eleventy two"! While they're counting sets of blocks, pennies, Legos, whatever, start to show them how to separate a set of ten and then count on. (Hey, you're teaching place value!!)  Then pull out your number cards and have your students start matching them to the sets they've built, and sequencing the sets.

When they're solid in their understanding and you're ready for the next step, introduce your students to a variety of representations for numbers, like ten frames, dominoes, and number bonds.

Here's my bit of help today for your young math learners, and with a seasonal twist, too!  Click here or on the picture to enjoy this freebie!





If you'd like to give your students more varied practice, here's a set of activities that uses number bonds, ten frames, and dice dots. The set includes clip cards, puzzles, task cards, and board games. You'll find what you need for ...
  • Small groups
  • Math centers and math tubs
  • Intervention groups
  • Tutoring
  • Family Math Night

Click here or on the picture to see this set at my TpT store.




Happy Teaching!









Monday, February 2, 2015

The Scoop on Scoot, and a One Day Half Price Sale!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

Do you like Scoot games? You know your kiddos do, for sure! Scoot games are the best of all worlds-  academic focus with lots of practice, and all the while, your students are up and moving!




I've been working on adding to this set of ELA Scoot Games today. Here's the latest addition to this set of eight  nine games, practice with capitalization.




Like the other eight games in this set, this game has 31 cards, a student recording page, and an answer key. 

If you already own it, you'll want to go to your "My purchases" page at Teachers Pay Teachers, look for it on your list, and where you see the little blinking "Download" sign - click and download! Yay - a free new game! 

If you don't own it, there will never be a lower price on it than now. The set of nine games is $3.50 - that's half price- through Tuesday night. Plus, it's a growing set, so when another update comes, you'll get it free!

And that's the scoop on Scoot for today!


Happy Teaching!



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