Wednesday, October 30, 2013

My Math Stations for the Weeks of 10/28 and 11/4

Station #1 - Halloween number puzzles, a freebie you can get here.



Station #2 - Roll a Tower
I saw this idea on Pinterest, and decided to make my own. I used a large sheet of construction paper, and put 6 die cut figures on each one, then numbered them 1 thru 6. I made 5 of these, so each child could have their own.


The rules are easy. Roll a die (I'm using a tally mark die this time. Next week I'll use the number words die.)
With a pair of tweezers, pile 1-inch block cubes in a tower on top of the correct number.
If a number is rolled that's already been covered, the student loses that turn.
If a tower tumbles, student has to re-roll that number.
First student to cover all the numbers on their mat wins.

Station #3 - Build a Shape
Again, another idea from Pinterest. Using some short popsicle sticks I found, the students practice making the shapes listed on the guide. Another teacher is using Q-tips, and another is using toothpicks. You can get a copy of my guide here.


Station #4 - Frustration
I initially posted this game here.



Station #5 - Three in a Row
One math concept my students have difficulty with is sequencing numbers. So I created this game. I have some 1-inch number tiles, which I use. It's simple to play.
Each student chooses a card to work with.
They "blind pick" a number tile and place it in an appropriate blank. (I use a tissue box for them to draw from.)
If the tile can't be used, the student puts it back and loses that turn.
First one to correctly fill their card wins.



All cards are 8.5 x 11 inches. You can click and save, and print out your own copies. I've also included a template if you want to make your own. (Once I get some teen and twenties tiles, I'll make those.)







Monday, October 28, 2013

"I Fly on Halloween" Song

      "I Fly on Halloween"
       (Tune: Dem Bones)

I'm a bat, I'm a bat
I'm a...black bat
I'm a bat, I'm a bat
I'm a...black bat
I'm a B-L-A-C
K bat
I fly on Halloween!


I'm a witch, I'm a witch
I'm a...good witch
I'm a witch, I'm a witch
I'm a...good witch
I'm a W-I-T-C
H witch
I fly on Halloween!











I'm a ghost, I'm a ghost
I'm a...white ghost
I'm a ghost, I'm a ghost
I'm a...white ghost
I'm a W-H-I-T
E ghost
I fly on Halloween!

Friday, October 25, 2013

From the Mouth of Babes


This 2nd grader wrote this to the president, vice president, and a congressman. Biden was the only one to respond yet.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Penny a Pompom Game

Not only do my kids work on their fine motor skills (and so many of them this school year need it), but they also work on one-to-one correspondence.


I got the deviled egg trays at the dollar store. A handful of pompoms go in the center.
They shake the penny cup.
Heads = Put one pompom in one cup.
Tails = Take one pompom out.
Want to amp it up? Have them pick the pompoms with tweezers or clothespins.
Want to make it seasonal? Use orange pompoms in the fall (to resemble pumpkins.) You can even call it "Penny a Pumpkin"!
First person to fill up their tray wins!


Friday, October 18, 2013

Make a Jack-o-Lantern Game and Freebie!

 What makes this game so much fun is that I can change out the die, which changes the clue sheet!

You can put numbers on the clue sheet, and use a die with dots, numbers, tally marks, or number words. I've also put alphabetical letters, sight words, and shapes on the die.

To play:
* roll the die
* check the clue sheet to learn what you can place on your pumpkin
* if you've already placed that feature on the pumpkin, you lose that turn (with the exception that you'll need 2 eyes, the rest use 1 item)
* first person to complete their jack-o-lantern (see below) wins!



Below is the jack-o-lantern parts and the clue sheet. Just click on the images, which are already 8.5 x 11 inches in size.




Wednesday, October 16, 2013

My Math Stations for the Weeks of 10/14 and 10/21

Continuing with our Halloween theme:

Station 1: Calendar Math, with October

Station 2: Halloween dominoes (see source here)



Station 3: I'm using this "roll and cover" as a Bump game. Simply played, each player gets their own color markers. When they roll a number, they cover it with their marker. If another player rolls the same number, they can "bump" the previous marker and replace it with their own. Game is over when all the numbers have been covered. And the person with the most markers on the board wins.


Station 4: Build a Jack-o-Lantern! I made this game on my own. I'll repost on Friday with the game pieces as a freebie!


Station 5: Spider Legs! I got this idea from a post on Pinterest, and adapted it for myself. In short, each student gets a spider play sheet (I put them inside page protectors until I can get them laminated.) A student rolls 2 dice. If the total equals 8, he gets to draw a leg on his spider with a wipe-off marker. First student to put all 8 legs on his spider wins.


Monday, October 14, 2013

My Language Arts Stations for the Weeks of 10/14 and 10/21

We're celebrating Halloween these next two weeks!

Station 1: Guided Reading with me. We're doing the "Going Batty!" game, which you can see and grab the freebie template here.


Station 2: Computers and Listening Center

Station 3: Highlight a Letter (source here)


Station 4: Spooky Spin and Write. I found this idea on Pinterest, but there was  no link to where I could buy it, so I made my own copy. You can grab the freebies below that are already 8.5 x 11 in size.


(Here's the spinner.)


(You can download the PDF of the Spin and Write sheet here.)

Basically, it's played this way:
* spin
* write the beginning letter of the picture it lands on
* first person to complete an entire row across wins

I placed my pages in protective sleeves, and have the kids use Vis-a-Vis markers to write their letters. Later I will get the pages laminated.

Station 5: Write the Room using the blue index cards we used the past two weeks to label things with.


Friday, October 11, 2013

Going Batty! (with a Freebie!)

My stations for the next two weeks will have a Halloween theme in them, just to give the kids a little thrill. One of them in the Language Arts center I call "Going Batty!".


I took a bat graphic and made a page of them, then ran them off on brown cardstock. On one wing I put a sight word, and a point value on the other wing. (You can get this page for yourself by just clicking on the jpeg image below, which is already 8.5 x 11.)


The object is to draw a bat from the "cave". If you can read the word, you get that number of points noted on its wings. Points, in this case, are the use of those little Halloween mini-erasers. The way I figured out which words get what number of points was to basically do this: one letter in the word = 1 point, 2 letters = 2 points, 3 letters = 3 points, etc.


If a child reads the word correctly, they keep that card. If not, the bat flies back into its cave. Game ends when all the cards have been drawn. Person with the most points wins!

Monday, October 7, 2013

PomPom Toss and Count

I got this neat little ice tray at the dollar store. I was looking for a small muffin tin, but this was perfect! I wrote the numbers 1 through 5 on the inside with a Sharpie.



How to play:
- A student tosses a pompom at the tray
- If it goes in, they get that many "markers" (here I'm using some miniature Halloween erasers I got from the dollar store, but you could use anything.)
- Note: Pompom Stays In The Cup
- If the pompom misses going into the tray, student loses his turn
- When all the spaces have been filled with pompoms, students count their number of markers, and the person with the most wins!



Friday, October 4, 2013

I Call It the Up- or Down-Side Game. The Kids Call It Frustrating.

This little game is so simple, but irritating as all get-out. Yet my kids want to play it even when they're not in centers.


The rules are:
* Each child gets 6 soda bottle caps. I have enough different colors so that each student can get their own color set. (When you first make this game, mark both the outside and inside of each cap with the same number, so that you can see what number that cap is whether it's right side up or upside down. I put sticker dots on and inside mine so that the Sharpie marks would be easier to see.)
* To begin, have all caps lying right side up.
* First person rolls 1 die.
* Turn over the cap with that number. (Later, if that cap is already upside down, turn it right side up.)
* The object of the game is for someone to end up with ALL their caps facing the same direction, either all right side up, or all upside down! First person who does wins!

Be prepared to hear a lot of laughter and frustrated growls!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

My Math Stations for the Weeks of 9/30 and 10/7

Station 1: Utilizing the linking chains, I found a cheap set of keychains (source here), marked them 1-20, and let the kids attach the chains to them.


Station 2: I found this neat 3-card Pooh number sets at the dollar store. On one side, they can match the number/word/objects, or on the reverse side put together a 3-part puzzle that relates to the number on the back side.


Station 3: Popcorn! This is the guided math station the kids do with me (source here). They pull a card from the box. If they know the number, they get a point. If not, they put it back. When someone draws the POP! card, the game is over, and the person who identified the most numbers wins. This game has both the number and word, up to 25.



Station 4: I found this set of 3-part sequencing puzzles at the dollar store.


Station 5:  Roll and UNcover Autumn game. Rather than have them roll and cover, I decided to have them UNcover their autumn leaves. You can download your own copy (I printed 2 to a page) here.