Teaching Blog Addict: October 2011

Gobble Up This Freebie

No tricks tonight, just some free treats. Stop by my blog and grab some turkey number cards.

Pinterest does it to me every time! I see something super cute, inexpensive, and fun - and of course, I want to see if it really is as cute, inexpensive, and fun as the picture looks. :) In this case - the answer is yes!

Want to see my latest quickie Pinterest-inspired project? head over to The Organized Classroom Blog to see for yourself!

See you there!

Anchors Away Day 1: Science & Social Studies

Day 1 is underway! Head on over to view anchor charts from around the world and to link your own!

I have a trick for you!

My kids LOVE this magic trick! It was also a big hit when I taught in a classroom. First, pass out five "Math Smart Cards. " Next, have a friend choose a number between 1-31 and then have your friend show you the cards that number is on. Last, add up the very first number on each card to figure out the "magic number." That's it! This trick amazes people every time I have used it.

{CLICK HERE} to grab a free set of "Math Smart Cards" and learn how this math trick works while kids are practicing addition and having FUN!

Enjoy!

Homeschool Unit Studies Discounts

If you've been around homeschooling for any length of time, you know that Amanda Bennett is the queen of unit studies. Right now she is offering quite a few of her unit study kits at a discount. Head over to my homeschool unit studies page and get links to all her units to see what is on sale. The Seasons Fun Pack is 50% off along with others. I also found out this morning that if you use the coupon code CoopThanks3 you can get her new Thanksgiving unit study for $3 off!

Heidi

Two videos about addition & subtraction facts

Learning math facts seems to be a constant "hot topic", it just never goes out of popularity! So... I want to help (or remind) you once again about the basics.

I heartily recommend first to concentrate on the concepts and strategies, and only later add in random drills. That is true, whether it is addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.

I've made a video about strategies for learning addition facts. In it, I list several strategies to learn addition facts for first and second grade math. I show the pattern of "Sums with 7", which also is used with other sums, then the 9-trick, the 8-trick, the doubles, doubles plus one more, and how to do random drill using the structure of the addition table.

Then, a new video of mine about strategies for subtraction facts. I recommend the usage of FACT FAMILIES in order to learn the basic subtraction facts. That way, when children have a subtraction problem, such as 7 − 5 = ____, they will learn to think through addition and fact families: 5 and 2 and 7 form a fact family, OR that 5 + 2 = 7, so 7 − 5 = 2. The video also shows a fun tool for subtraction facts called number rainbows!

Hope these are of help!
~Maria Miller

Are you still in a spooky mood? Free posters

Are you still in a spooky mood?

So go ahead and grab your free copy of Type of sentences posters from my new store.

Halloween Phonological Fun!

Are you looking for a quick and easy game for Halloween that will still engage young children in learning? If so, hop on over to my blog and pick up the directions for one of the easiest games to prepare.

The End of Molasses Classes Part Four Linky Party

Welcome to the final week of our book study on "The End of Molasses Classes" by Ron Clark!

I have so enjoyed this journey with all of you and have learned so much from reading all of your posts. We all look forward to reading your thoughts on Part Four, which is titled "Reaching Out Beyond the Classroom". There is so much for us to do out in our students' world, so let's take the plunge together and give each other the nudge we need to continue making the difference in the lives of children. You can post your thoughts on Part Four here:

Read up or share your thoughts on parts One, Two, and Three by clicking below and joining the party!

Part One

Part Two

Part ThreeThanks again and keep on linking! Janine

Anchors Away Linky Party Starts TOMORROW!

I hope you are excited and READY for tomorrow! The party starts at 5:00 p.m. CST!! I am so looking forward to this! :D

Are You Flipping?

Are you flipping or just flipping out?

Hop on over to my blog to find out!

Cash Cow App: Fun with Real Looking Money!

Your students will LOVE this app!

Have fun while counting money and learning coins.

Click Here to see the App!

Book Study Point #79

In TBA's current The End of Molasses book study, Ron Clark writes solution #79- Teach parents the correct way to tutor their children. This chapter really hit home with me.

For the past five years, I have poured thousands of hours into Teaching with TLC, a non-profit educational outreach for parents of elementary children. I was so frustrated of the lack of resources and advice that was available for parents of school-age children, especially since parents are children's primary teachers. I was tired of watching parents being forced into spending thousands of dollars per year for tutoring services for their children when most of the time there were activities parents could be doing themselves if someone took the time to show them how. That is why I wrote Tutoring Your Elementary Child with TLC, which was the first tutoring book ever written specifically for parents.

After the book was published, I participated in radio interviews, speaking requests, television segments, newspaper and magazine articles, wrote e-books, blogged, etc. I did anything I could to help spread the word that there were options for parents. Over the past few years, a lot more resources have been provided for parents and I am very grateful. I never want parents to feel helpless. My primary goal is to provide parents with tools they need to help their children succeed academically.

Here is also a free e-book that reveals some of the most important teaching tips every parent should know to maximize their children’s learning time. You can {CLICK HERE} to download this book and share it with others or you can give parents the link to it if you'd like.

Keep inspiring your students and their parents. ☺

Want to make funny bones?

If you like that great sweet and salty combo taste, then hop on over to learn how to make these funny bone treats.

Nonsense Word Game

I know we are gearing up for our Winter Benchmark AIMS Web/DIBELS tests...how about you? I dread those Nonsense Word Fluency tests!!! Those poor babies who are already readers seem to do poorly because their little heads tell them that the words just don't make sense. I think they sit there wanting to make sense of all the words that come out of their mouths and before they know it, the timer is beeping and their "minute to win it" is up.

Grrrrrrrr...can you tell I am not a fan? We spend countless mini lessons teaching the kids to always check to see if what they are reading makes sense...and then we throw these tests in their faces. I know, I know...decoding is important...

Well, I cannot avoid the tests, so I made a game to make practicing a little less painful. Click {HERE} to find out more!

Are you Addicted to Apps? Here's 45 for EDU!

Click Here to see 45 great Apps by iPad Sammy.

I had several of these already; however, I recently added some very cool ones that I'm super excited to try out.

Can You Read?

I just had to share this little story. I made a set of these letters R-E-A-D for my friend who is our reading specialist. The ones in the picture are mine, but hers are the same. The day after she hangs them in here room, a little girl walks in and says, "Mrs Furgason, what do those letters say?" I'm pretty sure my friend just shook her head and thought to herself ...and that is why you are here my dear.

Now after seeing this photo, I'm thinking I need to fix my word wall

K5 Learning – Special Offers for TBA Readers!

K5 Learning recently launched its online reading and math program for kindergarten through grade 5. The program is intended for those parents who want their kids to study a little bit each day at home but have trouble finding the time. On K5, kids work independently and at their own pace through over 3,000 award winning lessons. The system automatically chooses lessons, gives interactive tutorials, marks quizzes and prepares reports for parents. Available 24/7 online, K5 tries to make home learning easy for busy families.

Kids get engaged by K5’s animated lessons filled with role model characters and real life scenarios. However, the emphasis is very much on education, building independent study skills and reinforcing the importance of school and education.

K5 Learning includes 4 complete programs: K5 Reading and K5 Math (curricula based lessons), K5 Math Facts (an adaptive math facts program) and K5 Spelling (an advanced spelling/vocabulary program).

K5 offers a 2 week free trial which includes free reading and math assessments and unlimited access to the lessons As a special offer to TBA readers, anyone subscribing to K5 during November 2011 will receive their 2nd month for free. Just enter the promotional code TBA100.

K5 also offers established bloggers 6 weeks free access to K5 in return for writing an online learning review of K5.

iPad Update

I've been using my new iPad in the classroom for about three weeks now. Since I asked for advice on what apps to get, I thought I'd share what I'm using now. I'm still looking for more advice, so if there's something you LOVE using with your iPad, come on over to my blog and let me know!

Happy Saturday!

Jen