Flashback Friday: One of my best Common Core Posts from last Oct.

When The Teacher Becomes The Facilitator:

This was a super-popular post that I wrote last year:

We were exploring all of the ways to create 6.  I didn't give any directions; I only gave my small group of four students 6 double-sided (red & white) chips and the ten frames I won at I Teach K last summer.   I asked a few questions, but mostly I just let them discover on their own or with a partner.

"I arranged my chips in a different way than you did,
but we both have 2 white chips and 4 red chips."

At first, I just let them play with the ten frames and chips. 

Then, The Magic Happened:

Let me show you how to make an AB pattern with your chips.

They explored and discussed so many ways to create 6.  

They learned from each other.

They helped each other.

They used their words and had so much fun making different combinations of 6.

How many more do I need to get to ten?

You can get these plastic double ten-frames at Lakeshore.  Click HERE for the link.

Now, we will complete page 6:

Each week, we created a picture using one or two shapes.  On week one we used only one piece.
We made one of these things: a sun, a kite, a gift, a bowl, a tee-pee, or a fish.

Students were also encouraged to come up with new things to make out of only one piece. 

Student may choose one of these or create their own.

On week 2 we used 2 pieces.  They could be 2 of the same piece or 2 different pieces.

Can you see how the house is 1 + 1 = 2, but the bird is 2 + 0 = 2?
Sorry about the paint on the sunglasses :o/

On week 3 we used 3 pieces.  They could pick 3 pieces that were all the same or 2 different shapes (1 of one shape and 2 of another shape), but NOT 3 different shapes.

Can you tell why the face is 3 + 0 = 3, but the cat is 2 + 1 - 3? 

Imagine the fun your kids will have creating objects with all one shape or two shapes.

After we created the picture, we completed the sentence with words.  This is what page 6 might have had on it:

My students came up with these.

 Then, we wrote:  6 is a ________.  (flower, star, ship, etc.  They got to pick one.)

I printed 2 of the same page on each master so you can simply copy
the entire packet, cut the pages in half, and staple both mini books.

Then, we completed the number sentence that went with the picture:  

0 + 6 = 6

1 + 5 = 6

2 + 4 = 6

or 

3 + 3 = 6

This makes a great book to keep for Open House.  

You can find my Addition Book by clicking HERE.

5 FUN Oct. Activities That Really Teach!

October Math The KFUN Way:

I called this activity the "Meow Mall" and I posted each unique cat on the bulletin board before gluing them into their memory books. 

Set up a table with craft supplies where students can "buy" the parts to decorate their cats. 

Create a menu.

In a small group, give each child a plain black cat and 20 cents so they can shop. 

 No two cats will look alike!

Here are the craft supplies for the "Monster Mall" below.

Here is another version of the shopping activity:

Give each chile a green square face and 10 cents.
They buy the pieces to create their own monster.

You can find out all about this fun shopping activity by clicking RIGHT HERE.

You can grab my shopping receipt templates by clicking HERE.


More Halloween FUN: We made these with pool noodles! Really!

Use a slice of a pool noodle to create these 5 Little Pumpkins and teach ordinal numbers.

Find out how to make these cute little pumpkins by clicking HERE.

Halloween Sight Word FUN:

Practicing color sight words has never been so much fun and your students can make an easy reading book to take home and share with their families.

This is a color version of the black line book cover.

I usually complete one page a day with my students in a whole group setting.  The book contains 9 pages plus the cover, so we complete it over two weeks, but you can also complete several pages at one time in a small group setting.

A FUN way to learn the color words.

One the first page, the students copy the sight word "Black" and color the cat black.

On the next page, they copy the sight word "Orange" and color the pumpkins orange.

This is my favorite page:  I see a green monster looking at me!

They continue in this manner until all of the characters end up at a Halloween party.  

You can grab this book by clicking RIGHT HERE.

Have You Seen My Pocket Lockets?

My students beg to make these each week.  They can make a sight word pocket watch or a sight word locket.  This is how:

First, they trace the letters and numbers.

Next, they cut out the pocket-locket.

Then, they cut out the individual letters of the sight word.

Next, they glue on the letters on in the correct order.

Last, they add a piece of yarn.

They can wear it in their pockets as a pocket watch or around their necks as a locket.

This set contains 18 sight words plus a blank
pocket-locket so you can add more sight words.

You can grab two FREE Pocket Lockets by clicking RIGHT HERE.

Grab the entire set by clicking HERE.

More Sight Word Fun:

Shaving cream creates the perfect surface for writing sight words.
And when you're all done, just clean it up and your desks are nice and clean!

You can grab two pocket lockets for FREE by 

CLICKING RIGHT HERE.

Check out my:

FaceBook:

 Click Here to see my Facebook. 

(Tons of FREE ideas.)

PiNtErEsT:

 Click Here to see my Pinterest Boards. 

(Oh, the ideas on these boards!)

TeAcHeRs PaY TeAcHeRs:

Click Here to see my TPT Store

(Did you say, "17 freebies?!")

Can you Guess How Old Clifford Is?

The Road Trip to N. CA:

Did you know that Clifford, the big red dog, turned 60 this summer? Well, he did and he got to take a trip through each and every one of the fifty states!

 We stayed near Sacramento and got to hike and enjoy the beautiful trees.

Back to So Ca:

We had so much fun with our friends in Big Bear, CA.

Off to Vegas:

Then, it was time to pack up our bags and head to Las Vegas for the national "I Teach K! conference. I presented four sessions there again this year. Clifford was up on stage with me for each presentation.

Walking through the conference, we saw so many of our friends. Can you recognize any of your favorites?

We made sure that we put aside some time for FUN. So many wonderful companies hosted amazing dinners. Can you spot the founders of Educents?

And then, there was the TpT conference with so many bloggers who met up at the Blogger Meet UP.

Lovin' Santa Barbara...

Back to So Cal where we had an amazing evening eating cheese and fruit while sipping some California wine and listening to Alison Krauss and Willie Nelson and both of their bands.

Time for Texas:

Time to pack up again for Texas where I had the privilege of presenting at the Splash conference. There was a GREAT blogger Pajama Party and one teacher attended wearing her Clifford earrings!

Back to So Cal and the OC:

Back to So CA where we drove down to Orange County for a TpT blogger meet-up. Isn't that the cutest cookie ever?

That was our trip! We had so much fun and we made so many friends. 

Everyone recognized Clifford and loved getting to pose for a selfie with him!

Then, we headed back down to So CA for a 4th of July celebration in Big Bear where we got to see the fireworks display over Big Bear Lake.

We also saw a play & Clifford got to go on stage!

                                                     
Clifford also attended the 2nd annual TpT conference where he met tons of bloggers and had his picture taken with the Paul, the founder of TpT!

Next, we got to see Alison Krauss & Willie Nelson at the Santa Barbara Bowl.

A beautiful place to listen to a concert. That's the Pacific Ocean in the background.

              This teacher wore her Clifford earrings!

We had so much fun traveling throughout CA with Clifford!

We ended our tour at a blogger meet-up in Orange County. 

What has changed names 5 times in the past 124 years?

Scholastic Teacher Magazine! 

Discover new ideas like this pumpkin geoboard and win a  FREE subscription!

Zoom in to read how to create this FUN geoboard pumpkin
& enter the Rafflecopter below to get your own FREE subscription. 

A Little History...

 Instructor magazine launched in October 1891 as Normal Instructor (teacher’s colleges were then called “normal schools”). In its 124-year history, the magazine has changed names five times! 

They have a great article all about the history of this magazine.
Get a sneak peak by zooming in on the image below.

After 5 name changes over the last 124 years, it is now called Scholastic Teacher and it's better than ever! And you can WIN a subscription by entering our Rafflecopter below.

Grab a Sneak Peak...

... at one of the articles in there newest edition and find out how you can easily get funding for projects or supplies for your classroom. This article compares some of the largest crowdfunding sites around, like Donors Choose, and gives you some really practical tips on how to be successful at getting funding for your classroom. So if you've been wishing for a few new laptops, literature titles, or math tools for your classroom, check out this article by clicking HERE or on the image below.

Click the image to read the article.

Now, it's time for the Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Apples to Applesauce!

It's Applesauce Time!  

Great to make for your classroom feast!

Making homemade, organic applesauce with children is so easy.
And there are soooo many skills to learn too!

First, we brought in apples:

All kinds of apples!

We made a graph and determined that we had more mixed colored apples than red, green, or yellow apples.  We compared colors, wrote our color words on the chart, and compared amounts.  We counted the sets of apples too.

We washed the apples and washed our hands and the fun began!

Time to peel the apples:

We used our apple peeler which also cores the apples and slices them into thin spirals.  That makes them so much easier to cut up.  We counted the turns as each child peeled their own apple.

Today was this little one's 3rd day in my classroom.
She is new to this country too.
I can't imagine what is going through her head!  :)

Peel, peel, peel!
Turn, turn, turn!

Slice, slice, slice!
Turn, turn, turn!

It was hard work, but they were all smiles!

It's always easier with your tongue out!

Time to chop the apples:

Each child got a paper plate and a plastic knife.
They got to cut up their own apple slices.  

Peeling, slicing, coring, chopping!

We estimated the number of chunks of apples we cut up!
I gave the apples one more final rinse (just in case :o/ ) and placed the pieces into an electric frying pan.

Chop one, taste one!

 We subtracted as we tasted some of the apple pieces!

Chop, chop, chop!
Turn, turn, turn!

Plastic knives are awesome for this activity.

Chop, Chop, Chop!
Don't bite your tongue!

Time to cook the apples:

I added a cup of water and some cinnamon and turned up the heat to about 300 degrees.
We measured the water and cinnamon.  (You might not need a full cup of water.)

After a few minutes, I lowered the heat to 275 degrees and stirred up the apples.
We timed the cooking on our classroom clock.

It smelled sooooo goooooood!

We cooked them for about 30 minutes, but you can cook them for an hour, adding water if needed.

The final result is chunky applesauce.  If you want to get rid of the chunks, just use a potato masher or a food mill to create a puree.

We let the chunky applesauce cool down a bit before we ate it.

We counted the cups and spoons too.  So much math and science.  We used our 5 senses too!

We decided that, just like The Three Bears, this treat needed to cool down before we ate it.  That gave us a literature link!  :)

Time to eat the applesauce: 

Yum!

We used our 5 senses to enjoy this healthy treat.

The kids loved peeling, coring, slicing, cooking, and eating the applesauce.

And let's not forget phonics:  This activity was perfect for "A" week.

And there is a link to the social studies theme of change:   Now they know that applesauce comes from apples!

And, even though we cooked it in our adjoining middle room so the kids would not be near anything hot, the smell traveled into our classroom and made our classroom smell GREAT!

Check us out on:

          Facebook:  KFUNdamentals on Facebook

          Pinterest:  KFUNdamentals on Pinterest

          Teachers Pay Teachers:  KFUNdamentals on TPT