Drum Roll Please...
Yes you read the title correctly. There is more than one winner this week!
I decided since it's our first contest, and I love giving stuff away, that I'd pick a winner from several different categories.
I tossed all the new subscribers into a bowl and chose a name, all of the people who purchased something this week went into the bowl next, and finally all the people who commented or shared a tip this week were in the final drawing.
If you were counting, you discovered that I am sending out 3 bracelets.
Here are the winners names:
Doreen a New York 1st grade teacher, is our "Subscription" winner, Dana, a New Jersey kindergarten teacher, is our "Purchased a Product" winner, and Donna is our "Posted a Comment" winner.
I thought it was pretty interesting that all the winners' names started with the initial D like mine!
Congratulations to all of you!
If you didn't win this week, your name is still in my pile and will remain there for the remainder of the contest, but continue to enter as many times as you want.
Click on the link for complete CONTEST details.
I will run the contest through the last week of August. Next week's winner will be announced Monday the 8th instead of Friday the 5th.
Thanks to everyone who participated.
Chomper, the Alligator Alligobbler To The Rescue!
Less than and greater than can be confusing symbols to a young child. Make it fun and easy to understand with Chomper my alligator-alligobbler.
Here’s how:
- Buy a pack of self-seal long green envelopes.
- Children peel and stick the envelope shut.
- Make a V-template.
Using the V-template, students trace the V and then cut it out. - To expedite things, this can be pre-done for young children
- Run off the “jaws” of Chomper on several sheets of white cardstock.
- Students carefully cut the upper and lower jaws out.
- Using a glue stick, children run a stripe along the top V of the envelope-mouth of the alligator and then press on the top row of teeth.
- They do the same thing for the bottom row.
- Students cut out the half circle of Chomper’s eye and glue it to the top of the “head”.
- Give students a large wiggle eye and a thick glue dot.
- Students glue the wiggle eye on top of the green ½-circle “orb”.
- Run off a set of “Alligobbler” labels and give each student a sticker to place on the back of their Chomper.
- Students write their name above the label in plural-possessive form.
- Run off a set of number tiles in different colors.
- Each student needs two sets so that they can play at home.
- Children cut out their tiles.
How to play the game.
- When children face a partner and they look at the opposite alligator, it will be a “less than” alligator. They will have a “more than” alligator.
- Children stack one set of colored cards making sure that it is not the same color as their opponent.
- Students place the cards face down.
- Decide who goes first.
- Both children flip over a number card.
- If it is child A’s turn, she looks at the two numbers and decides which is more than and takes that number, saying the equation: “5 is more than 3.”
- The other child takes the 3.
- Now it is child B’s turn.
- Both children flip a number.
- Child B is looking at her alligobbler which is also “more than” to her, so she will take the greatest number.
- If she’d like to take a smaller number, she can flip her alligobbler over so she is looking at a “less than” symbol “mouth and say that equation and take that number.
- Play ends when all of the numbers are gone.
- Children spill the number tiles Chomper has eaten, back onto the table and sort them by color, giving each other their own cards back.
Do you have a math tip you'd like to share? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com
Remember leaving a comment or sharing an idea are two easy ways to register for our back-to-school CONTEST! Click on the link to check out the details. Thanks for participating.
The Very Hungry Student!
A fun activity for the first week of school.
Your students will enjoy writing what they learned each month in this adorable booklet; it's sure to become a cherished keepsake!
- The rhyming text makes it a fun read-aloud.
- There's a page in the back for your students' autographs!
- It's also a nice way to review or learn the names of the months.
- This makes a great addition to a portfolio to show progress at Parent/Teacher Conferences.
- Glue the child's photo in the head of the caterpillar (like my sample) or leave it with the artwork provided.
- Depending on what grade level you teach, there are 3 different scenarios for the ending,
- What a fun way to remember all that you've done throughout the year; and build writing skills and self-esteem as you go along!
- Read Eric Carles' The Very Hungry Caterpillar as a nice introduction to this activity!
- There's a Pop-Up version out that my students adore.
- Click on the link to view/print a copy for your students. The Very Hungry Students back-to-school keepsake booklet.
Do you have a tip to share? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com
Remember... sharing a tip or commenting on an article are two ways to enter our back-to-school button bracelet CONTEST!
Click on the CONTEST link to see all the details.
Be sure to pop in tomorrow to print another adorable keepsake booklet entitled The Students On The Bus. This one is a great math extension!
Last summer 123 Count With Me By The Sea launched with our website, to rave reviews.
Students enjoy counting the seashells and then X-ing off that many squares, putting in stickers, or dabbing the boxes with a bingo dot marker.
I have been using this bingo-dot concept with my Y5’s for over 10 years on skill sheets, as well as “find and circle the number in the sequence of numbers.” Both these techniques are fun ways for students to learn numbers.
As with the seashell booklet, many of my booklets also have a cut and glue the group/set of objects to the matching box in your booklet.
This helps reinforce counting, one-to-one correspondence, matching groups of objects and numbers, as well as having students refine their fine motor skills.
Several subscribers asked for more of these counting booklets as they cover a variety of standards, skills and subjects.
Students can do them independently in 5-8 minutes so they can be plugged in for Daily 5, centers, or something for students to work on, at their own pace, when they have completed other work.
They also make wonderful “Easy Readers” that help reinforce word wall words and build self-esteem.
You can also tuck them in a take home folder for “homework” or a home-school connection; or for parents to work on with a struggling child. They are perfect for a substitute as well.
I sat down to make a template and a list of all the themes for back-to-school and came up with apples, buses, crayons, and footballs.
I made 123 Count With Me booklets for each of them and plan to make at least 4 for every month.
October’s counting booklets will be leaves, pumpkins, bats, spiders and candy corn.
To celebrate the launch of the 123 Count With Me booklets I designed a special counting booklet that has a similar format.
It’s entitled: The Students On The Bus.
This one is more of a keepsake, because students glue their own photo on the first bus and then 14 of their friends’ school pictures on the next 4 buses.
Teachers simply print their class composite on the photo setting of their copier for each student.
The last page is made extra special as well, when the teacher glues their picture over the driver’s face before running it off.
Click on the link to view/print The Students On The Bus back-to-school booklet.
Why not become a subscriber and be able to download all of the 123 Count With Me booklets (There will be approximately 40!) Click on the link to see how.
Do you have a counting idea that works for you? I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com
Remember…commenting or sharing an idea are 2 ways to enter our back-to-school-button bracelet CONTEST! Click on the link for all the details.
LIKE us on Facebook and link this article and then e-mail to let me know, and there you have another way! Thanks for participating.
This article will go towards next week's winner, which will be announced Monday August 8th instead of Friday the 5th.
Check out this week's winners in the article after this one.
Simple scroll down! (We had 3 winners!)
Be sure to pop in this week for back-to-school idea #28 and make an adorable Alligobbler to help your students understand the concepts of less than and greater than.
The Shaplies Have Arrived:
A Fun Way To Teach Shapes That Will Excite Your Students!
Teaching shapes by making them look like “happy faces” makes learning about this flat math concept a lot more fun.
That’s why I designed “Shaplies”. Make a set for your room for an instant dangling decoration to hang from your ceiling for a great review each day!
In their debut appearance in the booklet: My I See The Shape booklet, students trace the large shape on the left, read and trace the simple sentence and then write the shape word.
On the right hand side of the page, they again read the sentence (this time the shapes are plural), color the shape, count how many are on the page and write that total on the line.
They also trace the dashed lines of the small shape at the bottom and then draw the shape next to it.
You are covering reading, math, and writing; while students reinforce a variety of skills and report card standards in a fun way!
They’ll also enjoy taking this booklet home and sharing it with their families, because they’ll be able to read it by the time they have completed the booklet—a real self-esteem builder!
To top off this reading-math block, students choose their favorite Shaplie and get some practice cutting and gluing, as they assemble an adorable Shaplie Friend dangler.
Send your student detectives on a Shape Hunt and have them make TALLY marks for each of the 6 shapes that they can find in 5 minutes.
When the timer rings help students add their totals and grand total and then graph the results.
To celebrate the birth of the Shaplie Family, click on the link to view/print the circle.
I've also include the circle page from the I See A Shape Booklet.
They're free through the first week of August.
Click on the link to view/print a set of FREE shape posters to hang on the wall or use as extra-large flashcards for shape review.
It's fun getting freebies isn't it? Why not become a subscriber and be able to download everything, anytime, at no additional charge + receive our 50+ Apple Bytes newsletter packet each month.
August’s packet was a whopping 78 pages! Click on the links to check things out.
Do you have a tip you can share about shapes? I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com
Remember… sharing or commenting are 2 ways you are able to enter the back-to-school-button bracelet CONTEST! Click on the link to see the details.
Thanks for participating.
Be sure to stop back tomorrow to see how to make an adorable monthly keepsake booklet!
