Time to Review Skills for State Testing!

For many of us, state testing for math has not taken place yet, but it's right around the corner!
You know what that means?! Yup! Teachers are lighting candles and saying prayers all over the states! Also, sales for stress balls are skyrocketing! Not to mention wine sales are hitting the roof!

Okay! Okay. All mentioned above might not be true for everyone, but hey...ya' never know!  😉

Truth is, we are spending time reviewing with our students to make sure they remember the skills and strategies we have taught them throughout the year. Positive attitudes along with stress levels are high! (Sorry. My humor keeps getting in the way of my post.)😁

If you are getting stressed. Be sure to smile or laugh. As a matter of fact, be sure to do it every day and every chance you get! Laughter is a great stress reliever. Don't let the small stuff get to you. Ya' haven't died from state testing or state scores yet, and you aren't going to! I promise. :D  Just don't smile to hard, otherwise you're just going to look constipated. That's never a good look for anyone. (Oops! There's that humor again! Sorry!)😄

With that said, I just wanted to share time savers that I have for testing practice available at my teachers pay teachers store. They are quick and easy to prep and don't cost very much. I promise!

Small group instruction and math stations are a great way to review! Check these activities out. You might find something that will save you time and take a load of stress off your back at the same time.

Spring Time Math Review - This set has a great mix of computation review. It contains twelve different practice sheets and included answer keys. Students solve problems in space provided, then look for their answer found on the characters at the bottom of the page. They can shade in or color the characters.

Fraction, Decimal, Percents Puzzles - These are really quick and easy to prep. Just print and cut apart using straight cuts. No curves to go around. That takes FOREVER!!! Sorry, just a little venting. Anyway! Students match the equivalent fraction, decimal and percent to create a rectangle for the set.

Area of Composite Figures and Shaded Regions Loop Game - Loop Games get your students walking and talking about math! It's great to use for cooperative learning as well. Just print out cards, shuffle them up and tape them around the walls in your classroom. Then group students and have each group start at different cards. Students solve the problem on the card then look for the answer on another card in the room. Once they find it, they then go to that problem and solve it. This continues until students solve all problems and end up back on the first card they started on. A fun way to review and also gets students teaching other students if they forgot about a skill.

Fact or Fib Attributes of 3 Dimensional Figures - Fact or Fib is a great activity that will get the entire class involved. I have Fact or Fibs on PowerPoint so you can move on to the next slide when the class is ready. I have animated the slides which allows for more student engagement.  They are easy to use! Just show a slide, give students time to think whether the statement shown is a fact or fib, then countdown from three to have them all show their Fact or Fib cards at once. Click on to the next slide to see the answer. Students can then discuss why they chose they answer they did and if it was correct. Then move on to the next slide.  You can get a free download of my Fact or Fib cards HERE.

Polygon Smack Down - Don't worry!!! Students don't smack each other with this one! It is a competitive activity though! Divide class into two teams, show mini poster on the board or wall via projector, read a clue card, then countdown from three to let students know when they can go up and "smack down" their hand or fly swatter on their answer. Whoever does it first gets a point for their team! Lots of fun in the classroom with this one. I have a few to select from.

Mad Math Skills - This has five different practice sheets! A great way to review many skills at once. Answer keys are included for easy grading.  Each problem contains two expressions that students solve, then they compare the answers using inequality symbols. Can be used as class work, home work or even a warm up!

Gridded Response Boards for State Testing Practice - These are quick and easy to make and can be used year round! Just print, laminate or insert into page protector. Students can then use a dry erase marker to solve problems and show their response on one side and practice gridding their answers on the other side. Easy clean up too! If you didn't see one that you can use in your classroom, contact me! Maybe I can create it.

Well, there you have it! Just a few of the activities that I have created and have available at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are plenty more to choose from! So if you didn't find a skill you needed here but liked the activity, be sure to check out my store. I just might have the skill you are looking for with the activity you wanted. 

If there is something in particular that you would like to see, be sure to contact me! I just might be able to create it.

Thanks so much for looking and have a wonderful day and good luck to everyone on all state tests. Just like everything else, this too shall pass and so will our kiddos!!!  😉

Vowels in Math?

Yup!  Students need to know what vowels AND consonants are in MATH CLASS!!!!

Of course, they should know them regardless, but lets face it, some students don't.

So I'm going to share a short story about how I help my students remember their vowels and consonants.  But before I do, I'd like to tell you why they need to know this for math. 

PROBABILITY!!!

 What are the odds, right?!  

Here's an example.

Henry has a set of cards. On each card is a letter from the word "MATHEMATICS". If Henry shuffled the cards and chose one without looking, what is the probability that it would be a vowel?

TA DA!!!  

There you have it! Sometimes the question asks "NOT a vowel". Now, that would be a consonant wouldn't it? 

Then we have the lovely "sometimes Y". But in math, we have enough pressure with the other letters of the alphabet known as variables.  So, we don't view the Y as a vowel.  In math class, Y is a consonant.  Please don't ask me "Y".  See what I did there?  ;)

Any who!  Onward to my story!  So after introducing the unit on probability and after going over a few practice problems, I show my students a problem similar to the one shown above. I then ask the class, "What is a vowel?" I give wait time and look across the classroom and see some facial expressions that tell me they definitely know what a vowel is and some facial expressions that, well, are really quite cute as can be because they are thinking about it.  Then I ask for a volunteer to explain. Many students do know, but there are a few that don't remember or just don't know. These are the students I created the story for.

So, here is the story.

I ask students, "Has anyone ever been to the store and then you end up seeing someone you haven't seen in a very long time?" Many hands go up in the air. Then I ask, "Does anyone here owe anyone any money?" Not so many hands go up.  Hmmm. I wonder why. Sometimes a student will blurt, "My mom does!" or something similar.  We laugh and I move along.  So then I tell them, "Let's say you answered yes to both of those questions. I wonder what you would say."  Then I let them have it, "Aaaaay!!!!  Eeeeeee!!!!  I OWE YOU!!!"  (A, E, I, O, U)

The students that know what a vowel is get it right away and start to laugh! Yes, there are a few that give an eye roll. But the students that didn't know or weren't sure learned it right away. I then explain that the other letters are consonants, NOT vowels.

There you have it. A quick and easy way to help your students identify vowels and consonants.

After this lesson, I then have students up and down the hall during changing of classes passing by my class yelling "Aaaaay!!!!  Eeeeeee!!!!  I OWE YOU!!!" and pointing in my direction.  I love it!!!  I sometimes respond with, "Yes you do!" and give them a wink.

I hope this is a story you will tell your students and I hope it helps in some way.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!!!

Teaching Assistants in the Classroom

Do you ever feel like you have given 50 examples and students still don't understand?  Well, I really don't ever give 50 examples.  I actually tell my students "statistics show" that after three examples, they should pretty much understand all or most of the steps.  At least, that is what one of my college professors said.

Anywho! I know it can seem a bit discouraging when you have given your students examples, notes, hands on activities, etc. and yet, some still do not understand. The reality of it is that you can try and give them examples until you are blue in the face and guess what? Some of them will say they STILL don't get it!  That's why I delegate some of my students as teaching assistants.

Now, I just don't give this job to anyone! They have to earn it by proving that they have mastered the skill.

This is how I do it in my classroom.

First, I introduce the lesson. You know, the usual. I explain what the skill is, tell them if they have prior knowledge or if it's brand new to their grade level, provide a real life example of when and where they might use it, etc.

Then, I provide notes, examples, and a step by step explanation.  After the third example, I have students (shoulder partners) take turns explaining how to solve one problem each to one another. Partner A explains their assigned problem to Partner B, who listens and only helps when needed. They they switch roles, and Partner B explains a different problem.

After each partner has solved and explained a problem each, we regroup as a class and talk about it.  I then allow them to try a couple on their own as I walk around, monitor and answer any questions they might still have.  At this time, I am also checking answers of students that have completed the problems.

Finally, I give them an independent assignment. During this assignment, I might be monitoring or working with a student that needs one-on-one help. As students complete their work, they turn it in, I check it and if they showed all of their work and answered correctly, I "hire" them as teaching assistants. My students love it and they get to wear one of the "Ask Me!" badges that I created. I then announce to the class the name or names of the students that are my teaching assistants.

I also assign the job of teaching assistants during other activities that take place in the classroom. This is really handy during a large class.

I don't really know how I should take it when I see so many hands go up after I have announced a teaching assistant's name. Yet, I know how some students prefer to ask one of their peers for help. It's a win win situation!  My teaching assistant understands the skill/concept so well that they can teach someone else, other students (shy or otherwise) get to hear it from someone different that might help them understand better and I get to help other students while this is going on!

It really works well in my class. It also gives my teaching assistants a sense of pride and respect, knowing that other students trust them enough to ask for their help.

Here are some of my teacher assistants helping out during a Loop Game.

Here is a close up view.  If students didn't hear me announce the teaching assistants name(s), they know to just look for a student wearing an "Ask Me!" Badge.

Every time I go to a conference or training, I save the plastic badge holders.  I printed out the "Ask Me!" label, cut it out and slipped it into the badge holder. So all I paid for were the glitter stickers! Not bad, huh?  :D

I hang them underneath my clocks by my desk for easy access. If I forget, my students see them and remind me. Imagine that! Seventh graders reminding me about the "Ask Me!" badge because they want to wear it when they help their peers!  I love it!

You can get a free download of a similar "Ask Me!" badge

HERE

One last thing!  I always make it a point to have my students thank the teaching assistants if they have helped them in any way. It becomes more meaningful. At least I think it does.  :D

Nailed It!!!

As teachers, there comes a time when we have to do what we have to do to grab our students' attention, right?

Sometimes, you try to point something out to your students and they just don't know what you're pointing at, whether it's on the document camera or during small group instruction. Other times, well, they just aren't looking.

Well, my wonderful friend Sandra, who is an amazing teacher, took it to the next level and she NAILED IT!!!

Check it out!!!

She had her nail tech paint an arrow on the nail of her pointer finger!  What an attention grabber!  I love it!

Here is another angle.  Isn't this creative?

I had to share this amazing idea with everyone.
This will definitely get students "pointed" in the right direction!!!

Thanks for letting me share it Sandra! And thanks for being such a great motivator to your students. They are so lucky to have you as their math teacher!!!

Ready for a New School Year!

Summer has come and gone and a new school year is upon us. I have been spending several hours preparing my classroom as many other fellow educators have been doing.  Organizing, arranging, throwing out, and putting in items to make it look and feel like a safe, suitable, comfortable learning environment for my incoming 7th graders. Let me give you a tour.

Here is the display space outside my room.  It's simple but with a great message. "Your attitude determines your direction.  Make it a good one!"  At the beginning of every class, students will line up in front of this area.

Welcome!  7th Math and a little motivational sign I created.

Here is a close up of the sign.

Just a reminder that it's truly all about them!

Am I the only one that thinks that this is the cleanest my desk will be all year?  BTW, notice the emoji taped to the corner of my computer.  It's a note to remind me that I have morning and afternoon duty all week, the first week of school.

Front view of my desk with my name on the pennants.  You think my students will actually call me this instead of "Miss" this year?

Side view of my area. You can see how I make my table skirt HERE.

"Cell Phone Parking" using a shoe organizer.  Because, when your two-period block class becomes a 45 minute class from one year to the next, "ain't nobody got time for that" phone!  Well, only when it's incorporated into the lesson.  ;)

I started this last year.  Both types of clocks, analog and digital, to help students practice telling time.  Yes, many seventh graders still do not know how to tell time on an analog clock.  I blame it on the digital era.  Underneath my clocks are "Ask Me!" badges.  Students that prove they have mastered a skill get to wear this and act as my "teaching assistants".  They love it!  They get to teach/help other students in the class and let's face it, sometimes students would rather ask a peer for help then ask the teacher for help.  It's a WIN, WIN!

Focus/Agenda board ready!  Love the cute pencil shaped dry erase board eraser.  Dollar tree item!

My closets actually closed!!  Just kidding.  There is still room in there.  Last door: I'm challenging my students to "change their mindset" this year.

Math Reminders! Because, sometimes they need a little reminding!  I adjust as needed throughout the year.

Journals go here. And they WILL be put away neatly.  They WILL I say!!!

F.Y.I. board.  The "Missing Parts" pocket in the lower left corner is a lost and found for station pieces. It's a life saver!!! Find more info on it HERE.

Group trash bins are upside down with the corresponding group tool kit.  Trash bins are great when students need to cut pieces from paper.  Just wad up scraps, place in trash bin and when it's time to put away, a designated student "takes out the trash".  It's easier than picking up papers from the floor.  Tool kit contains color pencils, glue, scissors, pencil sharpener, etc...you know, school tools.

That's all folks!!!

If you are interested in some of the motivational mini posters and pennants, you can find them in the links below.

Posters, Group Trash Bin, Mini Posters and more!

Pastel Colored Pennants

Bright Colored Pennants

If you are interested in anything else you saw, just contact me and I'll be happy to help you out!  :)

I hope this tour of my classroom was helpful!  Thanks for looking and I hope everyone truly has an amazing and productive year!!!

Stations From Store Ads? YEEEESSSS!!!!!!

Some people call them "store ads", others call them "store circulars".  I call them "STATIONS"!!!!

All you need are "store ads", scissors, glue, index cards and your imagination!

Here is a set I made to use as a station in my math class.

I wrote the answers on adhesive labels and stuck them on the backs of the cards to make the station self-checking! I use adhesive labels, because sometimes the writing will go through the card and students can see the answer.

Here is a closer look at the directions I provided to give you an idea. I like to include skills covered.


I am attaching pictures of some of the cards below to give you ideas for the types of questions you can create for your station.




I hope this idea inspires you. You can create problems for many types of skills, including Financial Literacy standards! I'm listing some more ideas below to help.

• How much money will you get back if you pay with a $20 bill?
• What is this amount rounded to the nearest dollar?
• How many can you buy if you only have $10? (tax not included)
• If sales tax is 8.25%, how much will your total cost be?
• For sales such as "3 for $5", you can ask this question: How much will you pay for eight?"

The possibilities are endless and it will cost pennies to create! In addition, you are using real life situations and the ads are colorful.

Take it to the next level! Have your students create a card, independently, with a partner, or in a group.  Have them include the answer. Not only can you use this as an evaluation, but you just had your whole class create another station.  They will love seeing their own creations!

Here are more activities that involve percents and money from my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

Find the Percent of a Number Loop Game

Thanksgiving Dinner Unit Rates Matching Card Set

The Twelve Days of Christmas Unit Rate Word Problems - Proportions

Hope this helps!

Tired of "No Name"?

This song is an oldie but goodie, but when sung with these words, it helps solve the "No Name" problem!  Even though it was released way back when my 7th grade students were about 3 or 4 years old, they are still familiar with it.  

When it's time to turn in an assignment, I project this image on the screen.  Believe it or not, some students actually sing it out loud.  Yes!  They sing the words on the image!  I'm okay with that, because they are reminding everyone else to make sure they wrote their name on their paper.

When I forget, they remind me to show it to the class.  

The results are great!  Now when assignments are turned in, I rarely get "No Name" papers. 

Click HERE, download and print if you would like to try it out in your classroom!  It's FREE!!!

Hope this is helpful!