Order of Operations Scavenger Hunt

So many of you are off on Spring break, and I am SUPER jealous! In Massachusetts, we don't have one March spring break, but instead have a week in February and a week in April. That leaves us with this loooooooong, endless chunk of time right before state testing that I affectionately refer to as March Madness. The kids are going stir crazy, the teachers are tired, and the test is almost here. It's hard for everyone! So, in an effort to get my friends to pay attention, I decided it was time to jazz up my lesson plans. With the help of a super creative co-worker (who thought of so much of this) we decided to do an Order of Operations Easter Egg Hunt Egg-stravaganza!

I started off by reviewing the order of operations and using my "Order of Operations without Aunt Sally" freebie. This really helps my kiddos understand the correct way to perform the order of operations without relying so heavily on "PEMDAS."

If you are interested, you can read more about that from my previous post here.

Thanks to Easter egg sales and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, this lesson was pretty easy to put together. I found the Order of Operations bingo from the NCTM Illuminations website. I made a few modifications to make it work with an easter egg hunt though.

First, I labeled all the problems with letters so the kiddos could put them on their recording sheet and keep track of which one they solved. This would help me correct their work later on in the day, as well.

After that, I cut up the problems and removed the answer. Then, I put 2 or 3 of them in each Easter egg. 

Then, I hid the eggs (in plain sight) all around my classroom!

The original game is meant to be played as Bingo, so the recording sheet is built for that.

I love the idea of having the kids record their answers in a column that corresponds to the value, so I decided just to cut the word "bingo" off the top when I photocopied them. As the kiddos found the values of the expressions, they wrote down the value AND the the letter that I had labeled the strip of paper with. This way, when we went over our work it was easy to tell if they solved the expression correctly. To amp up the "fun factor" my kiddos were trying to fill an entire card with correct solutions for a small prize. 

So, with a few modifications, Order of Operations Bingo become our Egg Hunt Egg-stravaganza! How do you add the "fun factor" into teaching this time of year?

Flocab: extended free trial!

I know I’ve blogged about it before, but I’m back to tell you more about my undying love of Flocab... just in time for an extended freetrial offer!

If you haven't heard of it, check out my previous post detailing all the different features available on Flocab here. But, if you want the cliffnotes version, here it goes! Flocab is a library of hip-hop songs and music videos that can be streamed online and are aligned to the Common Core.  Seriously, they have videos on E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

One of the focuses of my district over the past few years has been to increase student engagement. Evaluators have been paying close attention to the ways in which we, as teachers, are presenting information and getting to all students. In particular, they are looking for multiple modalities and ways to meet the needs of the kids whose interest isn’t sparked by “traditional” teaching. I had an unexpected evaluation walkthrough a few weeks ago while I was reviewing for a math midterm test. I was playing the Decimal "Chilling on the Line" video when my Assistant Principal walked in. I was a little nervous (like I always am during an observation!) but my kiddos were so engaged that they just kept on rapping along with the video. We played a review game after the video was over, and the kids did fantastic. Best of all, I got a really great evaluation write up. Win-win-win. :)

Flocab has some free content, but most of the raps and videos require a subscription to access. Real talk- that scared me! I have a really hard time spending money without knowing that whatever it is I am about to purchase is worth it. Happily, you don't have to take my (or anyone else's) word for it about Flocab. They offer a free trial.... which has been temporarily extended from 14 days to a whopping 75 days with this link! 

Full disclosure: Flocab reached out to me to tell me about this great extended free trial offer, but I am not being compensated for this post. My Flocab love comes to you free and clear. :) 

So, check it out- I think you'll love it!

Currently February 2016

February is one of my favorite months. Valentine's day, President's day, vacation, and my hubby's birthday- it's all right there, one after another. To top it off, it's a short month- so there isn't even time to get sick of it! :) Linking up with Farley for this month's Currently.

Listening: American Ninja Warrior in the background. I have to admit, I kind of love watching it! It's definitely incredible to see the athletic feats that people can accomplish. I am soooo not in that kind of shape... nor will I probably ever be! 

Loving: A few months ago, a friend of mine from grad school posted an instagram pic of her new pencil dispenser. She had gotten an old straw dispenser from her Dad's diner and repurposed it. It is seriously SO cute! I looked around a bit and shockingly they are less than $25 on Amazon. Just be careful to buy the right size- I got the "stirrer" size at first and had to return it because the pencils didn't fit in it!

Thinking: I'm trying to plan out my read alouds for February, and it's tough! There are so many books I love to read with them. It's hard to find the "just right" books for my fifth graders, though. They totally love a good interactive read aloud, but they also like to pretend to be "too cool" to enjoy it. Although they will totally love anything I read, I try to choose books that they can feel free to enjoy. I end up reading books with more complex themes, like Sister Anne's Hands (which addresses racism and prejudice in a school in the 50s) and Crow Call (which explores the complicated relationship between a daughter and the father she barely knows as returns from WWII). I highly recommend both books- they are incredible!

  

Wanting: One of the few perks of working in a New England school: February Vacation. I'm not sure why it started initially, but here in Massachusetts (and most of the surrounding states) we get a week off in February, starting with President's day. We then get an additional "spring break" in April, kicked off by Marathon Monday. Less than two weeks until our winter vacation.... even if it doesn't feel like winter here in Boston, where we have had less than 5 inches of snow all year. Totally not complaining, though, after we got over 9 feet last year!

Needing: I have always been an organized person, especially with my time. My desk may not always reflect my level of organization (can we say papers everywhere?!) but I have a method to my madness. Lately, though, I have been struggling to keep my schedule organized. I seem to be running a few days behind, and just can't catch up! My son is getting older, and the schedules that had been working for us are just not cutting it anymore. I will have to spend a day over vacation reorganizing it all to get my life back on the organization train.

Swooning: the Valentine's day decorations at Target are so cute this year! If only I could shop the dollar spot online... or maybe it's better that I can't. ;)

Happy February!

Talking about vacation in a creative way

I am super excited to be linking up with some incredible ladies from the Middle School Mob to share some of our favorite New Year's teaching ideas... and host a giveaway! Check out my New Year's teaching idea below, and don't forget to enter to win some of our best selling products at the end of the post.

Oh, winter break. How I loved and cherished you, and how sad I will be to see you go. But, since it's time to get back to the grind, let's talk about what to do with kiddos that are excited about vacation. Let's be real, they all want to share everything they did on their vacation. I do want to hear about their holidays and times with their families, but there just isn't time smack dab in the middle of the day. In the past, I've had them write about what they did and share with a partner, but it just wasted enough. So, last year I tried something new that worked really well. I took an old game that I used to play in school, and put a fun creative writing twist on it.

The concept is simple. The kids get into small groups (4 or 5 students would be best) and share one quick story about their vacation. The story can be really interesting, or it can be kind of boring. Totally up to the kiddo! After they all share their stories, they all pick one as a group. This is the hard part, as we all know. Getting it narrowed down to one story can be a real challenge! I had a bit of trouble with that last year, and think this year I will ask them not to choose their own story to see if that helps. 

Then, the story that they have picked will be the story they all write, pretending it is their own story. They will have to put themselves in the narrator's shoes and invent some of the creative elements of the story. They should try to describe things as much as they can to make it believable! The kids then each read their version of the story out loud to the class and the class tries to decide who actually told the story to begin with. 

This game is super simple, fun, and has some great academic elements. The kids are using perspective, point of view, and narration skills in their creative writing. They are super motivated to write the story well because of the game aspect of it. I let the kiddos who "win" and trick kids into believing the story is theirs when it is not pick something from my prize bucket. Best of all, they are sharing a story about vacation like they want to do while also staying on track academically. It's an all around win!

Don't forget to head over to the rest blogs and check out their New Year's ideas, and DEFINITELY don't forget to enter the giveaway. There are some seriously great products up for grabs!

An InLinkz Link-up

Lit with Lyns - Argumentative Writing Process & Task Cards
EB Academic Camps - New Year's Unit & Activities for Middle School
Caffeine and Lesson Plans - PROBE Notebook: A Creative Yearlong ELA Research Project
Just Add Students - Poetry Analysis - "A Day" by Emily Dickinson
Raising Rigor and Readers - Winter Reading and Writing Activities
Anchored in Reading - ELA Text Dependent Analysis Questions - Author's Craft Task Cards
Teach Inspire Change - Student Behavior & Parent Communications Binder
Mrs. Spangler in the Middle - The Giver Reading Comprehension Games - Four in All!
Tori Gorosave: A Middle School English Teacher's Journey - Expository Close Reading: The History of New Year's
Edison Education - Multiplying and Dividing Integers
Koch's Odds 'N Ends - Student Worksheet for Self-Review / Analysis of Test Results
The Marvelous Middle - Looking Back Looking Forward New Year's Activity

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Currently 2016

The first of month and the first day of a new year! Linking up for one my favorite monthly linkys, Currently by Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade.

Listening

Oh, the sound of the Roomba is magic to my ears. My hubby spoiled me a couple months ago with the Roomba 980. It's definitely my favorite household appliance, hands down. I used to vacuum every other day to keep the cat hair and dust off the floor. Now, I only have to vacuum once a week... and I could probably skip a week and no one would notice! Did I need the Roomba? No, definitely not. No one needs a Roomba. But, I sure do love it!

Loving

Do I even need to explain this one? Christmas, family parties, New Year's Eve, and cuddles with my little guy. It doesn't get any better than this!

Thinking
Ok, I realize it is strange that I am thinking about new pens at 11:00 on a Friday night. I am a bit odd, but I think most teachers with a love of school supplies can relate! I have always been a Frixion pen lover because they erase SO well. I use them in my planbook and for grading. I love that I can make a mistake, erase it, and try again. I am super pumped because I just bought these new Frixion markers because of their thicker writing point. I can't wait to try them out when we get back to school!

Wanting
I am so stuck in a rut with my hair style. I need to get to the salon and let my hairdresser do whatever she thinks will refresh my look. Sounds crazy, I know, but I've known her since we were 8 years old and I definitely trust her opinion. Keep an eye on instagram- things might get crazy! :)

Needing
I just need more time in my life, in every aspect. No matter what I am doing, I feel like I could do it better if I just had more time. I wish the Time Turner that Hermione had in Harry Potter was real!

One Little Word
I am trying so hard to express my gratitude more. I have always felt it, but I have not been great about expressing it. I have an incredible family, great friends, amazing co-workers, and an all around fantastic life. My goal for 2016 is to show my gratitude more and tell people just how much they mean to me.

Happy New Year, my friends!

A New App for a New Year: Bloomz

In a moment that will surprise no one, I am back with another great app to share! 

I love technology. It's practically a sickness. I'm always on the hunt for an app that will make my life a little bit easier. Sometimes it backfires, though, when I end up with 15 apps to meet all my needs. Who has the storage for that? Not only that, who can remember it all and keep it all together? Definitely not me. I am super pumped I found an app that meets a few different needs and eliminates some of the excess. Best part? It's totally free. Bloomz is a sort of private social network that connects a teacher and the parents of students in his or her class. It's sort of like facebook, but way way better because parents of kids in your class can't creep on pictures posted by your college roommate. That can get ugly fast, people. 

    

from bloomz.net

With Bloomz, you can upload due dates and events into a class calendar, ask for volunteers, make a "wish list" of supplies, communicate with parents, and even send pictures. You can choose to send updates to one parent, a group of parents, or the whole class. Parents can then like, comment, or share on what you post. If you have an issue with a specific parent, you can even "mute" them so they can't post anything but they can still receive updates. This one app replaces google calendar, email, google drive, and even some paper notices. I am all about simplicity in 2016, people, so this app is definitely being implemented in my classroom.

Happy New Year! 

Currently December 2015

It's December- the most wonderful time of year. Lights are twinkling, decorations are hung, and festive Christmas music is playing. Does it get any better than that? I'm linking up with Farley from Oh Boy 4th Grade for Currently!

Listening: Have you ever seen Peg + Cat? It's a PBS cartoon that focuses on math for pre-schoolers. If you are a parent of a little one or teacher Kindergarten, you have to check it out! I first saw it when my little guy was only a few months old but he only recently started to be allowed one show a night. The NCTM conference last year featured a session about using this show for teaching math in the lower grades, too. Not to mention one of the main characters is a cat, which is my favorite animal. It's a win!

Loving: The Christmas season! How can anyone dislike this time of year? I think I have an extra special love for the holiday this year because my son is starting to get it. He loves to find his elf on the shelf every day and listen to Christmas carols. Is there anything better than the look in a baby's eyes as he stares at the Christmas tree? The best.

Thinking: This may be a little contradictory, but my goodness, teaching in December is HARD. As a fantastically hysterically teacher in my building said, "it's one long game of whack-a-mole." So true!

Wanting: Our school laminator broke down a few weeks ago, and I really miss it. I have a personal laminator to do small items, but I can't do anything larger than a standard 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. I miss being able to do bigger projects, like nametags and anchor charts. Here's hoping Santa brings our school a new one!

Needing: Oh, report cards. They are always a ton of work, but this year is extra tough. We have a new computer system for inputting grades and the glitches haven't quite been worked out yet. I can't wait until they are all worked out!

Real or fake: This year, it's fake. With a little guy at home, I just don't want to have clean up after a tree. Vacuuming up dead needles, watering it, and keeping the cat out of it is all just too much this year. We got a nice fake one with lots of volume. You can hardly tell it isn't real... especially after we light our Christmas Tree candle. :)

Enjoy the season!