3-2-1 Sale

I have linked up with Stephanie from Mrs. D's Corner to bring you the 3-2-1 sale to celebrate the kick of our GUIDED MATH Book Study. If you haven't check it out yet CLICK HERE. This sale will run for one day only! May 31st and end when I wake up in the morning on the August 1st.

I have picked some of my favourite math resources and knocked the price way down! Don't forget to follow my store while you are there!

Probability: Activities and Games ($6)

Live Laugh Bark for Math Centers ($8)

Adding Doubles Fun ($6) 

Problem Solving Posters ($4)

Pirate Calendar Kit ($5)

Polar Bump ($2)

Space Bump ($3)

Time Memory ($2)

Name the 3D Figure Board Game ($3)

Thanks for stopping by! Click HERE to see who else linked up! Enjoy the sale!

Guided Math Book Study: Chapter 1

I have been experimenting with guided math in my grade 1 class for the last couple of years, but it has never worked the way I envisioned it. I've always felt like I was missing something, so when Amanda from "The Primary Gal" suggested a book study and the book was called "Guided Math", I knew I was on board!

So here we go Chapter 1! Even just reading the first chapter has my brain buzzing with ideas. 

Since I started teaching grade 1, I have become a firm believer in the power of play. They are still little, they need time to play! I attended a workshop put on by my school board last year, and the big idea that I got out of it was "work is play" for students. When they are working they are playing and vice versa. Which makes total sense to me. 

So where am I going with this? My math program is based on three main things that I feel I do well:

The first is games. Play? Games? Makes sense, right. Math games are amazing tools for students to build confidence. When I first found TPT about three years ago, I came across a game called BUMP! If you haven't played it, you have to try it! My students loved it and had my students building math fluency with adding numbers to 12. It then got me thinking about what other areas in math could I incorporate the ideas of games and I came up with all sorts of ideas. Check out my math games. What I love about using games in my classroom is that my students are engaged, they are learning and most of all it makes math fun.

The second thing I do well is integrate a variety of centres in my program, This allows my students to be hands on. I find that I have moved away from a lot of "paper and pencil" or "kill and drill" type activities (Not that I don't think there is a place for those type of activities). I try to create centres that give my students an opportunity to explore with manipulatives, to integrate technology and have topics that interest them.

The third thing, I have really worked on this year is open ended problem solving. I participated in a series of  Collaborative Inquiry for Learning in Mathematics workshops this year that really open my eyes to something.  I have to say it was the most nerve racking experience of my life (But I'll leave that for another blog post some day). What I got out of the workshops was the importance of using open ended problems to help differentiate for students; how to use a parallel problem without making it seem like the easy question and the hard question, and finally that we shouldn't be teaching students steps to solve the problem but giving them strategies. This gave me the idea for my animal themed problem solving posters! I love, love, love, these posters!

What am I excited about?

• I love the idea of building a math community. How easy would it be to have a "Math Warm Up" each morning? I want to integrate more math into my calendar routine...it's getting kind of dry by the end of the year.
• I also love the idea of using math read alouds to build engagement, set up problems and give the students authentic situations to use math
• I love the idea of a "Math Huddle". It's very similar to the "reflect and connect" that we do as part of the three part lesson
• What I really want is to provide more opportunities to conference

Thanks for stopping by! I hope that you stay with us on our book study! There will be some great prizes as part of the weekly giveaway and maybe even some freebies.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

Who do I admire? Part 2

I have hooked up with Amanda from The Primary Gal to bring you "The Bloggers We Admire." This is by far my favourite link up! It is so much fun! This is how it works. I picked a blogger whom I admire (which was incredibly hard since there are sooooo many amazing bloggers out there). Then the even harder part was to pick a product from his/her store. I was so lucky because the blogger that I admire allowed me to use TWO of her products in my classroom. I then had the opportunity to use her product in my classroom and show you how great her work is in action. The best part is that she has no idea that I picked her!

I know...I know. Enough talking Emily (Oh man, you can tell I'm excited when I start talking to myself). Who is the blogger that I admire? Well here are the clues....

 Did you figure it out? The blogger that I admire is no other than Stephany Dillon from Primary Possibilities! If you haven't found Stephany's blog check it out. You won't be disappointed.

My grade 1's have been working really hard on learning to tell time to the hour and the half hour. Some of them are flying through this; others are struggling a little bit. We've been using a lot of games from my store to help them practice. Click HERE to check out some of my time games. But I was looking for more practice, so I was super excited when Stephany allowed me to use two of her time sets! Let's just say my students are in love with these activities.

I'm sorry I can't save the best for last. I am so excited about this centre and so were my kids. They couldn't wait to get a chance to go to this centre. Click HERE or on the picture to find it in her store.

Stephany has a lot of hands on activities in her store. This is one activity that I have been eyeing for a while. How fun is this? Students use Play Doh or Plasticine to make the hands on the clock. 

This activity really made my students think about the difference between the hour hand and the minute hands, as well as the proper placement of the hour hand.

It's Time for Math is filled with  different opportunities for students to practice telling time in a variety of different situations. Click HERE or on the picture to find it in her store.

A. Time to Match
In this centre, students match the analog clock to the digital clock. 

Some of the more advanced students played memory and go fish with the cards.

B. True to Time
In this centre, students  decided whether the digital time and the analog time were "true or false". 

The students loved seeing if they could find the ones that had the mistakes on them. 

C. Time of Day
In this centre, students placed the cards depending on whether the action would be completed in the am or the pm.

D. Time Bump
Bump is one of my students favourite games. We have bump games of all kinds in our classroom.

I like how Stephany put the o'clocks in yellow and the half pasts in blue. It made it much easier for my students. 

To allow some of  my struggling time readers a chance to be successful at this game, I gave them the o'clock cards only.

Not only was Stephany amazingly kind enough to allow me to use both of these products in my classroom, she created a freebie just for you! 

Click HERE to access the freebie!

Click HERE to check out more great items in Stephany's store.

Check out my Secret Admirer blog post below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Teacher Appreciation Blog Hop

I have joined up with over 106 teacher authors to give you "The Best for the Best, Teacher Appreciation Blog Hop". We are demonstrating how we use our best product in our classrooms for you, our followers. We think you are the best! This blog hop has been designed by the Amazing Amy from Teaching in Blue Jeans.

So which product do I think is my best? That is a tough question! There are so many that I love. One of my favourites right now are my new Problem Solving Strategies Posters. They are animal themed to help students remember the different strategies they can use to solve problems.

However, this product wasn't ready for you when I signed up for this blog hop, so I have decided to highlight my Writing Personal Recounts with Learning Goals and Success Criteria.

Over the last couple of years, my school board has been asking us to post Learning Goals and Success Criteria in our classrooms. At first, I have to admit I was a cynic. My little firsties could barely say Success Criteria let alone know what they are. But, after using them for the last four years I am a true believer. I think it's important for the students to know exactly what it is they are learning. Too often we have an end goal, but the students don't know what that goal is until they reach the end of the journey. Learning goals allow students to be participants in the journey, they know what their goal is. 

Success criteria are the things that the students need to do to be successful. Keep it simple. Success criteria, that are written in student language, allow them to be successful. The same language is used in the rubric.

I also included a variety of writing templates. I have found that allowing my students to choose the template they on which they will write allows them to become more motivated to write. Some students at the beginning of first grade find it easier to write on unlined paper; others need more lines to write.

Learning to use conventions is important for beginning writers, but adding details are as well. I post the 5W's posters in my classroom for students to use. The pictures in each of the posters are used throughout all of my units (i.e. Retell, Narrative, and Letter Writing)

I placed each of the success criteria on to arrows, including the clip art. The arrows can be used for so many different purposes. I introduce the arrows as a way to deconstruct and model my own writing. 

I then let the students peer assess their partners work using the arrows. If they have arrows left over it is obvious that they have forgotten to include something.

I also use checklists and a double sided recount glove for students to assess their own work. I laminate one glove for each student. They store them in their writing folder. The students enjoy using a whiteboard marker to check off that they have all of the success criteria.

The Writing Rainbow is a perfect opportunity for students to create examplars as well as goals to improve their own writing. 

Each colour on the writing rainbow represents a goal that young writers need to work on, i.e. finger spaces, capital letters, and adding details. I use packing tape to tape the sides of a page protector leaving the top open. This way when I see a student who is using, for example finger spaces, I insert their page into the reading rainbow. This allows my exemplars to be more authentic to the students.

I conference with my students and together we come up with a goal for them to work on. They clip their names on to their goal and attach a goal card to their folders as a reminder of their goal.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win a copy of this great unit!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Continue on to "The Best for the Best, Teacher Appreciation Blog Hop" by clicking the picture below.

May the 4th Be With You

Devon from Teach with Fergy had the brilliant idea of having a "May the 4th Be With You Sale." So of course the amazing Amanda from The Primary Girl ran with it. Man that girl is organized. So here we go the May the 4th Sale starts now! My Top 4 products will be on sale, 20% to 30% off.  

 We are currently learning to tell time to the o'clock and the half hour, Ontario grade 1 curriculum. My students love this game. It is super easy to differentiate, pick which times your want your students to work on (:00, :30, :15, :45). Players put the analog clocks on the floor. One player is the caller. The caller calls out a number, the rest of the players race to find the correct clock first. The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.

Hunting for the correct clock.

Found it!

This is by far my favourite writing unit for my students. I have found that once we have worked through this unit that the quality of my students' writing has improved exponentially. Everything is included in this unit. Learning Goals, Success Criteria, posters, anchor charts, arrows for peer assessment, checklists for self assessment and all kinds of writing paper for different levels of writers.

Writing Rainbow: Goal Setting

Included in this set is a writing goal setting kit.We used page proctectors that we attached to the poster with clear packing tape. Leave the top of the page protector open so that you can put new examples in. Since writing in grade 1 and 2 changes so quickly throughout the year, we change the writing samples, so we are displaying a clearer example of what the students' writing should "look" like. I conference with each of my students and we come up with a goal together. 

Writing Rainbow for Goal Setting

They then clip their name to their goal on our large writing rainbow. 

We attach the same goal to their writing folder along with any words that the student has difficulty spelling.
If you like the writing folder covers click HERE for a free sample. Boy and girls covers are included.

Canadian First Grade Teachers: This is item is like finding pirate treasure! I absolutely love this unit! Meet Pirate Penny, Captian Nick L., Davey Dime, Carrie Quarter, Loonie Lou, and Toonie Bird. This merry band of pirates love money! This unit includes: posters, sorting placemats, worksheets, word problems, ideas for a class store and 8 money games that your students will beg to play. 

Pirate Slap It!

Pirate Flip and Cover

Pirate Bump

Even though we completed our money unit in January, my students still ask to play these games when they have free time math games. I am currently working on an American coin version of the unit.

Have your students played a bump game yet? My students absolutely adore bump. If they have a choice bump and slap it games would definitely tie.  In time bump, students read the digital time and then find the matching analog clock.

Six different game boards are included in this set.There is a game board for o'clock, half past, o'clock and half past together, quarter after, quarter to and quarter after and quarter to together.

To check out more TPT shops that are taking part in this sale, check the linkup below!

An InLinkz Link-up

 
Thanks for stopping by! Remember this is a one day only sale! Get it while you can. Click HERE or on the picture to go to my store.

Happy Shopping!