March Calendar Idea

I laminated this calendar so I could actually draw the weather pictures on each day.

Next, we took it a step further and predicted the weather for the next day. "Likely"... not  "What do you think the weather will be like tomorrow?"  Why? 
Likely is the correct terminology to use when discussing  probability.  Likely leads to 'most likely' and 'least likely," if you have a split K/1 or 1/2 class. 

How do you change your calendar discussions 

at this time of the year?

Smiles,
Deborah

Grade K or 1st: Fraction Pizza Center

Here is an idea for a quick math center. 

 How do you cut these pizzas to share them equally? 

They are fun to make out of play-dough also in a kitchen center.

My granddaughter had 2 friends over for a sleep-over and we made individual pizzas.  So each child cut their pizza with a fun pizza cutter utensil to show how they would share their pizza with 2, 3, and 4 friends.  

By the way, my granddaughters laugh when I ask them to do things like this because they know I love sharing math with them.

Smiles,

Deborah

ADD/HD Students: Strategy to Help Them Complete an Assigned Project

My last post discussed using numbered magnetic clips to help you organize models in a classroom setting.   Here, I used the numbered clip that corresponded to the number item on the worksheet, but I've used them in the past to help my ADD/ADHD students complete an assigned project.

ADD/ADHD students have a hard time breaking a task into parts, then working on one small step at a time...to complete an assigned project.  

So what I would do is: First, meet individually with ADD students and write down the steps they needed to do to complete the project... for example,  researching a topic.

Then, I would cut the steps into strips and clip them to the numbered magnetic clips that hung on the magnetic whiteboard near their desk.

As that student completed that step, he/she would turn over the strip and clip it back onto the clip.

This became a VISUAL picture of how he/she were progressing towards the completion of the project.It shows not only how much more he/she needed to do, but also how far they have come.
They could see their own progress!! 

 I can attest to the fact that many students found this helpful.  For ADD/HD students it's so hard to keep focused... they get overwhelmed and get lost and don't know what to do next.

This visual clue kept them on track, and answered that question of what they needed to do next, without me guiding their every move. They began taking responsibility for their own progress.

Smiles,

Deborah 

P.S.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed with life too, and I find myself writing down those small steps. I find it a great comfort for myself, and I LOVE checking off the steps as I complete them.

Identifying Angles of a Triangle: From Worksheet to Models

It all started with a worksheet like this one shown in the picture.  The students were to write in the name of the triangle based on its angles...

But, I changed up the lesson by creating large construction paper triangles that closely resembled each of the shown triangles on the worksheet.

These triangle could be measured, and the group passed each triangle around as we discussed the angles together.

Suddenly, the classification based on angles used in the triangles began to make sense to the dual language students in the small guided math group.  

   It took more work on my part to make the individual triangle models, but the students seemed to understand it more clearly and the discussion from the group was great!

 It was worth my effort.

Smiles,

Deborah