So, I started this school year teaching fourth grade reading. In the middle of September, our school found out that our teacher:student ration was too high in fifth grade, so we would be getting a new teacher. Come to find out, my principal decided the new teacher would go to fourth grade and I was asked/told to move to fifth grade math. I'm adjusting to my new role, and decided to share tips on teaching math and a few of my student's favorite Teachers Pay Teachers products to use.
Whenever I teach a new topic in math, i always make sure to break down the process into steps. I've found that this is the best/easiest way to make sure my students understand what we are doing. Second, I like to use the method I do, We do, You do, making sure to repeat the process as necessary.
Peer tutors are an absolute must in my classroom. First, I explain to my students that we will be utilizing peer tutors in the classroom. I then let them know anyone is eligible, as long as he/she understands and can prove they know how to work the most difficult problems. This has worked as a huge motivator in my classroom because all of my students want to be peer tutors. I allow my peer tutors to work with my kids that understand what we are doing, but just need more guided practice. I am then free to pull my struggling students to a small group. So far, this process has worked miracles in my classroom!!
Some of the products my students have truly enjoyed using are used for either extra practice or enrichment opportunities. A couple of these products are listed below with a brief description of how we use them.
Place Value Detective by Teaching With a Mountain View
I've used this product as an enrichment opportunity for my students. While working on place value, I've allowed my more advanced students to utilize this activity to help perfect their own place value skills while keeping them engaged.
Angles Task Cards by Teaching With a Mountain View
We used these cards just as extra practice and the kids really enjoyed them because they were able to work with angles that were drawn and able to see how angles are applied in real life (pencil lead, bird beak, etc.).
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Welcome Back!!!
Welcome Back!!! Summer break has officially started for me. How many of you are on your summer break? After a long hiatus, I decided to come back to blogging. I can't promise to blog every day, but when I do blog, it'll be something that I found to be wonderful.
Most of you may already know about Teachers Pay Teachers. For those of you who do not know, I highly recommend visiting the site. I have found a plethora of teaching materials/supplemental materials for my kids. I have absolutely fell in love with task cards. You can find a task card for just about every topic you plan to teach. Below, I'm going to explain how I use task cards in my classroom. I'll also be sharing a few of my favorite task cards.
I use the task cards in centers. I do not expect my students to complete all of the task cards in one rotation (some topics have over 30 task cards), so I pick out a few and place them in the buckets. I show my students how to number their papers and allow them to work with their group to complete the cards. I check the completed work and go over the task cards with the entire class. My goal is to give them the practice, but make sure they do have an understanding of the topic. I have read on another blog that the teacher simply made a task card board. On it, she placed hooks and hung the task cards on the board. (You have to print, laminate, cut, and cut the cards out. Then punch a hole in each one and use the binder rings to hold the cards together.) She allows her students to complete the task cards when they finish their work. Each child has a printout that allows him/her to record answers and then see which cards need completing. Most of the task cards do have answer sheets included with them.
Some of my favorite task cards come from Teaching With a Mountain View. Her cards are wonderful, in my opinion. They are very colorful and get to the point, which is what I like. She creates themed cards (fall, holiday, monthly) for review purposes, as well as cards for specific topics. This is great for reinforcing skills and reviewing them. I really used these cards for test prep and my kids really enjoyed them.
As for me, I am working on creating my own task cards, but right now I'm enjoying my first few days of summer vacation!! I hope you enjoy yours!!
Happy Teaching!!
Lori
Most of you may already know about Teachers Pay Teachers. For those of you who do not know, I highly recommend visiting the site. I have found a plethora of teaching materials/supplemental materials for my kids. I have absolutely fell in love with task cards. You can find a task card for just about every topic you plan to teach. Below, I'm going to explain how I use task cards in my classroom. I'll also be sharing a few of my favorite task cards.
I use the task cards in centers. I do not expect my students to complete all of the task cards in one rotation (some topics have over 30 task cards), so I pick out a few and place them in the buckets. I show my students how to number their papers and allow them to work with their group to complete the cards. I check the completed work and go over the task cards with the entire class. My goal is to give them the practice, but make sure they do have an understanding of the topic. I have read on another blog that the teacher simply made a task card board. On it, she placed hooks and hung the task cards on the board. (You have to print, laminate, cut, and cut the cards out. Then punch a hole in each one and use the binder rings to hold the cards together.) She allows her students to complete the task cards when they finish their work. Each child has a printout that allows him/her to record answers and then see which cards need completing. Most of the task cards do have answer sheets included with them.
Some of my favorite task cards come from Teaching With a Mountain View. Her cards are wonderful, in my opinion. They are very colorful and get to the point, which is what I like. She creates themed cards (fall, holiday, monthly) for review purposes, as well as cards for specific topics. This is great for reinforcing skills and reviewing them. I really used these cards for test prep and my kids really enjoyed them.
As for me, I am working on creating my own task cards, but right now I'm enjoying my first few days of summer vacation!! I hope you enjoy yours!!
Happy Teaching!!
Lori
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