HAPPINESS IS WATERMELON SHAPED!: math

Hello there! I'm so happy you decided to pop into the blog today! I want to share some new ideas I have been trying online as well as wish you a happy and healthy New Year! Let's get started!

Remote Wednesday Schedule When All Students Are Present

We are doing a hybrid schedule. I see Cohort A on Monday and Tuesday in person while I see Cohort B on Thursday and Friday. We are all together on Wednesday online so it is a special day. Here is our Wednesday schedule:

8:20 - 8:30 Check In

8:30 - 8:45 Sharing (2 or 3 students share; I tell them the week before so they are prepared to share something from home that cannot normally be brought to school).

8:45 - 9:15 Making Words. Last year, Ms. Ross, a Content Specialist, would visit my class once a week and do a making words activity. My students loved it so I started doing it again this year.
Click on picture of book to read more at Amazon!

In this making word activity, I share my screen on Kami and give the kids the vowels and consonants. Then we get to work. I usually start with one and two letter words, and we work our way up.

Here are the letters we used yesterday (12/23):

a a e c l m s s t

As the kids say the words, I write them down. Yesterday, I gave each student a chance to say a word. If they don't have a word, I give a hint: "What word is the antonym (opposite) of first?" We end up with quite a long list of words that we sound out, and we talk about phonics, too. We spend any where from 20 to 30 minutes on this activity.

9:15 - 9:45 Spelling Test (if there is one that week)/Review that day's independent work/Review new material.

9:45 - 10:15 Inclusion: Math.

Pear Deck + Break-Out Rooms = Just Right Math

A para. comes to my class from 9:45 - 10:15. Plus, there is a full-time nurse due to a student with a medical issue. Consequently, I divide the class between me and these people; then the students are "relocated" to the correct break-out room.

During this time, we have been doing Pear Deck that center on word problems, fact families and other math-related topics. You can click here to check out one for free on TPT!

Snack 10:15 - 10:25

After Math, it is bathroom break and snack. While the kids eat snack, I read an ebook from my local library or the Internet Archive Library. Last week I read Poppleton in Winter.

I LOVE Poppleton books! The kids LOVE the Poppleton books because they are funny, but they are also easy to use to teach theme and summary!

10:30 - 11:45 Directed Drawing/Cursive (if time)

We LOVE directed drawings! I always try to connect the drawing to what we are learning in class. When we were learning about the Wampanoags, I wanted to make a longhouse with the kids. I could not find an easy how to draw on TPT so I made my own! Click here to check it out!

10:45 Wrapping Up!

I am often online until at least 11:00 with students who want to chat and show me their finished drawings. I enjoy this time.

11:00: Independent Work Posted

For independent work, I post my Morning Message as the first piece of work. My Morning Messages center on academics. For the kids who are in class, we read the message together as part of our Morning Meeting. I did not want the at-home kids to miss out on the messages.

Example of Morning Message at school:

vs. Google Form Version

I always have 5 questions on these Google Forms, and they are self-correcting so that I can see what I need to review. I do know that I absolutely need to review summarizing when we go back to school!

As always, if you have any questions or would like to know more, please let me know.

Happy Holidays and Vacation!

Happy Hump Day! We're on our third nor'easter this month ~ UGH! Not only that, there's another one on the horizon for next week as well! That's why I'm especially happy to link-up with Joyce From This Side of the Pond for:

1. Best place you've been lately?

I really loved visiting New York City: visiting Times Square, going to a Broadway show, walking on the High Line...! There are endless activities to do in the Big Apple. I even knew right away where I had seen this restaurant:

Of course, my husband insisted that there was NO WAY that I could be right ~ that was until he looked it up. Ha! Sometimes I can be right after all! You can read more about my trip here

2. What's something you should say yes to today? Or this week? Or even this year?

I need to declutter and organize and put away "my stuff" ASAP every day and week so I'm not left with a HUGE job after a year. Of course, yesterday I reorganized and decluttered my linen closet. I'm embarrassed to say this, but I don't think I've done this job since we moved into this house 20 years ago. I just keep piling "stuff" in. Yesterday I threw out three big trash bags of clutter and emptied countless cleaning containers with just a tad left in them. What an accomplishment!

3. Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in any way, shape, or form? If so tell us how. In Western cultures the color green is typically associated with jealousy, nature, good luck, and growth. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'green'?

I do like to wear green the week before St. Patrick's Day. The weekend after St. Patrick's Day I enjoy going to an Irish restaurant for dinner. I really LOVE Irish soda bread!

When I think of green, I think of spring and new leaves!

4. What's a product or service you love so much you'd happily be their spokesperson? Tell us what makes you such a fan.

There's a local charity called PAWS of Wakefield that fosters and tends to homeless animals. In addition, they raise money to pay for veterinarian services and to buy pet food for its animals. I actually got my dog from PAWS. Consequently, I am a HUGE fan of this organization!

5. March 14th is Pi Day. How are your math skills? What's the last thing you did that required math of any kind? And most importantly do you like pie? What's your favorite kind? With ice cream, whipped cream, or please hold the cream?

Well, I do LOVE math. I teach third grade so I get to teach about math every day! My favorite subjects in math are geometry and algebra.

Of course, I LOVE pie! I'll take some warmed up apple pie with coffee ice cream any day!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I cannot believe how much snow we are getting in eastern Massachusetts this month! We've had six snow days! In Wakefield (where I live; not where I teach), the kids can access their work on snow days so they don't have to make up any snow days. What do you think of this idea? I'd love to hear what you think!