Math Freebies

I was on Pinterest looking around for some fun math fraction games to review concepts with my fourth graders when I saw this: 

Unit 6, Set A5 (around page 245 of the third grade pdf - but the sample goes to 140)

The link didn't direct me right to the game... But it did take me to a bunch of free resources - so it was worth it! We're not talking a page or two. It's an entire 140 pages. It's perfect for home schooolers, tutors, or teachers who are looking for more / different practice for their kids. Unfortunately, it only looks like third grade is completely posted.

Here are some free printable courtesy of Bridges to Math.

Grade 3

Proofreading Paragraphs

Do you find that your students have difficulty proofreading their writing? It's a common problem!

Here's what I've done in the past:

1. Students complete Wake Up Brain right after they unpack and write down their homework. I photocopy it as two sided each day. That means they edit two sentences, do a language exercise, complete a spelling / phonics activity, answer 1-2 geography questions, and do 2-3 math problems. It should take 5-10 minutes.

Wake Up Brain

Depending on the grade I am teaching, I start with the one previous in September. We are on grade level after a few months and then we are above grade level by the last third of the year. It makes a huge difference! (That means in grade 3, we do the second grade, third grade, and fourth grade books.) The great thing is you can find them for grades 1-6.

2. Students proofread sentences using the week's grammar skills. Here are sentences from Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Journeys Grade 3.

3. Students read each other's written work out loud. If you pair them up and have them switch papers, they are more likely to notice mistakes they've made when they are listening to someone else read it! We use A Star and a Wish to give feedback. You can download it for free by clicking the picture or the link.

4. English for Everyone has posted free printables at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Perfect for differentiation! I have found that my kids can usually find mistakes in isolated sentences, but it becomes much more difficult when they have to do it in a paragraph. What makes it easier is these worksheets are multiple choice, so you shouldn't get any blank stares. They are good for assessment.

5. Finally, for those of you who have kids that need to practice that actual process of editing, SuperTeacherWorksheets has some cool printables. You may need a subscription to the website for some of them.

What do you do to help your kids proofread?

Girl Scouts, Goldiblox, and Girl Power

Something amazing happened recently. I asked one of the sixth graders I tutor to tell me what she was interested in...and what she asked to get for Christmas. 

Her question: Why is everything that is made for girls pink and glittery?

Her answer: I want Goldiblox. What exactly is that, you ask? Watch the videos to find out.

This is your brain on engineering

Inspiring the next generation of female engineers - Debbie Sterling, creator of Goldiblox

We did some research and she not only learned that females across the world tend to make less than their male counterparts in the same position, are more likely to be illiterate and less likely to graduate high school. They also are a lot less likely to become engineers or take jobs in STEM / STEAM fields. 

One way to combat this? Encourage females. Educate males. Challenge gender roles.

Another way to help out? Instead of buying girls play food and dress up clothes, try out Goldiblox. They also have an interactive website to play around with.

Goldiblox website

Next, get girls involved with coding. This year, my students participated in The Hour of Code sponsored by Code.org. 

Watch the video (can you spot the celebrities?)

Try it - Code with Anna and Elsa!

Finally, consider enrolling your girls in Girl Scouts or join / create a Girls on the Run club.

Words their Way

 

As I was getting ready for the upcoming school year and looking for videos to show my student teacher how Words Their Way works, I came across this:


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/BUNDLE-Automatic-Spelling-Inventory-Templates-1092641

Now I'm not a fan of sitting there and highlighting every single letter that a student got correct - it's a waste of time when you've got 25 to correct. I typically circle or highlight what they got wrong instead to save ink and my sanity. Plus, I often have a wide range of spellers and need to use at least 2-3 of the inventories throughout each of the 3 benchmark assessments we give during the year. That's why I like this product. It pretty much does it for you once you enter the words as your students spelled them. Check it out!

If you aren't familiar with Words Their Way and want to see what it's all about so you can challenge your kids and differentiate their spelling, head over to the videos on my class website!

Math Manipulatives for Comparing and Ordering Fractions

We are lucky enough to have actual fraction tiles for use at school as well as online access to our current textbook at PearsonSuccessNet, but I thought that this virtual manipulative would be great for kids to use at home.

Here is a screen shot of one of Houghton Mifflin's many virtual manipulatives. Our school is transitioning to their Math in Focus / Singapore Math program grade by grade, so I have been trying to get ahead of the curve and check it out before it gets to my grade. I really like this one because it's easy for me to model on the Promethean Board and easy for the kids to use at home.

If you can't access any of the above for use in your classroom or for your students at home, try printing these fraction strips by clicking on the pictures.

3-5

4-8

Illuminations (from the National Council of Teachers of Math) also has free virtual manipulatives,  lesson plans and worksheets for understanding, comparing, and ordering fractions.

This one is really neat because it also shows decimals, mixed numbers, and percents!

Fraction Relationships

(this one is more challenging than my students can handle - might be good for G&T or older students)

Comparing and Ordering Fractions

Equivalent Fractions

Fractions in Measurement