Bringing Spring into Our Math Centers

I try to keep my Number Puzzles updated for the season on top of keeping them updated based on the skills we have learned/are learning.  I rotate out puzzles that are really old or have a seasonal theme as we pass them and add in new puzzles as frequently as I can manage.

[Flower Pot Subtraction Sort Puzzle]

So when the winter wind was still whipping around snow and massive blizzards were striking Northern New York in March, I just HAD to make a spring number puzzle to bolster my spirits and hurry up Mother Nature.  What is more springy than flowers?!

       

This Number Puzzle helps students practice their basic subtraction fluency 0-10.  Students match the flowers to the flower pots.  Each flower pot has a different number of correct matches because I tried to include all possible fact combinations.

Grab it now at my TpT Store! 

Phonics and Word Work Games

I don't know about you, but I am ALWAYS looking for engaging ways to get my students practicing foundational reading skills.  So, these Spin and Roll Games were born!

 My students love these games!  It so easy to play that they could play in small groups by themselves but I like to play them in my Guided Reading Groups when I have time so that I can help them build their foundational skills and I can informally assess their CVC blending skills.

Print the board out, they are made to be 2 8.5"x 11" pages (but you could shrink it to 1 page if you want).  Mount it on some brightly colored construction paper and laminate for durability, if you want.  Then, all you need is a paper clip and pencil to make your spinner, one standard die, and game pieces (I like to use colored centimeter cubes for mine).

Students simply roll to move.  Spin to finish their word and read it!  Bonus! If it's a real word (vocab skills here!) they get to move an extra space forward.

Get them in my TpT Store together in my 3 in 1 Bundle or separately.

The Bundle includes:

CVC Ending Sounds, 

CVC Beginning Sounds, 

and CVC Vowel Sounds.

Phew!

Wow! We are 23 days into the school year already!  My first year of teaching 1st grade keeps me way to busy to stop and post!  I am using our first 3 day weekend as a perfect opportunity to catch up on my TpT page and my blog posts.

What has been keeping me so busy, you ask?  Everything!  But, I would say that I spend the most time creating math materials for our Guided Math block.  My co-teacher and I try to keep the kids busy and engaged with different center activities, purposeful worksheets, and (of course) number puzzles! 

Man, oh man, my kiddos LOVE number puzzles!  I don't think they even realize all of the learning they are doing!  And when they choose to work with a partner?? Even better!! Now they have to explain their thinking to their friend.  Got to love the higher order thinking that's happening without them even knowing it!

So, what kinds of things do these number puzzles work on?

• Counting Skills
• Number recognition
• Making 10
• Ten Frames
• Basic Addition
• Fact Fluency
• and more!

Some puzzles I find from other wonderful educators on Pinterest or TeachersPayTeachers, but when I can't find exactly what I want, I make it!  My two latest favorite are my 3-Way Addition Facts Number Puzzles. 

These puzzles ask students to match an image, with a number sentence, with the sum.  A great way to scaffold student understanding while building fact fluencies!

  

A puzzle that is a little bit harder but focuses on many of the same standards is my Apple Addition Number Puzzles.  

This puzzle is great because it is easy for the students to put together (and easy to cut out!!! Always a plus!).  It helps students develop more fluency with addition facts and can even teach students about equivalence between expressions.

And what about some of those engaging worksheets?  How about these great Fall Color By Number Puzzles that I created with my kiddos in mind!  The three puzzles focus on number words, addition facts, and counting skills.

Going Overboard in Target

**Updated**
I think every teacher in the history of the world can empathize with this:  I went to the store to buy one thing - ONE THING - and I left with many more things than that!

It all started with an alphabet mat.  A while back, I was shopping for toys with my cousin and her 4 year old, when I noticed this awesome foam mat with bright, colorful alphabet letters.  Immediately I pictured it in an adorable little reading nook in my (at that time) imaginary classroom.  So, needless to say now that I have my own classroom for next year I just had to go back!

But of course, walking in the door, I come face to face with the dollar bins jammed full of awesome stuff for my new classroom!  There were pencils, and notepads, cute little metal pails, stickers, binder clips, banners, white boards and 100 more things!

As a walked through the store looking for said alphabet mat (so glad I found it!) I stumbled upon some $3 puzzles as well.  I love puzzles!  They are great for exercising your brain and building up your visual spatial reasoning skills plus they are fun!  These ones are perfect for my little firsties, they are 18 in by 24 in and have anywhere from 24 to 48 pieces with this cute movie designs!  They will LOVE them!




As I think about all of the pieces that I want to come together in my classroom I find myself thinking back to classrooms that I have been in that meant something to me.  I can't help but think about my 5th grade classroom when I was a youngster. One of the awesome things my teacher did was put puzzles out on the back table for when we finished our work early.  Being the over achiever that I was, I always finished early and loved working on the puzzles in the back of the room.  So it seemed like a no-brainer to have puzzles available in my new 1st grade classroom for my little balls of energy!

Lastly, I saw wooden letters and it reminded me of a very cute reading nook that I stumbled upon on Pinterest a while back, and who doesn't love a primary classroom that is literacy rich everywhere you look.  So, TA-DA!

Now all I have to do is paint them up to match my bookcase.  The beautiful bookcase that my amazing husband whipped up for me this winter.  I love the color and quote more every time I look at it!  I mean, who doesn't fall in love with the eloquent Dr. Seuss!?

**UPDATE** 

The letters have been painted!  Loving it!!

 

 

 

First in First

Gahh!! Big news in my world: this year will be my first year in First Grade!  For the last 4 years I have worked as a special education teacher working in Co-Teaching classrooms.  Now, I will be starting a bright new adventure in my own classroom!

This is BIG! and amazing! and maybe a little scary...

Our school has an awesome tradition of "Moving Up Day" at the end of each year where our students get to meet their next-year's-teacher.  Meeting my little cherubs for next year on the last day of school was so exciting!  Those little tiny balls of energy were so energetic... and tiny... and adorable!  Last year I was working in a 4th grade classroom - this year 1st grade - that will be a definite culture shock for me.  Everyone says, "They are babies when they start" and "They are still Kindergarteners".  *anxiety attack*   Everyone also says, "They make SOO much growth in First Grade." and "It's amazing how much they learn just 10 months!"

Excited with a healthy dose of anxiety is the best way I can describe it, so.... Let's make like the Gallup that I am and "Gallup" into First Grade.  "Run like the wind Bullseye!"



Follow my blog with Bloglovin