Winding Down the Year, and a Freebie!

As I read through blogs this weekend, I noticed how many schools are just starting testing. That would have been my school last year, but this year our last day is May 30! (Students' last day is May 28!!) We are off for Memorial Day next Monday, which means we only have 7 days of school left! Two of those days we will be testing for our state math test, and one of those days is Field Day! So, I'm left with 3 days and 1 half day. I'm kind of FREAKING OUT!! I totally have everything under control. I really don't want my kids to be burnt out from all the testing, so for our last two days of math review, I have planned some fun games. I'm pulling back out all my task cards and center games from the year to review, but I just didn't have enough to get through two days.
So, I set to work this weekend. I created a Fraction Task Cards set, which you can find on TpT for only $1.50!! I still haven't completed our Geometry review with the Geometry Task Card set I made last week, but the Duck Dynasty review was a HIT!
I knew I still needed some more review, so this evening I set to work on a Money Task Card set. My students needed practice in counting money, making change, and comparing money amounts. I know the end of the year is a SUPER busy time for everyone, so in celebration of the end of the year ......the task cards will be FREE in my TpT store for about the next week!! So, grab it while you can. All I ask is that you leave a rating after you download! Just click on the picture to grab it!

Have a great week ya'll!! 

Do You Have The Time? My favorite Telling Time activity EVER!

Happy New Year!! What a holiday season! I feel like I have been running a marathon, and the finish line isn't anywhere in sight! My weekends have been CONSUMED with school work, and I think I'm even going to have to give up coaching our school OM team this year because I just have too much on my plate. (I'm hoping to turn this over to a parent). I have had this post in "drafts" for a while.... I haven't blogged in forever, and I PROMISED myself I would do it over Christmas break. Then, the week before Christmas (on my BIRTHDAY!) I woke up sick....it started with the new strand of norovirus, then I got strep throat, then an eye infection, and then a sinus infection. I truthfully wasn't feeling better until New Years! I don't wish that virus on my worst enemy-- it was brutal!!

Anyway -- the real reason you are here! I just did a telling time to the nearest minute activity last week, and it is by far my favorite activity ever in the history of teaching math. I absolutely love, love, LOVE it! I call this activity, "Do you have the time?"

I saw this on Pinterest about 1,000 times, but didn't know if I would like it. Each child gets their own "watch", and then students travel around the room reading each others watches and recording the times. I was originally just working on some clock faces of time to the nearest minute to glue down in a folder and laminate for Intervention practice in my small group instruction. After creating the clock faces for my game, I realized I would only need to create 4 more to have a class set. Well........... 4 more turned into 6 more, because I always like to have extras. After creating the clock faces, I cut strips of construction paper to make watch bands and glued the clock to the construction paper. Viola! Construction paper/card stock watches! I laminated the final product (this is all with the help of Ms. Bailey - an AWESOME paraprofessional at our school who is working on her teaching degree!) and punched holes in the bands. My original thought was to hook the watches with paperclips through the holes. Third graders do not do paperclips well enough for this! In the interest of time, we just taped the bands on, but I may add some string for next time, or even make the bands out of string. 

The students traveled around the room asking their classmates, "Do you have the time?" The classmate would then show them their watch and let them read the clock face. This was REALLY hard for my students who could tell time really well because they wanted to tell their classmates the answers. Since I did this as a graded assignment, they knew they couldn't! Each child had a record sheet that was numbered from 1-22. In our class each student has a number, so when they read that child's watch, they wrote their answer next to that child's number. It was SO MUCH FUN. In the end, I was quickly able to see who really "got it" and who really needed help. When several students missed the same problem - I could easily tell that they had simply looked at the hour hand wrong.

If you love this activity- you can find the clock faces I used on my TpT store here! They are only $1!! I hope this post finds all in blogger land healthy and happy in this new year!

Late Night Snacks.....

So tonight my wonderful dog Angel, who isn't always one....went counter surfing! Her loot was the new bag of dog treats (which she shared with Yolo), and two chocolate cupcakes! (*Don't freak out - I fed her chicken and rice- and it wasn't enough chocolate to hurt her - just enough to give her an upset tummy and sending her running for the yard to use the bathroom a couple of times!).  She made off with the loot when I was writing lesson plans!

So - I have uploaded a  new product to my TpT store! Yay!! I uploaded my ENTIRE collection of spelling lists. One for each week, PLUS a cut and sort for each week, for the whole year. The list include a parent letter, and everything is EDITABLE!!!

Each list starts with a letter asking students to write 5 sentences. I will edit this for some of my students to say "Complete 3 menu items". There are pattern words,as well as sight words to spell. 

There are also two dictation sentences. One sentence that follows the pattern words, and a second sentence that throws in vocabulary words from across the curriculum. Bonus sentences are worth 5 points! 

For every list there is also this cut and sort list. Students practice cutting and sorting words into the correct columns. 

Do you love it? I know I would have loved finding the work already done! I saved each list over a years time, and put them all into a zip folder. This folder is my newest addition on TpT! Check it out HERE!

Don't forget about my giveaway!!!!! There are still 5 days left to enter! Go to this blog post for your chance to win!

Good luck to my teacher friends going back to school this week, and good luck to those of us returning. Those still on vacation - enjoy your time!! :)

Make it Monday!! and a Freebie!

Wait- it's Monday?! Where did my weekend go? I was SO excited to cross off some items from my "Pinterest To Do List" for back to school! Since I'm not allowed in my classroom, I figured I need to have everything finished and ready to go for my first day in my room!

For Monday Made It, I'm linking up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics!


If you remember Friday, I spent the whole day with Momma. After we went to the doctor, and took care of some other things, she helped me create some totally awesome bulletin boards for my classroom!! This project cost about $20 for two bulletin boards! I was super excited! I present to you, Make it Monday -- bulletin board style!

 I have had this idea for a while now -- and I have seen it on several blogs done different ways. Several I saw used glue, or tape. I decided to use my staple gun. One of the blogs I first saw it on YEARS ago was HERE.  First, I went to Walmart, and found these twin sheets for only $4.00 a piece! I was SO happy because the turquoise color is PERFECT for my room this year. They only had it in a fitted sheet, which I thought would be okay -- I really had to make it work! If you plan on making your own, stick with the flat sheet! I also picked up some staples for my staple gun.
Then, Momma and I climbed in the Avalanche and headed to Lowes. I was on the hunt for Foam Board. You can find it in the building section -- this is the stuff they put on a house under the siding for insulation. I suggest you get the foam board with the coating on each side, not just the plain foam. It was $10 for something like an 8 or 9 foot board. I knew it would fit in the Avalanche, if I moved things around. Wait - I didn't want ONE board, I wanted TWO! So, I borrowed the cashier's box cutter, and cut my board in the checkout line! Simply score the board down one side, then the other, and fold! I was able to bring home two smaller pieces that didn't require any rearrangement!

I faced the foam pieces so that you can see what each side looks like -- one side is silver, and one is white. Next, I took my gray flat sheet, and laid it down, placing the foam piece ontop. If you only wanted to use one sheet, you would have to undo the hem in the sheet. I bought two, so I knew I would have some extra fabric. The next part is sooooo easy. Very neatly, pull tight and fold the fabric over. Use your staple gun to staple down the fabric! This was MUCH easier with Mom to help keep the fabric smoothed out! 

We went around each side, and on the fourth side, we cut off extra. I wanted some open space in the center to put my mounting tape. (Scotch 3M mounting tape). 

I thought the fitted sheet would be just as easy. Boy - was I wrong. Oh so wrong! Thankfully - my Momma is a patient woman, and we made it work! I HAD to have that color -- and she understood that! I ended up cutting out the corners and elastic on the fitted sheet. 

Not nearly as neat and pretty as the gray one! We flipped it over, and saw a problem!! 

My bulletin board had flabby skin on the front! 

Mom and I smoothed and pulled, and smoothed and pulled, and restapled along the back and.......

All is well in bulletin board land! I am SO happy with these two boards! I cannot wait to hang them on my wall! I only have one bulletin board- so this REALLY opens up some options for me! I cannot wait to hang these up! 

Also -- to celebrate my Liebster nomination, as well as making it to 5 followers on Bloglovin' I'm going to add in a Freebie! This is a poster I created to teach rounding, using the idea of a mountain! Do you like what you see? Go on over to my TpT store and download it! Rate my product, and let me know what you think! Check out the other freebies I have there too!