Teaching with Jennifer Findley
Upper Elementary Teaching Blog
Subtracting mixed numbers with regrouping can be super tricky for some (or most) students. There are many ways to teach subtracting mixed numbers with regrouping using manipulatives that may help your students conceptualize the process. On this post, Rachel from You've Got This Math will share three of her favorite ways to teach subtracting mixed numbers when borrowing is … [Read more...] about Subtracting Mixed Numbers with Regrouping (Using Manipulatives)
Adding Jenga in a small group center is one of my favorite ways to liven up ordinary review or task cards. Jenga is extremely versatile, and even the plain ones can be used with any set of task cards (read about playing Jenga this way for test prep here). This post will specifically share how to use the colored sets to review fractions (4th and 5th grade fractions games … [Read more...] about Free Fraction Game | Jenga Fraction Review
Jenga is such a fun game to play in the classroom to review different tasks. Click here to read more about how I use Jenga for test prep review with any set of task cards. In addition to using Jenga for test prep, I also like to use it to review specific skills. With the colored Jenga blocks, I created a fun decimals game that works great for reviewing 4th and 5th grade … [Read more...] about Free Decimals Game | Jenga Decimal Review
Have you ever asked a student to explain his or her answer in math and get a blank look, a quick change in answer, or the response, "I just did it in my head"? To be honest, each year my students pretty much start the school year this way. But, through purposeful instruction, I am able to get even those students with blank looks explaining their answers in complete … [Read more...] about Explaining Answers in Math: How to Help Your Students Explain Their Thinking
While I am a firm believer in students reading real books that they choose and doing this often, I also love to include reading games and reading centers in my instruction. On this post, I will share three of my favorite types of reading games and centers for 4th and 5th grade, free reading games and centers for each type, and links to buy more if you are interested in … [Read more...] about FREE Reading Games and Centers for 4th and 5th Grade
Spiral review is truly the most powerful thing I do in my classroom to help my students master skills, retain skills, and make connections between the topics they are learning. In this post, I will break down all the ways I make spiral review work for me to help it work for you and your students. Why Use Spiral Review? Recently, I had a conversation with a teacher … [Read more...] about How To Make Spiral Review Work for You and Your Students
The holidays are the perfect time of the year to teach students the importance of being kind. To do this, I like to have my students complete random acts of kindness throughout the month of December using a holiday-themed RAK bingo to guide us. In this post, I will share the bingo board that I use with tips for how to use it in your classroom. Ways to Use the Random … [Read more...] about Random Acts of Kindness Ideas for Students: FREE Christmas RAK Bingo
Fourth and fifth graders are definitely not too old to enjoy Christmas games (or holiday games). This post shares some of my favorite Christmas games for the classroom. Many of these ideas also double as Christmas gifts. The games are pure fun and not educational. If you are looking for educational Christmas activities for your 4th and 5th graders, then click … [Read more...] about Christmas Games for the Classroom
I love all things holiday and am always looking for ways to engage my students and keep them motivated to behave and work during the months leading up to a major holiday. Even though my students are fifth graders, I still want them to enjoy a bit of the magic of Christmas. In this post, I will share a super engaging Christmas mystery bag activity that works well for a … [Read more...] about Christmas Party Activity for Upper Elementary
The holidays are the perfect time to engage your students with activities that you don't get to do during the regular school year. This Christmas STEM activity is a student favorite and perfect for engaging your students in engineering and math skills while also sneaking in some holiday fun. STEM Focus: The focus for this Christmas STEM activity is engineering and … [Read more...] about Christmas STEM Activity: Gumdrop Christmas Tree
Do you dread teaching division each year? I used to be in that camp. My students struggled big time with division because they lacked number sense and conceptual understanding. However, and thankfully, I learned that it doesn't have to be like that. I can use division strategies that are not only developmentally appropriate but that also make sense for my students. In … [Read more...] about Division Strategies for 5th Grade
With the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas surrounding us for almost a quarter of a year, have you ever stopped to consider how all the Christmas objects and decorations actually came to be? Who invented it and when? This whole class or individual student Christmas craft (or simply a Christmas reading activity) is a great way to bring in some holiday cheer into your … [Read more...] about Christmas Craft for Upper Elementary | Christmas Inventions Activity
