Being a classroom teacher for seven years taught me the importance of having tools or references for my student to use while they were working independently or in small groups. In the regular classroom, those tools were often anchor charts and students' interactive notebooks. However, after spending a few years in support positions where I "pushed in" or "pulled out" to ... Read More
Word Problem Strategies : Analyzing Word Problems with Free Organizers/Mats
Word problems used to be the bane of my existence as a new teacher. Thankfully, I learned new strategies and resources to help me implement and teach word problem strategies all year. To be honest, teaching word problems all year was the ONE thing that I did that had the greatest impact (if you are interested in more information about word problems and how I teach them, ... Read More
Free Geometry Activities
Geometry, specifically 2-D shapes, is one of those skills that my students need to practice a lot to remember the definitions and characteristics of the different shapes. To mix up my practice, I like to use these free geometry activities that are super low-prep but still engaging for the students. Materials Needed: Printable Cube ---> Download at the end of ... Read More
2-D Shapes Game with Jenga Blocks | Free Printables
My students are pretty much obsessed with playing Jenga to review. I have been on a mission to create as many Jenga games as I can (see the full list at the bottom of this post), and my newest game is a 2-D shapes game that is perfect for 4th graders or review for 5th graders. Keep reading to learn more about this game and download the printables for free! Amazon ... Read More
Lines and Angles Activities with Twizzlers and Skittles
Geometry standards seem to be the last skills I teach before state testing. Because of this, I tend to be a bit rushed (to have time to review all the other math standards), and the students have major spring fever. This year, I mixed things up a bit and brought in some sweet treats to practice lines and angles in an engaging way that would help the skills stick with the ... Read More
Measurement Conversions Activity {Freebie}
This week we started Measurement Conversions. Measurement is one of my favorite skills to teach, and it is super easy to make that real life connection. Take a look to see what we did to make a real life connection. I gathered several different circulars and weekly ads with measurements in the ads. Then I printed the printable for the students to show their work ... Read More
Measurement Activities and Questions to Ask
I recently read Chapter 5 of Good Questions for Math Teaching Grades K-6 and I wanted to share some of my takeaways with you. This chapter focused specifically on t measurement and good questions to ask when teaching measurement. Click here to read my post that reviews the chapter on teaching data and chance. I LOVED this chapter because it provided actual ... Read More
Measurement Conversions for Kids Who Just Don’t Get It
Do you ever find that those are some kids who just can't seem to get a skill after the millionth time you have practiced it? This was definitely me a few weeks ago while teaching measurement conversions. We were struggling with measurement conversions because they had little understanding of measurement and little to no knowledge of relative sizes of the unit. They ... Read More
Teaching Volume – (Free Volume Hands-on Activity and Posters)
When we moved to the Common Core standards this year, volume was a new skill for my 5th graders. Also, since there were three standards that addressed some aspect of volume, it was assessed more frequently than the other standards. I knew I needed to find or create some quality and engaging resources for teaching volume. This post shares my go-to activities, video, and ... Read More
