Common Core Math Ideas

My Kinders are currently learning different strategies they can use when they add or subtract. Here is a picture of some of the posters I have created for my students to use when given an addition or subtraction situation that they need to follow.

Click here to get your free copy.

One of my student's favorite Math Game is The Haunted House Game.

Students play with a partner.  They are given a plastic bag with 1-10 number cards and ten lima bean ghosts (with a pen draw a spooky face on a lima bean).  The directions of how to play the game at home are glued to the back of the bag.  First the start with the number 3.  They lay the card in front of the standing haunted house and place 3 ghosts by the number card.  One student closes their eyes white the other hides some or all of the ghosts in the haunted house bag.  When the other child opens their eyes they must say the number of ghosts that are in the haunted house.  This game supports all of the strategies learned in addition and subtractions.  Once the number 3 becomes to easy, students lay the next number with the corresponding ghosts.

Click here for a free copy of the Haunted House Game

Gingerbread Man Fun!

I love teaching this unit, since it incorporates lots of opportunities to meet Common Core Standards in fun and exciting ways.  It also incorporates all types of modalities.

Students are given many opportunities to hear different versions of this Folk Tale.  Students are asked to identify, compare and retell the adventures of this unique character. Here are a few of my favorite stories of the Gingerbread Man. Click on the pictures to get more information about each book.

           
            

                                         
                                          and my new favorite:
                                              
My classroom consists of many EL students.  I use a lot of Language Stems helping all children be able to participate in Literature discussions.

Freebie: Click here for a copy of script and pictures

My students love to sing this Gingerbread Man  Song

Gingerbreadmen stories invite wonderful art and writing experiences.  

Students enjoy finger painting with brown paint.  I always add a little starch to the brown poster paint. You need to demonstrate how to press down with their fingers to make the designs on the paper. Finger paint paper works best, but I also use the back side of slick book covers usually donated at the beginning of the year by companies or old posters.

After the painting has dried, cut out the man.
Let the students decorate with white rick rack. a fuzzy red pompom nose, buttons and craft eyes. With a black pen they can draw his mouth.

Students are then asked, "If you were the Gingerbread Man (Girl), what character would you would like to see?  They write on the speech bubble, I see a (draw a picture in the box) and help me spell the word under the box.  This is then displayed in the classroom for students to read and eventually will go into their Kindergarten memory book.

Freebie: Speech Bubble for Gingerbreadman

In First Grade, Students draw a map of their adventure of the Gingerbread man. They glue a real cookie onto their picture.  If you have ants, I would recommend giving them a gingerbread man eraser.

One of my Literacy Centers is playing ABC Gingerbread Man Bingo

Click here for a free copy of this fun game.

Color Exploration

I teach students who come from all types of backgrounds.  One of the strategies I use to unify and build language and cognitive skills in all students is to base my curriculum around science and social studies themes.  My first them is learning about colors.  My English language students need this language to be successful for the rest of the year, yet many students already come in with that knowledge and need to take the study further.  The books I love to use are:   Click on the Picture for information of where you can purchase these great books.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Pete the Cat I love my White Shoes

Students love to  sing the Song of Brown Bear. Music by Greg and Steve

I like to embed YouTube videos in my Interactive Whiteboard presentations.  This is a great one.

Love this great art idea to explore Pete the Cat and his colored shoes.

Other Books that support the theme I use to support Color Exploration are:
Click on the picture for more information about the books.

Mouse Paint

                 

Color Dance

White Rabbit's Color Book

Students love to retell the story Mouse Paint with primary colored frosting.

This activity can also be used with retelling the story Color Dance, but now they are experimenting how the amounts of the primary colors can make colors such as violet, aqua, etc.
Students also explore color in the Science Exploration Center.  Here are a few items in this fun center.
                                   

Students can record their findings onto to these sheets.

Link to this Freebie

A Smartboard Activity Freebie created by Michele Moss

Beginning of School

First Day of School Agenda
Students put away their backpacks and then look for their name on one of the work tables.  I purchase the name tags found at lakeshore Learning stores.  I like the safety features and durability.

Name tags
I use Avery Design online to create individual name tags with their name in a color of their reading group, an icon (rockets, suns, earths, and stars) for math groups, computer number, and exploration group.  I can save them so I can revise as I change groupings and print them out for subs.
Avery Wizard
When all of the students have arrived and parents have left, I call students to the carpet to read:

Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes

We then go on a school tour trying to find Pete the Cat using the clues found on Ms. Lirette's  Blog.     .Pete the Cat Groovy School Tour

Pete the Cat awaits them back in the classroom with this yummy treat.

After being introduced to our playground and eating their treat, students were introduced to retelling a story by putting pictures of the adventures of Pete the Cat in order.   They then practiced retelling their story to a friend and late retold the story to their parents using the below paper book they took home later that day.

Free Download of School Shoes

The first week of school was exciting and yet sad.  I have a terrific group of students and parents this year!  But at the end of the week my Smart Board (which was 5 years old) broke and will be unable to be repaired.  I have spent many, many hours making exciting Common Core Lessons.  It may be a while till I get a replacement, if at all since I am the only teacher in our district with one, so I am looking for alternatives.  Since I may be the one who has to purchase the replacement and I am close to retirement, I am looking at possibly using a 44 " touch LED monitor.  I played with one at a store yesterday and it is definitely something to explore.  I can't use a projector since my students sit on the floor during direct instruction and if I was to put one behind them, the projection would be too big for them to interact with it.  I also have 24 student response systems (i responds) so I definitely need some kind of large monitor.  I am also experimenting using my ipad as a whiteboard since we will be getting wireless in my classroom next month.  Trying it out at home, I noticed some issues, so I am unsure.

We just got some District Wide Consistencies that require the use of Listening Centers to be linked to Common Core. I created two guided activities.  One to help students get ready for their first opinion writing assessment.  This week students had to listen to the story, color the like or do not like picture, draw a picture of their favorite or not so favorite part of the story.  The title of the book was already written in and the word I.  Students had to copy the word like or do not like and then dictate the because part of the story.  Next week students write I and either like or do not like but the title is already there and they dictate again to an assistant.  The third week they write above plus copy the title and dictate.

Free Opinion Listening Center Activity

The second Listening Center Activity helps students see how the characters, setting and the sequence of the events of literature create the story.  Students are not expected to complete the whole activity.  As we worked on Sequence of Events with Pete the Cat, I had other stories for the students to listen to that had distinct events for example Olmo and the Butterfly.  Students heard the story and drew "3 things that happened in the story".  I would tie those words with "Sequence of Events".  I am not asking students to put what happened in order of sequence quite yet.  That will come later in the year.

Free Copy of Listening Center Activity

A New Year and a New Goal

My goal this year is to collaborate and share best instructional practices with other kindergarten teachers. This week I have been busy getting ready for the first week of school. Our district has received a grant that encourages Blended Learning.  For those who are not familiar with this term, it means maximizing learning through the use of high quality first instruction and technology resources. This can be foreign to many, but exciting.  I have seen the power of this kind of classroom for the past 5 years.  I have had the use of a Smartboard, individual clickers (iresponds), and 8 computers for 25 kindergarten students.

This week I have revised several powerpoint presentations I will use for our First Day Orientation and Back to School Night.

Welcome to Kindergarten loop
Back to School Presentation

One of the projects that the students will be completing during the first week, is decorating a large paper doll.  I will take head shots of the students the first day to glue on the dolls after students have dressed them.  Their names will be displayed under the doll.  These are displayed on Back to School Night.

Also important is a good set of Common Core Standards.  I created these standards with matching stickers.  The posters come in both portrait and landscape view and are in kid friendly language and color pictures that illustrate what students need to know. I display them in a pocket chart that I found that allows me to easily change the posters.

Click here for more information about the Kindergarten Language arts Common Core posters and stickers

 For more information about the Kindergarten Math Common Core Posters