Fishin' 4 Addition

While at Dollar Tree (where else would I be), I found magnetic fishing games.  Each game comes with a fishing pole that has a magnet on the end of the line and three little sea creatures that also have magnets. 

I bought six so I could use them during computation stations.  When I got home I dug out my magnet stuff and found the bingo chips I bought years ago.  They are plastic with a metal ring around the exterior - I bought these at Wal-Mart many, many years ago.  I wrote numbers on small, white round stickers, the kind people use for pricing things at yard sales, and stuck one on each bingo chip.  I also wrote a number on each of the sea creatures that came with the game.  On one creature I wrote the word WILD, so students could choose their own number for that one. 

The idea is to go fishing for two numbers and write an addition fact using those numbers, then write a related subtraction fact.  There you have it- Fishin' 4 Addition! 

I created a recording sheet.  Click here for the printable version!

You could tweak this game and use the numbers they catch for greater than/less than, odd/even, or making two digit numbers and place value activities. 

Sight Word Checkers

I found this compact checker board at...wait for it...Dollar Tree!  Yup, you guessed it- $1.  Using my trusty sharpie yet again, I wrote sight words on the red squares.  On the board below I wrote some sight words that we have been struggling with.  On another board I wrote the days of the week, months of the year and numbers. 

To move your checker, you have to read the word on the square you are moving to.  If you are planning to "jump" another player's checker, you must read both the square you are jumping to and the square the other player is already on.  You can tweak the rules to suit your students' needs.  As the students read squares and move their checkers, they will record the words they have read.  The recording sheet below can have squares added or taken away, depending on your needs.  

Click here to download the recording sheet!

Fondly,

Billiards Addition

This great little find is from my excursion to Dollar Tree.  After adding a few numbers with my ever-present sharpie, it was suddenly a fun math activity! 

The kids will use this during Friday's Computation Stations.  While working in pairs they will take turns trying to get the balls in the pockets.  Use the pocket numbers to write an addition fact. Then write a related subtraction fact. 

Here's the recording sheet I mentioned!  

Click here to download recording sheet.

Smiles & Savings on Sunday!

Hello Friends!
I kept reading about the great materials teachers were finding at Dollar Tree.  Now, I always go there for my gift bags and stickers, but I wasn't taking advantage of all that wonderful place has to offer.  After reading Heidi's blog at Swamp Frog First Graders, I decided to take a jaunt there myself on this fine Sunday morning.  Truthfully, I wasn't feeling particularly creative when I got there, but I had a short list to follow.  Once inside, every piece of merchandise held the potential for a skill-building activity with just a tweak here and there.  Ah, yes, the mother ship was calling me home and I eagerly answered with my open wallet! I spent $39 and have the makings for 5 different math games and supplies to make 6 of each game! Nice!  As I finish putting them together and observe my students using them, I will fill you in on the nitty-gritty! 
     Fondly,

    

New Beginnings and Farewells in Sight

Dear Friends,
I'm so glad you are joining me in this new adventure.  I returned to teaching first grade in the fall and have fallen in love with it all over again.  I can't believe I stayed away so long.  This year I started a website to help my families be better informed and connected to our learning.  Now I begin this endeavor in blogging.  This should be an interesting ride!
Recently, I was looking for ways to make math more interesting and hands-on for my students.  I stumbled upon some great blogs like Swamp Frog First Grade and Teacher Tipster.  I found so many ideas that I was able to implement immediately!  As I discovered genius idea after genius idea, I realized that the sharing that happens online is an important kind of professional development.  When we go to conferences or participate in common planning time, we are asking for ideas and sharing our best thinking.  When we do this online, our learning community becomes much larger.  This can only lead to immense professional growth.  I thought that if I could learn that much visiting other teachers' blogs, then I could experience more by writing a blog and inviting you to join me.
I am attending a conference next week that would interfere with parent teacher conferences so I decided to hold conferences early.  While I shared my students' work with their parents, it suddenly hit me that we only have one quarter left together.  I have had a few  glimpses of our inevitable farewell, but the conferences made it so real.  Just recently I noticed impressive learning and thinking happening.  It's interesting that we spend so much of our time working to ready our students for the next school year.  As I mentioned earlier, I have been a special educator for the last 6 years.  The nature of my role meant that I worked with my students for about 3 years.  I'm used to teaching them and being part of their learning process for more than just one year.  Well, one of the occupational hazards is that we meet amazing little human beings and get to be part of their lives for a heartbeat and that is all.  As I prepare my students to transition to second grade, I prepare myself to say goodbye to them. 
In the next few months there is much to do, many skills to sharpen, and many lessons to learn.  Thanks for sharing this time with me!  I'll post about the conference I'm attending later in the week!
Be well!