Have A Heart Valentine Math Station

Happy New Year!  Can you believe the holidays are over?  Well, almost- we always have Valentine's Day!  Here is a little math station to work on addition and subtraction facts.  I was perusing the dollar section of Target -don't tell Dollar Tree about this little indiscretion, I swear it was the first time!  I found some festive little ice trays, adorable hearts and plastic heart containers. 

You can hear it, can't you?  It's practically jumping off the screen saying, "Here I am!  Turn me into a math game!"  That's pretty much what I heard in Target.  First, I added numbers to the ice cube trays (2 for $2.50).

I took some of the small hearts and put them in the larger heart containers. 

The students will toss 2 small hearts into the ice cube trays.  The students will use the numbers to make a fact and then complete the fact family.  Students could also practice 3 addend addition!  Short and sweet- no pun intended! 

 



Hundreds Pocket Chart Team Builder

Tracking a hurricane and blogging!  Not my idea of an idyllic Saturday afternoon, but it could be worse.

I was cleaning out the closet in my classroom when I discovered a hidden cache of hundreds charts - six to be exact!  I already have one prominently displayed on the wall and I have one for the Smart Board.  It didn't seem right to throw them away.  What would I do with six perfectly good hundreds charts?   Then inspiration hit!  First, I stopped by Target to buy zipper pencil pouches that can go in a three ring binder.  Then, I dug through my cabinets to find my binder rings.  I put the number cards in the pencil pouch and used a binder ring to attach it to the hundreds chart.

I have six of these now; one for each table in my classroom.  The students will work in groups of four as they put the numbers in the pocket chart.  This will build ordering skills.  As our work continues, I may ask them to put only the odd numbers on the chart, or even numbers.  I can also instruct them to show the numbers they will use when counting by 2s, 5s, or 10s.  Not only will they build number sense, but they will also build social skills as they negotiate with each other and problem solve.  One of my goals this year is to provide more opportunities for small group work.  We complete partner tasks each day, but working in a small group really puts your social skills to the test!  This is one way I can help my little ones build relationships and math skills at once!  If you find any old pocket charts, hold on to them!  You might come up with a quick and nifty idea for them!

Enjoy,

Computation Stations

Hi All!  We have 7 more days of school and I have to say, I'm feeling a little crispy around the edges.  For those of you who do not know me, that means I'm burnt out.  I wanted to share something we do in our first grade.  Each Friday we have Computation Stations.  Computation Stations is a 1 hour rotation of math games and activities.  Some of the games/activities we do during this time have been posted on this blog.  I try to make sure the games/activities are hands-on, fun, and quick to do.  The children have 15 minutes to complete each station before moving on to the next.  One station is on the computers and SmartBoard.  The other stations are on the floor or at tables.  I set my timer and off they go!  I give them a five minute warning and then a one minute tidy time to ready the station for the next team.  Most of the stations focus on computation, but I also rotate in stations that focus on the current concept (time, money, geometric shapes, etc.).  The children love it and complete a ton of math in a short time.  They have so much fun and don't seem to realize how hard they are working.  Well, these sweet little friends asked if we could do "every single Computation Station we ever did!"  I have to say, it was a proud moment for me!  As a "special treat" they wanted to do HOURS of math!  I just love those learners!  Well, there are too many stations to set up in our classroom so we will need to move to the gymnasium for the day.  I can't wait for Computation Station Marathon!  It should be great fun and a fantastic way to close our math learning for first grade!  I hope the end of your year inspires you, too!

Mining For Jewels- Version 2.0

I created a poster to use for a second version of Mining For Jewels.  Instead of opening the jewels and using the numbers inside to create math facts, the students use the key on the poster to practice adding money.  Students use the butterfly nets to scoop up two or more (depending on skill level) jewels.  They use the key to determine what coins (or bill) they will be adding together.

Click here for the printable version!

Fondly,

Mining For Jewels

Happy Sunday!  We had a little fun in math this week with a new game I call Mining For Jewels.  I made the game with some deals from...wait for it...Dollar Tree and...wait for it...Walmart!  Around Easter, I found some beautiful metallic plastic eggs at Walmart.  Really, they are so pretty!  Not only are they metallic, but they are the prettiest jewel tones.  Frankly, they reminded me of jewels.  I bought several packages of the jewels (formerly known as eggs) and wrote one number on the inside of each half.  Next, I found butterfly nets at the Dollar Tree for, of course, one crisp dollar each!  I have all the jewels in a laundry basket.  My first graders use the butterfly nets to scoop one jewel, open it, and write a math fact with the two numbers that are inside the jewel.  Then they write the whole fact family! 

A lot of fun for a little money and building math skills, too!  What could be better?

Fondly,

Checker Facts

My students really enjoy playing sight word checkers, so I thought I would create a checkerboard with math facts.  Once again, I went to Dollar Tree to get more checkerboards.  I wrote addition facts in the red squares.  The idea is similar to sight word checkers; to move to a square you must solve the fact.  If you are planning to jump, you must solve the square you are jumping to and the square you jumped over. 

Here is a recording sheet I created for Checker Facts.

Click here to download the recording sheet!

Then I thought it would be great to practice place value using a checkerboard.  I used one board for tens and ones.  This is how it looks!  The rules are the same as above, but now the students write the number that the tens and ones make.  Great practice for a tricky skill!

Fondly,

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. 

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.