Daily Language Practice

Third grade is a huge year for language concepts, and it seems like with the Common Core, we are learning something new each week.  I created this resource as a quick daily practice to help keep my students skills sharp throughout the whole year.

This packet provides 9 weeks of daily language review and practice that includes proofreading, parts of speech, prefixes, multiple-meaning words, and reference skills.  Each week combines fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and short answer questions.

I have used this packet for whole-group review, morning bell work, and even a quick literacy center.  

You can find this product in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.   


For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, please visit my blog, Down the Hall in Third.  Enjoy!  
   

 

Take a Walk Down Memory Lane: Autobiography Freebies

My students write autobiographies in writing workshop as part of a larger unit of study in reading workshop of biographies and historical fiction. This project is great for building the home/school connection as students talk with their families about their memories and baby story. The finished books make great family keepsakes too.

I've provided a variety of 30 printable pages (table of contents, timeline, poems, memories, and more). Students can pick and choose so each book is as totally unique as the special author. You can get this packet totally free in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, click over to visit me at Ms. Fultz's Corner.

Math Stations or Centers in a Snap!

We are all crunched for time these days. Even as a tutor, I wanted some materials that I could throw together at a moments notice when I saw a skill that my student needed help with now.  I created these awesome things called 3-5 Common Core Aligned Playing Card Math Mats (say that 5 times!).  The title though tells us exactly what it is!

Every math mat has been aligned with the Common Core and it's easy to see which standard has been met.  Let's look at the anatomy of a math mat.

In the upper right hand corner, you'll see an oval with the Common Core Standard written inside.  At the top we have clearly written directions for the student.  Over to the left in a banner is the skill that is being worked on.  The rectangles in the center are used to write inside of or place cards in (if there is enough room).

I like to have mine printed out and slid into a sheet protector so I can use them again and again.  All that would be needed to throw together this center or station is a deck of cards, a dry erase marker, and the playing card math mats.  Many teachers use them for early finisher students too, differentiation activities, and test prep games.

My students really enjoy using these math mats.  They are fun and less intimidating than a page full of math problems.  I love watching them cruise through the practice and they feel much more confident with the skill after they are done.

You can view the entire product (66 pages) before you purchase it over at Teachers Pay Teachers.  These are a deal at $8.00.  There also is just grade 3 available.  I think they are awesome, but don't take my word for it, read the comments in the ratings section.

Adrianne is the author of The Tutor House.

Math Intervention! {Elapsed Time}

Are your students struggling with elapsed time?  I've found that elapsed time is one of the more difficult concepts for my students to "get" easily.  This Math Intervention pack helped my RTI students meet grade level standards with a scaffolded approach.

This lesson addresses the intervals of time portion of the following Common Core Standard:
CCSS.Math.Content.4.MD.A.2 Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.
Lessons Included:
1- Introduction to Time- review telling time on an analog clock, make a clock, 2 intro time word problems
2- Time Number Lines- 3 time problems and graphic organizer for elapsed time
3- More in Depth with Time Number Lines- graphic organizer then 3 time problems
4- Creating Word Problems- solve personalized word problem, students write their own elapsed time word problem
5- Big Problems (more difficult time word problems)- 3 time problems and 1 time graphic organizer
6-7 Big Word Problem Task Cards- 6 task cards with time word problems
8- Progress Quiz- 4 question quiz

Check it out at my TpT Store, The Science Penguin.

For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, please visit my blog www.thesciencepenguin.com.

Math Vocabulary Word Wall Cards: 3rd, 4th, and 5th

My name is Gina and I'm from Beach Sand and Lesson Plans. I'm so excited to be a part of this new collaborative board! This is a great opportunity to share resources and products that will help us all on the road to Common Core. Here is South Florida we are just starting the journey. CCSS will be fully implemented in grades 3-5 by 2014. We will take our FCAT test until then and switch to the PARCC during the 2014-2015 school year. CCSS are still fairly new to us. I have been reading and listening and thinking about these standards in order to be prepared when it is upon us!

I have created 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade CCSS math vocabulary cards. Since I could not find an "official" list of vocabulary, I combined lists I found and after reading through the standards, decided on the ones I thought were most important. Each set contains word cards with a visual representation of the definition. The 5th grade set contains more cards with definitions included. I hope you find many uses for this class resource!

Task Card Fun In the Sun

Hi! I'm Amber from Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher  I'm so excited to be a part of this new collaborative blog!  I think this will be a great place to learn more about CCSS products and ideas to use in the classroom.

I'm a third grade teacher in North Carolina. This is our first year implementing Common Core in NC and so far I love it!  I really enjoy the new math standards.  With the old NC Standard Course of study we had to cover so much, I never had enough time to teach everything well.  Now, we can spend so much time on solving problems, that students really get a great foundation of number sense.  
One way that I like to practice word problems in my class is through task cards.  Task cards are great because you can use them to play games such as Scoot, small group work or even early finisher work!  I have lots of task cards at my store. You can click here to check them out. 
If you haven't tried using task cards before, I have a freebie for you!  It's getting awfully warm here in NC, so these have a fun summer & beach theme!  They align to Third & Fourth Grade CCSS, but they would be great review for 5th graders. Click on the picture below to download them! 

For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, please visit my blog Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher. 

The Perfect Square: Reading and Math Activties

I am so excited to be part of this new collaborative project! I think this can be a great place to see wonderful lessons in action and find out more about them than you can get on Teachers Pay Teachers. 

My name is Adrianne and I author over at The Tutor House.  I like creating things for small groups and tutors.  The lesson I wanted to share with you today is aligned with CCSS for Math in grades 2-4.  They all have to do with geometry, so it's okay to cover each of these standards no matter which grade you are teaching because they do have some overlap.

Perfect Square by Michael Hall  

Book Activities

Start out by watching this book trailer with your students.  I love this little short and sweet video because it shows the book in motion and how the square changes.  Then read the book with your students and talk about the attributes of the square.

In the following days, you'll complete this math/art project with your students.  Each child will make their own Perfect Square book.  Check out my sample below and make sure to head over to my TpT store to download your free lesson.

Here's the book trailer!

Adrianne is the author of The Tutor House

Multiplication Fact Boot Camp

The Common Core tells us that by the end of 3rd Grade, students should be able to "fluently multiply and divide within 100...and by the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two-one digit numbers".  With this standard in mind, I have enlisted my students in "Multiplication Boot Camp". 

I have used this packet with my 3rd graders after teaching the concept of multiplication.  Each week, we focus in on a single set of facts which are tested on Friday.  Students learn strategies and practice at school.  They also practice their facts at home nightly and record their practice on their homework log.  Students track their own progress in their portfolios using the progress tracking sheet included in this packet.  Students who pass all tests, 0-9, are invited to celebrate at our class "Boot Camp Graduation".  We've had a blast working our way through Boot Camp!

This product is available for sale in my TPT Store, Down the Hall in Third Store.  For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, please visit my blog, Down the Hall in Third.  Enjoy!  

Teaching Fractions on the Number Line

Teach Fractions on the Number Line

When we teach fractions, we usually begin with pies or pizzas. We cut them up, teach the fraction names and such. Then Common Core Standard decides that students must know how to put fractions on the number line.  {Panic}

All of my students that have never done this before completely flipped out on me (so did their parents). It was just too strange and difficult to figure out. I came up with an activity that takes the simplicity of a pizza and added the number line to it.

This lesson actually works well for any grade level because the standards are so new, a lot of students younger and older still need to learn this concept.

Watch the video below to see how I to teach this concept and download this freebie from my Teachers Pay Teachers shop. This video came from my sister site, Kids Cog Works.  I made this video a long time ago.

Adrianne is the author of The Tutor House.

Poetry Month Resources

April is National Poetry month, so we celebrate each year by creating our own poetry books. Each student creates his or her own poetry book, but we also compile our resources into a classroom anthology that I copy for each student. It truly is a unit I look forward to teaching each year. Figurative language, parts of speech, creative writing... it's all there!

If you want to try a poetry unit with your students this month but aren't sure where to start, you can grab my poetry pack in my TpT Store. I also made a short video to walk you through the process with your students. They're going to love it!

For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, click over to visit me at Ms. Fultz's Corner.

Comparing and Ordering Integers

With Spring Break coming to an end, I am busy planning for next week.  Math is bringing us integers and I am hoping my little darlings don't get too confused!!  I created a number line for them that I will laminate and stick to the top of their desks so they don't have to squint to see the one on my wall!!

Click on the picture below if you need one for your darlings:

The Common Core doesn't get into integers until the 6th grade, but it is a part of my curriculum, so I can't not do them!!!  I am sure most of you are in the same boat as well.  I honestly believe that students need to "meet" integers before the 6th grade.  So, I am in the process of creating some fun integer games and task cards.  The first few are focused on just ordering and comparing positive and negative numbers.  I will soon be looking into creating products to help with adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers.

This is a fun twist on the old card game, War.  It is played the exact same way as well.  The students lay out a card and the highest card wins.  The person holding all the cards at the end is the winner.  Click on the picture to grab this from my store:

These task cards can also be found at my store:

If you like what you see, visit me at my blog for more fun!!  www.myjourneyto5thgrade.com

Thanks for reading,
Julie

Math Intervention! {Customary Conversions}

Are your students struggling with converting customary units of measurement?  It's a tough concept.  When used before introducing customary conversions to the whole class, my remediation students were able to keep up with the new concepts as they were taught.

The scaffolded instruction through 6 short lessons and a 4 question progress quiz helped them gain the skills and confidence to meet grade level requirements.

This intervention pack meets the customary measurement portion of the following Common Core Standard.
CCSS.Math.Content.5.MD.A.1 Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.

Included:
1- Units of Measurement- Reviewing customary units of measurement
2- Length- 2 mini-posters for 2 different problem solving strategies (5 Steps and Conversion Tables), 4 word problems
3- Weight- 4 word problems
4- Volume and Capacity- 4 problems
5- Extra Practice- 4 multi-step word problems
6- Task Cards- 8 review task cards
7- Progress Quiz- 4 question quiz

This product is available for sale in my TpT Store, The Science Penguin.

For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, please visit my blog www.thesciencepenguin.com.

Scribble Stories for Creative Writing

If you want to get your kids to write, let them do a little art first.  With scribble stories, students take the scribble and turn it into something creative. They get to spend some time designing and even coloring.  I absolutely love seeing how different kids take the same scribble and make it become something totally different from others that have the same scribble.  By the time they have finished the art, they have already created some kind of story in their head.  Plus, for some reason, by simply allowing them to do the art first, they seem to take ownership of the paper and the writing will pretty much flow.  When I hang these in the hallway, I typically take any that started off with the same scribble and hang them right beside each other.  That way everyone can enjoy seeing how each child turned it into something different.  It's a fun and creative writing project.  Enjoy!

You can get my scribble stories pack by clicking HERE.

Thanks for checking them out.

Hover over image and click to pin to Pinterest. 

For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, please visit my blog Classroom Confections.

 

 

Math Adventures with Jimmy Jump Drive - Rounding Numbers

 Meet Jimmy Jump Drive, an adorable character who will guide your students through the common core math.  The first of Jimmy's adventures will help students practice rounding numbers to the nearest tens and hundreds places.  Included in  this 11 page PDF, you will find 2 basic practice pages, 2 number sorting mats, 1 Jimmy Jump Drive hundreds board, and 1 Jimmy Jump Drive place value board with place value number cards and a student record sheet.

This is just the beginning of the fun.  For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, please visit my blog http://stimulatingsciencesimulations.blogspot.com/

Poetry and Figurative Language

We have been working on poetry and Figurative Language for the last couple of weeks.  

This week we started writing our own poems about feelings and emotions.

I started out by making up these sheets for the kids to do some brainstorming and pre-writing.

(I am putting together a file for TPT, but it is still a work in progress.)

I modeled one first on chart paper (sorry forgot to take a picture!)

Then I sent them out to fill in theirs with all things they associated with each feeling or emotion.

Today I shared with them the poem I wrote last night using the information from my chart.

We talked about spacing and line breaks,

similes and metaphors that we have been working on,

and the kind of format they should use for their poems

(any format they wanted for this one.)

I set them loose to write and we came back together after about 45 minutes to share out.

They blew me away!

I was so impressed with the kiddos who shared today.

They had some AMAZING poems.

I will definitely share them when we publish.

Tonight they were to be thinking about another of the 8 emotions to write about tomorrow.

I can't wait!

For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, please visit my blog,

Confessions of a Teaching Junkie

Primary and Secondary Sources

I am not really sure what is so hard about determining the difference between primary and secondary resources, but some kids just don't get it.  And, of course, I am always looking for a game to help my kids learn material.  My kids had a lot of fun with this game.  The game board is one of my favorites!  Check it out and see if it will work for your students.

You can find this colorful primary and secondary sources game by clicking HERE.

Just a reminder....

A primary source provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, person or work of art. In contrast, a secondary source  was created after the event happened. In secondary sources, the information has been interpreted, commented, analyzed or processed in such a way that it no longer conveys the newness of the original material.

For more Common Core aligned teaching ideas, please visit my blog Classroom Confections.