How Did You Solve It?

The last time I was at Lakeshore, you know only going for one thing...hundred dollars later you're going WHAT????  I saw this wonderful little box of goodness:

Click on the picture to go to Lakeshore Learning.

 

It is a box of 90 cards broken down into the 4 main strands of Common Core Math.  Right now they have them for grades 3, 4, and 5.  What is so special about these cards you ask?  Let me tell you.

I'm going to share with you one of the cards from the 3rd grade box.  It is for 3.OA.5 (and yes the standard is on each card)!  Here is what is on the card:  5x8=5x2x2x2x2  Then it has 2 questions:  1) "Is the equation true?" 2) "How do you know?"

The cards are working out great in my classroom.  I've only used a couple cards, since I just purchased this last weekend.  I'm setting the card on my document calendar and projecting it onto my marker board.  The kiddos are writing their answers in their math journal.  So far...so good.  I love how they have the thinking and explaining part on each card.

I don't know about you, but I'm having a hard time finding math resources to use for common core math that makes the students think and explain.  Have you found anything out there?

And by the way, see...I told you I would post about math!  :)

Progress Monitoring with Comprehension

I have one more ELA resource that I want to share with you all and then I will blog about one for math, I promise. 

I read about this book on a couple blogs.  I took a giant leap of faith and purchased it off of Amazon without being able to even see inside the book.  It was only like $13.00, so I figured why not.  When it arrived, I sat nervously opening it up hoping I didn't make a mistake in my purchase.

Click on the picture to go to Amazon.

I am not disappointed!  This book is broken down into 15 strategies like:  analyze character, identify cause and effect, make inferences, use text features to locate information, etc.  It even has a scoring for each individual student and a CD that includes all the assessments.  And for only $13.00!!!

The book's introduction explains how you use the assessments to monitor your students' understanding of a given topic.  If a student understands and applies the given strategy, they are done with that section.  If they missed too many questions, they will need additional instruction on that particular strategy.  Can you say RtI??

Even Better Common Core ELA Book - No Really!

 

Okay, so I know that on my last blog I shared with you a great common core book.  But really...this one I'm going to talk about is even better!

I found this one at Lakeshore Learning again.  I just went to their website and searched for the title, but it isn't coming up.  I guess because I went into the store and not everything is on their website???

Well, anyways.  I did find it on Amazon though.  It is cheaper on Amazon then at Lakeshore.  Here is a picture of the cover:

Click on the picture to go to Amazon. 

If you can see the cover, it says Practice-Assess-Diagnose.  It is set up for a week plan.  It has a different short passage for the child to read and answer a few questions on Days 1-3.  On Day 4 it has a longer passage and a few questions.  Then on Day 5 it has an extended response that kind of ties everything together. 

It has 36 weeks.  And it comes with a Digital CD with all 36 weeks on it!  It is awesome!  I think I even like this one more than the one I blogged about the other day.

Have you found any good resources?

Great Common Core Book

It's me again.  I know...twice in one week???  Can it be that I'm finally settling into school and a routine again???  I sure hope so!

Now on to a great common core book that I found.  I don't know how things are going with common core at your school, but it isn't going too smoothly here.  We do not have a common core friendly curriculum and we are using our outdated textbooks that are at least 8 years old for math and older for reading!  Needless to say, I am scrambling!!!

Here is one that I found.

Click on the picture to go to Amazon.

I didn't buy this on Amazon.  I bought it at Lakeshore Learning.  I don't like buying books about common core on Amazon, because I never know what the book will be like.  It is cheaper on Amazon by a couple dollars.


It is different than any other book that I've found out there.  It is broken down into 3 main units:  narrative texts, informational texts, and opinions/arguments.  Then it breaks those down into 10 units ranging from personal narrative, social studies/science texts, fables, persuasive letters, etc.

The best thing about it???  It has 3 leveled reading passages but the comprehension questions are the same.  Isn't that neat?  They use the same vocabulary words, it is just different length texts.  That way you can have all your students reading "the same story". 

I'm planning on using it during RtI time with different groups.  I'll let you know how it goes.


If you found a great book for common core that you use, please let me know.  I would love to share good ideas to use with common core!

Fold Your Paper Posters

Hi everyone.  I know it has been awhile.  So sorry about that!  :(

I am heading into my fourth week of school.  I can't believe it.  I don't know about all of you, but boy is the beginning of the year rough sailing for a few weeks.  Isn't it???

My class is funny and polite, but boy do they like to talk!  And I have my hands full with bunches of different levels....oh well, at least they are funny, right???

I was trying to explain to my kiddos the other day how to fold a piece of notebook paper for our first spelling test.  I was telling them use a hot dog fold.  They looked at me crazy like.  Now at that moment I didn't look crazy.

So out of necessity, I made these posters.   

 

 

If you think you would like them, I will email the first few people who comment.  I figure a freebie may make you forgive me for my time away.