SA and I did this math activity together last term, and I've been intending to share it ever since. It was the best week of math we've ever had. I could see and hear the learning happening, and we both enjoyed every minute of it. We worked away at it every day, and often SA would ask to just do a bit more after our 10 minutes was up. I have to be honest and tell you that I didn't put a lot of thought or planning into this lesson. I opened up one of my math game/activity books as I do every Monday morning (in this case Family Math). The purpose of the activity was to provide "many hours of highly motivated addition practice." Because SA had just learned how to add and carry, I thought it might work for us. So I printed off 100 Charts for SA, JJ, and myself (though I noticed, revisiting it, that Family Math called for a 0-99 Chart. It will work either way.). Maybe you've heard of palindromes before, and you're thinking, "I thought they were words or sentences that spell the same thing forwards and backwards." And you would be right. The number variety also "spell" the same forwards and backwards: 44, 121, 1111. Our first step was to find all the palindromes. We found and coloured 11, 22, 33, 44, 55, etc. with one colour. Those were the 0-step palindromes. Next, we started to turn the non-palindromes into palindromes. We flipped the numbers and added them together. For example, we added 12 + 21 = 33. Aha! A palindrome. That one just took one "flip and add." We coloured the "one-step palindromes" with a second colour, and started making a colour key at the bottom of the page. Some numbers took longer: 19 + 91 = 110, 110 + 011 = 121. That was a two-step palindrome. There were even a couple that we didn't solve (I'll let you find them. You're welcome.). We ended up making a separate colour for numbers that still hadn't turned into palindromes after ten "flip and adds." After a while we started to see an interesting pattern on our pages. We did not duplicate each other's work, even though we each had our own pages. SA would figure some of them out, and I'd figure others out, and then we'd both colour our numbers according to what the other person figured out. JJ (3) would just copy our colours. After we were working on it for a while, SA began to notice certain patterns. The first one was after doing number 30. "Mama!" he said excitedly. "40 is a one-step palindrum, and 50, and 60, and 70, all the way to 90!" "Palindrome," I corrected. "And why is that?" "30 is 33, so 40 is 44, and 50 is 55." He was busily colouring them all blue. "Why, you're right!" I exclaimed, and got busy colouring all of mine as well. A little later, I noticed that 12 + 21 = 21 + 12. (In other words, we should be able to colour them the same colour without doing the sum all over again.) I tried and tried to get SA to notice this. If he added up 23 + 32, I would add up 32 + 23 beside him. But he did not get it, even when I drew lines between them to connect them. Then suddenly, two days later, he suddenly found it himself, and he was so excited about it. I had to laugh. Later in the process, he realized that any two-digit number that adds up to eleven is a one-step palindrome, and any two-digit number that adds up to ten is a two-step palindrome. (See his paper below. He likes drawing arrows between things when he makes these realizations.) In other words, 92 is a one-step palindrome because 9 + 2 = 11, and 82 is a two-step palindrome because 8 + 2 = 10. Today, while I was writing this post, he said "44 is blue and green." In other words, according to his colour scheme, 44 is both a zero-step palindrome and a one-step palindrome. I think you can see by now why I thought this was our best math lesson ever. - SA was completely engaged. Each addition problem was not "drill and kill"...he was genuinely interested in what each sum would be and whether it would turn out to be a palindrome. - This was a long project that he had to persist in to find the pattern. I sometimes worry he doesn't have enough opportunity to build persistence in math, since it often comes so easily to him. - It gave him a chance to explore and make his own connections in math. I know that any discoveries that come to him this way are truly learned. I highly recommend this math activity for any child who knows how to add and carry. It will provide lots of practice, and may pave the way for some real math discovery!
If your parents ever submitted you to regular music lessons as a kid, you probably got in a fight with them once or twice about it. Maybe you didn't want to go; maybe you didn't like practicing. But we have some bad news: They were right. It turns…
I use this lesson activity to help my students overcome procrastination.
It’s not easy to be a manager. The job comes with the dual responsibilities of achieving business objectives and leading other people. It can be a bit overwhelming to balance both — especially early in your career, when you don’t have experience to back you up. As a manager, you are not just responsible for your own performance, but that of the people you’re leading. The pressure to prove yourself is likely to make you feel bitter about those who make mistakes because that can lead others to question your abilities. The best thing you could do is to offer an Eden to your team, which allows them to grow and thrive, rather than creating a vicious environment where the fear of making a mistake overtakes the courage to fall and rise again.
The hottest tips, sultriest bedroom moves, and most surprising advice you need to shake up your between-the-sheets routine.
If you need something new to listen to, start here.
Our kids need these lessons now more than ever. In today’s world where life gets so busy, it’s important to focus on these life-giving lessons for our kids. Today I am going to focus on lesson...
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This bingo game is a perfect lesson plan to leave for a substitute teacher. The teacher does not need to perform the rhythms, just touch an icon on the smart board and the example will play itself. To identify the rhythm, once again no musical knowledge is required, simply touch the rectangle next...
Are you teaching creative writing? Here are some tips and suggestions to help you plan a successful, fun creative writing class.
Well ladies, I am about to show you a fix for one of the most annoying fitting problems ever. You ready? Pants that feel like they're crotching you to death. You know what I'm talking about. You make a new pair of pants, excitedly try them on, and find that they pull in the front, or you can't sit in them. Grrr!! It's the one thing that can really keep you from getting any fashion mileage out of your newly-sewn creation. I can tell you that there are two possible reasons for this. One: The front crotch area is improperly shaped for the body of the wearer. The rise needs to be reshaped. Two: The pants are shorter waisted than the person wearing them. The rise needs to be lowered. Let's start with the reshaping. I have a favorite pattern I use when I want to make some comfy pants or PJ's. Everything about it is perfect. Except for the part where they pull in the crotch. Not comfy at all. Here's how to fix that. Lay the pants out so that you can get at the center front seam. You will be changing the curve, or Reshaping The Rise. Measure 1 1/4" up from the leg inseam. Mark 1/4" out from the crotch seam at this point. Now draw a new curve down to the inseam, and up along the center front seam. You are making the curve deeper. Sew along the line you made, and trim off the excess fabric. Finish the new edge with your serger or a zigzag stitch. Try your pants on. Do they feel better? If so, your work is done. If they need to be adjusted a bit more, here is the next part. Lowering The Rise Measure 1/4" - 3/8" down from the crotch seam and mark. Draw a new curve, but this time carry it up along the back seam as well as the front. You can make your curve bigger than mine is if you want. I usually take it a bit at a time so that I don't do anything drastic. Not that I've done (much of) that sort of thing when I'm sewing. Stitch along your line, trim, and finish your edge. You should now be able to sit down comfortably in your pants. I marked the original curve on the pants so that you can see the difference. You have cut the rise lower, making room in your garment for movement and comfort. This alteration comes in really handy for pants, shorts, coveralls, jumpsuits, and rompers. I've used it many times. Hope it helps you, too! Till next time, keep on sewing! Val Sharing This Post At These Wonderful Parties! Say G'Day @ Natasha In Oz Worthwhile Wednesdays @ The Craftiest Allie Sew Darn Crafty @ Sew Many Ways Silhouette School @ Two It Yourself Link It Or Lump It @ Two It Yourself Friday Link Party @ The Pin Junkie DIY Sunday Showcase @ The Interior Frugalista
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This gross science project is possibly the best-ever digestion lesson for kids. Using common kitchen items, we simulate digestion from eating to squeezing out a poop from a stocking.
This is the BEST STEAM lesson I ever taught, and it works for literally any content standards. True art integration!
In this post, I'm going to explain why knowing the International Phonetic Alphabet is like seeing the matrix. A common misconception that linguists often have to deal with, be it from students in Intro to Linguistics or from family members at holiday gatherings, is that Language (capital L) is basi
Interior design talents divulge the business advice and other lessons they’ve long carried with them
This is what everybody is waiting for! My TPT income report for Q4 is here! Aside from my income report, I will also share some lessons I learned in my TPT journey in 2022. Disclaimer: Just because I made this money does not mean you will. Also, I'm not here to brag about my TPT earnings. I'm here to document my TPT journey, including the money I make. So if you feel uncomfortable, please click out now. OCTOBER October was my highest month ever! I was hoping to earn way more than that, but here's the problem: I priced my worksheets at $2. $2 is not bad. $1 could be worse. But why was this a problem? Because I didn't add value to my worksheets, such as adding answer keys. (But I also think I underpriced them, LOL.) My Halloween worksheets are three of my best sellers, priced at $2. So, depending on the buyer's cart, I get $1.45 or $1.60. My 1st-grade worksheets sold 52 times and earned $78.72. If I had added more value to the product and priced them at $3, I would have gotten $124.80 in earnings. Do you see a HUGE DIFFERENCE? Anyway, I had already moved on from that and learned my lesson. So, here's to a wiser 2023! *cheers* Conversion rate: 11%, excluding freebies Views: 3,117 Units sold: 368 Best sellers for October: All things Halloween, to be honest. I love creating seasonal products, so I made games and worksheets. November There's nothing much to say for November, but I made more worksheets (with the color and B&W version and answer keys) and priced them at $3. I'll make more printables in 2023, so watch out for that! Conversion rate: 11%, excluding freebies Views: 2,725 Units sold: 246 Bestsellers: My Thanksgiving resources were selling like hotcakes! Again, they are seasonal products, so they only sell during Thanksgiving (such a hard pill to swallow, but it is what it is). Some of my Christmas products started selling in the last week of November, so if you have seasonal products, don't wait. Post them early. You never know when the teachers might need them. December I set my store on sale to attract buyers from the 28th to the 30th of December. I could have gotten $1000 if there was no holiday, but that's okay. I have the whole of 2023 to earn four figures. Conversion rate: 13%, excluding freebies Views: 2,367 Units sold: 265 Bestsellers: Christmas products I made last year and this year TOTAL EARNINGS FOR 2022: $7,623.88 TOTAL UNITS SOLD FOR 2022: 2243 Lessons from 2022: Add value to your products, so you can up the price to $3 or more. Follow your data. My Halloween worksheets were selling like bananas in October, so I created more worksheets for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and winter. And I'll be focusing on creating more printables (evergreen-themed) this year. Take pictures of your products if you can. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. That way, the buyers can see what the worksheets look like before purchasing them. One of my homework for next year is to take pictures of my Halloween worksheets. Create a perfect listing and PDF preview. Explain clearly what the product is and how it will solve their problem. I'm not an expert in creating the ideal TPT listing, but if I were a buyer, I wouldn't buy a resource with no preview or an unclear preview. How was your Q4? What tips or lessons do you want to share from your TPT journey? DM me (@theviralteacher) or leave a comment below. Hope you have your best year ever! Talk soon.
Let’s skip the search and go straight for the most helpful free online games for kindergarten. If you’re in the midst of planning for distance learning or staring down a possible future of eLearning lesson plans, then use these free games and activities online to help you keep your lesson plans engaging for students. Let’s...
Join us as we give you all the details about our popular Space Lander STEM Challenge and link up with some other great STEM educators sharing the BEST STEM CHALLENGE EVER! Teachers love the Space Lander STEM challenge because the students are completely engaged. Students not only learn, but deeply
Here's how to structure your practice session, what to focus on for each piece, and resources you need to have the best practice session ever.
Don't let you 3rd, 4th or 5th grade students miss out on these terrific science sites that will make your science lessons come alive!
More than 20 free piano teacher resources! Free printables, piano lesson games, teaching ideas and tips for your studio business. Your students will love the tutorials for piano improv too.
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