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Math manipulatives aren't just for lower elementary. In this post, I share some simple ways to make math visual for upper-elementary students.
A curated list of the most important math manipulatives to have in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade math classrooms. Includes a free printable reference guide for math manipulatives.
It's parent-teacher conference time, and I always like to include students' input whenever possible. They do not attend our conferences, and without their voice, it always seems a bit too one-dimensional. I have used goal-setting sheets in the past (HERE), but wanted to mix it up a bit this year. Working with Growth Mindset, I created a "Glow & Grow" form for students to fill out. The "Glow" side contains what they are most proud of in that subject, while the "Grow" side contains their goals, what they are working towards, or where they would like to dig deeper. This coincidentally coincided with our science unit that included growing pea plants! Love when that works out! We began by charting some thinking questions to get them started for each section. On their "Glow", I wanted them to move beyond the outward signs of success (like 100%, or a "high" reading level), and think more about what made them feel proud so far this year. Along with that, I didn't want their "Grow" to be something they feel they failed, or are the perceived "worst at" in the class. I instead used it as an opportunity to create goals and think about their future in our room. This worked out especially well for some kids who only focus on the previously mentioned signs of "success". It changed the language for them, which allowed for more growth opportunities in other directions than they may have thought prior to this activity. For example, a high-level reader thought about it, and realized they were in a genre-rut. They decided to expand their genre choices to include more nonfiction and mystery. On the other side, a struggling student focused on tackling more of a familiar series instead of rushing on to a "higher level" that may have been too challenging. It was a win-win on both sides. I encouraged students to use bullet points or complete sentences, whichever they felt most comfortable with, and I was surprised to get about a 50/50 split. On the back side, they wrote and drew their favorite part of the day, which was predominately P.E., but what else is new!? I'm excited to share these with parents as we talk about the start of the year and the direction(s) we want to head this year as a class, and with their student. It will give us some great talking points about the student, even though they won't be there in person. Plus, now that we've gone over the "Glow & Grow" format as a class, it can become a part of our regular feedback and goal-setting conversations. If you're interested in this form, it can be found on TpT HERE. It is available as a PDF with my headings, or as an editable Powerpoint, where you can type in your own headings. I hope you have fun with this and get the chance to launch into some great goal-setting behavior this year! For more on Growth Mindset and goal-setting, click HERE or check out these posts below:
My students LOVE making these fun 3D landform maps each year. Now let me just tell you- I am always wiped out by the end of the day when we make these- but they really are a blast and so meaningful to make. I first put the kids into groups of 3 or 4. Then, they used a landform map in their Social Studies book to sketch where the mountains and deserts are located. This just helps them get a start when they begin painting the plains on the map. After they have an idea of where the mountains and deserts are, they paint all of the remaining area green. This shows where the plains are located. (The hills and rivers are placed over top of the green paint in the next few steps!) Next, we used blue yarn for the rivers. We obviously didn't add ALL of the rivers but just some of the major ones- Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Columbia. The mountains were the most tempting item to add to the map! The kids were just about drooling as they glued them down. Just a quick note- if you remove the wrapping before gluing the kisses down, they stick better! Marshmallows were used for the hills, gold glitter for the desert (I've used brown rice in the past but the glitter stuck MUCH better!) and goldfish for the oceans. Each time the kids added something new to the map, they also added it to the key on the right. Their maps also included a title, compass, labels for the oceans, and a box to sign their names. I am so proud of all of the hard work that my kiddos put into these maps! They were rewarded with some of the extra snacks which they were THRILLED about =) So fun! If you'd like everything to make these 3D maps, check out my product below by clicking on the image. If you are looking for other engaging landforms resources, check out my Let's Explore Landforms! {And Bodies of Water} unit. This unit compliments the 3D landform maps perfectly! Happy teaching!
Kindergarten Worksheets help your kids get off to a great start. It’s the start of their education. Help them reinforce skills and concepts in Math, English, Phonics and more. There are many to choose from so print them all and they can practice learning even more. We also have many more educational coloring pages, activities […]
another joint effort by my lovely Glen children, they never let me down, this is their interpretation of Picasso's 3 musicians
Fun and engaging force and motion experiments, project ideas, demonstrations, book lists and more! Great for the classroom and home!
Graphic organizers are timeless, versatile tools that support students in independently using reading comprehension strategies. A quality graphic organizer can be the difference between students using and understanding a comprehension strategy or not. WHY USE GRAPHIC
I've heard it from teacher after teacher: " I dread teaching measurement every year. " It's hard to blame them. There's nothing ground-shaking about measurement. There's nothing exciting about metric vs. customary. It's just one of those skills that our stud
The educational strategies I use in my classroom are things I continuously reflect on and develop. The classroom management of my middle school classrooms is one of the things I’m most proud of with my teaching. I generally had a happy classroom that was under control and focused on learning, which wasn't always easy considering my classes each consisted of 30+ seventh graders at ALL possible academic levels working out of their seats on science experiments and activities. My biggest pieces of advice for a well-behaved class are to keep your rules and consequences simple, clear, and consistent. My Classroom Rules: I only had three rules in my classroom and they were broad enough to cover just about any out of line behavior. At the beginning of the year we went over these rules thoroughly and acted out examples and nonexamples so there was no room for confusion or purposeful misinterpretation. Find links to get these posters at the end of this blog post. Rule Number One: “Respect yourself, your peers, your teacher, and your surroundings.” This rule is meant to cover all interactions in the classroom. Students who respect themselves value their education and learning time and get their assignments completed to the best of their abilities. Students who respect their peers understand their classmates need a safe learning environment free of distractions and impolite communications. Students who respect their teacher recognize the importance of the education opportunities being presented in class and allow the teacher to facilitate lessons and help all students learn. Students who respect their surroundings acknowledge the resources, furniture, and equipment in class are used by others for the pursuit of education and need to be kept in good condition. Rule Number Two: “Raise your hand silently to speak.” Having strong student participation is important for learning, but entering chaos territory is so easy when middle school students are allowed to interject whenever and for whatever. Students need to know every voice is important; for everyone's thoughts, ideas, and questions to be heard there needs to be an order to the sharing process. Rule Number Three: “Follow all directions quickly the first time they are given.” It sounds basic (and it is) but so much educational time is saved with this rule, especially in a science classroom where there is limited time to complete time-consuming experiments. My Class Consequences: After much trial and error and some great advice from an administrator, I developed a list of consequences that worked perfectly to enforce the rules of my classroom. The key with consequences is they must be followed in order every single time for every single student. Find links to get these posters at the end of this blog post. Consequence Number One: "Warning." This was in place so I could let students know their behavior was unacceptable in the classroom and needed to be changed. I gave the warning in different ways to communicate with the offending student, depending on what worked the student’s personality. Sometimes I would approach the students discreetly and quietly tell them they had a warning. Other times I would catch the student's eye from across the room and show a number one with my finger. If I had a particularly easygoing class where the students were all comfortable with one another I'd pause in the lesson to tell the student they had a warning. Consequence Number Two: “Complete a Behavior Think Sheet and move seats.” If students continued to disregard the class rules they would get this consequence that served three purposes. First it removed the student from the situation, making it easier to revert to proper behavior. Second, it allowed them to reflect on their behavior and analyze its effect on themselves and others. Third, the BTS provided me with documentation of misbehavior that I could save and keep on file. I realized completing a BTS takes time out of learning, and so did the students. My lessons were fun, engaging, and rigorous; the students did not want to and could not afford to miss part of the lesson by acting out and completing a BTS. In addition, if the misbehavior was allowed to continue it would distract others from learning the content. Occasionally I would have a student test me by not completing the BTS. For those students I gave them a choice: They could complete it in my class and be late to their next class (without a pass), or they could leave it incomplete and move on to the third consequence. The Behavior Think Sheet (with English and Spanish copies included) is available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Consequence Number Three: “Parent or guardian contact.” If the first two consequences were not effective, consequence three often curbed the desire to misbehave. Sometimes I would have the student call home with me right after class. Sometimes I would make the contact immediately after school. Rarely, and only after exceptionally poor misbehavior, would the family be contacted during class. Consequence Number Four: “Referral.” I was lucky enough to teach in a school with a fantastic dean of discipline. The fourth consequence involved me contacting the dean about the student’s misbehavior and it would then be handled in a fair manner. In other schools a similar consequence might be used with the principal or other administrator instead. As I said earlier, the consequences should be followed in order every time for every student. There are exceptions to that, and I was always upfront and honest about the exceptions with my students. My students knew that if one student punched another student in class that a simple “warning” would not happen. That just wouldn't make any sense. The steps can be skipped for serious breaches of the classroom rules. The only other reason I would skip a consequence was for repeat offenders. If the same student had the same problem over and over again I met with that student privately to make a plan. Usually that plan involved skipping one or two steps in the list of consequences until the student was able to demonstrate appropriate behavior consistently over time. All of my classes knew skipping steps could occur in such situations, so there was never any backlash of “that’s unfair” if I went out of order. Using These Rules and Consequences in Your Classroom: As I mentioned, I created these rules and consequences for my middle school students. However, they work just as well as part of an upper elementary or early high school classroom management plan. I hope this post provided you with useful information and gave you ideas for rules and consequences in your own classroom. If you like my rules and consequences, save yourself some time by getting my rules and consequences posters from my TpT or Etsy store. The posters come in a variety of styles that are sure to brighten up your classroom while displaying important information that will make your teaching life easier. Find your favorite from the options below! And remember to check out the Behavior Think Sheet! Rules and Consequences Posters: Version 1: This is the original set with solid blocks of color and a structured layout. Version 2: It's a warm and calming set. Black and White: Perfect for printing restrictions—you can print the posters on vibrantly colored paper or grab a set of colored pencils and make them your own. Scales: They're wonderful for mermaid or dragon-themed classrooms. (Get it from Etsy instead.) Floral: My favorite! See these posters in the video below. (Get it from Etsy instead.) Lemons: Something about lemons just draws me in every time. I don't know if it's the happy yellow color or the reminder of delicious foods. (Get it from Etsy instead.)
Have you ever stood before your classroom whiteboard, wondering how it could be more than just a space for scribbled reminders and daily schedules? 🤔 Transforming your whiteboard into an organized, creative hub can not only enhance your teaching experience but also inspire your upper elementary students. Let's dive into some classroom whiteboard organization ideas
This doctor classroom transformation is perfect for elementary students to practice math skills while having fun.
Are you looking for letter of the week crafts for the letter Z? Create this adorable zebra with your preschooler as you explore the alphabet.
Use recycled items to make art with this Recycled Shapes Process Art Project. Kids will have fun discovering shapes with this Process Art Project!
Goal Setting - This 4th grade teacher uses post it notes to remind children of their goals upon entering the classroom. I love that her method to this has
Teaching area is engaging and authentic with this hands-on applied math activity! Students arrange furniture to find the area and perimeter of their house.
We designed an intimate-sized brick building that can be expanded as the church grows and that reminds worshipers of home.
Move over, Venn Diagrams! Here are 9 new ways to help your upper elementary students compare and contrast - and have fun doing it!
My students LOVE making these fun 3D landform maps each year. Now let me just tell you- I am always wiped out by the end of the day when we...
February usually means continued snow and cold here in Michigan, but today it's supposed to reach almost 60 degrees! Regardless of the weather, it's time for Show & Tell! Just four more days and we will be bringing home Barnaby, the newest member of the Rye family. What a sweetheart he was on Valentine's Day to send us these adorable pictures! And look at this picture of him on his first visit to the beach! I just recently posted my first project on Donors Choose to ask for two electric pencil sharpeners, since every day my "Pencil Sharpeners" would have to make the trek all the way down to the office to get a small basket of pencils sharpened. The kids and I were so excited when our project was funded within two days, and our new pencil sharpeners are on their way! So, we quickly got our next project ready, and it was posted just a couple days ago. You can go to our project page by clicking on the picture below. My students absolutely love book series like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries, the Middle School books, and so on, but with a school of 500 students, it can be difficult to find them in the library. I have a few in my classroom reading area but not complete sets. We hope to be adding these books to our library soon! Anyone else required to have student learning targets for every lesson? I've tried different ways of displaying them for my students, and what I'm doing this year has worked out the best. Right next to my agenda on the board, I created a space for the learning targets. Each morning, I just write the learning targets on the board. Since they are right next to my schedule and my computer display, they are in a noticeable location. This is ideal for me and my students. We are expected to start the lesson telling the student what the target is, have them discuss it with each other in their words, come back to it at least once during the lesson, and then discuss it again when you wrap up the lesson. If you would like to create your own learning target board, you can grab this freebie in my TPT Store!
