How many times have you walked the globe? Where's your smallest bone? And what's a Jesus Nut!? Find out with these 100 fun facts that you'll love to know!
The Aboriginal people are the first inhabitants of Australia and have a rich history. Learn about their culture and other Aboriginal people facts for kids.
Mastering multiplication facts is such an important skill for 3rd grade students. As a former 4th grade teacher, I fully understand how crippling it can
Teach multiplication facts the easy way with fun multiplication songs. They're set to familiar children songs. It's a great way to learn multiplication facts.
Explore captivating Fun Facts About Fall. Discover the season's beauty, traditions, and natural wonders in this fascinating collection.
Have you ever heard of foot shape genealogy? It is a concept out of the 19th century that still has some adherents today. It is based on the belief that the shape of your foot can tell you one of five ancient ethnic groups to which your ancestors belonged. Here is what you need to know about it.
Why do zombies love brains? Find out with this collection of fun facts and a colorful diagram of the brain.
Struggling with multiplication? Come find out how to teach multiplication and division in just a few weeks with this amazing tool! Master times tables!
Studying Antarctica in geography class or do you have a child that is interested in one of the coldest places on the planet? All kids are sure to be amazed by these fun facts about Antarctica! Why in the world would one want to discuss Antarctica? Short answer: It is fun to discuss polar regions …
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Use this hack to hide and reveal hidden text when creating digital activities for students to complete on Google Slides. Learn how and why hidden text on Google Slides can add another layer of engagement to your Google Slides digital interactive notebooks, activities and more! What is Hidden Text? Hidden text refers simply to text that is the same color as a background object or shape on the Google Slide. Since it is the exact same color, students will not be able to read the text without each moving the text or revealing it using this hack! Why hide and
This back to school "snowball" fight activity will have your students getting up and out of their seats moving around the room to get to know each other.
I've got so many great resources for making multiplication facts so much fun for elementary students! Check out my blog post for details!
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Setting up a fact fluency program in a classroom can be daunting- where do I store it all? How do I keep track? How do I determine if students are successful? What do I do if they aren't making progress? I have set up and run a fact fluency program in my classroom for a few years now, and while I was overwhelmed at first, I found that it's not as hard as you think to help students become fluent in math! It just takes 4 simple steps to get your fact fluency program up and running. Get Organized: I find that everything goes so much more smoothly if I am organized before I begin anything, and that's especially important when running a fact fluency program. Having assessments ready, keeping track of student data... it can be really overwhelming. I personally use a two part system for keeping myself organized, and I find that it really works. First, I printed out all of the testing originals for both addition and subtraction. I like having the originals all in one place because then I don't have to find the file on my computer, print out the page I need, run down to the copy room to make copies... I just grab my binder when I need more copies and take it to the copy room, make all the copies I need, and put the originals back in the sleeve when I'm finished! I hate trying to find things on my slow computer, so this works for me. I used to keep the student assessments in the binder as well, but I found that having all those extra pages in there was a little less organized than I would like it to be. So I decided to use hanging file folders in a crate to organize assessments. And since I really love it when things are color coded, particularly in color order, I created tabs that matched the color of each level. Inside the files for each level are the different assessments, the flash cards for that level, and copies of the reward certificate ready to go. When a student passes a level, I can easily grab the next set of flash cards and the reward certificate, staple them to their completed assessment, and send it home! It is also really easy to see how many more copies I may need of a particular assessment, and it's easy to slide them down in there once I've copied them. It is also important for you to determine what fluency looks like in your classroom. How long do they have to complete the assessment? Do they need to get them all correct? How many problems do they need to do- 25 or 15? 3 seconds per problem is considered "fluency" based on what I've heard. I give my students the 25 problem sheet. If a student does not complete 2-3 problems but gets the rest correct, I usually consider that "fluent" since it's above 80% mastery and let them move on. However, if the student is making computation mistakes, I don't. Of course, you will have to choose what works in your classroom! Practice, practice, practice! An important part of fact fluency is giving your students time to practice! I always begin our program with a letter to parents letting them know that we are going to be using the program this year. Attached to the letter is a copy of the 0s facts for them to practice with their child. I usually give them a few days or so to practice their facts at home and in the classroom before we do the first assessment. In the classroom, I like to integrate our fact fluency practice into our Fast Finisher activities, as well as math centers when appropriate. Several of our Fast Finisher activities involve some sort of fact practice. Flash cards: We began with the option of flash cards first- they are easy and since mine are color coded, the kids could just grab the color that matches the level they are working on. Fact Fluency Flip Books: A second option for my students are Fact Fluency Flip books. These are little books that students can grab and work on. Each book contains 8 pages with 11 different activities for practicing facts. For example, there is a page of number bonds, a page of number lines, etc... These are probably best for saving to use after you've taught addition strategies. I have 4 different books for each level, so students can grab a different book each time they use one. Games: I use lots of addition and subtraction games with my students that help to build fluency. Most of these games are simple as well! Games like Bump or Roll and Cover give students fluency practice while making it fun. War is another fun game, where students choose two cards, add the numbers together, and decide who has the higher sum. Other games where students are practicing adding together or subtracting two numbers are perfect for increasing fluency and providing students with practice! Boom Cards: My students LOVE Boom Cards, and if you haven't checked them out, you should! There are a ton of both free and paid options available both on the Boom website and Teachers Pay Teachers. Hot Dots: Hot Dots are something my students love to use. Power Pens are another similar option and the pens can be used interchangeably with the different card sets. I got mine through Donors Choose, so if this is something your school allows, it's definitely an engaging option to check out! There are addition and subtraction and Power Pens addition and subtraction sets that you can purchase. There are also Power Pen stickers that you can purchase to create your own. I find that having lots of choices increases student engagement and keeps them from getting bored using just one method to practice their facts. If they're tired of Boom Cards, they can use Hot Dots that day. Track Progress Of course, tracking your students progress is important to continuing to increase fluency! There are so many ways to track student progress. You can do a whole class board where students move their name to the level they are on, or write their name on each level once they've passed it. Or you can choose to make it a bit more private. Or you can choose not to track at all! In my Growing Fact Fluency pack, I've included tracking sheets for the teacher to use, as well as fun tracking sheets that the students can use to track their own progress. I also have included sticker charts, reward tags, and certificates to both track and celebrate student progress! Tracking also helps alert you to any difficulties a student may be having. When I realized that two of my students were really struggling with making it past their 1s facts, I knew that I needed to work with them and give them more opportunities to increase their fluency. I downloaded Boom Card games that just practiced adding one. One student was not actually adding one and did not understand the concept, so I taught a small group lesson on how adding one is just counting up one more. I have also included options for differentiating, so struggling students can be given the page with only 15 problems while everybody else has 25. By keeping track of their progress, I was able to identify those difficulties and work on those particular skills. Reap the Rewards I am not usually one for extrinsic rewards, and generally my Fact Fluency program operates in that same manner. For most students, knowing they've passed that level and are moving on to the next level is enough for them to be motivated. That being said, I do think it's very important to acknowledge their progress. I send home a certificate with the students once they've passed a level. If possible, I send it home that day. Attached to that certificate is the next set of fluency flashcards to begin working on. I also move their clip to the next level on our bulletin board so they can see their progress. They also get to move to the next set of Fact Fluency Flip Books, which they seem to find exciting. You can choose to do any sort of rewards you want to do with this program, and that's one thing I love about it. I've used this program different ways with different classes. I have options for different ways to track and reward, including sticker charts and reward tags, along with the certificates. Also, you can take the pressure off your students and not worry about levels, or tracking, or time, and just have fun with learning facts! Play the games, randomly use the fact fluency assessments for fun, or don't. All that matters is that your students become more fluent with their math facts and use them to become better and faster at math in general. How you choose to approach that is up to you and what works best for your students.
I used to think that sergers were super expensive machines. Then I snagged a cheap Singer ProFinish Serger, and I don't know how I ever lived without it.
I’m always looking for ways to promote my students to read more Non-Fiction texts. One fun way I’ve accomplished this in my classroom is by having “Fun Fact Friday!” Throughout the week, I encourage my students to read Non-Fiction texts (at home and in school) in search of really interesting facts. Once they find a […]
Here are my must known tips for visiting the popular town of Sintra. These useful Sintra tips will help you have an efficient visit and avoid making mistakes. Beautiful Sintra Portugal is the most popular day trip from Lisbon. But the town is pure chaos. You need a clear strategy and plan of attack to make the most of your time in Sintra.
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Need to practice those math facts? Here are over 25 ways to turn them into a game!
This has shown up in my Facebook feed at least a dozen times in the last 48 hours. The first time I saw it, it was kind of funny. By the tenth time it was starting to grind my gears. As a Gaelic learner, I’ll be the first to admit that Gaelic spelling both Irish and Scottish is hard, espe
Want a fun, no-prep multiplication facts game to use in your math centers tomorrow? Read about how we've "mathified" the popular squares game to practice multiplication facts!
Is it the autism or just bad behavior? It’s hard to know for sure, but if you struggle with autism and discipline, we’re sharing 13 practical tips to teach you how to discipline an autistic child at home and in the classroom.
A killer freelance writer portfolio is key to landing paid writing gigs. Learn how to create a freelance writer portfolio that gets clients as a total newbie.
Is your child having difficulty memorizing multiplication math facts? This method will work!
Knit fabrics can be a bit confusing in the beginning. I hope this quick overview will help you understand the basics! Zoom in on the graphic to see it better..
Are you looking for the fast and easy way to teach multiplication facts. Times Tales is a completely fresh, fast, and fun approach that your kid will love!
Check out these 6 easy and fun ways to help your students master their basic math facts.
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If you want to find out more about your family, download the life history questions and make time to interview your family members. Learn some fun facts.
Also known as the “Mother Colony of the West Indies,” St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest yet oldest of the West Indies nations. If you’re looking to book a trip to this fantastic nation, keep reading to find out more about the islands and the best things to do there.Let’s jump in!
This Step by Step Guide on How to Sew Velcro is for the beginner sewer. Click here now for all the info and learn how!
If you want to find out more about your family, download the life history questions and make time to interview your family members. Learn some fun facts.
If you're looking into how to teach multiplication, you're definitely going to want to look into the secrets behind memorizing multiplication facts.
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