In February I had an awesome opportunity to switch Chloe ( 7 ) over to using TouchMath, so we did. In particular we got to use their Homeschool Grade 2 program. We've now spent a full month completely immersed in it, and today I want to share with you this impressive and very innovative Maths program that is designed for true multisensory use. "Four Units - 24 Modules - One complete program" { About the Product } TouchMath is an ingenius and effective program that is very specifically designed to engage a student using a multisensory approach to develop basic mathematical skills. This is a full time comprehensive program. We downloaded the main core of the program from the TouchMath website in pdf format. This included all 4 of their units for Grade 2. Each unit consists of 6 modules. That made for a total of 24 modules which will cover the entire school year. There's a LOT in each pack since every unit comes with an implementation guide, progress monitoring, scripted lesson plans, answers, worksheets, math vocabulary, and assessment pages. As I mentioned previously: in each Unit there are 6 modules. Each module is divided up into several different parts in addition to the cover and contents pages. I. Module Overview II. Instructional Strategies for Student Activity Pages III. Module Review IV. Module Closure V. Progress Monitoring Record The Module Overview contains a brief but succinct paragraph describing the content for that particular module. It clearly labels which skill will be the focus. They have also included applicable Second Grade Common Core State Standards. These are listed with their descriptions in a clear and clean format for easy reading. Objectives, prerequisites, and vocabulary are also included. Finally they give a materials list; necessary, and optional. Having all these pointers at your fingertips make it very easy to follow and implement. The Instructional Strategies walk the parent through each of the lessons and continues on to explain the use of the activity sheets. Answers are also included in a completed sample of the worksheet to the right of each page for the convenience of quick marking. There is use of special symbols to indicate either "guided practice" or "independent practice". Another useful thing is that just before they start a new objective there is a page that specifically shows a clear shift of skill and lists the objective, an anticipatory set, and they also incorporate teacher modelling . Each student activity page contains the target skill on the bottom right hand footer. The Module Review is quick and painless and a walk through is also given. Then the test is administered. Yes, they even provide verbal directions for the parent to the students. This program wants success, and it will give you as many tools as they can to make this happen. Now we come to the Module Closure. Here they provide bulleted real world connections and activities. The final task is to fill in your Progress Monitoring Record form. I used the form a little differently from it's intended purpose but I'll talk about that a bit further down. { Homeschool Grade 2 lessons } They have an impressive focus on addition and subtraction, and they do not neglect to take care to include multiplication and other important strands to their credit. { Unit: A } Focuses on adding and subtracting within 50. Adding and Subtracting within 13 Adding and Subtracting within 20 Adding and Subtracting within 50 Adding with regrouping Subtracting with regrouping Adding and subtracting with regrouping { Unit: B } Focuses on adding and subtracting within 100. Understanding place value Counting and reading to 1000 Reading and writing to 1000 Understanding multiplication Adding within 100 Subtracting within 100 { Unit: C } Focuses on adding and subtracting within 1000. Adding and Subtacting multiples of 10 and 100 Adding and Subtracting within 100 Adding three digit numbers Subtracting three digit numbers Adding and subtracting three digit numbers Reviewing multiplication { Unit: D } Focuses on Time, Money, Measurement, Data, and Geometry. Telling time Learning about money Representing and interpreting data Measuring, comparing, and estimating length Relating addition and subtraction to length Analyzing shapes { Let's Talk Manipulatives } We also received a number of manipulatives to use with the main program as well. They are optional to the program, but I found that I used at least one or more of them in nearly every lesson. Student Number Cards. The basis of TouchMath is the ability to use TouchPoints on numerals to assist your work through any equation. This eliminated the need to use an abacus and finger work. The number cards come in a handy packet of 10. Each page is perforated for easy separation. One side shows the counting order of the TouchPoints. The other side just shows the TouchPoints on their own. Use either one, or both sides, depending on the competency and confidence of your child with using the TouchPoints. The cards are also visually engaging for children. Touch Numerals with Base 10. These were fun to set up so we could visually see how the numbers were represented with the TouchPoints. I can't wait for my younger girls to start using the foam numerals now. The Base 10 turned out to be a very much used item as well. A quick photo of inside the box that we have here at home. It includes a manual on HOW to use the TouchPoints. { You may notice that I have some TouchPoint cards in there. This is because it's a handy place to store the cards - they don't actually come with the box of foam numerals / Base 10 though. } We just LOVE their Base 10 and use them a LOT. Did you know that you can even do multiplication with them? We also received the Flip Cards. There are a LOT of cards in each pack. On the back of each pack there is a skill list and several activities with which to use the cards for. These are really handy for working on specific skills without the burden of a worksheet and pencil. This makes for a nice change of sensory. They are great for mental math too. We ended up settling on using 20 cards each time as the whole pack was a little too much work in it for one sitting if we also included lesson / worksheet time. We also recieved a copy of their CD Tutor. This is an awesome addition to their products. Perfect for children who love computer time. Use it for fun, additional practice, or for those times when you as the parent need a math lesson break, but still require your child to spend some time doing math. The quality is excellent too. I highly recommend it. TouchMath really have produced a complete multisensory program. There is something for everybody. { How we used it } 1. Initially we would spend some time on learning the TouchPoints. 2. Then we would move into the lesson / worksheets. 3. Then we would move over to doing some flash card work. 4. If we had time we would also spend some time on the CD tutor. { Chloe learning the touch points } After the touch points had been learnt the lesson time moved to looking like this: 1. Do the lesson / worksheets WITH the Base 10 / TouchPoint cards. 2. Then we would do some flash card work. 3. Then we could spend some time on the CD tutor if time allowed. It does take a little while to learn the touch points, but not too long. Chloe picked it up super quick and just needed a few days to practice it. When implementing this program I did discover that Chloe had some weaknesses with reverse counting, subtraction, and skip counting. Good to know. Things we can work on. This is how a typical worksheet lesson looked. I would have my progress monitoring page, instructional strategies for the module, worksheets, and manipulatives available for quick and easy access. Let me share with you about how I used the progress monitoring worksheets. I only had the one student that I was using this program with so what I did is I popped her name on the page and each day we used the program I would write the date and tick off the worksheets that she did. Some days we would do two separate sessions. I would also write little comments to myself on the side in the comment section if we added additional practice with manipulatives etc.. I loved how all the skills are listed across the page. Reviews are tagged in the black. Post tests are in the grey at the end. This makes it ideal if you need to report scores, or skills covered, or just want to keep track of what you are doing. { Free Samples } TouchMath have a very generous selection of samples from all their units. Each unit has a download sample on their website. Just look to the right from the Homeschool Grade 2 main page. { What I thought of it } I was initially a little overwhelmed by the high academic content, vocabulary, state standard correlations, and set out. The materials are clearly written for professional teachers and then make shifted for the purpose of homeshooling. There is no dumbing down at all. It did take me a little bit of time to feel relaxed with it. The more I used it, the more I really liked it. Especially when we were able to use all the manipulatives to complete a skill. Overall I quite liked that each page was very child mindful. The fact that each page was clean, crisp in presentation, and not overcrowded. The workload is kept at a reasonable amount so as to not over burden or math scare the child. I also liked that it was not covered in distracting pictures that had no relevance to the subject at hand. This meant that while it lost it's cuteness appeal it made up for it with getting to the task at hand without any problems. If you have a child that is easily distracted, a little behind academically, or with a learning disability then this will be a GOOD thing. I also loved that they added a little box for where a one would carry over a higher digit like a 10. That way my daughter never forgot to add it on, or lose it in the process of doing the sum. In regard to the money / coins: The only problem we would have is with the money strand, but this is because we are in Australia, and that is an understandable conflict. This personally does not bother me or cause any problems. In fact I think it adds to our lessons because that way Chloe will get to look at and have some understanding of another country's currency. { How much does it cost? } Each Unit currently retails for $ 59.95. Or you can purchase all 4 Units together for $ 199.95. Manipulatives are an additional cost. The more children that you could use this with, the more cost effective it would become. "Four Units - 24 Modules - One complete program" Use it full time, or part time, to target specific skills, or supplement your current program. It has many applications. I highly recommend it. Thanks for visiting, and don't forget to tour TouchMath for additional information about their products; and check out some other awesome reviews as well. Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.
It's a rainy evening and the 1st graders in your children's choir are extra wiggly. You need a quick change-of-pace to keep their attention and get through rehearsal. Been there? I think we all have. There are lots of games you could play, but I like choosing games and activi
Fun and engaging ideas to get to know your students at the beginning of the school year. Build a strong classroom community with these free resources.
25 Kid-Tested STEM Projects Made With Simple Materials: Easy and fun collection of STEM projects and lessons for elementary and middle school. Made for teachers, science fairs, and weekend activities. Find more ideas on our website STEM Inventions! You can also find lesson plans, project sheets, and more…
Looking for elementary STEM science projects? This list will give you some great ideas for elementary science experiments and projects!
10 engaging lesson plan ideas and classroom activities for Constitution
I almost forgot that I had scanned these to share with you! A few weeks ago we listened to "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven. First graders discussed tempo, mood and dynamics and then created these written/drawn responses. They had some pretty heavy thoughts about the song. It was a great opportunity to talk about how music captures emotions. We discussed music that is used for weddings, funerals, parades, parties, etc... What insightful young men and women I teach! UPDATED: Just to answer a few questions that I've recieved in the comments or via email for teachers wishing to teach this lesson: To introduce the piece I talked about Beethoven and explained that sometimes (not always!) but sometimes composers like to tell stories with their music the way authors do with books. I asked them to listen to the piece and then asked them to label it generically by asking them what the tempo was, what instrument did they hear, what was the "mood" of the piece. Then I asked them to imagine they were creating a movie. What would be showing on the movie when they heard this music. We shared two or three examples and then went to the sheets to express our ideas. Too many examples and students don't think about their own response, but on which response they heard that sounded the best! This sheet is part of a Primary Writing Prompt Kit that you can find HERE.
So it's Sunday, and I've been in bed all day and am loving it. LOL Before I nap away the day, I wanted to give you all a look at my new pack! All About Hygiene {health pack} As you know, the last few weeks I have been working on my health packs. I just know my little ones will love learning about each pack. This set is a combo of hygiene and dental hygiene. It's so important to know about both so why not combine them! These printables are all similar to my other health packs, so your little ones know exactly what do. =) Here's whats included: I feel like I always need to add an ABC order printable to all my packs. My kids love it and it always has them thinking! I included one for hygiene and poor hygiene so my kiddies know what the difference is between the two. This is great for centers or buddy work. These cute info cards, give the students a little info on the importance of each. Just another way to review the importance of hygiene! This is seriously my students favorite during center time. They love that there are so many different things to do. It keeps them guessing and it's always fun to read! I love this. It's like labeling with a twist. My little ones love to draw. So I came up with this to see what they have learned from dental hygiene and put their knowledge and good drawings to good use! Lucky for them I added another version of this for not so good things for their teeth. This pack is perfect for teaching your little ones all about hygiene including dental! It's necessary to teach your students that it's important to be able take care of your teeth and body. This is loaded with printables, centers, fun reads and much more, that teach your little ones to do just that. These activities are perfect for centers, morning work, homework or during free time. It's a great way to who your little ones the right way to wash, clean and take care of themselves. Grab this set now by clicking here or check out my TpT Store to see what else I have. =) Let your little ones know how and why to take care of their bodies and teeth This pack includes: *writing prompts *hygiene fun facts *hygiene and dental hygiene posters *lists of ways to practice good hygiene *quiz *abc order *can have is (hygiene and poor hygiene) *whats your favorite? *sorting *reading comprehension (healthy and unhealthy stories) *word search *healthy mix up *labeling *making lists and much more! This unit also goes great with my other health packs: All About Emotions {health pack} All About Fruits and Veggies {health pack} All About Exercise {health pack} Let me know what you think. I hope your little ones love. =) **************** Update! I have bundled all my Health packets together at a discounted price! Get all my sets for just $12.50 at my TpT Shop Over 150 pages of health topics involving hygiene, exercise, emotions and fruits & veggies. Your little ones will have such a good time learning about these topics in a kid friendly way. The printables are fun, entertaining and will keep their attention. To see more of what's included, check it out here
Elementary Choir Rehearsal Procedures. Organized Chaos. Tips for how to run an efficient, fun, successful choir rehearsal with elementary aged students.
Looking for ESL Newcomers Activities & Vocabulary including worksheets that will give you a little help with your English Newcomers? ESL Newcomers Activities & Vocabulary bundle is meticulously crafted for ESL Newcomers and includes what you need to make teaching Newcomers fun and easy! Included in ESL Newcomer Activities & Vocabulary - ELL Lesson Plans - ELL Worksheets - ESL Bundle: You get ELD lesson plans, activities, and ESL worksheets for: ❤️ sentence flip strips ❤️ word wall cards ❤️ sentence starters ❤️ flap fun books ❤️ vowel sound activities Plus Much More! Looking for an ESL newcomer activities & curriculum that will keep your instruction ✅ organized ✅ energized ✅ engaging From ELL newcomer lesson plans and games to ESL newcomer grammar and vocabulary activities, you'll have all the high-quality resources you need. Teaching your English beginners just got easier. Focus your ESL plans on building foundational beginning language proficiency, boosting ELL newcomer vocabulary acquisition, and grammar, What teachers just like you say about this ESL Newcomer Activities & Curriculum - ELL Lesson Plans: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This pack is perfect for what I needed for my classes. Thank you for creating such a fantastic product. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is such a great resource! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wow, very impressive. Lots of useful activities in the bundle. This meticulously crafted ESL Newcomer Activities & Vocabulary - ELL Lesson Plans contains: Newcomer activities lesson plans ESL vocabulary and grammar ELD activities & games ESL newcomer curriculum ELL worksheets Picture Cards GREAT FOR ESL SUB PLANS It is a game-changer for educators working with beginning English language learners. ✅ LOOK WHAT YOU GET: ESL NEWCOMER Unit #1 includes the following lessons for ELLs: basic phrases colors basic survival vocabulary vowels ESL NEWCOMER Unit #2 includes the following lessons for ELLs: word wall cards for the ‘to be’ verb emotion vocabulary picture cards (color and B&W) plural nouns sentence starters for the ‘to be’ verb alphabet letters with pictures (color and B&W) initial letter symbol and sound recognition activities segmenting activities ESL NEWCOMER Unit #3 includes the following lessons for ELLs: ‘to have’ verb pronouns school supplies vocabulary ‘What/Do you have questions singular/plural prepositions alphabet Plus much more! ESL NEWCOMER Unit #4 includes the following lessons for ELLs: basic verbs with ‘can’, ‘cannot’, and ‘can’t’ action verb vocabulary possessive pronouns cognates questions and answers with ‘can’ Plus much more! ENGLISH NEWCOMER Unit #5 includes the following lessons for ELLs: basic verbs with ‘want’, ‘do/does want‘, and ‘do/does not want‘, present progressive food vocabulary basic contractions irregular plurals skip counting by 2 Plus Much More! ENGLISH NEWCOMER TASK CARDS FOR THE TO-BE VERB: •Directions and Teacher information • 32 Task Cards in color • 32 Task Cards in black and white • Assessment • A variety of student writing sheets in color and black and white ESL Newcomer Sentence Starters & Word Banks This No Prep ELL newcomer activities ESL package consists of : 42 Kindergarten and ESL Newcomer Sentence starter word wall cards Individual lined paper for each sentence starter Easel Digital Activities included! This ESL Newcomers Activities Bundle will: ✅ save you time ✅ help your English language beginners learn faster than ever We've got you covered! This comprehensive bundle offers a wealth of engaging materials and ready-to-use lesson plans.❤️ Whether you're an experienced ESL teacher or just starting your teaching journey, this resource is designed to meet the unique needs of ESL newcomers and empower them on their language acquisition journey. Verbs covered in this packet: -TO BE -HAVE -CAN -LIKE - NEED -WANT Pronouns covered in this packet: I, you, he, she, it, we, they If you have a new English Language Learner or a class full of ESL beginners help is here! The 7 resources in this ELL beginners bundle have everything you need in one place to reach and teach your English newcomers. The lessons and activities in this English newcomer bundle provides the vocabulary and ESL grammar that you need to create a solid English foundation in your Beginning English Newcomers. Get your students learning right away with these activities! ✅ Download the preview for more information on this must-have resource! With easily differentiated options, they fit a variety of learners. The critical thinking work is perfect for individual kids, small groups, or partners. Great for classrooms, intervention, speech therapy, ELLs, ELD, and ESL. Grab yours today! This reproducible ELL bundle might be right for you if you teach: ELD/ESL students English Language Learners (ELL) in the classroom Beginning English speakers Kinder or 1st grade ELLs multi-grade levels to a wide range of abilities speech therapy Related products for ESL ESL ELD Newcomer Unit - Describe Location and Compare ESL ELD Newcomer Unit - Asking Questions and Sequencing Events - Grammar Unit Check out some of our best-sellers Kinder & 1st Grade Sentence Starters Formal and Informal Language Please follow me! Click the green star beside my name at the top of this page OR at the top of my store page. Thank you so much for your purchase! If you enjoy my products, please leave feedback: Why is feedback so important? When you provide feedback, you’ll earn TPT credits that can be used for future purchases! Getting TPT credits to use on future purchases is easy: Go to your My Purchases page Beside each purchase, you'll see a Provide Feedback button Click it and you will be taken to a page where you can leave a quick rating and a short comment about the product. Thanks a bunch! Lori
I teach at an International Baccalaureate school which follows a PYP program. We do a lot of inquiry and trans-disciplinary teaching. Here ...
We are getting geared up for learning about 2D and 3D shapes in my classroom! Let's keep this low-prep, rigorous, and FUN! These activities are from my NO-PREP Shapes Printables and also my Common Core Math Centers Bundle. Here are a few examples from these packets! And a few centers from my Common Core Math Centers... Download them HERE!
Teaching music with fun, tried & tested lessons, DIY classroom projects & ideas your students will love with Tracy King, the Bulletin Board Lady.
It is never too early to start thinking about career choices, but since we are working with elementary students, let's keep it fun! Let students explore career aspirations and career basics to help students know the broad scope of different careers that exist in the world. Check out these 20 fun career exploration lessons, ideas about careers, and career games for elementary students.
Make money management a fun skill to learn in middle school with this awesome lapbook!
Today I'm giving a glance into my first day of school lesson plans, from TK - 5th grade. In the first day of music class, students are arguably the most attentive they will be all year. This puts a unique pressure on the first day's lesson plan to set the tone for the rest of our time together.
If you're planning an ocean themed learning unit for your student, these Whale Subtraction Clip Cards are going to be a great addition to your math centers.
Welcome back everyone, I can't believe summer is gone and it's time to go back to school. I think the best part of going back to school is getting new things for my classroom and scoring some back to school freebies. So I think you will love this back to school freebie I created (see picture below). Instant lesson plan freebie: All my teacher friends really love my kindergarten/1st grade lesson plans and keep asking me to post them so they can use the fun games and visuals in their classrooms. So I'm giving away a fun lesson to use with your younger students. This lesson comes with an exciting cup game, includes free sheet music, visuals and activities. The great thing about this lesson is you can use it for several grade levels and use the game in other lessons throughout the year. Want more freebies? Please leave a friendly comment below and let me know what other kinds of freebies you would like me to create. (If you like this lesson plan, please send your friends to my website to get their own music lesson & lesson visuals for free). Thanks for visiting my teacher blog. Have a great school year! Sherry Stucki :)