Math project- Name Fractions

This project, once again, is to use fractions and find equivalent fractions.  Students drew and decorated their names and found the fraction of consonants and vowels.  If there was an equivalent fraction, they needed to write it down.  If there was not, they needed to MAKE an equivalent fraction.  It was good practice to see them reversing the process and trying to make a new fraction that was equal to the smaller one they had (for example:  2/5 of my first name is vowels.  An equivalent fraction would be 4/10.)

This is my name as an example!

Math Project- Fraction Kites

This is a kite I did to practice equivalent fractions with third graders going into fourth grade.  They needed to count the fractions of each color shaded (for example:  My kite has 4/16 yellow squares.  That is equal to 1/4)  They were supposed to write their fractions on the tail of their kite.  It was difficult for them to find an equivalent fraction if they did not color the same color next to one another, but drawing it out on the tail helped them visualize it more.  Great practice also with writing and naming fractions!  Kept them super focused!

A First Year to Remember...

So far, on my blog, I have posted some pictures of anchor charts and projects I have done with my students in my FIRST year of teaching (YAY!).  Although these are glimpses into the work I do with my class and what we study, I think a reflection of how my first year went and what I learned would be beneficial.  This is especially for other first year teachers as they begin their journey into being a professional educator, or as they wind down from the craziness of a first year.  Either way, here it goes!

My first thought is...HOW DID I MAKE IT?  HOW?  I mean, when I got into teaching I assumed I'd get all this time one -on-one with my students and get to know all about them and talk to their parents all of time. What a reality check.  The first month or so of my year was strictly testing the reading and math levels of my students along with setting up expectations.  And... paperwork. PAPERWORK, PAPERWORK, PAPERWORK.  My mom is a teacher, and I don't know how I missed all of the paperwork she had to do!  IT IS CRAZY.  Although the excessive amount of paperwork drove me crazy and stressed me out, I definitely understand the necessity of documenting what you do with students...especially if it will help other teachers help and teach those students.  So as hectic as those deadlines can be, DO IT and prove it, it will help everyone in the long run!

So beyond the whiplash from paperwork my first month, we can't my student who decided to use the restroom on a tree at recess instead of running up the hill to the bathrooms. Yup, he peed outside. In front of everyone!  Then tried to hide behind a small, skinny tree (which I could see him the whole time) and THEN tried to tell me it wasn't him. The tree was all wet, and then he had to confess.  His confession went like this, "My stomach hurt."  That was all, no apology, no tears, nothing.  His stomach hurt.  OK.  I was horrified and thought, "What kind of teacher am I that a student pees outside!"  but thankfully, all of the administration and staff just laughed, as they knew the student and, honestly, were not that surprised.

So after that, about a week later, one of my students got sick towards the end of the school day.  I sent him to the nurse, but she did not want to call mom because he would be leaving on the bus in 20 min or so anyways.  WHAT A MISTAKE!  I wanted to call mom, but the nurse insisted on just sending him home.  Well, guess how that went?  As soon as he sat down on that hot, steamy, sweaty bus.  PUKE. ALL OVER.  Once again, I was horrified.  And once again, others understood.  My thought during this one was, "Thank goodness I'm not the only one who this has happened to!"  LESSON LEARNED- always call mom.

The rest of my year, honestly, is a big blur.  There were many, many, many other messy events and issues that I dealt with...but I get them all jumbled up!  I would love to rant about the swear words, fighting, blaming, bullying, whining, crying, and excuses used by my students through out the WHOLE year...BUT that is part of teaching.  I think that the most important thing I learned in my first year as a teacher was to not only help these students grow intellectually, but I also have the responsibility to help them grow socially and sometimes morally.  For example, HONESTY.  Sometimes, these little ones lie their buns off.  Even when everyone knows the truth, they STILL lie.  Trying to show them that honesty is the best policy is SO hard.  So my lesson for this one is...LEAD BY EXAMPLE.  STAY TRUE TO YOUR WORDS.  and show them that they DO matter. 

ALSO, just to interject another crucial lesson to be learned as an educator...BE FLEXIBLE.  do not count on ANYTHING.  schedules change by the minute, people cancel, meetings pop-up.  Deal with it, and let it go.  Life WILL be easier.

Overall, my first year was amazing.  It was a roller coaster of emotions, but I will never ever forget my first year.  Those students helped me grow SO much as a teacher, and I would have never learned the lessons I did with out them.  They do not realize the gift of learning that they blessed me with.  I can't wait to see what I learn next year!

Cheers!
(OH, and HAPPY HAPPY SUMMER BREAK!)

Math Anchor chart- Nifty Nine Trick for SIMPLE addition

I made this anchor chart because my students (who are in the third grade now) STILL have trouble and use their FINGERS to compute basic math problems with 9s in the ones digit.  Since it drives me nuts, I decided to throw up an anchor chart and go over it for a couple of weeks 5 min/day to see if they learn the trick!  Good luck!

Math: Financial Literacy- Piggy Bank Project

As we concluded our studies of financial literacy in math (the importance of making, saving, and spending money appropriately), we celebrated by making our very own piggy banks so we could start saving!  This project was EASY and took about 40 minutes for my kids to get everything done the way they wanted to.  This was great for the end of the year, since we have such crazy schedules and sometimes need longer projects to keep our kiddos occupied.  Only hint, make the slit in the bottle BEFORE they start gluing all of the paper on.  Enjoy!