As you may have noticed I took some time off from blogging.  I needed the time to catch up on school stuff, family stuff, and prepare for the holidays.  I hope you had a great Christmas!  The boys had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed spending time with their cousins.  We had eight adults and seven children in my home for a few days...it was a blast!

Holiday Themed GCF and LCM Task Cards 6.NS.B.4

Many of you probably haven't even thought about going back to school, I haven't and probably won't until next Sunday!  I wanted to share with you a math review activity I did with my students before we went on break.  Alicia contacted me about trying out her Holiday GCF and LCM Task Cards.  They are geared more towards the upper levels, but I was able to use them with my students while providing them the opportunity to collaborate with a partner.


 I placed the task cards all around the classroom and paired students up.  I wanted them to be able to discuss their thought process and ideas with someone, especially since some of the cards had larger numbers than they were used to working with.


 I loved that these task cards were simple.  They didn't require students to read a long question, but simply asked them to find the GCF, LCM, or if the given number was prime or composite.  With it being so close to Christmas Break when we did this activity, less work was better for them :)


I love this picture, above, it captures how well my students collaborate and truly appreciate each other's input and feedback.










With Common Core we are digging deeper into the standards {our district uses the term "digging deeper" at most PDs} and sometimes that makes it difficult to find new and creative ways to teach a standard we have already covered in the first nine weeks.

Main Idea can be a bit boring to teach and/or a little redundant.  The first nine weeks we started with our Interactive Notebook to teach Main Idea and what readers do before, during, and after reading to find the main idea of a passage.  We practiced a lot with Close readings and highlighting, and task cards.  This time around I wanted the students to do more activities and application practice.

We started the week off with reviewing the definition of Main Idea, Supporting Details, and what readers do while reading using our Interactive Notebooks.  We also reviewed that the main idea can often times be found in the first and last sentence of a passage or paragraph, but NOT always.


For the week's Close reading passage we used a Scholastic Weekly Reader we received before Thanksgiving break {I saved it for this week's lesson}. It had a great passage about endangered animals, which also went along with our district's theme for reading. In the first lesson students read the section about the bald eagle to find the main idea of that specific paragraph.

The second lesson I modeled how to find the main idea, supporting details, and summarized the Where Are They Now? section of the passage.  Each team member was then assigned a different section of the article.  They were to identify the main idea, supporting details, and summarize the paragraph on a sticky note.  I gave each student a different colored sticky note, so when we put them together (see below) we could easily see the different parts of the article.




Each team member works on a different part of the text.

A student highlights the main idea and supporting details.



A student summarizes the text after identifying the main idea and supporting details.


Once all students had completed their summary I had all the students who read about the alligator meet, all the ones who read about the bear meet, etc. to discuss and share their information/summaries.


This group is sharing and discussing the main idea and their summaries about the American Alligator.

Students then went back to their teams and shared their summaries with their teammates.  If I remember correctly this is similar to Kagan's Jigsaw cooperative learning structure.  I told my students instead of them reading the entire passage their teammates did some of the work for them.  Once I said this they had a clearer picture on what and why we were reading the passage this way, they also liked having less work. :)

Students share their summaries with their original teams.

Finally, teams put their summaries together to create a summary for the entire passage.  We discussed that the summary should reflect the main idea of the entire passage. They used the information from the previous day, my summary from the beginning of the lesson, and their summaries to write their team summary.  I heard many groans when I told them they could only right two-three sentences.  Once I made it a challenge between the teams to see who could come up with the most accurate and shortest summary they were quickly motivated to complete the task.



I provided each team with a piece of card stock labeled "What's the Main Idea?" and a large blue lined sticky note cut in half.


A student writes her team's summary for the entire passage.


Completed team assignment.

On the third day I created Main Idea Bags (you can find them HERE) for my students to work with for reviewing this skill.  In each bag I placed pictures related to a topic.  There were five pictures in each bag.  The pictures represented the details to the main idea.



Students took out the pictures identified the topic, chose three details (pictures), and a possible main idea for the bag.  Once students completed all ten bags they chose one bag to use to write a paragraph using the main idea and details from the bag.

Students identified the topic, details, and possible main ideas.
Topic: Science lab/experiment
Details: safety goggles, microscope, notebook, scientist, & chemical
Main Ideas: Safety in the Lab, How to conduct a Science experiment, etc


My class loves all things Titanic.  Many chose this bag to write about.



The fourth day of our Main Idea review we practiced reading passages and answering multiple choice questions.  I will post about how we do this soon! :)

For more Main Idea teaching ideas check out my friend Mandy from The 4th Grade Journey post HERE. :)





Last week we focused on 4.OA.4: Multiplies, Factors, Prime & Composite numbers.  I was impressed with how well my kids did with prime and composite numbers!  We are still working on knowing the difference between a factor and a multiple, they are mixing up these vocabulary words. :)

Early in the week we used Study Jams to help with identifying multiples of a given number.  You can see it HERE.  I try to use some sort of video in all of my lessons if possible, this year's group of kids are  extremely visual and it helps with my group of video game loving boys. :) 


 Next, students used a Hundreds Board to identify multiples of a given number.  Students circled the multiples using their dry erase markers.  When we moved onto finding the LCM students circled the multiples of the first number and placed and X on the multiples of the second number.  They then listed the Common Multiples on their whiteboards or in their notebooks, to help identify the LCM.


Wednesday my students completed a great hands on activity reviewing factors, multiples, and I tied in prime and composite review as well.  You can grab this free activity HERE.  The activity calls for 20 "lockers" and students "open and close" the lockers.  We do not have lockers so I hung 20 post-it notes in the hall way and placed blue sticky-tac above them.  Students flipped up the post-it note and stuck it to the sticky-tac to "open" the locker.  This was a great activity because it required students to think about number relationships and to get up and move during the lesson.


Thursday we reviewed Prime & Composite numbers with Collaboration Cuties  FREE Christmas Prime and Composite Game.  I was so excited to find this game Wednesday night!  I wanted to review with my kids, but wasn't feeling creative enough to come up with something on my own.  {Grateful for my BBB's!}  I enjoyed seeing how much my kids remembered about prime and composite, some new if the number was prime or composite as soon as they landed on the number!  They also really enjoyed playing a game rather than a worksheet or problems from the board. :)




I LOVED all of the lessons and activities for this week!  I felt like I was able to reach all different types of learners with the varied resources and activities.


Are you excited for TpT's Cyber Monday & Tuesday Sale!?!  I am!  I can't wait to grab some great products to use in math.  Here are a few that I have already have and a few I plan to grab during the sale.


My top selling math products:

Patterns 4.OA.5 Patterns          4th Grade Common Core Multiplication Mini Unit
Patterns                                                                   Multiplication

Products I use and LOVE:
Multi-Step Problem Solving Performance Task {Notebook}

I just started using this before break with my kids....LOVE it!  Joanne created another INCREDIBLE product!  Grab it HERE.


Multi-Digit Multiplication Task Cards (2 digit by 2 digit

You can never have enough task cards or multiplication practice!  I am using these task cards by I Love My Classroom in my math centers this week.  Pick them up HERE.
Task Cards for 4th Grade Common Core - Geometry

I used these task cards in math centers and for scoot to review the geometry standards.  I loved that Kim organized them by each standard so I could use them at the end of each unit.  You can find them HERE.

Geometry Printables: Lines and Angles

I absolutely LOVED this product by Downeast Teacher!  It is a must to any geometry unit! Find it HERE.


Line Plots with Fractions Math Center {aligned to Common Core}

During the Back to School Sale I grabbed Holly's fraction center.  You can grab it during this sale HERE.


Standards Based Assessments: 4th Grade Math *ALL STANDARDS

My favorite math product I have purchased from TpT is Miss Nanni's 4th grade assessment bundle.  This was the very first product I purchased from TpT and use it for every CCS.

Need to review place value?  Try Christy's Differentiated 4th Grade Common Core Place Value Centers.  The students will LOVE these!

Differentiated 4th Grade Common Core Aligned Place Value Centers!

Are you looking for some winter themed math products to use this month?  

Let It Snow! Math Activities for Upper Elementary Kids

Grab Jivey's new Let It Snow Math Activities for Upper Elementary.  I can't wait to use this in my math centers this month!


Snowball Multiplication Task Cards and Game



Multiplication Task Cards - Multiplying Snowflakes

I am always in need of new task cards to review skills in my math centers and for Scoot.  AMC's Multiplying Snowflakes is another addition I will be making to my task card addiction.  I love that these products have a snow theme so I can also use them in January if December gets too crazy!





I have found with Common Core that there is a very large jump from 3rd grade multiplication to 4th grade multiplication.  In 3rd grade students learn repeated addition, arrays, and start to master their facts.   In fourth we jump into the distributive property, area model, standard algorithm for four digit by one digit and two digit by two digit.  All of which can be a struggle if students have not mastered their facts.

One way we work on mastering multiplication facts is with the use of a 3 minute step test, a worksheet with 50 problems and students move up levels, and a 5 minute multiplication chart test.  Last year  {when I just started this little ole' blog} I shared how we use a blank multiplication sheet to help students master their facts.  You can reread it HERE.


In 4th grade we teach ways to solve problems like this:

"Julie and Jake have the same birthday.  Julie is 12 and Jake is 24.  How many times older is Jake than Julie?"

You and I naturally would divide, well because we have an understanding of the relationship between multiplication and division. :)  Many of my students will automatically multiply 12 and 24 because they quickly identify the numbers and the word times.  One of my teammates taught me a trick to teach my students on how to solve problems like the one above.

# x G = P

#- number of times
G-number of groups
P-product

For the sample problem you would replace the G with 12, P with 24, and leave the #.  Students then solve for the #, # x 12 = 24.

This week we are in school for two days, today and tomorrow....Hallelujah!, and reviewing skills in Math and Reading.  Today we used Collaboration Cuties Thanksgiving Gobble BINGO board for Multiplication Freebie.  This was a great way to review two-digit by two digit multiplication!  The kids had fun while reviewing curriculum....SUCCESS!


I cannot wait for Thanksgiving break!  I need a little time to catch up on EVERYTHING!  The past couple of weeks we have been utilizing some Thanksgiving themed activites in my class.  Here are a few of them :)

First, we used my Reading Feast Craftivity with the story The Stranger by Chris VanAllsburg.  I originally shared the idea HERE.





I abosolutely LOVE seeing other teachers use my products in their classrooms, it is the greatest compliment!  C.H. emailed me last week telling me how much she loved my product and included pictures....best compliment!  Didn't her board turn out SUPER CUTE!?!







Monday of this week my students completed my Thanksgivig Banner freebie.  They turned out adorable!  A group of teachers in my school got together and had all of their classes complete the banner, then they hung up the banner down the hallway.  Each class copied their banners on a diffierent color sheet of paper to distinguish which class the students belong to.  It was a great idea!



My BBBs and I want to show how much we are Thankful for you with a GREAT giveaway!  Good Luck!



A bunch of bloggers have joined up to say THANK YOU.  Thank you for following us.  Thank you for your support, encouragement, and friendship.  We have learned so much from you.  

So we wanted to say thank you with a Gift Card Giveaway.  

Simply fill in the rafflecopter below and you have a chance to win one of 3 prizes. 
(You can fill in the rafflecopter on any of our blogs, it's all the same one.) 

3 lucky winners will win a $25 gift card to TPT.  


Good luck!  
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