Have you heard!?! TpT is celebrating 3 Million Teachers on Teachers Pay Teachers!  The big Sale is this Thursday and Friday (the 27th and 28th)!  My store will be 20% off of EVERYTHING!  Included are my newest math games, WILD-O!  These card games play just like UNO and the students LOVE them!

Liquid Measurement, Decimals, and Fractions.

I can't wait to grab these goodies during the sale!

Greatest Common Factor Scoot for our upcoming standard.

Geometry Interactive Notebook Activities and Task Cards by Jivey to review this standard before state testing.

Math Funnies by Pinkadots, can't wait to use this product for a class activity.

Time is Ticking by One Happy Teacher to review fractions, time, time lines, etc.

Word Problem Task Cards by Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans because I can never have enough of these!

Math is Everywhere by Pure Rhyme and Reason to expand my current curriculum.

One more!  Joanne's Decimal Scoot!  I can't wait to play this game with my kiddos!

What Math products do you plan to grab during the sale?

An InLinkz Link-up

If your TpT store is joining in on the TpT 3 Million Teachers Strong Sale Link up your store over at Pinkadots.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Anonymous

Today I am linking up with my friends Amanda and Stacia for their Mentor Text linky.  This week's topic is Social Studies and I am excited to share with you a text to use for Black History Month.  As a mother of three boys I am always trying to find text that interest the boys of my class.  I feel that sometimes it is more difficult to excite them about reading than the girls.

I am so ready for Spring, and when I think of Spring I think of baseball!  Jackie Robinson: Strong Inside and Out by Time for Kids Biographies is a great text for intermediate grades.  

Images from Amazon and clipart from EduClips

This is a great book to use to show the struggles Jackie faced when he entered the baseball league and how he overcame those obstacles.

My students LOVE history, so any text I can find with real photos is perfect for my class!  The images in this text are photos from the past and capture Jackie's life and the time period.

I love the timeline at the end of this text for students to visually see where Jackie's struggles and triumphs fell during the historical events of the 1900s.

As I mentioned above I am so ready for Spring!  I created a set of Baseball Themed Flippables to use with Jackie Robinson: Strong Inside and Out and other baseball themed stories, or any other text.

Freebie Alert!  I love when my students can annotate and be active readers with their pencils, but dislike using a text from a book because they can not write in the book. To help eliminate the problem I created my Active Reading product. Included are three sheets, one for focusing on theme, one for main idea, and one for summarizing. I hope your students will enjoy using it too!

Winner!  I am excited to announce that  Gina T.  has won the "Read America" shirt from MimisChest and a $20 Amazon gift card!  Congratulations!

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Anonymous

We continued working on Idioms this week and used Sabra from Teaching with a Touch of Twang's Idioms: Literal vs. Figurative product.  I loved my students illustrations for their idioms.  Here are a few of my favorites :)

Our social studies curriculum requires us to study famous landmarks of North Carolina.  We studied one of my favorite places this week, The Biltmore Estate.  We watch a few Youtube videos of some tours and my students were instantly intrigued!  They wanted to know more and had so many questions.  We finished up our lesson with a passage on the Biltmore.

This is how I feel this week, except it should say teacher.  I have expectations for my students to pay attention, not to talk when I am talking, not to talk when others are working or during a test, to be respectful of each other, etc.  We actually all most likely have the same expectations for our students, but in my room if I tell my students to stop talking, pay attention, or be respectful that means I don't like my students.  This is according to my students and parents.  TGIF!

The Bermuda Triangle of Room 20.

Today is the last day to enter a chance to win a "Read America" shirt from Mimis Chest and a $20 Amazon gift card from I {Heart} Recess!  Hurry over and enter!

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Anonymous

For today's Tried it Tuesday I am sharing how am using my Common Core files I created and shared with you at the end of last school year.  Last year I printed my labels (you can get them for FREE in my  TpT store) and placed them on new file folders.

I then sorted through my materials and kept the papers that went along with the new curriculum and placed them in the correct file.  Each label has the Common Core standard and a little cliff note.

As the year has progressed it has been SUPER easy for me to open my filing cabinet and place this year's new sheets, games, and task cards in the corresponding file.  I wish I would of been this organized my previous years of teaching!

I keep the current skill(s) files in my weekly lesson plan bin on my front table for easier access to extra materials or for filing away those extra papers quickly.

In my files have stashed away almost every product from the Tricky Math Bundle, which is currently on sale at Educents for $10.99!

Have you entered a chance to win a "Read America" shirt from MimisChest and $20 Amazon gift card from I {Heart} Recess?  The giveaway ends soon!  I received my shirt today and it is even CUTER in person!

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Anonymous

I always taught the standard algorithm and the Lattice method when it came to teaching 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication. It wasn't until the implementation of Common Core last year when I discovered the area model or box method.  After examining this strategy I LOVE it and prefer my students use this method. They are less likely to make mistakes and are able to see that we are multiplying hundreds, tens, ones, not just numerals.

Surprisingly there aren't many products or worksheets out there that use the area/box method.  Fortunately, for you and me my friend Diane from Fifth in the Middle has created such a product.  My students loved the super hero theme of this product and the amount of space Diane provided for them to complete their work.  This product covers 2 digit by 2 digit, 3 digit by 2 digit, and 3 digit by 3 digit.

As I mentioned before the box method allows students to understand that when multiplying 32 x 54 one is actually multiplying 30 x 50, not 3 x 5.  With this understanding students are able to determine if their answer is reasonable.

If you haven't tried this method of multiplication I highly suggest you do, you will be surprised at the number of students who have success with this method rather than the standard algorithm.

Diane's Mighty Multiplication Box Method pack is available in the limited time Tricky Math Bundle currently on sale at Educents.  You can grab the Tricky Math Bundle at Educents for $10.99!

Don't forget to enter a chance to win the "Read America" shirt by MimisChest and $20 Amazon gift!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Anonymous

Today I am linking up with my friends Amanda & Stacia for their Mentor Text Linky. This year I have really enjoyed teaching Science, thanks to my Interactive Science Notebooks.  I personally dislike science, {I took Earth Science in 8th & 9th grade and again as a freshman in college...yeah, it's that bad} but I do love a having fun with experiments!

I haven't done this activity with my class this year yet, actually I haven't done it since my first and second years of teaching, but can't wait to do it in the coming weeks.  Dr. Seuss's Bartholomew and the Oobleck is a great book to use when teaching properties of matter.  Oobleck is a solid and a liquid and great for teaching property changes.

 If you have never made Oobleck be prepared for a fun mess!  The kids will love it and so will you!  I found a recipe (there are several on the Internet) at education.jlab.org for you to use.

If you have already taught properties of matter use this activity as a Fun Friday activity. Your students will LOVE you for it!

In honor of Dr.Seuss's upcoming Birthday and Read Across America I am hosting an "I {Heart} Reading" Giveaway!  Mimischest and I are choosing ONE WINNER for a Read Across America inspired shirt and a $20 Amazon gift card!  Who doesn't love a cute chevron design and a gift card to purchase more books to show your LOVE of Reading!?!

My dear friend Leslie is the owner of Mimischest and made me the Read Across America inspired shirt.  I asked her if she could make it and the next day she sent me a message that is was done!  She ROCKS!  I then convinced her to make one for the giveaway. :)  You can check out her Etsy store HERE.

The giveaway will end Saturday, February 22nd.  This will give Leslie time to make the winner's shirt, in their requested size, and mail it out in time for your class's or school's Read Across America celebration!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Anonymous