50 Books for $50

Scholastic is selling their 50 book sets, normally $178 for $50! Great to build your library or for beginning teachers just starting!

Clich HERE to go to the site. Sale ends 9/5/11

First Week of School

How did the first week of school go for everyone? :)

For me it was a bustle of getting to know my students, planning, signing up for PE times/library times/computer times, learning where everything was and trying to stay cool (my school has no AC!).

I have been a little MIA as I get into the groove and prepare for the dynamics I have in my class. Don't worry! I have not abandoned the blog and will be posting fun, quick, few-material Math Games in the next few days!

Have a great week!

Getting to Know You Activity with a Beach Ball!

Here is a super simple and fun getting to know you activity!

1. Get a cheap beach ball from the dollar store or Target $1 Spot.

2. Using a permanent marker cover it with getting to know you questions.

3. Throw the ball to someone. Tell them to answer the question that is touching their left/right thumb/index/middle/ring/pinky finger. For example, "Answer the question that is touching your right index finger".

4. After the question is answered the ball is thrown to another person, and so on.

Here are the questions I wrote on the ball:

• What is your favorite TV show?
• What instrument would you like to play
• If you were stranded on a desereted island what 3 things would you want to have?
• What do you want to be when you grow up?
• What was the best gift you've ever received?
• Do you usually buy your lunch or bring it from home?
• What chore is your least favorite?
• What is your favorite game to play?
• What is your favorite cartoon character?
• How many siblings do you have?
• What do you like to learn about?
• What was your favorite part of summer?
• Name 3 things that make you happy.
• What is your favorite animal?
• What is your favorite book or book series?
• Would you rather be indoors or outdoors?
• If you could have a super power what would it be and why?
• What is your favorite toy to play with?
• What is your favorite color?
• Do you like sports? Which one?
• What job would you never do and why?
• What do you like to do for fun?
• What food will you never eat and why?
• What do you like to do for fun?
• Are you a cat-person or dog-person? Both? Neither?
• What famous person would you like to meet?
• What's your favorite school subject?
• When do you usually do your homework?
• What would you do if you won $10,000?
• If you could have any pet you want, what would it be?
• What king of movies do you like?
• Do you prefer white or colored socks?
• What was your favorite part of summer?
• Where were you born?
• What color of clothing do you like to wear the most?
• What is your favorite home-cooked meal?
• What is your favorite food?
• What is your favorite treat/snack?
• Do you like having dreams? Why or why not?
• What are you going to be for Halloween?
• What are three adjectives to describe you?
• Are you more a talker or a listener?
• What place would you like to visit?
• Do you have a favorite singer or band?
• Do you have a nickname? What is it?

Your questions may differ from mine depending on the age of the students, and your dynamics. For example, I know my school hosts a Halloween Parade so I felt comfortable asking the students about Halloween costumes.

What are you doing to get to know your students?

Giveaways from Scholastic Teachers on Facebook!

Have you LIKED Scholastic Teachers on Facebook, yet? Do you like free stuff? They have giveaways every week! Right now they are having a huge back to school giveaway spree!

Seagull Book- Great Sales!

Have you ever been to Seagull Book to shop their discount tables? They have some amazing deals!

These are things I got yesterday at Seagull Book.

A hardbound, color Encyclopedia of the Presidents for $3.99. List price is $19.95. Woot!

Then each of these CD packs for either $2.99 or $3.99 with 3 CDs each! List Price $19.99 or $12.99

Recognize any of these songs?

Songs for Learning CDs:

 The Wheels on the Bus

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

Down by the Bay

A Frog Went A-courtin'

She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain

Clementine

I've Been Workin' on the Railroad

Big Rock Candy Mountains

Yankee Doodle

I Love the Mountains

The Muffin Man

B-I-N-G-O

Old Macdonald had a Farm

PLUS about 50 other songs!

And that's just on the one pack of CDs. I'm always looking for inexpensive music for the classroom.

Last year we sang Frog Went A-Courtin' and the 3rd graders loved it! We then wrote our own verses to sing. It was a blast!

I also have found books like Leven Thumps hardcover for $2. Looking for a great gift? They have cookbooks for $2 or $3, they have cute picture frames for a few dollars, etc.

Fold and Cut-Bound Books TUTORIAL

I loved to make books when I was in elementary. When I didn't have many materials I would make this book that only requires paper and scissors to bind (although I have been known to skip the scissors altogether and just fold and tear!)

You will need:
*Paper
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
* I used construction paper for this book, but computer paper works well too. Paper that is too thin, such as manuscript paper, will not work very well. Remember that the number of pages you end up with in your book will be double the number of pieces of paper you have.

1. Fold each piece of paper in half hamburger style.

2. Measure about one inch from the top and bottom of each piece of paper on the fold side. To do this quickly I measured one piece, put all the pieces together, then following the guideline from the first page I marked the rest.

3. Take ONE piece of paper and cut out the middle from each mark at the end. You are making a "slit" in the fold, leaving the two measured pieces at the end un-cut.

4. All the remaining pieces of paper will be cut from the bottom and top until you hit the mark (the opposite of what you just did in #3)

5. Fold the paper you just cut, lengthwise and put it carefully in the slit piece of paper.

6. CAREFULLY unfold the lengthwise paper to fit into the slit. Do one end at a time or you will likely rip the slit open. Hopefully the pictures will help explain this as it's hard to write in words!

7. You now have your book!

Well there's my first tutorial ever! Any questions? Anything unclear?

Thanks for reading!

Half Off at Scholastic Teacher Express ENDS TOMORROW!

I just found out that one of my favorite sites is offering half off their e-books until tomorrow, 8/15. Click HERE to go straight to the page.

They have SO many resource books for teachers. Writing prompts, daily math and language practice, science, trait specific writing practice, vocabulary practice, mini books, Smart Board(TM) lessons, management strategies, graphic organizers, pocket folder centers, and that's just the beginning of it!

I love this site for several reasons:
1. They have a preview for every book. You can view every page of the book before you buy.
2. You can buy individual pages! I'll show you in a minute how this can be helpful.
3. Very user-friendly site. Products can be sorted by grade, subject, or theme.
4. They have lots of sales. Tomorrow ends their half off sale. This summer they had a Dollar Days sale. They had 500+ e-books on sale for $1!! These books can cost up to $25. What a deal!
5. I'd rather go with an electronic format anyways. The less paper, the better! :)


Do you remember making "fortune tellers" or "cootie catchers" when you were in elementary? I Do! Take a look at this e-book:

It's a cootie catcher for Math! How fun is that? Click HERE for a preview of the book.

If this math is too difficult for your grade just buy the individual page of the template and make your own! This is where the option to buy one page really comes in handy. Click here.

Want to fold your own without buying a template and can't remember how to do it? Stay tuned for a tutorial!

Teachers get Discounts Every Day!

Just got an email from Michaels. Apparently, teachers can save 15% every day! There is not much info on their website about it, so I'll have to go into the store next week to get the nitty gritty.

Lakeshore Learning also has a Teacher's club. Click HERE to go to their website. 15% off everyday and lamination is only $.29 a linear foot.

Barnes and Noble also gives an educator discount. 20% off publisher prices, and special educator appreciation days where you get 25% off.

Do you know of any stores offering Teacher discounts? Please share!

The Idea that Started it All

It's a simple idea, but it's what inspired me to start this blog.

Calculating elapsed time is a difficult concept. The more practice students get, the easier it will be. Here's a quick activity that will give students practice several times a day.

Put a clock students can manipulate by the door. As you leave for art, P.E., lunch or another activity tell the students how long you will be gone for. Then ask them what time you will return. For example: "We will be gone to P.E. for 45 minutes. It's 1:30 right now. What time will we be back?" This can also be reversed and done when you get back to the classroom instead. "We were at P.E. for 45 minutes. It's now 2:15, what time did we leave?" Or "We left at 1:30 and it's now 2:15, how long were we gone?"

I found these great foam clocks at Target for $1!!

You can also make your own with cardstock and brads. http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/time/time-clock2.pdf

These will last longer if laminated. Also remember to not close the brad too tightly on the paper or the hands won't turn well! It's smaller than the foam clock, but great for the individual.

How do you teach elapsed time?

Note: This is only a "quick" activity if your students have already learned and practiced elapsed time :)