Today has been a great day! My mom and I sang at church and it was so uplifting! Then we had a potluck, and I had dish-washing duty. So I didn't get back home until late. 

I finished up my Christmas Math Workstations! They are on my TpT site. 

And then I've been working hard with my friend Tara to get some word problem packets together for second grade, they are avilable on HER TpT site! And they are AWESOME for students to be able to represent their thinking in multiple ways! 

Hopefully you don't have too much longer before Thanksgiving break! Gobble Gobble!

-Hilliary 

Tired

Ya know those days where you feel emotionally, physically, spiritually, and every other kind of drained? Today was that day.

It's Friday before we take off for Thanksgiving next week, so any kind of instruction I was trying to do with my math groups was floundering, like I felt like I was being punked.

So.. by my third group, I finally succumbed to their ways and said "this half of the class gets to get out math books, and this half you can pick a math game, half way through, we'll switch."

Voila`, my stress level dropped ten points.

One of the games I have handy is a fluency/number sense game that develops awareness of making ten. We call it "snap ten" but I'm sure there are other clever names. You give each group two sets of ten frames, they lay them out, and call out "SNAP TEN!" when they see a match that would make a ten. Then they have to justify why it makes ten. "I know that 6+4 makes ten because I can see...."

You can go to my TpT store to download it!

WINDS-Day

Well, today is NOT Wednesday. But it has been VERY WINDY here in good ol' MO. On the way home from church there were even some stop lights that were tangled up, pretty dangerous! 

When I got home from church, I sat myself down, turned on some football, put on a pot of stew, and cranked out a set of math workstations! 

I'm new to this whole Teachers Pay Teachers thing, and when anything is new and shiny I just can't get enough of it! I'm super excited so if anyone wants to head on over to my store and give me some constructive criticism, I'd appreciate it as well! 

Have a wonderful Week!
-Hilliary

Phew!

Well, today I opened my Teachers Pay Teachers store. I mean business. Since the first thing you put on your store has to be free, I did that. Check!

I uploaded my game that my students LOVE. I usually teach it to them pretty quickly in the school year, it shows me who knows the most about place value and where I have a lot of work to do.

Anyway, I will put it up on here for you all. I break students into pairs, and then give them three dice. I also provide them with these things I bought at the dollar tree that have three compartments, that I wrote "ones, tens, hundreds" inside of the compartments. I think they're for dips or planting things.... I don't know!

Then you hear the clickty-clack of dice everywhere! (the containers help keep the dice.... contained!)
The paper, titled "Roll Away" has them record the number they rolled in expanded form (ones first..) and then put it together in standard form, their partner does the same. THEN they have to compare their numbers, and whoever's is the greatest, gets a point. They LOVE this game! They don't even realize that they are learning!

Here's a quick link to my store and my Roll Away game!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Roll-Away-979399

Alright, today I'm getting stuff done. Including grad school homework and work for regular school! :)
Have a happy day! 

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Phew!
This weekend was a blur, and this week will not be much different!
We don't have softball open fields/weights, BUT I have a meeting almost every day, AND I'm frantically trying to get things done for my room because I can't physically get into it yet (they haven't finished waxing!).

So this weekend I went to Kansas City to surprise my bff Megan for her birthday. I'm never the surprise! We got a hotel, and went to dinner at Harry's Country Club, then to Howl at the Moon (her fave piano bar). And the next day we went to City Market and the Liberty Memorial (both new KC experiences for me) and then to the Westport Flea Market for lunch and then went to make a deal to get Megan and Jeff's wedding dishes before heading home! I was popped!

Here are some views from the Liberty Memorial:

             

It's just Monday and I can't believe it! 

I had a Math Training today for the Math In Focus, Singapore Math. Does anyone use it?

And like I said, have a million things to do/make/move/create/meet with/help/find/etc before I feel ready for school to start! ahhhhhhhhhh! 

BUT! I'm super excited about my classroom! Can you guess what the theme will be based on this CUTE fabric I found!?! 

AAaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhh Mateys! 

Math PD

      I have spent the past two days in MCTM math training, going over the Geometry Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten through Second Grade. In Second Grade, there are three geometry standards. It took us two days to go over everything, and we have a day and a half of training in the fall. Holy Smokes! My brain is fried! 

      If you ever get a chance to go to the MCTM conferences, go. You get a ton of materials, both printed and electronic. We talked about the model curriculum on the DESE website, assessments posted on MARS, etc.

      One of the best websites we received that you can use quickly is Sparkle Box. It is a website from it UK that offers free materials for all subjects. Including signs and labels, theme packs, games and all kinds of other resources. 

REVAMP

I have put my blog through a MUCH needed re-vamp! And I'm hoping that this year, instead of making three blog posts and then waiting two years, I will keep up a little more with this blogging opportunity.

So the THEME this year is REVAMP.

In Second Grade, we are trying departmentalizing, so we are dealing with the logistics of that. (I will just be teaching the math portion) We are beginning the Universal Breakfast Program, SW-PBS (School Wide-Positive Behavior Supports), and we are starting to put our grades on our district's online system and not "paper-pencil."

And those are just my districts big changes. Personally, for myself: I will now be coaching softball AND taking graduate courses, which are big changes for me, while teaching my Second Grade sweeties.

We still have four weeks until we have students, but those weeks are full of conferences, workshops, PD, softball practices, the Missouri State Fair (yes, I'm working) and hopefully getting my classroom ready at some point!