I am flipped and tablet certified!!

I recently discovered Sophia.org through Twitter and I found FREE...yes FREE professional development!  I just had to check it out!  I took the Flipped Classroom Certification and I loved it.  I started to dabble in flipped classroom this year and the tutorial was beneficial to keep me going.  After that certification, I decided to take the i-Pad Prepared Certification.  The links in this tutorial were amazing!  To complete each certification, one needs to create their own lesson or tutorial.  I have created a lesson that uses flipped learning and i-pad apps.  Check it out below!

AcTiVe LeArNiNg with MoNkEyS aNd BaBoOnS!

I would like to share a game I have created to incorporate active learning in these last few weeks of school and practice adding and subtracting fluently.  FYI- Studies show brain function is higher when a child is physically engaged in an activity.  The game is title MONKEYS AND BABOONS!  Materials needed are 7-10 handkerchiefs, index cards, safety pins, and an area to run.  Write addition and subtraction problems on index cards (adapt for sight words, letters, numbers, etc.) and attach them to the handkerchiefs with a safety pin.  Students who are chosen to be monkeys will add the "tail" by stuffing part of the hanky in their back pocket.  The baboons want to try to grab a monkey tail.  I set up cones to create boundaries and when the monkeys are set the baboons start chasing them.  When a baboon grabs a tail, they yell out the addition or subtraction problem with the answer and they get to the count of 5 to attach their tail.  I pause the game after a few minutes and switch roles if someone has not had a chance to be a monkey.  The kiddos LOVE this game and it lets them release some of that extra energy!! If only I could find a way to bottle that energy :)

 

Who Doesn't Love sUbTrAcTiOn!!!

The best thing happened over this loooooong winter!!!  I now have a Dollar Tree or as my grandfather calls it a "JUNK STORE" by my place.  I love shopping at that JUNK STORE!  At the Dollar Tree, I had found an adorable alligator hat and monkey masks.  Instantly, I became inspired!! I am going to teach a unit on subtraction and I am going to begin with the song 5 Little Monkeys Swinging from a Tree.  The kiddos are going to love these!!  I also created a subtraction worksheet to practice writing the math sentences.  Click to enjoy! 

 

 

StAr WoRd BeAcH PaRtY w/ Ocean Book Freebie!!

Yes!! We are party animals in kindergarten (especially at the end of the year)!  I am so excited for our Star Word Beach Party tomorrow.  The day when we celebrate all the words we have learned over the year!  (details and pictures to come soon)  To prepare for our party, we become marine biologists and study the ocean.  One project we complete is the research of an ocean animal.  The students pick an animal and with their 4th Grade Friend.  Together, they create an oil pastel drawing and research facts about that animal.  On beach day, we video tape a movie with them dressed in their beach attire reading their facts about the animal they researched.  It is adorable and I usually show it during our kindergarten graduation ceremony!  Here are some other ocean activities we have done.

I used Carson-Dellosa Fish and Waves Border and DJ Inkers Sea Life Bulletin Board Accents.  I cut out 5 fish from the border and used velcro to attach the swimming fish to each page and the eaten fish to the back of the shark.  I attached the plain ocean border to each page so the shark puppet could slide through.  As you read the story, one could practice addition of subtraction, as the shark eats fish or gains fish in his belly.  Print the story here on blue paper or cardstock.

I used the other accents in the book Guess Who Lives in the Ocean, a book of ocean riddles.  Start printing here on blue paper or cardstock.  (I apologize for the extra neck exercises)

We also reviewed time with this whale clock activity.  It could also be done as a shark to go along with the book Tick Tock Sharks by Elizabeth Mills.

Enjoy!!

Bug Jar Math

The students created bug jars on www.kerpoof.com.  They were given a scenario where they caught some bugs in their jar and some escaped.  The students drew bugs in their jar and on the outside.  They recorded their word problem on VoiceThread and we created math equations for each drawing.  This was an interactive way to practice subtraction!

Polar Animal Extravaganza!

During our polar animal unit, we created an igloo with sight word ice blocks (silver paper taped onto a cardboard base).  During math, I had the students bring in a stuffed polar animal.  I loved that so many of my students had creative polar animals.  The penguin was a hit and it scared me everytime I walked into my classroom!  We  measured, weighed, sorted, and compared the animals.  The recording sheet will be avaliable soon! 

Math Centers Linky Party

Check out some awesome math centers at my most loved site for early childhood educators!  Chalk Talk is having a Math Center Linky Party! 

I wanted to share a math center that my students love and it engages them in predicting and measuring.  In this center, the students create a nonstandard measurement booklet.  I create four-page booklets and place them in my Math Zone with Inch Worms (3 mini green pom-poms glued together with some small google eyes), and crayons.  The students write their name on the cover page and then make drawings of objects they will measure on the remaining pages.  On the top of the page they estimate how many inch worms that object will be.  Then they measure the object and below the picture, they write the actual amount of words.  The students love this activity along with being able to use a clipboard to record their measurements if they would like.  This activity could also be used with various tools for measuring like Unifix cubes, paper clips, etc.

Go check out the other math center ideas at Chalk Talk!

Go PaCk Go!!!!!!!!!!

Each week we keep track of the Packers' score and use tally marks to keep track of the wins (and losses if any occur)!!!  We also track which state they play in each week!  My amazing attention getter that is working well right now is the Packer chant.  Teacher says: Duh na duh, Duh na duh!  Students say: GO PACK GO!

Mouse Count

Mouse Count math lesson!  The students designed their own snake sock puppet and loved it!!