Fractions Math Notebook/Journal Package

It. Is. FINISHED!!!!!!

It has almost been 1 year since I posted a huge notebook pack like this! Or, really.....any notebook pack. 1st grade has kept me quite busy. :) I am really excited about this pack (I wish I had this all put together a 2 years ago when I was teaching 4th. Oh, well!).

Here are some sample pages for your viewing pleasure:

The 230-page pack includes:

• fraction identification/recognition
• my Introduction to Fractions Journal Pages
• equal/unequal parts foldable
• fraction trading cards
• equivalent fractions
• fraction strips template and instructions/activity
• printable fraction strips
• equivalent fractions notebook pages
• equivalent fractions reference cards
• equivalent fractions match foldable
• equivalent fractions card game
• dice game
• operations with fractions
• addition/subtraction foldable
• addition/subtraction/multiplication/division foldable
• 2 addition games with 3 different versions of each game
• comparing fractions
• comparison foldables
• comparison posters
• fraction sort
• comparing fractions mat and cards
• cross multiplication explanation (for the teacher)
• cross multiplication notebook pages
• fractions on a clock
• clock foldables (with labels)
• fractions on a clock sort
• fractions of a dollar
• money foldables
• mixed numbers/improper fractions
• mixed numbers notebook pages
• mixed numbers/improper fractions notebook pages
• proper/improper fractions foldable
• fractions on a number line
• number line notebook pages
• number line foldable
• fraction benchmarks notebook page
• number line match-ups
• fractions vocabulary
• vocabulary cards
• vocabulary posters
• vocabulary foldable templates
• Frayer model vocabulary foldable

Whew!! That's a lot! You can purchase this item from either store by clicking below:

AND, what's a new product post without a giveaway, right??! You can enter for a chance to win a FREE copy of this pack! I am changing up my normal giveaway routine. Just follow these 2 simple steps in my "Pick Me! Instagram Giveaway:

1. Follow @frogsandcupcakes on Instagram.

2. Share the photo below and tag #pickmefractions.

3. I will announce 3 randomly chosen winners on Friday evening!

You can also get a copy of the photo from my Facebook page. If you are using a mobile device, save the photo or take a screenshot. Be sure to tag it #pickmefractions!

This is a GREAT time to sign up for Instagram if you haven't already!! :)

Happy Instagramming {it's totally a word}! Can't wait for you to see the pack! :)

Sweet & Simple Saturday Post #1

Welcome to the FIRST ever Sweet & Simple Saturday post!! Thanks for stopping by!

This Saturday's freebie is a template to help you create the following geoboard manipulative.

As stated in the photo, these geoboards are the PERFECT addition to your interactive math journals or geometry unit, or can be made just for fun! This is a manipulative students will make and take ownership of AND is one that can be sent home! All you need is the template, paper, card stock, brads, a rubber band, and a little bit of patience. The finished geoboard can be stored in a pocket or envelope and then placed in a math journal or notebook.

TO MAKE IT:
1. Glue the grid template to a piece of colored paper that is slightly larger than the grid.

2. Push the brads through the grid at each intersection. In the template, I have included a thick border around the grid so you are able to place more brads than I did on the sample geoboard. Woohoo!

3. Glue the grid to a larger piece of paper. (You may want to tape the edges for an additional reinforcement.) Allow time for the glue to dry before using.

4. Enjoy!

Grab your copy of this freebie by clicking on any of the pictures. Come back next Saturday for another freebie! Annnnnd come back in between now and then for some more fun and ideas! ;)




If you have a sweet & simple freebie to share with others, please link up below!

Throwback Thursday!

I am joining the fun of a NEW linky party!

This linky party is meant to highlight some of your previous blog posts. Here is a throwback for you today--it is one of my favorite posts EVER! You may know from reading my blog that I am not only passionate about teaching math, but I am incredibly passionate about teaching math so students will learn! So, here you are:

*****************ORIGINAL POST*****************

Ask yourself and answer these three questions:

• What do you understand the equals sign to represent?
• What do you teach your students about the equals sign?
• What do your students understand about what the equals sign represents?

8 + 3 = 11

12 - 5 = 7

33 x 10 = 330

Most people understand the equals sign to show where to put an answer. When they look at the above number sentences they will likely interpret the left-hand side as the problem and the right-hand side as the answer.

A few weeks ago, I started having my classes work on basic number sense (since they still don't have it in 4th grade--a future "Think About It! discussion!). The very first thing we talked about was the equals sign. I asked them what they knew about it and all of them told me something along the lines of "it means the answer" or "it means 'is'; where you put the answer." I was a little taken aback and suddenly realized why they struggle with very basic problems such as 12 + __ = 20 or 7 x __ = 140. (Do your students struggle with those too?)

I have seen several recent studies that involve asking students the same questions about the equals sign. Let's, for instance, use 4 + 7 = __ + 2. On problems like these students would oftentimes add 4 and 7 and place the sum in the blank so it reads 4 + 7 = 11 + 2, completely ignoring the 2. I'm sure you as an adult (and teacher) look at that and instantly understand how the number sentence and thinking is wrong. Unfortunately, most students will not.

The equals sign indicates equality. It is placed between two things of equal value. Think of it as a balance. So when you say 8 + 3 = 11, you are saying that 8 + 3 has the same value as 11.

Can you see how knowing this in elementary school will help students better understand algebraic equations?? When students are learning about evaluating algebraic equations such as 3x + 7 = 28 they MUST understand that both sides are equal or they will never understand how to solve for x. The time to teach this is NOT in middle school but in the early grades.  

Students should also understand that one side of the equal sign does not always have to have a single number. The equals sign can show two expressions that have the same value, like 9 x 4 = 12 x 3.

I want to address one more misconception--the running equals sign. Here is a word problem and example:

Sally had 4 marbles. She cleaned her room and found 3 more marbles. Her friend then gave her 8 marbles. How many marbles does Sally have now?

Number sentence: 4 + 3 = 7 + 8 = 15

How is that wrong? Remember, both sides have to be equal. The correct way to write it would either include multiple number sentences or parentheses:

(4 + 3) + 8 = 15

OR

4 + 3 = 7

7 + 8 = 15

I wouldn't say repairing this misconception is a quick fix, but it is definitely doable. (And, of course, it would be better if instruction about the equals sign is correct from the beginning.)

• You can start by having a discussion about it with your kiddos. Bring in a balance to help you explain (for instance, put two pennies on one side, then add 6 more to it. Record that as 2 + 6. Then add pennies to the other side (8) and let your students witness how the trays become balanced. Record it as 2 + 6 = 8.)
• Another activity would be to have students use equality cards. You can make some simply by putting a number sentence with one missing number on one card and have the students match it to a number sentence in the same fact family with a different number missing (e.g., 6 + __ = 8 on one card and 8 = __ + 2 on the other.) Look for a free Equality Card activity in my Teachers Notebook store!
• You could also make a mat with an equals sign and have students place cards of equal value on either side of the symbol. The cards could contain pictorial models, standard form, expanded form, etc.

Sidenote: I'm not sure if you are familiar with the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives--if you aren't, you NEED to be! It is exactly what it states. The site has every manipulative imaginable in virtual form for FREE. It also has activities to go along with each.

To those that teach the higher grades--check out this balance that provides visual representation of algebraic equations:

Awesome, right?!?

Even if you don't teach the higher grades I encourage you to check out the algebraic equation scale and ponder about how easy it would be for our current students who do not understand an equals sign.

Think about it...

I always enjoy incorporating literature into math class. I have not actually read this book but it looks like a cute little story about creating equal sides. Check it out by clicking on the picture.

Thanks for tuning in. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS! THROW 'EM AT ME! :D

Also, I would LOVE to tell you to look for these posts on a certain day and time but I can't right now--life is not that predictable! Installment number 2 will be before school starts back though! :)

*****************END ORIGINAL POST*****************

I would still LOVE to hear you thoughts! :)

And don't forget about Sweet & Simple Saturday--two days away! :)

New Series: Sweet & Simple Saturday

There isn't a teacher on this planet that doesn't appreciate a good, little freebie every once in a while! That is why I have decided start a new series! Introducing:

Each Saturday I will share a sweet, simple freebie with you. It could be an activity page, game, graphic organizer, foldable, or craftivity. And the best part is the freebies will be for multiple grade levels and subjects! And the even BESTER (coined term) part is that they will all be FREEEE! ;)

Stop by on Saturday for the first

Sweet & Simple Saturday!

Main Idea Freebie

I was going through my hard drive tonight (looking for graphics) when I came across a page I made a while ago for a sub day. We were discussing main idea using a book about butterflies, so I made a quick, little recording sheet for the kiddos.

Of course, this sheet can be used for non-butterfly books. Click on the picture to download your copy!

Also, I am still working on this:

I am hoping to have this completed REALLY soon! My goal is the end of June! I am up to 108 pages right now and still going. This pack will include notebook pages for fraction recognition, equivalent fractions, fractions on a clock, adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions, fractions on a number line, and MORE!

Off to keep working--good night! :)

Germs, Mold, and Other Gross Stuff + Giveaway Winners!

That's the name of my Technology Camp. Awesome, right??! The camp is for students entering grades 4-5, even though I do have one entering 2nd! She is doing her best to keep up with everyone else...

And since this is Technology Camp, I have been lugging these...

...up and down THESE alllll week!

And it never gets old.

We are down three days and still have two more to go this week. So far, we have talked about germs, bodily fluids and functions, scabs, and Lizardman, played with diapers and grown mold, and the best is yet to come! We still have bird poop to research and gunk to make! I'll share more about the activities later on this week.

Have you seen my latest product??

Here are some more images from the product:

Posters for display that answer the question, "What do scientists do?" You can print the posters...

 ...or you can create a wall display using the cut-and-assemble set.

Several graphic organizers:

Includes 2 class books! Here is one:

I hope you had a chance to enter the giveaway to win a free copy of this pack! Here are the winners:

Thanks, ladies!! Check your email as your prize is awaiting!

Technology Camp and Science Introduction for K-2 Pack!

Happy summer!! I got a little carried away with the chalk the other night, by the way... ;)

I hope your summer is off to a great start and for those of you that were in school last week, I hope you now actually out for summer! School in June should be outlawed...

I have managed to stay quite busy so far this summer! Last week I taught various technology classes for teachers all but 1 day. This week starts Summer Technology Camp, something I have been a part of in my district since its inception a few years ago. I have blogged about this truly WONDERFUL experience for the past two years. You can read alllll about it here:

Summer Tech Camp 2012

Summer Tech Camp 2011

I look forward to sharing this year's activities with you very soon!

I have spent all of the rest of my time with my 3-year-old! We have had SO much fun playing in water, painting, watching Beauty and the Beast, visiting friends...Last night, I took her to a Paint Your Own Pottery place for the first time. She had a BLAST!

Painting her elephant

My vase

Her pieces! Can't wait to see them after they are cooked!

In between all of the above-listed activities, I spent a moment here and there making this:

I am happy to announce that this pack I have been working on for a WHOLE week now is now FINISHED. And I could not be happier because I plan on using it in my own classroom! :) This science pack is perfect for kick-starting science for your new school year! It includes:

-4 lessons/activities to answer "What is Science?"

-8 lessons/activities to answer "What is a scientist?" and "What do scientists do?"
-anchor charts
-wall display cut-and-assemble (with picture sample)
-graphic organizers
-hands-on activities and experiments
-2 class books with student pages
-rubber band book (foldable with instructions)
-an optional ActivInspire flipchart to accompany lessons

Check it out here!

 Want a free copy? Enter for a chance to win! Leave a comment with your email address; I will randomly pick 3 winners tomorrow.

Have a terrific Tuesday! :)

Shared Writing!

I LOOOOOOOVE teaching writing! Being at the forefront of sentence structure, word choice, spelling, etc. is one of my favorite parts of 1st grade! This year, we have done countless shared writing pieces.

Each Tuesday-Friday half of my class goes to a special while the other half remains in my classroom for small(er) group instruction. During this time, we may do additional rounds of Daily 5, review games, make-up or redo work, shared writing, literacy stations--the activities change weekly based on our needs. One of my favorite things to do during this time is shared writing. With only 10-12 students, I can ensure that EVERYONE gets a turn to write! Below, is a shared writing activity we did back in April:

We started off brainstorming topics and then chose one together (the zoo). We discussed things about the zoo to write about and said some sentences out loud. After deciding on what to write first, I started the piece by writing the first word (as a guide). The students took over after that. They helped each other spell, even though the person with the marker was ultimately in charge of how to spell the word, and reminded each other of finger spacing, punctuation, and capital letters--they loved that. It's funny to watch them turn into little critics. 

One group decided to write about a zoo.

Same procedure for this group, but they decided to write about a recent field trip.

When spelling words, we use the "stretch it out" method (we had a whole lesson on that several months ago). If we are unsure of spelling, we write what we think, circle it, and move on. Some students circle frequently and some never circle. When students circle words on rough drafts, I will go over the correct spelling with them during our writing conference and applaud them for doing best guess spelling! If they don't circle, I usually don't correct. For now, the important thing is to spell it the best you can and move on!

(These are written on the same piece of chart paper--gotta conserve!!!)

I would have liked for them to illustrate the pieces, but we ran out of time. Oh, well. Objective complete. :)

Did you see the super fun fraction activity I posted last night?? It was a random, late-nighter so click below in case you missed it!