Saturday, March 22, 2014

Adding BIG numbers (FREEBIE included)

We've been working on 3-digit addition and subtraction the past weeks. My students really got the hang of addition by making models and using the algorithm as well. I love making my own work mats. I typically give them to students in a sheet protector and students take them out and use with an expo marker during lessons. I would love to share my 2 & 3-digit addition work mats with you for FREE! The 10 in the house represents the group of ten that are boxed up and moved to the next place value.
Click HERE to get the freebie.

When we reveal the sum we usually do a drum roll and shout "The sum is ___!" It helps students to remember the meaning of "sum." We make a trumpet sound for subtraction. "The difference is (trumpet sound) ___!" The subtraction mat can be found in my Subtract Like a Ninja pack.

Hope this helps your kiddos as they learn to work with "big" numbers. Enjoy your weekend!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Five for (cough) Sunday


This has been such a CUH-RAZY week. Then again, aren't they all? I’m linking with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday. Can we just go ahead and rename it Five for Sunday? 
Oh my goodness, so let me tell you about my crazy Friday. That's right not my week, but my Friday! It began with my flash drive going out. It  just stopped working. I tried to resuscitate it, but no luck. Can I get a moment of silence please?::tear:: So much of my professional life is contained within that little piece of plastic. I back it up occasionally, but seriously the last time was a month ago. Do you know how much work I’ve saved on it since then? Well, I took it to Best Buy and they couldn’t fix it, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my co-worker’s husband is able to fix it.
At lunch time I rushed home for a funeral. Nope, those are never fun. However, it was nice to be able to see and spend some time with relatives. This was my husband’s family and they are all so sweet and funny. Love them!
Well, the night was just about over. We dropped off my hubby’s grandma and thought it would be quick, so I left my purse in the car. BAD IDEA! When we returned 25 minutes later his rear window had been smashed and my purse was gone. Keys, wallet, phone…all of it was gone. We immediately blocked the cards and were freaking out when my husband remembered that we had the Find My iPhone app. He was able to lock the phone and began Pinging it to find its location. Of course, it was within a mile. We called the police and they were out there almost instantly. We were able to retrieve almost everything. I would highly recommend getting one of these apps on your phone. Most smartphones have something similar and it’s free.
Well, in other news… I was able to finally wrap up my newest math pack this week, An Array of Sweet Treats. WARNING: This pack may give you a toothache just by looking at it. It’s been so fun putting together these games. I’m excited to print and share these with my kiddos. You can check it out by clicking {HERE}. It’s on sale right now too (20% off)!
Did I mention that it's Common Core aligned?
Also, did you know that Anchored in Third is having a giveaway? She is celebrating her 1,000 IG followers. That’s a lot of teacher friends. There are Jamberry wraps, Twisted Owl bracelets, and many teacher creations up for grabs. Click {HERE} to check it out. 


Now, i'm off to bed. Car repairs and a DMV are on the agenda for tomorrow.