Five for Friday~SNOW DAY!!!

Hey, ya’ll! It’s SNOW DAY Friday!



We woke up to SNOW! Real……SNOW!  My friends that live a little further north of the Texas state line will most certainly get a real giggle out of the frenzy we went into over a couple inches of the frozen stuff. We didn’t dare venture any further than our yards today because we have no idea how to get around in this stuff! My son didn’t even make it out the front door before he was flat on his butt!!!



Now, here’s the real kicker! On Monday, we had on shorts! The forecast for tomorrow…70! Yes, that’s how drastic our weather can be, but we wouldn’t have it any other way! We live in the only state where we experience EVERY season of the year…….weekly! Ha!!!



With only 3 days of school this week, getting a chance to snap a pic or two was tough. These first two weeks back have been used to complete mid-year assessments. They’re D.O.N.E and now we can move on to the fun of teaching and learning again! Yahooooo!!!

Things are getting a little harder, moving a little faster….expectations are, dare I say {more rigorous}. One of the little changes we’ve made is switching the dice on our fact family slide from 6 sided dice to 10 sided dice. By doing this, we’ll practice adding and subtracting to 20 rather than to 12. Each day, our fact family is randomly selected by clicking the dice to name our addends, adding to find the sum, then writing the 4 equations for the fact family. This also meets the guidelines for our new TEKS (state standards) update that rolls out next school year. This is one part of our daily calendar routine.



Because my kiddos did such a great job working like little church mice during testing and running records, math time was a little more hands on and active. Well, um…if I’m completely honest……….math time in our classroom is ALWAYS hands on, active, and loud! I believe in structure, but I also believe in balance. We start our day quietly….reading requires thinking, concentration…., math gets a little rowdy with music, games, manipulatives….then we end the day with writer’s workshop that goes back to quiet. Balance. It’s key!

Also, having a class that’s made up of mostly [the cutest] firstie boys….I have got to keep them moving or they will move on their own! One of the ways I use that energy rather than fight it, is by completing write the room activities. One way we ‘write the room’ is to review math skills, work in pairs to share “thinking” strategies, and to encourage “math talk”.



Cards with review problems are printed, cut apart and hung around the room. Student pairs…….each with a response sheet, pencil, and whiteboard (to write on the back of) in hand scoot around the room solving problems and recording their answers. I get total engagement, they get to move, talk, and learn…..all at the same time! Win/win! While students are working, I float around the room checking in, questioning, and {smiling}.



Want to really see their little faces light up? Write story problems that include their names! They go totally bonkers every time I tell them we’re working on story problems because they want to see who’s name is going to be in them! It makes a tough skill a LOT more fun to learn. When I’m reading stories that connect well with our classroom community, I do the same thing. I wish I could’ve recorded us sharing Don’t Squeal Unless It’s a Big Deal! There were laughs and cheers and screams of encore! I would’ve read it again, but YOU KNOW, I didn’t remember who’s name was read where, LOL! Couldn’t give myself away! Try it sometime and watch your kids' faces light up like a Christmas tree!



Prepping for the week? Snowed in too? Click the pic to grab the little set we used to review telling time to the hour and half hour. Enjoy and I’ll see ya on Sunday with lesson plans! Have a great weekend! =)