I Want to be a Super Teacher

FREE for Spring! Chocolate Bunny Math Challenges

2018-03-28T00:40:00.000-07:00

It's {almost} April! Get ready for testing, Cadbury eggs, and maybe even Spring Break (lucky!). This Spring Freebie includes two Easter math printables for your 2nd and 3rd grade kids! These free printables are perfect for math centers, morning work, homework, or whole class learning.

When you download the April Math Challenge freebie, you'll find 2 math challenges, answer keys, and lined pages for students to write about the strategies they used to solve the problem(s). These are similar problems on two different levels, so all of your students can find one of the problems to be an appropriate "just right" challenge.

Want some super easy differentiation? Copy one problem per side, have students choose the level that fits them best, and voila! You've differentiated your instruction. Great job Super Teacher!

>> Hop on over to my store to get the April Math Challenge freebie HERE. <<

Need more math challenges? There are monthly math challenge sets available for every month of the school year! The April Math Challenges & Brainteasers pack includes 25 math problems with spring and April holiday themes like: Easter, April Fools' Day, eggs, bunnies, candy, rain, baseball, lambs, and Spring Break.

Not ready to plan for April quite yet? You can pin the April Math Challenges HERE and save them for later.

Have a fab day Super Teacher,

If you would like to have a set of 5 EXCLUSIVE math challenges + Super Teacher ideas delivered right to your inbox, please sign up for my newsletter to get exclusive freebies & super classroom tips to save you time and make learning fun!

Engage and Challenge with {FREE} March Math Activities

2018-03-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

If you are a 2nd or 3rd grade teacher looking for a FREE St. Patrick's Day or March Madness math activity, then try this March math challenge & brainteaser freebie. The download includes a March Madness arithmetic brainteaser, and a Clover Count math challenge with a lined page for students to write about how they solved the problem + answer keys, so you can just print and go!

These March math activities are perfect for your high flying 2nd and 3rd graders. You can use them for math centers, homework, problem of the week, small groups, or to get a breather during a holiday party. They're fun for kids and NO PREP for teachers! {Because between St. Patrick's Day, testing prep, Pi Day, March Madness and Read Across America you've got enough on your plate this month!}

Download the free March Math Challenge & Brainteaser HERE.

Need more March math activities? There are now monthly math challenge sets for every month of the school year! The March Math Challenges & Brainteasers Pack includes 25 math problems with spring and March holiday themes like: Pi Day, St. Patrick's Day, rainbows, March Madness basketball, leprechauns, clovers, and Read Across America. {The printables pictured above are just a few from the March Math Challenge & Brainteaser pack}

Want to save these challenges for later? Pin them HERE.

If you would like more information about how to use math challenges for your advanced 2nd and 3rd grade mathematicians you can learn about SUPER simple differentiation using math contracts HERE. {There might just be another freebie there for you too!}

Have a fab day Super Teacher,

Engage Your Super Football Fans with this Fantastic Freebie

2018-01-15T08:15:00.000-08:00

Looking for a print and go math activity for your 2nd and 3rd grade football fans? Try this Football Math Challenge Freebie. Use this NO PREP math activity for centers, a fast finisher, morning work, homework, number talks, or math groups.

This football math challenge is a review of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Students are given a number of touchdowns, extra point kicks, and field goals and are then asked to find the total score of the football game. Use this as a challenge for your 2nd and 3rd graders or a review for students in higher elementary grades. You can download the Football Math Challenge Freebie at the TpT store HERE.

Another (no printables needed) math idea:

During the playoff weeks, use the game scores as number talks. Introduce the different ways to score points in a football game:

Touchdown = 6 points
Extra point kick (after a touchdown only) = 1 point
2 point conversion (after a touchdown only) = 2 points
Field goal = 3 points
Safety = 2 points

Give students the results of this weekend's games and see how many combinations of point-scoring opportunities they can find that would equal the same score(s).

For example:
In last week's playoff game, the Minnesota Vikings scored 29 points to beat the New Orleans Saints who scored 24. Find at least 2 combinations of ways the Vikings could have scored their 29 points.

One combination:
3 touchdowns (3x6=18)
3 extra point kicks (3x1=3)
2 field goals (2x3=6)
1 safety (1x2=2)
18+3+6+2=29 total points

Another possible combination:
4 touchdowns (4x6=24)
2 extra point kicks (2x1=2)
1 field goal (1x3=3)
24+2+3=29 total points

Actual combination: (You can find the actual stats on any play by play site. I used Yahoo Sports. You can find the game details for this math problem HERE.)

3 touchdowns (3x6=18)
2 extra point kicks (2x1=2)
3 field goals (3x3=9)
18+2+9=29 total points

Need more seasonal math challenges?

Monthly math challenge sets are now available for every month of the school year! The January Math Challenges and Brainteasers include problems focused on winter and January themes like: snow, penguins, polar bears, football, Martin Luther King Jr., snowballs, hot chocolate, and yeti.

Done thinking about January? These February Math Challenges and Brainteasers include Valentine’s Day, Oscars, winter sports, presidents, hundreds day, and candy themes to keep those little sweeties busy all month long!

Have a fab day Super Teacher,

A No Prep First Week Back Activity: Grammatical Name Art

2018-01-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a simple project to use as a get to know you activity, or a guided activity to transition back to school after a vacation (hello winter and spring break!) grammatical name art is perfect go-to activity. Grammatical name art can also be used as a fun "All About Us" bulletin board or an end of the year activity (have students brainstorm words that relate to your school year together). It also works any old time you need to do a parts of speech review.

Grammatical name art is fun, easy, and requires almost ZERO PREP. Just get one large piece of white art paper for every student and you're ready to go!

Grammatical Name Art Instructions

You'll want to guide students through each step and then give 3-4 minutes per letter for students to brainstorm words

Step 1: Write your name in bubble letters - in pencil of course!
For students having stress about bubble letters, just have them lightly write their name in large letters and then trace an inch around the entire letter they just wrote. There are many more important things in life to stress about than bubble letters.

Step 2: Fill the first letter with nouns that relate to you. These can be common or proper nouns. Just make sure you capitalize the proper nouns!

Step 3: Fill the second letter with verbs that relate to you. Action or linking verbs both work. If you are writing a phrase like "make cookies" make sure you underline the verb.

Step 4: Fill the third letter with adjectives that describe you. (Blue and red don't really describe a person, but they could be colors they like.)

Step 5: Fill in the remaining letters with more words! Students can choose to write more nouns, verbs, or adjectives, or be creative. You decide. They can even create drawings of the words they used in the other letters. The example below shows a letter with favorites and another with additional nouns (mainly restaurants). You can also have students use numbers that relate to them (8 years old, 4 people in my family, etc.)

Step 6: When students are done with the words inside their letters they can add color and share their work with friends or a partner. This step is especially important if you're using this activity after a break when students are dying to share what they did/where they went/a gift they received. You can have students put their grammatical name art around the room and have other students peruse these "gallery walk" style or do an inside/outside circle where students share words from their art until it's time to rotate. As long as the kids feel like they got a chance to talk about whatever is exciting to them then you're good to go.

The gallery walk option is a good one as far as managing the classroom, since not all students have to be done at the same time to get this started. Once students finish, they bring you their art piece, you give them a piece of tape, they put their name art around the room and start gallery walking! This might also motivate some of your "struggle to finish in a timely way" kiddos who might be motivated to finish their name art and start a gallery walk.

Do you have any other ideas for low (or NO) prep activities you like to use throughout the year? Tell me about them in the comments!

5 Teacher Tested Tips to Simplify Christmas in the Classroom

2017-12-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

Looking for some simple classroom Christmas ideas to help keep you sane this December? Try one of these 5 Teacher Tested Tips to simplify your classroom Christmas! During this crazy month of Secret Santa, ugly sweaters, staff parties, reindeer headbands, wrapping paper, goodie exchanges, jingle bell necklaces, glittery crafts, and last minute gifts galore, keep it simple and save some sanity with one (or more!) of these Teacher Tested Classroom Christmas Tips!

Classroom Christmas Tip #1: Simplify Student Gifts

With 27, 28, 29 (dare we say 30?!) students per class, finding a budget friendly gift for every student can be overwhelming! The sooner you get these done and the less they cost the better. For a FREE (minus ink, but hopefully you have some secret school color printer skills) option, try classroom coupons or top ten lists! You can read more about budget friendly student gift options HERE.

Another option for very reasonable class gifts is to host a pencil exchange. The day before break, every student brings enough pencils to give 1 to every student in the class. Then, you're only on the hook for 25-30 pencils and every one of your students should have enough pencils to last them through Spring Break. A word to the wise - if you do a pencil exchange, have students sharpen at least 2 of their new pencils BEFORE they leave for winter break! If you don't, you will have a mad rush to the sharpener in January.

Bonus: If you do a pencil exchange, one useful (and time consuming) activity is to have students use masking tape and Sharpie to label their brand new pencils. This will keep them nice and busy for at least 30 minutes! {But it also includes entails students Sharpies, so use caution.}

Classroom Christmas Tip #2: Engage Students with Special Seasonal Options

Seasonal centers or special holiday fast finishers can be just the thing to motivate students to . . . calm . . . themselves . . . down . . . so they get the privilege of working on something special this month. Settled students get Christmas perks!

Mix and match 3-4 of these easy ideas:
*Make a Word - give students letters to HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MERRY CHRISTMAS, TIS THE SEASON and have them find as many words as they can that can be made from the letters
*Picture Spelling - students write holiday words or spelling words they need to practice from their writing in a picture of a reindeer or snowman
*Add to Drawing + Writing - students get a page with a squiggly line or a few triangles drawn on it, they then create a holiday picture around the original shapes/lines and write a few sentences about what is going on in the picture (This project also works well as a whole class art activity)
*Letter Writing - students write holiday letters to family (bonus if you let them mail them), friends, classmates, or staff members at the school
*Compliment Writing -(see Tip #4 for RACK sack compliments)
*Story Starters - Write the first line of a holiday book on the board. Students then write a story using this sentence as the beginning of their story.
*Mentor Texts - Students choose a favorite Christmas book or story and use it as a model to write a similar story of their own.
*Partner Reading - You know those Christmas books you've been buying for years? Let the kids read them with partners! Call it something fun like Reindeer Reading and let the kids wear a red nose or antler headbands (watch the lice!) while they do it. It's all about the details.
*Partner Games - Try the triangle tree game included in the December FUN Printables Freebie below.

For four FREE holiday printables, download the December FUN Printables at my TpT store. If you want more holiday printables you might also like the activities in the December Third Grade Homework pack. The 40+ printables in this pack can be used for in-class centers and fast finishers too!

Classroom Christmas Tip #3: Schedule your Party to Save Stress

This tip is simple. It's all about timing! If you have party planning parents or a big holiday shindig that must take place, avoid having this on the last day before break. If you schedule your class party two days before the break, that will give you one day to get rid of all the dishes/trash/pot holders/extra leftover treats rather than scurrying around trying to send these home on the last day of school in December.

Plus, as an added bonus, you won't have visitors straggling around your room while you're trying to get cleaned up and ready to go for your holiday! Even the most meticulously planned teacher ends up with 1,000 things to do on that last day, and no one wants to go in to school during the holidays. {We know we will, but let's pretend we won't.}

Classroom Christmas Tip #4: Find Ways to Focus on Kindness

Of course students should always be thinking about kindness, but the Christmas season is a perfect time to really ramp up the kindness and giving talk. Finding easy ways students can participate in RACK (Random Acts of Classroom Kindness) is a nice way to keep them busy with something meaningful {that they love!} this month.

RACK sacks are my favorite month-long classroom kindness activity! You can read more about RACK sacks and download a freebie HERE. You can also have students create bookmarks for students in other grades, write letters to reading buddies, create Top Ten lists as gifts for loved ones, or have students brainstorm other ways they can spread kindness and cheer.

Once you've decided on your "go to" RACK activities for the month, throw these in your holiday centers or fast finisher folders (see Classroom Christmas Tip #2).

Classroom Christmas Tip #5: Create a Calm, Cool, & Collected Final Day

This tip seems like common sense, but how do you go about making the last day a calm oasis of non-insanity?!

Try this:

If you are planning any food or treats, try having a breakfast instead of afternoon goodies. That way, the food portion of the day is done before lunch and you won't have kiddos asking you when the holiday treats will be dispersed. If you take care of the eating extravaganza early, you will be able to divi out leftovers throughout the day and will also have time to clean. {Plus it will give you the excuse to pick up donuts on the way to school.}

Instead of crazy party games, put on a Netflix fire, let students bring blankets/stuffed animals/jammies, and have a lights off read in. Students won't actually read you might be thinking. Mostly true, but some actually will, and if you give the direction that blanket fort building must be silent, you will have a much calmer classroom than you would if playing Minute to Win it games.

Break up the day with guest readers. Get 4-5 adults (awesomely engaged parents, or wonderful teacher/other school adults if awesomely engaged parents are sparse) to spend 10-15 minutes reading a favorite holiday picture book to the class. This will break up the read in time and give a clear structure to the day. Breakfast - Read In - Listen to Guest Reader - Read In - Listen to Guest Reader - Repeat. Schedule guest readers every hour to hour and a half for best results, and make sure you have 1-2 extra holiday picture books in case one of your volunteers doesn't get the memo to bring their own.

Do you have any other simple strategies for making December a little less chaotic? Tell me about them in the comments!

Have a fab (holi)day Super Teacher,

Want more Christmas ideas and resources?
Try these holiday posts:
*5 Simple Holiday Student Gift Ideas from Teachers
*10 Amazing Amazon Gift Ideas for your Favorite Teaching Teammate
*Santa Scramble Math Challenge: A Festive Freebie Download
*Focus on Kindness at Christmas with this Easy Classroom Tradition

Focus on Kindness at Christmas with this Easy Classroom Tradition

2017-11-29T04:50:00.002-08:00

Are you looking for a meaningful (yet easy to prep) Christmas classroom activity you can use for the entire month of December? Try RACK sacks! These are a simple way for your students to practice kindness during the holidays and all you need is paper bags and copies. Introduce this activity at the beginning of December and then use all month as a center, fast finisher, or writing activity in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classrooms.

A RACK Sack is simply a paper bag you put student-written compliments in throughout the month of December. RACK stands for Random Acts of Classroom Kindness and what better time to focus on kindness than the holidays?!

Here's all you have to do to get RACK sacks started in your classroom:

1. Get a paper bag for every student to decorate.
2. Give students time to decorate their RACK sacks in class.
3. Hang (think staple) RACK sacks on your classroom wall where they will act like brown paper stockings.
4. Make copies of compliments (you can find a free compliment download at the bottom of this post)
5. During centers, writing or as a fast finisher students can write compliments to one another.
6. Have a parent helper deliver compliments to RACK sacks throughout the month so you don't end up with a crazy stack of unsorted compliments on the last day before break.
7. Students see their RACK sacks filling up with compliment kindness and will wait with anticipation to read and take them home.

The RACK sacks will stay in your classroom until winter break when students will take them (plus all their classmate compliments) home. This can also be a nice spot for any holiday gift you have for students or treats they collect from a class party. Just stock up the RACK sack and send that baby home!

The kids love reading their compliments and it's an easy center activity ALL MONTH LONG! Keeping a cup of sticks or paper slips with all students' names to draw from helps to spread out the compliment giving more evenly if one or two RACK sacks start becoming way more full than the others.

Word to the wise: ALWAYS read the compliments before delivering them (or letting a student/parent helper deliver them) to RACK sacks. Most of them are so sweet and melt your heart (see compliment above), but a small percentage of students think a backhanded compliment counts as a compliment. As we all know too well - it does not! You do not want a nasty "compliment" making its way home resulting in an angry parent e-mail {Happy holidays!}, so just read the compliments! If you want to use the same compliments I do, you can get them for free when you download these Simple Student Holiday Gifts. Easy peasy!

Want more Christmas ideas and resources? Try these holiday posts:
5 Simple Holiday Student Gift Ideas from Teachers
10 Amazing Amazon Gift Ideas for your Favorite Teaching Teammate
Santa Scramble Math Challenge: A Festive Freebie Download

Happy Holidays Super Teacher!

Santa Scramble Math Challenge: A Festive Freebie Download

2017-11-27T12:07:00.000-08:00

If you are a 2nd or 3rd grade teacher looking for a FREE Christmas math activity, try this Santa Scramble December math challenge. It includes a math word problem printable focused on addition with multiple one-digit numbers, a lined page for students to write about how they solved the problem, and an answer key, so you can just print and go!

This December Math Challenge is perfect for your high flying 2nd and 3rd graders. You can use this printable for math centers, homework, problem of the week, small groups, or as a choice activity during a holiday party. Fun for kids and NO PREP for teachers!

Download the free December Math Challenge HERE.
(or by clicking on the picture above)

Need more Christmas math challenges & brainteasers to engage your little sugarplums all month long? You can purchase 26 additional December math printables with Christmas themes HERE. {The printables pictured above are just a few from the December Math Challenge & Brainteaser pack}

Happy Holidays Super Teacher,

10 Amazing Gift Ideas for your Favorite Teaching Teammate

2017-11-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

Looking for the perfect gift you can get for that super cool elementary teacher or teaching teammate? Whether you're on a budget or looking to spend a little more, you can find the perfect teaching work-spouse gift somewhere in these 10 teacher teammate gift ideas. Check out these ideas you can use for Christmas, back to school, birthday, teacher appreciation, end of the year (We made it!), Valentine's Day, Halloween, or any time you want to treat a deserving elementary teacher to that perfect cute and useful gift!

If you're more of an Amazon Prime teacher than a make-it-from-scratch teacher, all of these gifts are perfect for you since they can all be ordered right from the comfort of your couch on Amazon! No trips to the craft store needed here! Whether you're shopping well in advance (way to be a planner Super Teacher!) or last minute (I feel ya, and will also be there), most of these items can be sent to your home or school (wrapped!) in 2 days. Thank you Amazon Prime! {This post includes affiliate links.}

Teacher Gift #1 Personalized Lanyard and Whistle

How perfect is this Wonder Woman lanyard for your super teacher bestie? Get a set of lanyards and some new whistles (you know it's time to retire your nasty old one), and be recess police twinners until you have to blow that (shiny new) whistle and head inside.

Price: $10 for lanyard + 2 whistles

Teacher Gift #2 Comfy Slippers for Under her Desk

After a day on your feet, and most likely a long night of grading and planning ahead, slipping into a nice pair of cozy socks or slippers is the best. These polka dot slipper socks are so, so cute and have great reviews! Add a wrapped pack of Airborne for the perfect "Welcome to cold and flu season" gift (you know you'll both be needing these come January).

Price: $10 slippers, $15 Airborne (large pack)

Teacher Gift #3 A Cute Bag (with bonus bag inside!)

You know her old bag is frayed and worn from toting all of those guided reading books and folders full of grading home and back every night. Replace her old bag with this cute hobo (personally approved by my stylish mother-in-law!) This super darling bag is large, comes in multiple colors, and even includes a surprisingly large matchy bonus bag perfect for carrying Flair pens, your cell phone, or field trip First Aid Supplies in style.

Price: $25ish (surprisingly reasonable!)

Teacher Gift #4 Electric Kettle & Teapot

Not only can you use this kettle and teapot after school or during planning time to whip up a nice hot cup of yumminess, but an electric kettle is so nice to have around when you need hot water FAST. (Think science experiments or hot chocolate read-ins where your parent volunteer sends powder sans water). Add some loose leaf tea and a bag of chocolate to replenish her chocolate drawer. You'll end up getting at least half of that chocolate back during an after school vent session anyway, so think of it as a gift for both of you.

Price: Kettle $25, Teapot $25, loose leaf tea $15

Teacher Gift #5 A Piece of Jewelry you know she'll love

These green and silver cuff bracelets reminiscent of Wonder Woman are the perfect chunky wrist-wear for your favorite Super Teacher Teammate. If she's more of a necklace gal, this hammered metal interlocking circles necklace is a sleek piece of statement jewelry. Plus the cute interlocking circles are a metaphor for your fantastic friendship {I call gold circle!}.

Price: Bracelets $8.50 & $13, Necklace $65 {Yes, this one is spendy but can be the perfect teammate gift for a special occasion. I used it as a goodbye gift. Love you Mrs. Villecco!}

Teacher Gift #6 iPad Accessories

If your teacher bestie is a pro at creating workshop conferencing notes on her iPad, or is always playing around with the newest educational apps, how about getting her a new iPad cover that comes in a variety of colors (and actually stands up like it's supposed to)? Add a set of colorful styluses to keep her looking good while getting her tech on. Plus, with a set of 6 she can have a stylus in every one of her teacher bags! Add a little ribbon, and the styluses alone can make the perfect techy teacher bff gift!

Price: $15 case + $9 styluses

Teacher Gift #7 Picture Book + Stuffed Animal

If your teacher bestie is always adding to her mentor text library (who isn't?) then try a picture book with matching stuffed animal she can use to brighten her classroom shelves. If she's a teacher mom (bless her!), she can also add this to her little one(s)' room instead. Finding Winnie + Classic Winnie the Pooh, Knuffle Bunny + Plush Knuffle Bunny, We are in a Book + Elephant and Piggie, Dragons Love Tacos + Dragon, Don't Let Pigeon Drive the Bus + Pigeon, and Olivia + (the one and only) Olivia are my faves.

Price: $30-50 for hardcover book + plush

Teacher Gift #8 One of your favorite books that you know she'll love too

Wanna go serious? Try The Glass Castle. Need something to make you both giggle? Try Tina Fey's Bossypants or anything by David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day is a personal fave). Want to stay within a teaching theme? Try 32 Third Graders and 1 Class Bunny. Phillip Done's confrontation with the school laminator will make you glad you don't have to wear a tie to work! Make sure you inscribe the inside of the cover thoughtfully so she can look back on your fabulous teacher teammate-ness for years to come.

Price: $10ish per book (All of the above titles are available in paperback)

Teacher Gift #9 Single Cup Coffee Maker

Go big or go home! A single cup coffee maker she can keep in her classroom along with a variety pack of K-pods is the ultimate "Let's chat over a warm cup of something yummy during our planning time instead of updating our data wall" gift. The multi-colored Keurig machines can compliment any classroom decor. Before paying full price, make sure you check Ebates for coupon codes and use their links for cash back. This seriously works! Just make sure you click through Ebates or activate their browser button BEFORE you put items in your cart. (This is my Ebates affiliate link. I love them!)

Price: $65-80 for coffee maker (depending on color), $25 for set of 40 K-cups

Teacher Gift #10 Journal and Flair Pens

It's hard to go wrong with something pretty to write in and something colorful to write with. (Your super teacher senses just tingled a little didn't they?) You'll be hard pressed to find a single elementary teacher who doesn't love a good journal and Flair pen combo. This is a useful and inexpensive gift that every teacher will love!

Price: $12 for Journals (set of 3), $8.50 (8 pack)-$20 (24 pack) for Flair Pens

BONUS Teacher Gift #11 Gift Cards!

So many perfect gifts, it's hard to choose just 10! If in doubt - everyone loves gift cards! Get one for a place you both love to shop so you can make an after school activity of it together (Homegoods! Target!), or a card to a favorite restaurant where you can take your non-work spouses for a fun night out.

Before paying full price, make sure you check out Cardpool, where you can buy unused gift cards and sell ones you don't need (this is my affiliate link).

I ALWAYS go to Cardpool when I'm buying restaurant or popular chain store gift cards. My most recent Secret Santa partner loved shopping at Barnes & Noble and I purchased a $25 gift card for $20, so she got more moolah and I looked like I overspent on the Secret Santa daily budget.

You won't always be able to find what you're looking for at Cardpool, but if you can you can get a few bucks off while looking extra generous. (This is also a very helpful site if you get gift cards for holidays that you really won't use and want to exchange them for cash.)

Price: $1-Whatever you want!

Do you have an amazing gift idea that your teacher besties have loved? Tell me about it in the comments!

Have a fab day Super Teacher,

*If you like my blog please consider using the affiliate links in this post for your online shopping. This means when you click on these links I earn a small percentage of any purchases you make, but the prices stay the same for you. Thanks for helping to support my blog!*

A Thanksgiving Freebie - Showing Thanks with Thank You Grams

2017-11-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for a Thanksgiving writing activity you can use as a center, fast finisher, writing lesson, or holiday activity for the month of November? Look no further than Thank-you-grams! This easy idea (and free printables) is a perfect fit for the days and weeks leading up to Thanksgiving!

Thank You Grams are simple thank you notes (written on special paper of course) students can write to other students, teachers, or staff. These work wonderfully if you need a writing center or holiday fast finisher that requires very little prep (just make copies and talk with students about being specific in their thanks!).

If you can get multiple teachers in your school to offer Thank-you-grams as a holiday activity option it exponentially multiplies the fun! Nothing makes a teacher's day more than finding sweet thank you notes from past students in her mailbox at the end of a very long and dark {thanks for nothing Daylight Saving Time} day!

Head to my TpT store HERE to download 8 Thank You Gram templates (2 half page, 2 whole page, black & white, and color versions) + a 5 parts of a friendly letter check sheet if you want to turn this into a letter writing mini-lesson or independent center.

If you want even more Thank You Gram resources, make sure you sign up for the Super Teacher e-mail list! Subscribers will receive an extra 4-per page Thank You Gram printable, student check sheets for all versions of the activity + a student-friendly direction page so you can turn Thank You Grams into an independent center right after a trip to the copier!

Just sign up here or click on the button below.

Already a subscriber? Check your email Super Teacher! This freebie was sent to you on 11/10/17 at 8 am EST.

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your break! You're almost there Super Teacher!!

The NEW November Math Challenge is Here {and it's FREE}

2017-11-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

If you are a 2nd or 3rd grade teacher looking for a FREE Thanksgiving or fall themed math activity, try this November math challenge. It includes a math word problem printable focused on addition with multiple one and two-digit numbers to 25, a lined page for students to write about how they solved the problem, and an answer key, so you can just print and go!

This November Math Challenge is perfect for your high flying 2nd and 3rd graders. You can use this printable for math centers, homework, problem of the week, small groups, or to get a breather during a holiday party. Fun for kids and NO PREP for teachers!

Download the free November Math Challenge HERE. (or by clicking on the picture above)

Need more Thanksgiving and fall themed math challenges & brainteasers to engage your little turkeys all month long? You can purchase 26 additional November math printables with Thanksgiving and fall themes HERE. {The printables pictured above are just a few from the November Math Challenge & Brainteaser pack}

Happy Thanksgiving Super Teacher,

Prep Like a Pro! 5 Tips for the Best Parent Conferences Yet

2017-10-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Are you in the throes of Halloween, centers, and parent conference chaos? In October everything seems to come together like a perfect storm that can turn your classroom and personal life into crazytown. 'Tis the season! If you're hoping to check parent conference prep off your never ending to do list, here are a few tips and resources you can use to make that parent conference planning as painless as possible.

Tip #1

Send Home a Parent Conference Preview

At least a week before conferences, send home a Parent Conference Preview that asks parents to circle from a list of ideas what they most want to talk with you about during your conference, as well as how long they want their child to attend. The information you get from these forms can be super helpful in your conference planning and can give you some extra time to prepare for any unexpected questions, so you can have materials or samples of student work ready to go. These are also helpful in letting you know what parents really want to know most about. It's always enlightening to see who cares more about test scores and who wants to know more about their child's behavior. Want a copy? Sign up at the bottom of this post and an editable template will be sent to your email!

Tip #2

Create Student Progress Notes for Parents to Take Home

These can take on a variety of forms, but I always like to have something parents can take with them to sum up their child's progress. That way if we don't have time to talk about a certain academic or behavioral area, or a parent is unable to make the conference, everything is on the info page they take home. My reporting page of choice is personalized for each student in the areas of reading, writing, math, and behavior. If you want to use the same Conference Notes page that I do, there is an editable copy available at the end of this post. Once you edit the Conference Notes template you can copy and paste one page to fill out for every student. Yes it takes time to create one for every student, but once you do you have EVERYTHING you need in front of you, plus it will be on your computer and you can copy and paste for upcoming conferences. Work up front will save you so much time and stress later!

Tip #3

Have Something Outside your Classroom for Parents to do

Have you recently taught your students a math game or read a super fun mentor text? Have these items outside your classroom so students can play with or show their parents. Having files of student work or a box of student writing from your latest Author's Chair for parents to look at while they wait is also a nice touch, but can raise your stress level if these aren't already organized. You can also put out volunteer projects like lamination cutting or stapling papers if you have something self explanatory. Pentominoes (affiliate link) and student writing are my top 2 go to PTC "while you wait" items. You can read more about pentominoes at this blog post HERE.

Tip #4

Make it Comfortable

Simple touches like having a lamp on your table, finding a round table so everyone feels on equal footing, having a bowl of candy, or simply making sure you have chairs large enough for all the adults who will be present (it's always awkward when step-dad gets the kindergarten chair) are all part of the details that make a difference. Plus, if you're going to be sitting for 9+ hours it's always nice to feel cozy.

Tip #5

Take Care of YOU

Don't overdo it! Don't have time to create personalized notes for every student or buy a bowl of candy because you need to eat and sleep? Everyone will live! Just do what you can and keep some healthy snacks nearby so you don't keel over from exhaustion (maybe try to sneak your favorite coffee drink during your planning time too). The #1 thing parents want to see is that you know and care about their kid, and you do. So, keep on keeping on Super Teacher! You've got this!

If you would like an EDITABLE copy of the parent conference forms from Tips #1 and #2, you can get the FREE exclusive parent conference pages which include editable copies of the Parent Conference Preview and Conference Notes sent right to your inbox. Just sign up below and check your email.

*Already an email subscriber? Check your email Super Teacher! This freebie was sent to you on October 13th. Hooray!*

Do you have any other tips for making parent conferences go as smoothly as possible? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

Halloween Math Challenge: A Frighteningly Good Freebie

2017-09-29T10:52:00.002-07:00

Are you a 2nd or 3rd grade teacher looking for a FREE Halloween math activity? Try this October math challenge. It includes a math challenge focused on place value and logical thinking, a lined page for students to write about how they solved the problem, and an answer key {so you don't have to think too hard about it}. Just print and go!

This Halloween Math Challenge is perfect for advanced 2nd and 3rd graders! You can use this printable for math centers, homework, problem of the week, small groups, or to get a breather during a holiday party. Fun for kids and NO PREP for teachers!

Download the free October Math Challenge HERE. (or by clicking on the picture above)

Need more Halloween math challenges and brainteasers to engage your little ghouls and goblins all month long? You can purchase 26 additional October math printables with Halloween themes HERE. {The printables pictured above are just a few from the October Math Challenge & Brainteaser pack}

Happy Halloween Super Teacher,

10 Quick & Easy Writing Activities for Successful Centers

2017-09-25T11:18:00.003-07:00

If you're thinking about simple ideas for centers, this post is for you! Here are 10 writing activities you can use for centers, Daily 5, or literacy stations that require very minimal prep. Although we might not want to accept it, it's now prime time to start training students to get them ready for independent work.

If you're still in "squashing spitting at the urinals" mode, no worries. Training those little pups takes a whole lotta time! However, you can still take baby steps by deciding on a few activities you want to teach whole class that you will turn into centers/independent work when bathroom break training takes up less than 80% of your day. :)

Remember: Students don't even have to know these writing activities might be centers later on, but the more they practice now, the easier your life will be later.

Here are 10 activities you can add to your writing center files that require very minimal prep.
Pick and choose, mix and match, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

1. Personal Journaling - Let students write about what they did yesterday, their plans for the weekend, how they feel about school, things that are going on at home, or make to do lists. You decide whether students should include these entries in their writer's notebooks or if you want them to have separate personal journals. I vote putting them in writer's notebooks for one stop shopping. Although I have pretty strict rules for what goes in the writer's notebook (you can read more about those HERE), personal journaling is a rule breaking type of writing. No line skipping needed.

2. Compliments - This is a great activity for the beginning of the year (and beyond) as the purpose of compliments is for students to build relationships with classmates by looking for positive classroom behaviors. You can keep a compliment bag or jar in the classroom and share these out at class meetings or let students take home compliments from their classmates at the end of the week. Compliments have a clear audience (a classmate) and purpose (to say something kind) for writing. When students know a classmate will be reading them, there is much greater attention to detail and conventions! I recommend keeping track of how many compliments students receive (parent volunteer job!) so no one is feeling left out and blue. {Printables for this activity are included in the exclusive email freebie you can sign up for the the end of this post!}

3. River Revisions & Stories - If you haven't already had your students make rivers, you can learn more HERE. Rivers are tools you can have students revisit over and over again! They can either add more stones to their river, choose 1 stone and create a mind map of possible stories they have to write about that person, place, thing, or event, or start planning for and writing a story about the subject of one of their stones. Possibilities abound with rivers!

4. Modeling a Mentor Text - Choose one book a month that you want to serve as an example of great writing. My personal fave for the beginning of the year is Lois Lowry's memoir, Looking Back {affiliate link}. The chapter about how she chose her dog is always a highlight that 99% of students relate to (it's about animals!). As a center, your students' job is to brainstorm ideas for writing that were inspired by this text, or to start planning and writing a piece like the mentor text. You can read more about some of my favorite mentor texts and a mentor text activity for brainstorming HERE.

5. Letter Writing - Create a classroom mailbox and let students write letters to classmates. Another writing activity with clear audience and purpose! Looking over student letters to make sure they have all 5 parts of a friendly letter and then delivering letters to student mailboxes is a great parent volunteer job! Simple, self explanatory, and never ending - the trifecta for perfect parent volunteer tasks! {Printables for this activity are included in the exclusive email freebie!}

6. Would You Rathers - Would you rather be a teacher or a principal? Would you rather live in California or New York? Would you rather sit in a 3-hour long meeting doing teambuilding exercises or gouge out your own eyes? {Confession: that last one might have just been for me.} Would you rathers are super easy to come up with and the kids love them!

7. Question of the Day - What is your favorite . . . ? What is your family like . . . ? If you could create one law what would it be and why? The sky is the limit with questions of the day. As long as it ends with a question mark you can use it.

8. Elaboration "Super" Sentences - Start with a simple sentence like "Mrs. Smith watched." Then have students add adjectives, adverbs, appositives, and descriptive words to create a more engaging and detailed sentence that answers the question(s): who, what, when, where, why

Examples:
Mrs. Smith, my amazing teacher, watched her students as they worked quietly.
Mrs. Smith watched the clock with joy as the seconds ticked down to the end of the school day.
Mrs. Smith watched in disbelief as she realized it was time (in May!) to train her students to walk down the hallway.

9. Story Starters - Choose a book you love and copy the first sentence or two on the board or on sentence strips. Have students write these in their writer's notebooks and then continue the story. Easy!

10. Art Inspiration - Find pictures in magazines, and have students describe what is happening in the picture or use a character from the picture as a main character in a narrative.

Whatever activities you add to your writing center, I highly recommend typing up student friendly STEP-BY-STEP directions for every center activity you have in your classroom. It doesn't need to take extra time. Just create these with your students as you teach the activity to the whole class. If you have detailed instruction pages (like the one shown above) for students to reference, it will save you tons of time once you start students on the long winding road to independence.

Are you in need of some free writing center materials? You can get the exclusive VIP writing center freebie which includes compliment and letter writing activities (with student friendly instruction pages) sent right to your inbox. Just sign up below and check your email.

*Already an email subscriber? Check your email Super Teacher! This freebie was sent to you on September 15th. Hooray!*

Need more NO PREP writing centers? Check out the Writing Center Pack at my TpT store. It includes print and go writing centers (including many from the list in this post) along with student-friendly direction pages and supplementary printables for every activity. Just PRINT & GO!

Have a fab day Super Teacher,

Engage Your Highest Mathematicians NOW with this Simple Strategy

2017-09-11T12:17:00.001-07:00

Do you have a few kiddos who seem to know everything in math before you teach it, and might even be starting to look a little bored when math time rolls around?

You want to meet the needs of all your learners (absolutely!), but you also need something quick and easy because you have five million other things to do and that data wall ain't gonna update itself!

Math workshop time is awesome, but what are you going to do with those advanced kidlets while you're training, training, training and talking about place value basics before workshop begins?!

The answer is . . . Math Contracts! Math contracts are my favorite (SUPER Simple) way to start differentiating for advanced mathematicians.

Math contracts are an easy way to keep your gifted mathematicians on their toes, that won't make you go insane. Just get contracts started and your kids can work away whenever they need.

Differentiation Complete!

As the advanced (print & go) assignments for math contracts I use the activities from my math challenge and brainteaser packs. You can find a free September math challenge HERE or by clicking on the picture below.

If you want to see ALL the challenges available (I am currently finishing up sets for every month of the school year) you can check them all out HERE. {The ones pictured below are from the September math challenge pack}

Here's a quick start guide on how to get math contracts started so your advanced kidlets can be challenged EVERY day:

1. Make copies of a math contract for the kiddos who seem like they need more of a challenge. {You know the ones who can finish everything grade level in 2 seconds, or the ones whose parents start asking you how you plan to challenge their child before B2S night even begins}

2. Make copies of 3-5 math challenges or brainteasers for every contract (they can be the same ones for every student).

3. Staple a copy of the math contract on top of the 3-5 math challenges. These are now the magical "math contract packs" #notjustapileofpapers

4. Take 5 minutes to pull the contract kiddos aside, explain what the contract entails, have them sign, and brainstorm a small reward for when a contract is complete. It doesn't have to be big. The personalized work is really the reward.

Now you decide: can students work on these after they finish a required math assignment? as fast finishers only? during math lesson downtime? in place of grade level math assignments?

I like to have math contract students keep these on their desks as an option during whole class math if they already know the material. If they can do the 5 hardest problems on a required whole class math assignment they show me and then they can work on their contract. Math contracts can also work seamlessly with your independent center time.

That’s it!

You are now challenging your advanced mathematicians with very little work on your part!

PLUS the parents who are wondering when you're going to notice how gifted their little one is will be so impressed when they see their sweet little one's advanced work. {You are so on top of it!}

Thinking math contracts might work for you? You can get a free EDITABLE copy of the math contract in the pictures above (minus the clip art due to copyright restrictions) sent right to your inbox. Just sign up below and check your email.

Have a fab day Super Teacher!

Easy Art Project for Year Long Bulletin Boards - Bubble Letter Name Art + Freebie

2017-08-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here's an idea for a simple art activity you can use when you need at least 15-20 minutes of students working/you can rest your voice time. This project in one for the Back to School Art, Year Long Bulletin Boards, or Staying Sane file.

Not only does this art project give you a little time to catch your breath (and maybe, just maybe, run to the bathroom), the name tags the kids make during this activity can be used to create a variety of year long bulletin boards that you don't have to take down until May (or June if you're a late starting Michigander like myself).

Bubble Letter Name Art Instructions

>> Introduce with a book - The Name Jar is a great one to talk about the meaning & importance of names and The Big Orange Splot is my personal fave to talk about individuality/favorites/hopes and dreams (affiliate links). If you don't have time for a mentor text, just tell students you want to get to know them better, not only as learners, but as people too + you'd like something special for every student to show off on your walls and/or bulletin boards.

>> Brainstorm lists of possible favorites and/or things that make students unique: favorite colors, foods, subjects, numbers, sports, places, activities, secret talents, family, and fun facts are all possible ideas for decorating name art letters! {With lists of ideas on the board no one is stuck with nothing to draw and you might just get that breather you'd been hoping for}

>> Show students an example - My first draft (before color) includes fall and spring themes in the K, art items in the A, technology tools in the T, Halloween characters in the I, and a travel theme in & around the E. You'll also find books, palm trees, my minpin Lily, pottery, music, running, and teacher themed drawings in the background. Just because you have a short name doesn't mean you need to leave out details in your drawings! {We're talking to you CJ and JD and Ann!}

>> Give each student their bubble letter name {printed on cardstock if you're planning to laminate and use all year}. Their job is to decorate each letter with a different design/color/illustration that tells the class something about them.

That's it!

What can you do with these? Here's 3 ideas:

#1: Put the names up on a bulletin board with the words "Our Class" in the middle. Then add photographs of your time together throughout the year. Once you start adding photographs to this board it's seriously DARLING! Here's what mine looked like before adding photos.

#2: Put the names on an "Amazing Work" bulletin board. The names (and clothespins or however else you want to attach student work to the wall) will stay there all year, while the work each student puts by his/her name can change throughout the year.

#3: Laminate and keep the nametags somewhere safe. Whenever you display work in the hallways or on a bulletin board where labeling with student names is appropriate, use these to label each child's work. Here's an example of our Back to School Big Orange Splot dream house board.

Thinking bubble letter name art might just be the thing you need to keep sane this week? Just click below to have the EDITABLE PowerPoint document sent to your email so you can get bubble name decorating, and bulletin board making, in no time at all.

*Already an email subscriber? Check your email Super Teacher! This freebie will be waiting for you on September 1st. Hooray!*

Have a fab day Super Teacher,
Katie

*If you like my blog please consider using the affiliate links in this post for your online shopping. This means when you click on these links I earn a small percentage of any purchases you make, but the prices stay the same for you. Thanks for helping to support my blog!*

3 Simple Writing Activities for the First Weeks of School

2017-08-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

During the first days and weeks of the school year, it's super important to focus on establishing writing norms and immerse students in activities that help them generate ideas for writing.

If students have practiced, practiced, practiced your expectations for writing and have already come up with a number of ideas for things to write about, your life will be so much easier once it's time to start centers, or any sort of independent writing work!

Here are three ideas for writing activities you can use as writing lessons with your 2nd and 3rd grade students during those first weeks of school:

#1 Introduce Writer's Notebooks

However you feel about a “workshop” model, having a special place for students to do their own writing is a MUST. Whether that be a composition notebook with a special cover, a 3-ring binder with lined paper, or a spiral notebook, it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you set norms for what does and does not go in the writer’s notebook and that you give students a chance to write in these on a consistent basis.

5-10 minutes a day is enough, but students should be given at least a few minutes to write in their writer’s notebook (hereafter known as WNB) every day. If you train them well at the beginning of the year, you can set yourself up for success and happiness once you introduce independent work (a.k.a. “centers”).

First week activities you can do with WNB:
*Decorate covers (Yes, I know this might seem like coloring/fluff to some, but if you're going to spend hours with your writer’s notebook don't you want it to look like YOU?) If WNBs are going to be special to our students we need to give them time to make them personal.

Pull out the craft paper/cardstock/colored pencils (Sharpies if you dare!) for this. Once the covers are complete, it will be well worth your time and moolah to buy the heavy duty packing tape at Costco to adhere these to notebooks. Then the covers will last all year (and beyond).

*Discuss WNB norms:
Simple and to the point work great!

Here are the ones I use: {with some teacher asides just for you}

1. Skip Lines! {It's WAY easier to read student work and for them to make revisions if there are empty lines. I make an exception to the line skipping rule for lists since there's plenty of empty space on the sides for additions or changes.}

2. Use it for writing (not games or marker testing) {Yes, it is important to make the "no marker testing" rule explicit :)}

3. Write on the right {That way you can use the left side of the pages for teacher notes, partner conferencing, or student revisions}

Copy your WNB norms on bright cardstock and tape them inside the cover of every WNB. Gold star for you if you can tape them down with the same packing tape you used for the cover. These are now a reference for students ALL YEAR.

*Start 5-10 minute quick writes using simple writing prompts
During the first weeks you really want students to start feeling comfortable writing in the WNB, and not dreading WNB time, so simple "What's happening in this picture?", "My top 10 favorite foods", or "Make a list of as many red items as you can think of." are good types of prompts to use.

#2 Make Rivers to Generate Ideas for Writing

“Stones in the River” is an activity you can use anytime during the school year, but it's especially useful during the first week (and even the first day!). Students can come back to the "Rivers" they create during this activity over and over again as they think of new people, places, things, or events to add or to help them when they feel stuck for writing ideas.

If you've ever had a student say they have nothing to write about, and you would like a "go to" response - make rivers! Want more details? You can find step by step instructions at my blog post HERE.

#3 Read a Mentor Text that Inspires Writing Ideas

An excellent mentor text for writing at the beginning of the year is Mem Fox’s Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge (affiliate link). It’s all about memories! This book is a perfect mentor text to start generating writing ideas because as we start writing personal narratives we are really just talking about translating our memories from our head to the page.

In this book Wilfrid Gordon goes searching for memories for sweet Miss Nancy who has none of her own and learns that memories can come in many forms: something you remember, something warm, something from long ago, something that makes you cry, something that makes you laugh, and something more precious than gold.

Here are a few ideas of what you can do with this book:

*Spend one day on each type of memory from the book. Have students brainstorm a list of ideas they have that would fit with that type of memory (1 day on "warm" memories, 1 day on "long ago" memories, 1 day on "something that makes you cry" memories, etc.). {Just be prepared to hear the phrase "When I was a baby . . ." 700 times on "long ago" memory day.}

*Have students fold a paper into 6 parts and label each part of the page with a different type of memory as defined in the book. Then they can draw a picture or make a list of memories they have that fit with each type of memory in the book.

*Listen to the book on tape (you can find an online recording here) and pause as the characters in the book define what a memory means to them. Brainstorm lists in WNBs of each type of memory.

*Ask students to bring an item from home that symbolizes a memory they have. Have them write the story this object represents.

Do you have any favorite first week(s) writing activities or lessons? I would LOVE to hear all about them! Tell me about them in the comments below!

Have a fab day Super Teacher,
Katie

*If you like my blog please consider using the affiliate links above for your online shopping. This means when you click on these links I earn a small percentage of any purchases you make, but the prices stay the same for you. Thanks for helping to support my blog!*

3 Simple Math Ideas for the First Weeks of School

2017-08-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Super Teacher!

Back to School time is upon us! Whether you go back this week (I'm talking to you Colorado friends) or not for a few (lucky Michiganders), here are 3 math activities you can use on the first weeks of school (recommended for 2nd-3rd grades).

1. Pentominoes - These are my go to Day 1 math activity! I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing a class set if you are able.

Show students the book Chasing Vermeer (this mystery book has a pentomino by name chart and hidden pentominoes on the cover) and then see if students can figure out how the pentominoes are named (spoiler alert: it's by letters of the alphabet).

Then let them try to make squares and rectangles using as many pieces as they can. (Amazon affiliate links above)

Pentominoes are a super fast finisher that all students can use (and love), so not only do you have a fun first day math activity, you are also introducing a fast finisher students will have available to them all year. During these first weeks of school it's pretty much priceless to have a "go to" fast finisher ready on Day 1!

The ultimate goal with pentominoes is to use all 12 pieces to create a square or rectangle with no overlapping pieces or gaps. However, on the first day tell students that although a 12-piecer is the ultimate/most amazing/crazy sauce goal, right now they just want to try and use as many pieces as they can to create a square or rectangle.

When they do they can shout out:

"3-piecer!"

"4-piecer!"

"5-piecer!"

which sounds crazy, but it's actually very cute. If you're a recovering type-A like moi, you can also have them hold up fingers silently which still works and keeps it nice and calm.

A note about organizing pentominoes: Although it would be lovely to have a different colored pentomino set for every student - it aint gonna happen. The buckets usually come in primary/secondary colors only. Before you give sets out to students, label EVERY PIECE within each set of pentominoes. You can have one blank set of each color, but then you need to get creative and make a yellow smiley face set, purple star set, red heart set (you get the idea). DO NOT just give out brand new pentominoes unless you want to organize 12 piece pentomino sets during your planning time for the next EVER. Learn from my foolish mistakes and Promise ME you will not do this! If you want to be brave you can have students label, but to me a 2nd grader with a Sharpie marker = Death, so I wouldn't recommend.

A note about purchasing pentominoes: Typically when you buy a bucket of pentominoes they come with 72 pieces (don't be fooled - 72 pieces only equals 6 complete sets per bucket), which means you need to buy 4-5 buckets for a whole class set. Don't despair if you can't purchase a whole class set and don't you dare spend your whole paycheck on pentominoes. Students can share!

2. Staircase Design Project - This real world math project asks students to help an architect determine how many steps will be needed to build a staircase. (Not to ruin the surprise, but it's 55).

This FREE math project is one of my B2S faves because it gets students thinking about their mathematical thinking immediately. You can use it any time during the year, but during the first weeks is ideal because it:

*Serves as an assessment for you to see students' problem solving abilities and preferred strategies (model/picture/number sentence) right off the bat

*Is a great way to introduce the math tools you have in your classroom and how students should/should not use them (Say it 'til they get it: "TOOLS not toys, TOOLS not toys!")

*Combines reading and writing with a real world math scenario

*Takes 3 days so you basically have your week of math planned with this project alone

*Is FREE and PRINT & GO so you have to do pretty much zero prep to have it ready. You can download this project for free from my store HERE.

There is more detail about this project at my blog post HERE. There are also day by day instructions with the free download.

3. Introduce Math Challenges - These are another great addition to your fast finisher area! On the first weeks of school it's important to show students what it looks like in your classroom to show mathematical work in an organized way and write about mathematical thinking. This is the goal of math challenges which consist of more difficult multi-step problems.

Make sure you complete one or two of these as a class BEFORE putting them in the fast finisher area. It will save you lots of hassle later, plus you can use a few students' completed challenges as models for others to reference later when completing these independently.

You can get a free math September Math Challenge HERE or can purchase my newest set of September Math Challenges HERE. (They were just listed on August 14th! Hooray!)

Do you have any other MUST DO math activities for the first week of school? Tell me all about them in the comments!

Have a fab day Super Teacher,

If you would like to have a set of 5 EXCLUSIVE math challenges + Super Teacher ideas delivered right to your inbox, please sign up for my newsletter to get exclusive freebies & super classroom tips to save you time and make learning fun!

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Simple Management: Having a bad day? Go to Australia.

2017-08-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

This idea goes along with the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and comes from a fantastic college professor of mine. In his room, he had a table reserved as "Australia". If one of his students was having a bad day they could go work at the Australia table for a few minutes until they were feeling better.

Don't have room for an entire Australia table? No worries! Just use mini Australian flags. You can either stack them on a counter or put them on your white board. Not much room needed at all.

Not only is this a simple management tool you can use all year, it's a perfect mini-lesson and read aloud for the first week of school! 2 birds one stone!

Here's what you do:
*Read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
*Discuss times students have had horrible days - during the school day, or before school even starts where events outside of school have affected how they feel when they get there
*Show students the mini flags (or your Australia table if you're lucky and have a ginormous classroom with tables to spare) #unlikely
*Brainstorm reasons students might need to use the flags - a difficult morning at home, feeling frustrated with schoolwork, had a fight with a friend at recess
*Set expectations proactively

Where should students put the flags on their desks? (In the corner on top so you can easily see it and come check in with them to make sure they're ok)
How long can they keep one? (Less than an hour usually - if something is making you sad for longer than this you probably need more help than a flag)
When should they put it back? (As soon as they start feeling better so the teacher knows they're on the mend)
Can they live in Australia? (Nope! Not metaphorically anyway.)
Can they get up any old time they want to grab a flag? (If it's not distracting - at the carpet during a mini-lesson is NOT a good time to get a flag!)
Should they spend all day choosing which of the (exact same) flags they need to take to their desk? (Nope. Take the one on top of the stack. They're all the same for goodness sake!)
Should they congregate around the flags after recess instead of getting started on their after recess task? (Heck no! If there's a big recess issue the teacher will know about it anyway.)
Should they give fiendish stares to another student in the class who may be causing the Australia emergency? (Nope again. Just put the flag on your desk, take a few deep breaths, and know that your teacher will know something is up. No fiendish stares in this classroom my friend!)

By the end of your mini-lesson and eventful Q&A students should know the basics: if they are having a bad morning/recess/feeling sad/having some sort of other undisclosed mental emergency, they can go get an Australian flag and put it on their desk. However, we do not live in Australia. If we feel constantly sad, there are special doctors called therapists who can help us. Flags are for times we need a little break and want our teacher to know (quietly) that we are feeling sad so he/she can check in with us and make sure we're going to be alright, because our teacher loves us and wants to make sure we are happy and safe at school. :)

I love using this simple strategy! Australian flags give students an immediate way to show you they're upset, and are a great reminder for you to check in with them when you have a chance. It's so easy to just keep on keepin' on with so many things to do that it's nice to have a visual reminder! Two seconds after recess ends is NEVER the best time for mental check-ins, so these give students the power to show you they might need a bit of extra love while not needing to wave their cute little arms in your face while you usher 29 other little kidlets in from the playground. #exhausting

Australian flags can also be a great tool to tell parents about at conferences. If a parent happens to mention that their child is feeling upset or frustrated with a classmate and feels as if you should be noticing said frustration, tell them all about the flags and ask their child if they've been using them. (You did introduce them on the first week of school after all). You're not a mind reader (you're a Super Teacher!), but you can see a flag if one of your littles puts it on their desk.

This simple strategy has always worked really well in my classroom, although there have been a few times I've had some fiendish stare-ers who needed a reminder or two on appropriate flag usage. These work especially well for shy students who might not want to talk about exactly what is bothering them immediately, or for students who need time to process before talking about something that is bothering them.

If you are short on time and don't want to make your own flags/poster, check out my TpT product that includes 8 different posters and 3 different styles of flags. Just print and go!

I hope you can use this idea in your classroom. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

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Challenge Advanced Learners TODAY with FREE Math Challenges

2017-07-01T23:44:00.001-07:00

Hey Super Teacher!

It's officially time to start talking about school again. If you're up for some back to school talk or even if you're not (I totally feel ya), then you might be interested in checking out this exclusive math freebie.

Back to school time is always tricky, attempting to meet every students' needs while you're just trying to get to know the kids and teach bathroom procedures. I've found that math challenges can be a simple solution for advanced math kiddos who start looking bored on day 2. {or whose parents approach you at Back to School Night telling you their sweetie will be bored on day 1} #youknowtheones #happybacktoschoolnight

This exclusive freebie includes 5 math challenges and brainteasers you can't find anywhere else that can help you get started personalizing math instruction for your advanced mathematicians.

Sign up below to get the exclusive math challenges and an e-mail series with some tips and tricks to start differentiating right out of the gate. PLUS there just might be another cool editable freebie in your future (hint, hint). Just sign up and then check your e-mail for the freebie!

Have a fab day Super Teacher!

The Birthday Committee - Manage Student Birthdays with Ease

2017-06-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

Truth: I have a secret teacher fear that I will forget a child's birthday.

By the time you finally get your class list (Doesn't it feel like it takes forever?!) birthdays are the last thing on your mind! You're scrambling to label popsicle sticks, job boards, folders, cubbies, coatroom hangers, mail boxes, desks, and basically anything else that will sit still. #mustlabelallthethings

While you're fretting about fonts, creating curriculum calendars, and sweating bullets about Back to School Night bulletin boards, there's always one or two cuties with August birthdays that are just ready to sneak up and make you feel like an absolutely awful human!

No more worrying I say! The birthday committee is here to save the day!

Getting your birthday box ready for the birthday committee is one super easy way to feel productive this summer! You can get everything you need during a grocery trip to Target or from your couch on Amazon.

Here's all you need to do on your next shopping outing:

1. Buy some streamers, balloons, markers, stickers, and birthday pencils and put them in a plastic bin. This bin is now the treasured birthday box.

2. When school starts add a "humanitarian" job to your classroom job board. (That way if there are no birthdays during their job week the humanitarian can engage in other types of classroom kindness.)

3. When students come for open house before school begins, have them sign their name and birthday on a piece of paper organized by month (12 boxes work great), so you can keep track of every child's birthday in a simple way. Keep a copy of this page for yourself and in the birthday box.

4. Once school begins, It's the humanitarian's job to make a card, get a sticker/pencil, and decorate the desk of any birthday boys or gals. They can do this on their own or ask a few friends (the "birthday committee") to help.

Birthdays for the year - DONE! The kids LOVE being the gift givers/desk decorators and you don't have to worry about missing a student's birthday ever again!

This week when you're at the store, look for crepe paper streamers, a bag or two of balloons, and possibly a few party hats (as an extra touch it can be pretty fun to put party hats on any classroom stuffed animals). Then when school begins, grab some masking tape and construction paper from the teacher work room. Voila! Your birthday committee is complete!

Any other ideas for the birthday box or committee? Share them in the comments!

If you're interested in more of the Summer Stuff Series, focused on simple items to make or think about implementing in your classroom next year, check out these posts:
Summer Stuff #2 - The Service Station Freebie
Summer Stuff #3 - The Tooth Fairy
Summer Stuff #4 - Freebie Sanitizer Bathroom Passes
Summer Stuff #5 - Books for Back to School
Summer Stuff #6 - Award Awesome Students with The C.H.I.P. Award
Summer Stuff #7 - Crazy Easy Differentiation Folders
Summer Stuff #8 - Collecting Mentor Texts for Writing

End of the Year fun with Wonka Week

2017-05-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wonka Week is my favorite go-to end of the school year activity, but it works equally well the week before Spring Break or any other time you're anticipating squirrely children and need something a little different to calm the masses.

If you have extremely excited kiddos and need a little something new, try out Wonka Week using Golden Tickets for Classroom Management!

Prepping Wonka Week? Here’s what you need to do:

Buy: a bag or two of small wrapped candy bars (not the vacuum sealed kind – the wrapped in foil-lined paper kind), and 10-15 candy bars or other "big" prizes. You can find the same candy bars I use in a large bag on Amazon HERE instead of buying 3 or 4 smaller bags at the grocery store (affiliate link). For the large prizes I buy candy bars at The Dollar Store or save up larger random items I collect during the school year. The large prizes don't have to be candy. Anything special works!

Print: the Wonka Tickets on yellow/gold paper.

Put: Wonka tickets inside the special small candy bars (as many special candy bars as you have “big” prizes). You will have to fold them up and reseal the small candy bars with a glue stick.

Cut: the rest of the Wonka Tickets out and put them in a secure baggie hidden from view.

Get: a beautiful clear bowl or vase to house all of the little candy bars. (Isn't mine pretty?! I pretty much LOVE this Teacher Appreciation Day Gift! Perfect for WONKA Week!)

Display: the clear bowl full of small candy bars and the “big” prizes somewhere up high in your classroom - keep them visible but not reachable! For maximum effect, put these out a few at a time the week before Wonka Week. The anticipation will be palpable!

During the week give out Wonka Tickets instead of your normal classroom incentive to awesomely behaved students. At the end of the day you can let all students who received a Wonka Ticket trade it in for a pick in the candy bar bowl or do a random drawing of Wonka tickets, letting only students who are drawn choose from the chocolate. (I moved to the latter option after spending WAY too much money on chocolate!)

Students who get a Golden Wonka Ticket in their small candy bar get one of the exciting giant prizes!

Secret Teacher Trick: to make sure the Wonka fun lasts as long as you want it to, only put one or two special “Golden Ticket” bars in the bowl at a time. That way you can draw it out for as long as it is effective.

If you are interested in trying out Wonka Week in your classroom, you can get a free copy of the Golden Tickets I use HERE.

I use Wonka Tickets as our shiny new classroom incentives and integrate Wonka themed activities throughout the curriculum. The kids love anything that has any connection to candy so all of these activities are perfect for crazy weeks when you still want to teach something meaningful.

Here are a few ways you can integrate actual curriculum with all the Wonka fun:

*MATH - I use these Wonka math printables for fast finishers, math contracts, bell work, and group problem solving during Wonka Week(s). You can try three of these activities (Candy calculators, Oompa Loompa Equations, and Golden Ticket Logic Puzzle) for FREE. Just click to download the freebie at the TpT store HERE.

Need more Wonka math? The Wonka Math Challenges and Brainteasers set pictured below includes 42 Wonka and candy themed math activities. Since Wonka Week is typically a whole class affair, this set has similar problems on a variety of levels for grades 2-4 so all students have access to appropriately challenging math fun!

*WRITING - Students love creating their own new candy along with advertisements.

*MATH - Make WONKA bars for a fun way to practice place value, number sense, and building numbers with ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands (see the Wonka Bars blog post HERE for more information about this activity)

*ART/MATH - Design a new floor for Wonka's Factory to practice measurement and mathematical problem solving skills. You can find 2 differentiated versions + an editable teacher copy to customize this Wonka Factory Design project for your classroom at my TpT store HERE.

*SCIENCE - Candy based science experiments are tons of fun! The one pictured below answers the question - What will happen to a Gobstopper when submerged in water over time? (I pretty much had extra cups, Gobstoppers, a sink, and some time to kill - but even with this not so exciting experiment - the kids were INTO IT! Anything that involves candy works wonders.

Looking for even more fun Wonka integration ideas? Check out my ever-growing WONKA Pinterest Board with ideas for Wonka themed learning activities, costumes, and fun stuff based on a candy/Wonka theme.

I hope you can use this idea. Wonka Week is a fun way to get kids engaged during those crazy weeks before a break or at the end of the year!

Have a fab day (and Wonka Week!) Super Teacher,

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Easy Peasy Pi Day: All you need is Yarn!

2017-03-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Need a quick and easy Pi Day activity for your second or third grade elementary students? Try this idea. All you need is yarn! Teachers can use this simple hands-on classroom activity during math, science, or just as a fun quick project to celebrate Pi Day on 3.14. A perfect (LOW PREP) activity for learning how Pi relates to circumference and diameter.

Pi Day Yarn Activity Instructions:

Materials: All you need is yarn, scissors, and round things. Every classroom has those right?!

#1. Have students choose a round object.

#2. Have students wrap the yarn around the circumference of the round object and cut the yarn to show one measurement around their object.

#3. Now students will take this long piece of yarn and see how many times they can measure the diameter of their circle. They will cut a piece of yarn for every diameter they measure.

If students do this correctly they should end up with 3 diameter yarn pieces plus an itty little left over piece or 3.14 diameters (Pi!)

Yarn, scissors, round things, DONE!
Fun, memorable, and quick - my kind of Pi Day activity!

Need more math activities for March? There are now monthly math challenge sets for every month of the school year! The March Math Challenges & Brainteasers Pack includes 25 math problems with spring and March holiday themes like: Pi Day, St. Patrick's Day, rainbows, March Madness basketball, leprechauns, clovers, and Read Across America. {The printables pictured above are just a few from the March Math Challenge & Brainteaser pack}

Did you try out the yarn activity? Tell me all about it in the comments!

Happy Pi Day Super Teacher,

How to be Olivia The Pig - Book Character Halloween

2017-02-25T12:13:00.000-08:00

I promised my husband if I bought this cute red dress I would wear it over and over again. So, not only is Olivia the pig my favorite Halloween costume, it will now be my go-to March is Reading Month character costume too. Want your own Olivia costume? Here's all you need to do:

Step 1: The Dress

I don't sew, but I am an avid online shopper. Pretty sure any red dress will do, but I saw this one on ModCloth and fell in love. The dress is called Looking to Tomorrow. Just click on the links or the picture below and it should come right up!

Not up for paying ModCloth prices? I think these less expensive options on Amazon are pretty great too! Just click the pictures for the links.

Step 2: Ears

This was actually much easier than I thought it would be and it's a good thing because I left the ears in Colorado when I moved to Michigan so I'll be making a new Olivia headband.

All you need is a headband (mine was 1 inch and covered with black fabric), 2 pieces of medium thick fun foam (not the thinnest one!), and a glue gun. Cut out two football shapes (one end pointed, one end flat) in the fun foam and do some folding until the ears look like you want. Then glue. Easy!

Step 3: Tights

There is no such thing as ONE size fits all. I am 5'2" and the tights I found at Target were so short they were falling off all day. I was waddling around trying to keep them on before I even got to school, but you can't tell in the pictures, so that's all that really matters.

I'm hoping this year I'll have better luck with these. I just ordered them on Amazon.

Grab a book, maybe even a little Olivia stuffed animal and you're all set! Years and years of Halloweens and March is Reading months are covered!

Don't want to be a pig? Here are my darling teammates in their book character garb:

Lily from Lily's Purple Plastic Purse

Pinkalicious

Look at these darling shoes! Perfect and comfy!

Save Your Sanity with 4 {FREE} February Printables

2017-02-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Getting prepped for all things Valentine and Olympics for February? Use these four FREE math and language activities to engage those 2nd and 3rd grade kids this month! These free printables are perfect for centers, morning work, homework, or your classroom Valentine's Day party.

The free February Fun printable pack includes two math challenges you can use for morning work/homework/math centers (Valentine & Winter Olympics themes), a Valentine's Day Make-Your-Own Word Find and a Valentine Candy ABC Brainstorm activity. Second and third graders can talk about candy forever, so the ABC activity, although simple, is always greatly helpful as you celebrate Valentine's Day by inhaling sugar in its various forms.

Click HERE to download the February Fun Stuff Freebie at the TpT store

Need more math challenges? Monthly math challenge sets are now available for every month of the school year! The February Math Challenges and Brainteasers include 26 challenging math activities with Valentine's Day, Oscars, Groundhog Day, winter sports, presidents, hundreds day, and candy themes.

Have a fab Valentine's Day Super Teacher,

Math Challenge Freebie & Math Contracts - Perfect for Fast Finishers, Extensions, or Homework

2017-01-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a few math activities to use as fast finishers, homework, math centers, problem of the week, or enrichment, try out this Math Challenges & Brainteasers freebie. These 3 free math challenges and brainteasers are meant to be challenges for advanced 2nd and 3rd graders, but have been used in a 5th grade class as reviews and morning work too.

Here are a few ideas for how you might use these in your own classroom:

*Use these as extension activities for math contracts. Make a pack of challenge problems for advanced students to use as a fast finisher or during certain in-class math lessons when they’ve already mastered the material. You can read more about this strategy and receive a free editable math contract at this blog post HERE.

*Use a challenge or brainteaser as a homework option for students who need a challenge, or let them replace a simple homework assignment with the challenge to show parents how well you’re differentiating.

*Use a math challenge or brainteaser as a “number talk” problem to start out your daily math class. Work through it as a class or let students work in partners or small groups to talk through it and solve it together.

*Give a challenge or brainteaser to a small group of students as one of their independent math workshop rotations or use them with your advanced small math group rotation.

*Use the problems as an independent practice activity during a unit on problem solving strategies (guess and check, work backwards, etc.) or attacking a multi-step problem.

*Keep a stack of challenge problems in your classroom fast finisher area for any student who wants a challenge.

*Choose one or two challenge problems for the month and reward any student who can solve both. You can put these on a bulletin board or have them available as additional incentives.

*Use the seasonal challenges as a choice (academic!) activity during a holiday party or to keep your sanity during that holiday down time.

I'm using these as a challenge for my second graders in the form of math contracts. I have a few super amazing 2nd grade mathematicians who are way ahead of the rest of the class. They have the option of completing math contract work at any time during our independent math time as a replacement for the assignments given to the rest of the class. If you want to read more about math contracts you can hop on over to this blog post HERE. {There might just be an EDITABLE Math Contract Freebie waiting for you there!}

If you haven't already downloaded the freebie which includes 3 math challenges and brainteasers, hop on over to my store and check it out. I hope you enjoy!

Need more math challenges? Monthly math challenges are now available for every month of the school year! ALL the monthly sets + themed math challenge packs (candy, election, travel, animals, camping) are included the Math Challenge and Brainteaser GROWING BUNDLE! If you want EVERY math challenge & brainteaser I have made (or will make in the future) you can get them here. If purchased separately all 17 Math Challenge & Brainteaser packs that are included in this growing bundle would cost $112, but they are now on sale for $89 at the TpT store.

Have a fab day super teacher!