Maps! Videos, Freebies and More!

I love to teach about maps! It's hands-on, requires LOTS of pictures and kids love it! I've got a great map and globe freebie just for your classroom, plus videos, games....you name it! If it helps teach kids about maps, it's here!

This is great to begin and end a map unit...quickly goes over the main terms in song. Fun

                            

Need a good video on latitude and longitude?  Don't miss this one! It's very clear and easy to understand.

            

This is a great site...it includes videos for the use of color on a map, parts of a map, and so much more.

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AND....a few games!

Learn about map features and play a game at the same time! Love this one called "Adventure Island" by National Geographic!!!

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This great game reinforces longitude and latitude skills.

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Do you have a SmartBoard? Don't miss this free activity! It is about symbols and keys.

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Now for that FREEBIE!

If you are about to teach about map grids don't miss this freebie! It includes one teaching sheet and two student worksheets with grading keys! Click on the link below the picture!

Click Here for the Freebie!

To look over the resource the freebie comes from, Click on the picture below:

If you want TONS of great ideas and freebies for your classroom, be sure to follow me at:

Dragons Den Cirriculum on Pinterest

Writing-The Math Strategy that Works

If you really want your students to remember those math concepts, there's one sure-fire way to get it done.....writing! By the way, this is true for any other subject too.
It's all about the brain, baby!

Why Does Writing Help Understanding ?      

1. The act of writing helps the brain take in, process, retain and retrieve information.

2. By writing, students gain comfort with, and success in understanding unfamiliar concepts, difficult material, and vocabulary related to subject matter.

3. Writing that is embeded into math (or the curriculum in general) helps the brain to focus attentively, boosts long-term memory, shows patterns and gives the brain time to reflect.

Why does this happen?

1. The fear of making mistakes in front of classmates is a big source of anxiety for kids, so it impacts learning. When writing individually that fear is taken away, and students can express their ideas without the fear that sometimes limits classroom participation. This happens because information must pass through the amygdala, which is an emotional filter for the brain. High stress impacts this part of the brain. In fact, when a student is under great stress the amygdala directs information to the lower reactive brain. Here the information is not retrievable because memories cannot be formed. The result---that math lesson just went down the drain, (actually, down the brain LOL).

2.  Writing relieves boredom. It helps to reduce the neural processing blockades that result when a student feels bored. Writing causes the student to be personally engaged and allows creativity of expression.

3.  Writing helps the brain to recognize, construct and extend patterns. When writing is used to make sense of graphic organizers, graphs and information, it gives the memory another pathway to understanding.

4. Writing helps to develop critical thinking skills while giving students the opportunity to include personal experience into writing. Including personal experience makes learning more meaningful.

What kinds of writing can be used?

1. Jounaling

2. Newspaper editorials

3. Math notebooks

4. Math autobiography...what has been your best/worst experiences with math?

5. One minute paper...to quickly write about a particular concept

6. Create a word problem

7. Write to ask/answer questions (sticky notes are good for this and fun to use)

8. Write creatively to explain math in new ways. For example use math poetry, math mad libs, math comics, or even make a math love letter from one number or operation to another

9. Write to inform others...write step-by-step strategies or description of math vocabulary

10. Write a letter about a math concept

11. Translate an equation into every-day language.

Need some writing prompts?

1. How are the numbers 20 and 200 alike? How are they different?

2. How many measurements describe you? (weight, shirt size etc.)

3. Explain how you could add 436 + 426 in your head.

4. Write a story problem that can not be solved because there is not enough information.

5. How do you use math in your life?

6. Describe money in your own words.

7. If you could be any number, what would it be?  Why?

8. Make an add promoting your favorite shape. Why should other people like it too? Write a poem about that shape.

9. Estimate how many kids are in your school. How do you go about making that estimate.

10. How do your parents use math?

11. In your own words, define parallel.

12. How do you know that 1/4 is less than 1/3?

13. What was the main idea in today's lesson?

14. What is a decimal?

15. What is multiplication?

16. When would you use multiplication (decimals, division etc.) in real life?

That's enough to get you started...let those creative juices flow! If you can think of another good prompt, please include it in the comments section!

Ideas for this post adapted from:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/writing-executive-function-brain-research-judy-willis
Education World

I've Lost Control! Now What?

It started out like any regular day, then BAM! Classroom control is lost somewhere in the netherlands. All it took was one loud yell, that crazy surprise, or that group of kids in the corner throwing paper airplanes. The result is the same. Everyone is talking, kids get up to go see what's going on....got a headache yet?  I do!

What I discovered in those periods of wishing I could be at the ocean somewhere, was that there are ways to get them back. In fact, some of these strategies helped keep those incidents from happening in the first place! Below are some of the strategies I have used and that worked great for me and my third graders. They are golden in my book! Most are ways to keep problems from happening in the first place.

What to do?

1.  Establish a clap, or signal that means face me, feet on the floor, mouths closed. This has to be done before the problem happens of course, but it is really effective. I clapped out the tune of "shave and a haircut" and the kids responded with the clapped " two bits". It's one of those things that's almost impossible not to respond to.  I've also done counting down from ten, and at zero all students must be sitting face forward, mouths closed etc. It's  one that must be practiced before you use it. Practice is the key here. Practice any and all signals you plan to use a number of times, then do it occasionally just to make sure they do it perfectly. When they don't do it perfectly, I redo it again until it is done right.

2. Time activities. Students tend to work a little harder when they are under a time crunch.

3. Use soothing music while students work individually. I was amazed at the difference this one little strategy made. I used it in the morning as they came in and started morning work, and during the day.

4. When you notice you are loosing the group during a lesson, choose one student who is doing a great job or gives a good answer, and do a cheer for them. Cheers are WONDERFUL classroom management. Kids get to be active for a brief amount of time, cheers give a boost to all involved and they are fun. Once the cheer is over, you have them back!  Here are ten good ones with a video to show you how each is done  Classroom Cheers

5.  Videotape your lesson. Kids are on their best behavior when they are being recorded. Just tell them that you are videotaping the lesson, so that you can look closely at it and make improvements for next year. I have to admit that sometimes I'd just have the camera out, and not tape anything at all. After you've videod them a couple of times, just having the camera out is enough to elicit good behavior.

6. Take pictures of your kids during work time. Occasionally you could use some for your website, or print for a special bulletin board, but mostly just take a picture here and there. It's amazing that it works so well, but it does.

7. Turn the lights low during a work period. For some reason it relaxes kids and they work more quietly.

8. Never raise your voice or yell at students. It only makes them talk/yell louder. Plus it gives them a "story" to tell their friends about how they made their teacher "lose it".  The best strategy is to lower your voice even more. Stay cool, calm and collected...even if you aren't. Remember the old saying, "Never let them see you sweat."

9. Proximity control. If you see a potential problem (kids talking behind books, silliness going on) just take a walk in that direction while you continue teaching. Once you get there ask one of the kids who are misbehaving a question about the lesson. I've done this LOTS of times, and usually by the time I get to the problem, they have noticed me coming and settled down. Asking the question tells them you expect them to follow along and know the answer. I don't make a big deal if they don't know the answer, I just ask "does anyone else think they know the answer?"  You get control without losing a beat.

10. Always treat even the worst offenders with the upmost of respect. You never know what they are facing at home. When it was needed I took a student into the hall, asked him/her to sit on the floor as I sat in front of them. I started the conversation with, "So, what's going on?" I always end with a handshake and a "I know you will do great!" and sent them back into the room. Respect gets problem students on your side. They know you aren't "out to get them", and only want the best for them.

11. This goes with proximity control....move around the room as a matter of your teaching style. If students know you could end up by their desk in the next minute or two, they won't start that conversation with their friend next door in the first place.

12. Make sure you have shared your expectations with the class. They need to know what you expect. Remember that kids need time to talk together in groups, we're all social after all. If given the opportunity to work in groups, have a time to talk to friends etc. they will be quieter when you need them to be.

13. Don't transition to a new activity until every student understands what they need to do. After giving directions I ask students to retell what they will do in the correct order. Knowing they will have the chance to respond, they listen more closely.

14. At the end of the day/lesson ask students to write one thing they learned on a sticky note and put it in a particular place on the board. Don't do it all the time, but now and again. It's like Pavlov's dogs (remember the experiment?) reinforcement is stronger if it is not done consistently. If kids think they may have to write about the lesson, they will listen better.

15. If you have a student who has really set your hair on fire, I have found that asking them to call their parent and explain what they have done and how they can improve is pretty powerful. I have never done it more than two or three times a year, so it has to be something serious. I ask the student to think about how they will explain the problem they are having, and one way they plan to improve. I listen (of course) so he/she knows the tale must be truthful. After the student has talked I get on the phone and say how proud I am of their child for owning up to the problem and finding a way to make things better. I thank them for their time and hang up. Believe me it works, and parents are pretty darned impressed. That's so much better than sending a nasty note home about behavior, or holding a conference in which the parent may get defensive. With the phone call he/she hears the problem from their child (no denying it happened) and the solution. Over and out.

I hope you find these tips useful, if you have one that is surefire for you, please add it below!

   Are you interested in teaching resources that put fun into the Common Core?  If so check out the resources in my TPT store.  Kids who are engaged and having fun, are much likely to be discipline problems.  Click the picture below:

Why Oral Reading Matters

"You have to hear it before you can speak it, and you have to speak it before you can read it. Reading  happens through the ear." Wow! Jim Trelease (the read-aloud guru) has said that a child's listening level doesn't catch up to their reading level until about eighth grade. That "gap" is the magic space we teachers have to inspire readers, introduce new vocabulary and show them that there is REALLY great stuff out there to read!

I found this particularly true of my third grade students when the Harry Potter books came out. The first book was much too hard for many of my students, but once I read it aloud in class many better readers could hardly wait to dive in and read it for themselves. Those who were struggling set it as their goal and they really worked to be able to read it for themselves. How? I told them the only way to become a better reader was to read more. And they did!

Why read aloud? 

1. Students can wade into complicated subjects and have experiences beyond their years. Oral reading gives students the opportunity for discussions, not with only the teacher, but with each other. In fact, they learn life lessons. 

2.  Reading aloud is a terrific way to introduce students to new subjects within the content areas. For example, if you are studying the Civil War, try Give Me Wings: How a Choir of Former Slaves Took on the World by Kathy Lowing. The list is enless. 

3. Research shows that reading aloud with older readers actually increases scores on standardized tests. The Commission on Reading said, "the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success is reading aloud to children." Talk about a way to meet the Common Core! This is it!

4. Reading aloud introduces students to books they would never have thought about reading, genres they didn't know were interesting, and authors they can grow to love.

5. Reading aloud increases a student's desire to read independently.

6. When teachers read aloud they demonstrate fluency. Using voices when reading makes the story real, and when a difficult word is encountered the teacher can demonstrate how she determins the meaning from the text. 

7. Oral reading helps the writing process. If you want good writers in your classroom, read good books to them.

8. Its enjoyable. My students' favorite time of the day was after lunch when we all sat down together to hear the next installment of our shared book.

Below are some great lists of books to read aloud to students, I hope you find the perfect one to read next! Enjoy!!

Top 10 books to read aloud to children (k-5)

Best Read-Aloud Chapter Books (k-5)

Read-Aloud America  (for books k-12)

Unlocking Fractions!

Mysterious! That's how a lot of kids see fractions, but with a few helpful tips fractions can be much easier to learn! Why is it SO important for kids to REALLY understand fractions? A long-term study of 4,276 students in the United States and Britain compared student scores on math tests at about age ten, and again at 16. What they discovered was (and this is a little scary) A student's understanding of fractions in the fifth grade predicts performance in all high-school math classes. That's enough to give any teacher the heebie jeebies! What it also means is that we all have to do a better job making sure all of our kids "get" fractions! To see more about this study click here.

1. Start with food!

Learning about fractions has to be visual, so starting with food is a sure-fire way to grab EVERYONE'S attention. To open my fractions unit each year with third graders, I brought in two giant cookies. I divided the kids in half and each half got a cookie. Each child got to make one cut (or part of a cut, depending on class size). First we cut it in half and looked at the fraction that showed 1/2.  Then cut it smaller and smaller and looked at what happened with the fractions. Kids were amazed to see that the denominator got larger but the pieces got smaller. We discussed why that happened, and to my amazement, it really "stuck". The larger denominator/smaller piece is always tricky in kids' minds....but not when food is involved!

2.  Draw pictures!

All through the fractions unit the teacher needs to draw pictures, kids need to draw pictures and if the principal comes in have her draw one too. I like drawing pictures on the board, because parts can be erased to ask new questions. Pictures are especially important when you teach equivalent fractions. You don't have to be an artist, a circle or rectangle will do. I've read that fraction bars and number lines are easier than circles for children to use in dividing up fractions. I think circles are good to begin with, but when fractions get bigger I have to agree than bars and lines seem to work better.

3. Get tactile!

Manipulatives aren't just for younger students. Older students needs them just as much, and even more since they are dealing with more complex problems. There's just something about that tactile experience of moving pieces around that helps concepts become better understood in the brain. Fraction bars are wonderful to use with kids and also allow students to line them up one under another to do some comparisons. If your school doesn't have fraction strips you can print some here.  If you print them on cardstock they last longer. If you have students who are just learning about fractions (2nd and 3rd grades you might really like the 7 tactile and kinesthetic fraction games here.


If you would like some great videos on teaching fractions you can't do much better than the Teaching Channel. Check this one out!
                       

Click here for The Teaching Channel

If you are looking for an already-done unit for fractions (sounds like a time saver to me and 96 pages) check out this pdf here.  I didn't make this one, but it's a goodie and FREE! A few page samples are below:

If you teach 2nd or 3rd grade, check out the teaching unit below.  It has everything you need to make teaching fractions FUN!

REVOLUTION!

If you want to see reluctant learners perk up...start that unit on the American Revolution! It has everything! Excitement, deceit, battles and even a crazy king. The trick is to take it from words on a page, to activities, videos and more to get your students to be totally emmersed in the 1700s! My goal is always to get my kids so excited about this period in history, that they talk about it at home...at lot! With the use of a few of the resources linked below, your students can time-travel back into time, back into the birth of our nation!

You can't do better than the Colonial Williamsburg website. It has games, information and so much more to make the unit come alive!

Click Here

I can't even begin to list all of that amazing links on this site! The Continental Cartoons game is one your kids will really enjoy! Don't miss the virtual Liberty Bell for sure!

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To get your kids into the danger patriots had to face in the Revolutionary War, don't miss this game from the National Park Service. Students must take on the role of Patriot spy and deliver a litter to Paul Revere.

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This game from PBS is based on their TV series, "Liberty". Students test their knowledge about the American Revolution to see if they can make their way to independence. Great for review before a test!

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From Mr. Nussbaum, 14 sites student can go to to learn everything from the battles of the Revolutionary War, to Revolutionary flags. Terrific for research.

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This site has a number of short videos from the Ben Franklin Story, to the treason of Benedict Arnold. Very nice assortment to supplement lessons! 

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Sixteen 6 minute or less videos from the History Channel on this site are simply outstanding. They include, Lost Treasusre of the Founding Fathers, Rebels With a Cause, Boston Massacre, and Sons of Liberty.

Click here

This is a tried and true activity that kids really love, and learn a lot from doing! It's Called the King's M & M's: The Stamp Act. The activity has three pages and is free from TeacherVision.

Click Here

For LOTS of resources to make every day fun, visit my store by clicking the dragon below!

Why is Prediction Important When Students Read?

It's SUCH an easy part of reading to skip over, but if we skip prediction when teaching our students to read, we are missing a key part of the reading process! Prediction is more than figuring out what happens next. It involves asking questions, finding evidence, and inferring.

Why is prediction important?

1. Prediction activates prior knowledge about the text. Students take what they already know, and apply it to new information.

2. Prediction before, during and after reading connects students to the text. They have a reason to read, and want to know if they predicted correctly.

3. A reader who makes predictions is focused on the text and what is about to be read. In short...they care!

4. Prediction helps kids get excited about what they are about to read. Reading isn't just word calling, it's making a connection to the text...prediction helps this to happen.

Simple Ways to Teach Prediction

1. Prediction needs explicit instruction on how it is done and modeling from teachers. This is particularly easy to do during oral reading to the class with a favorite book. For example, as you read give your own predictions of what might happen next. Tell what evidence in the book makes you think this will happen, ask for student predictions.

2. Using titles, headings, pictures and diagrams in non-fictional text helps students think about what they are about to read. Since students are more comfortable with narrative texts than with non-fiction, helping them become familiar with the text features and use them to make predictions helps them feel more comfortable with more difficult reading.

3.  Ask students to turn to a partner. Ask them to share with each other at least one prediction based on evidence found in the text. 

4. Make a simple anchor chart with "Prediction" on one side, and "Evidence" on the other. As a story is read, add predictions and evidence on the chart. Remind students that the evidence could be found on the book cover, pictures or within the text. If the prediction was correct, put a red check in the box, if it did not happen, and was a surprise, put a blue explaination mark. Discuss why it was a surprise. Did the author purposefully mislead the reader to surprise him? Was evidence missed?

5. Draw a picture! All grade levels really get into drawing pictures of what they think will happen next. Art is often a direct route into a student's thinking! After reading a chapter of a class book to the group, ask them to go to their desk and draw a picture of what will happen next. Allow students to share their pictures and tell what evidence they used to make their predictions. 

Seeing is worth a 1000 words. Great prediction lesson!

                          

Use these small task cards to not only encourage students to predict, but help students dig into both fiction and nonfiction text.