tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243726775174319242024-03-12T20:08:06.277-07:00Ms. Alley's 2nd Grade Classabbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-35875695486675843902013-08-11T19:08:00.002-07:002013-08-11T19:09:09.673-07:00It's That Time Again!<div style="text-align: center;">
It's been almost a year since I have posted on my blog! How did that happen?! It was a crazy year last year. Probably the hardest and worst since since I started teaching. Without getting too detailed, some of the stresses had be questioning everything about myself, even if I wanted to continue to teach. But...the Lord brought me through and I am excited to start a fresh year! </div>
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Tomorrow will be my first day in my classroom, so hopefully I'll have some pics to post - at the very least I'll have some "before pics!." Also, I just posted a couple things to my TPT store - a fractions workstation packet and my new chevron behavior clip chart (my old one was fading). Click on the images to check them out! Glad to be back in the blog world :)</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fun-with-Fractions-Workstations-820034"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6CTlCHRC28sDDD65zgdywYaZUQLZV8JI25cQ5hr0zZFPXGalvMT4JpuCG4VjJ5UAQ_pGBZrrSbwiJ9NXDadJNRqH4Jb2x63CvuYwuOYbEPsxsFAcQXJzyCNS_aTt2YU8511zbWhSIg/s200/Screen+shot+2013-08-11+at+9.23.25+PM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Behavior-Clip-Chart-823109"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4xL0bTlN4H0sELURLTSVaffPbKBVCCVMJ4OMmGSc00wgnmhfe1EdHkHxfMT1az9F9wUS7wLWdA5ZgylYGivjW7XeAVjEj7pjFTphSl1U9D_dkgtYfzmyG7ItUDzDFni4wzIN4uuxAA/s320/Screen+shot+2013-08-11+at+9.24.53+PM.png" width="85" /></a></div>
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abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-81506415948596621872012-10-15T16:42:00.000-07:002012-10-15T21:25:50.868-07:00It's Been Awhile...<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi Friends!... it's been quite awhile since I've posted. Sooo much has happened since the start of the school year that I have to admit, I've been avoiding my blog. It's like when you haven't talked to a good friend in a long time and you know you're going to need an hour long phone conversation to catch up, but you just don't have the time...Well...it's time :)</div>
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First of all, I was on strike for 7 days at the beginning of the school year. I'm sure you all heard about the CTU strike in CPS - that was me! It was CRAZY! I had no idea what to expect, but I quickly learned how passionate and dedicated educators truly are. I was honored, inspired, and humbled to be a part of such an amazing group of people! The whole experience was emotionally draining as well as physically exhausting. I was shocked at how much of the media and public are not only anti-union, but anti-teacher. It made me sad - and because of facebook I learned that many people I know and who know me were passionately against the strike...seemingly for no good reason. But, in the end, we won on all the points that really mattered. </div>
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Here's a pic of us during one of the downtown marches. (I'm on the left in the sunglasses - not that that's important!)</div>
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Fast forward to last week...one of our teachers left our school rather suddenly (and although I won't go into specifics, I'll say it's a good thing for all parties)...which meant that on Friday, I found out I would be teaching a 1st/ 2nd split starting on Monday (today). WOW - that was some news to get five minutes before picking my kids up from lunch! So, today was my first day with my 11 new firsties - and I have to say, for only 2 days of preparation - it went pretty well! I am hoping in a week or two we will be full swing and on a roll! I am also hoping to be back blogging more regularly :) I'm avoiding looking at my google reader because I know I have over 1,000 unread posts...crazy! </div>
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Does anyone have any advice for teaching a 1/2 split with Everyday Math?!? Would love any suggestions! </div>
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abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-24462620658392396492012-08-22T11:06:00.003-07:002012-08-22T11:15:25.587-07:00Stick a Fork in it! Class Pics!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I am sooooo excited to say that my classroom is finally set up! Now I can start thinking about making copies and lesson plans....I think I like setting up better :)</div>
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Here is a view from the front of the room, looking back</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jbBGrm0QZ1tw6FX7SwEk3K3Kn_EOi5ubxMp6wk8AZG7HDDgJn3HDio8j0WpWT5PclONubmTg-eZb2rev_craE2B4M8DQWzniyPwjImDmLR4zb5CUBw_BUKuEY8ibwVyzKtdIKqqiIQ/s1600/IMG_1937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jbBGrm0QZ1tw6FX7SwEk3K3Kn_EOi5ubxMp6wk8AZG7HDDgJn3HDio8j0WpWT5PclONubmTg-eZb2rev_craE2B4M8DQWzniyPwjImDmLR4zb5CUBw_BUKuEY8ibwVyzKtdIKqqiIQ/s320/IMG_1937.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the classroom library with our cafe board and beanie baby strategies behind it</div>
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This is my math area - bulletin board, work station pocket chart, work stations, and manipulatives. I have a feeling this will not stay as organized!</div>
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This is our HFW word wall. You can get these words at my tpt store. I love how this turned out this year! Rather than teach the words one by one - we are going to go over all of them weekly (and of course they will be expected to spell these words correct).</div>
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This doesn't look like much, but it's most of my students' book boxes and half of my students' buckets for bucket fillers.</div>
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This is the Fancy Nancy word wall (which I have posted about before). I know the Velcro looks ugly, but I couldn't get it down...oh well. This is also our computer station.</div>
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This is the side wall. You can see the coat closet behind the research bulletin board. This bb is for research workshop.</div>
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This is the front of the room and a closer view of our night stand...more to come on that soon!</div>
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This is a view from the door looking in. I love how it looks :)</div>
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I am wayyyy behind on linking up! So here are all the great places I'm linking up with:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10.8333px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://swimmingintosecond.blogspot.com/2012/08/show-off-your-space-linky-party.html"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_X06MFumbKSDDwLy6CFIaQlyb3CGHXVCsoWjgjuAJLqWLDb2ScEzvsb078Zezf8eyK1DVvKieJtfrZeRYn-h-DrIzlaYNMRjqn6aBSlnTDSEybkcfNiQoIjzFC0nZOwpTtp9k1JmOQKE/s400/Screen+Shot+2012-08-13+at+5.42.29+AM.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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I love seeing how everyone sets up their rooms! So much inspiration!!<br />
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Also, thanks to everyone who participated in my giveaway! Katie won and she has already received her gift card. Sorry it took me so long to report the winner!!</div>
abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-84870448324958918332012-08-17T05:57:00.000-07:002012-08-17T05:58:21.681-07:00B2S Purchases<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhod36qUV6AjXU_tMOQX-VWd47X7UJhjPVXzK2npJT9PT0cowoY3f-ga2V58z0mY8uMbg0vPxVwz7FnZusPaFLHI7SxEqYuPJIdJSmxFe_3pWAK5EfEDQrbvRSFdNv8N-a5zUn38gtVgQ/s1600/Sneak+a+Peek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #cc6600; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: underline;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhod36qUV6AjXU_tMOQX-VWd47X7UJhjPVXzK2npJT9PT0cowoY3f-ga2V58z0mY8uMbg0vPxVwz7FnZusPaFLHI7SxEqYuPJIdJSmxFe_3pWAK5EfEDQrbvRSFdNv8N-a5zUn38gtVgQ/s400/Sneak+a+Peek.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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I've loved checking out what everyone got! I didn't go too crazy, but I did snag a couple of awesome products!</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Desire-to-Inspire-Subway-Art-and-Classroom-Rules-Decor-Pack"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaweHUDVOlQut5hSZ-6p6p-xWh0vS4psROwytWy_cjDTnSKryi050tPO2kC3A1gkfS2sG80Oc5Ry6kgRXdQWznGnlWImY9h5Y15G30rbY1z9-jgVP_L8WMKDu_858dE0mk1Ux6W9mqig/s320/Screen+shot+2012-08-16+at+9.39.12+PM.png" width="253" /></a></div>
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I am super excited about this one! I can't wait to get these babies printed, laminated, and hung in my classroom! I know it will add lots of color, inspiration, and positive energy! I love everything Hope makes by the way :)</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MYSTERY-READER-kit-letter-clue-book-and-more"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXzP2d_C76L1b4SDgTMOjgLnA31q4cuKjWnXV0Xg_19rVgwayFB9ZJXzOtB0COhXbNNzer0rIf8QHA5GlMFeglsYi7KqS2mKlV-uuoTP1_2xzbDwLdWpJjT7dM-IesEuJgeL-zsQ4jQ/s320/Screen+shot+2012-08-16+at+9.41.34+PM.png" width="258" /></a></div>
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This product is so great because it's such an easy and meaningful way to get parents involved in your classroom. I don't know about you, but I work in a community where parent involvement means showing up for report card pick-up once or twice (if you're lucky) a year. So, hopefully this will be fun and not intimidating at all!</div>
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Today is your last chance to win a $25 gift card to TPT. I know you're all spent at the moment, but you know in a few months you're going to wish you had $25 to spend (or if you're like me, there's always something I just have to have!).</div>
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Click the image to enter! Winner will be announced tonight!</div>
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<a href="http://msalleysclass.blogspot.com/2012/08/300-followers-giveaway.html"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8RpimHGcWDmi3HrJ20H4ILAskq9HbHGJR_RR7lldf4zyOw_lAkoLzj5txDgR40LGfq7tlm5Eldrs7MMWpvrisBEtJK1fKbRa_w9Dnvh4CM60XXcNwlfn0bQt5am06lqTF4PjjiIl0A/s320/Screen+shot+2012-08-12+at+12.59.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-60886136983695589242012-08-16T07:05:00.001-07:002012-08-16T07:05:14.976-07:00Classroom Library Pics<div style="text-align: center;">
After 3 days of being in my classroom, I don't have much to show for myself. I've been focused on getting the furniture where I want it, organizing math materials, and the biggest task of all...organizing my classroom library. I've never counted, but I definitely have thousands of books, which makes for an overwhelming task of re-labeling the ones that need it, sorting, and determining how many bins/genres to have. Here are a few "before" and "during"pics. I haven't gotten to labeling bins yet - so don't mind that! I'll be back hopefully soon with more :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8DJpcizZFuAPBfyU4wlmdlsdj06fgFC6BxLaoUZ_-TJYBtS4gPZfH0ec3nceXukaIKH_sHdpnE46w_ewu4vCIIcAhyphenhyphenk7YTH7hGo_cJNRs1N_i8u7lnnI7ajhm3rJljRzqxFJiMJW9Q/s1600/IMG_1900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8DJpcizZFuAPBfyU4wlmdlsdj06fgFC6BxLaoUZ_-TJYBtS4gPZfH0ec3nceXukaIKH_sHdpnE46w_ewu4vCIIcAhyphenhyphenk7YTH7hGo_cJNRs1N_i8u7lnnI7ajhm3rJljRzqxFJiMJW9Q/s320/IMG_1900.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is clearly a "before" pic - as you can see - I got a new rug! I am standing by the door - the green chalkboard is the back wall.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgji9DSuC-f-dWkEWPClhAuyZZVVDG5yIUwufxh-yuGOO5_TDaFw8ZwpEsUXbJpa9dga_f5UuGxsuU7awcqb-DrxNJqU01B5IASLwVG0wMKrr3g7NLVWzdzZn6O_Hh228Yhr8bded0uNg/s1600/IMG_1901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgji9DSuC-f-dWkEWPClhAuyZZVVDG5yIUwufxh-yuGOO5_TDaFw8ZwpEsUXbJpa9dga_f5UuGxsuU7awcqb-DrxNJqU01B5IASLwVG0wMKrr3g7NLVWzdzZn6O_Hh228Yhr8bded0uNg/s320/IMG_1901.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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"Before" pic of the front of my classroom</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MtAZRZU_iCgpdpyRHpJ5q5yPNeoUZ5s-ln_Z3K_mAekoMVMbHL7C-mzek1fA7jakTN4S89mZM5uMrXmsgi38-zdR152bRJgn2xq7P2ShG_S5Kx1RBS5dAwRPoRx7OrcARTQ3BwKhYg/s1600/IMG_1902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MtAZRZU_iCgpdpyRHpJ5q5yPNeoUZ5s-ln_Z3K_mAekoMVMbHL7C-mzek1fA7jakTN4S89mZM5uMrXmsgi38-zdR152bRJgn2xq7P2ShG_S5Kx1RBS5dAwRPoRx7OrcARTQ3BwKhYg/s320/IMG_1902.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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My new couch!!!! Well...it's not new - it's really old, but I couldn't find space for it in my new apartment and it's just too comfortable to get rid of so I brought it in and so far it's working! I know it doesn't look like much, but it's sooooooo comfy! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvVwMM2_a5PlFAyKoLRXcifCitNV2V-qPc3BOwklXJT_hqeGYrdzdDDL9u5MIQ4cg5fRYqVsD0PiJzfBxybVUiyYjmiC1WXr8jnOTBk9FCXg6scGmLg45XDHmbxHf2WHI6AIGHMTnag/s1600/IMG_1903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvVwMM2_a5PlFAyKoLRXcifCitNV2V-qPc3BOwklXJT_hqeGYrdzdDDL9u5MIQ4cg5fRYqVsD0PiJzfBxybVUiyYjmiC1WXr8jnOTBk9FCXg6scGmLg45XDHmbxHf2WHI6AIGHMTnag/s320/IMG_1903.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the first area I tackled. I organized and sorted math materials. I'm not sure what's going on that hideous chalkboard - nothing sticks - no tape - I've tried every kind. Last year I used butcher paper and magnets. Not the best, but I got through. I need a new plan though.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3ntsja-8y6nQQ574k9U7nxVoqCtU5Yi5k28eUbb_R_ZBl1TGpgbot2aufAnsLTKqT1sP47u-icXqGv1CchNX4bMfaxyLJo_RtbkC0uZ5zUb4ErvHUyMMm9r4u14H1HhPt283eeagzQ/s1600/IMG_1904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3ntsja-8y6nQQ574k9U7nxVoqCtU5Yi5k28eUbb_R_ZBl1TGpgbot2aufAnsLTKqT1sP47u-icXqGv1CchNX4bMfaxyLJo_RtbkC0uZ5zUb4ErvHUyMMm9r4u14H1HhPt283eeagzQ/s320/IMG_1904.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a shot from the back corner toward the front of the room. All you can really see here is the way the desks are set up. I have four tables of either 6 or 8. It's set up for 28 kids, but we'll see how many I actually get. There's always a couple extras hanging around :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9d4ueuE5HRIu7LPvxDxaN996qnkYU7e5rwBc-F1yryuIoHOrqBSik-R5eKN6fS2IBnwpEuYTVuv2oW-NZc_uHfoFJqM6ntLf6EMxhZAv3FibrR0YstqUEiULJ8TU2Eerpc2e063l4rA/s1600/IMG_1908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9d4ueuE5HRIu7LPvxDxaN996qnkYU7e5rwBc-F1yryuIoHOrqBSik-R5eKN6fS2IBnwpEuYTVuv2oW-NZc_uHfoFJqM6ntLf6EMxhZAv3FibrR0YstqUEiULJ8TU2Eerpc2e063l4rA/s320/IMG_1908.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Here is my leveled library that houses book sets for either guided reading of book clubs. Students will not be choosing from this area for their independent reading books, but will get to choose book club books from here and I will pull guided reading books from here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjTfxzt8GKVWlmvA0x1o-t0dH0vFJeRibzfsx-AZZjCM6ylhs_704imQ7vzu12p0uZ7kpFrOW_sZrCE5TJLinugp_PRqDWdo4nccVRtFWaTbxB9jN0MJp6evJVN1ZQRqfLSTXZZ_fWg/s1600/IMG_1909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjTfxzt8GKVWlmvA0x1o-t0dH0vFJeRibzfsx-AZZjCM6ylhs_704imQ7vzu12p0uZ7kpFrOW_sZrCE5TJLinugp_PRqDWdo4nccVRtFWaTbxB9jN0MJp6evJVN1ZQRqfLSTXZZ_fWg/s320/IMG_1909.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Don't mind that nasty orange cord. I need to do something about that. So far this is part of the fiction side of the library and on the left side you can see some book boxes (there's another spot for the rest of them).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphi5HNcXdl0YTsPGF9Y0l5GONb4rRHziIaf8XOXqNQ1GImpROM_ddcLbZu9YxsJlUJ8enVMfifq52MVcOlg5sgx9yT87h9maor2ffwJWM9vzhakpRta5CCOGocVdv_qyg-e1zTuZqew/s1600/IMG_1910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphi5HNcXdl0YTsPGF9Y0l5GONb4rRHziIaf8XOXqNQ1GImpROM_ddcLbZu9YxsJlUJ8enVMfifq52MVcOlg5sgx9yT87h9maor2ffwJWM9vzhakpRta5CCOGocVdv_qyg-e1zTuZqew/s320/IMG_1910.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the rest of our fiction library. I'm still waiting on a shipment of books - that's why there are a couple empty spots. The bulletin board behind it will be our CAFE board and the beanies hang out with us too :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ61fR5ccXTOYLNpGH8wd0wkyZkZgVFh-P_KzgEZbnIITAO7AJemdn-9zc-3O7KRkT8dCFTzx6hJU0m5kLpw1SLG3kWs8-vvdTmb78xjSQ7oyxVay-zN8R2Csf41kn8Fl3kYQrsoBOwg/s1600/IMG_1911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ61fR5ccXTOYLNpGH8wd0wkyZkZgVFh-P_KzgEZbnIITAO7AJemdn-9zc-3O7KRkT8dCFTzx6hJU0m5kLpw1SLG3kWs8-vvdTmb78xjSQ7oyxVay-zN8R2Csf41kn8Fl3kYQrsoBOwg/s320/IMG_1911.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is my nonfiction library - all clear bins (from my<a href="http://msalleysclass.blogspot.com/2012/08/book-bins-and-back-to-school-sale.html"> previous post</a>). No labels yet, but at least they're sorted, right?!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIsZey_NyttniGD6epHpizmdNrShRw0207O9o23YuZl5tZAy6y6dHQg0vm8K1HlWVNbPPqmQMRZ890aPAbF1o1GPfZCX2SDe5F8hHbwUUQHhx6EwOeKDiL70kI45YmNUpyP-NfunNsA/s1600/IMG_1912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIsZey_NyttniGD6epHpizmdNrShRw0207O9o23YuZl5tZAy6y6dHQg0vm8K1HlWVNbPPqmQMRZ890aPAbF1o1GPfZCX2SDe5F8hHbwUUQHhx6EwOeKDiL70kI45YmNUpyP-NfunNsA/s320/IMG_1912.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's a pic of the whole thing - you can see my new rug that I LOVE! </div>
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Next task - organize my closet. YIKES!</div>
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Also - don't forget to enter my giveaway! You could get $25 to TPT!!!!!! It ends tomorrow! Click the image below to enter!</div>
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<a href="http://msalleysclass.blogspot.com/2012/08/300-followers-giveaway.html"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpABtZJC3p0JZnhcg7PUi642oOMP9PNE3GdN6O1wJoM2zMUQXXJ8NiEICCdrQJduSfPakCqNY95COulvJ-tGIm-aTtP8n2641qJu2Fbuo31Y0Qcu_pl6dj2IFxFCis43jjalHVkfRfQ/s320/Screen+shot+2012-08-12+at+12.59.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-33820520949645122992012-08-15T07:11:00.000-07:002012-08-15T07:11:01.691-07:00Back to School Jitters and Giveaway<div style="text-align: center;">
Well, I've been back in my classroom for two days now and I don't have much to show for it. I'm hoping to have pics for you by the end of the week, if not sooner. My library is taking FOR-EV-ER! So today I am linking up with Jessica at <a href="http://aturntolearn.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-to-school-jitters-linky-party.html">A Turn To Learn</a> to share my back to school jitters!</div>
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<a href="http://aturntolearn.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-to-school-jitters-linky-party.html"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlUlcFsgicUPVDzPza-ZArojdUzw2eati12XM_ZPrc-KDviEDcDcQDE4CKAziDkMCURiZtLzyklcLXXe8FASQOAXfwrUE-JLHSsDZJXK6mNjHSi-O4yjFzdfd0HktOmZ2arILmB8OXw/s400/Screen+shot+2012-08-15+at+9.20.31+AM.png" width="316" /></a></div>
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I know what I'm excited for doesn't really have anything to do with school - and don't get me wrong - I'm excited for the new school year and meeting my new kids and trying all the new things I want to try in math workshop and research workshop...but it just isn't the same as my excitement for the Bears and football :) </div>
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What I am nervous for really is something I'm nervous about. I've had some behavior problems in the past - been choked, had to run after a kid who darted out of the classroom and toward the outside door, dealt with a little girl who wouldn't stop getting into fist fights with the boys...but somehow I feel like the two I'm about to get are going to be so much more of a challenge than any of that based on what I've seen of their behavior in K and 1st. My goal (and I've been praying about it this summer) is to help these two students be more in control of their actions and learn how to function in a group. Should be interesting.</div>
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I am loving my new room arrangement - couch and all! I got rid of 3 tables this year - which is CRAZY! I'll be meeting with guided reading groups at the carpet! Can't wait to show you pics :)</div>
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Finally - what I need to remember is what I need to remember everyday! Us teachers (or maybe it's just me) like to be in control and I need to remember it's really better when I'm not and God is! </div>
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Ok - I have to get to work in my classroom - I'm staring at a pile of books that aren't going to label themselves...but before I go - don't forget to enter my giveaway!! $25 to TPT! Ends Friday...click the image to enter!</div>
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<a href="http://msalleysclass.blogspot.com/2012/08/300-followers-giveaway.html"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxQXC3IjkY29ZZ8SkuDaVCIoXNs8KVsSUKeVv3BdbcVvYmLYJIAaz7EbwpKS2uzhtBPVtPJsiPv1LKGvrHGJ9QjyclvRnoX0FMe9lTxtVCdGhxNCV0urfZ6ROC7EtkjlF0Bc5CXVSGA/s320/Screen+shot+2012-08-12+at+12.59.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-42752105860223140202012-08-13T10:39:00.000-07:002012-08-13T10:39:00.257-07:00300 Followers Giveaway!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZb0E50xKGnEaxxRF9RqeVi_oOGRz1BRjzOFjvCDVqceiet6sS-yUgC7-7bQpoBrNWNKGQtDUUgtFiACptv7Fqdnt7sZ3IkCdNc7J_MSH-zecFqZ6cRQCHrc4bU70qZ5kRvuyYRhQlQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-08-12+at+12.59.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZb0E50xKGnEaxxRF9RqeVi_oOGRz1BRjzOFjvCDVqceiet6sS-yUgC7-7bQpoBrNWNKGQtDUUgtFiACptv7Fqdnt7sZ3IkCdNc7J_MSH-zecFqZ6cRQCHrc4bU70qZ5kRvuyYRhQlQ/s320/Screen+shot+2012-08-12+at+12.59.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I just logged onto my blog and saw that I have 301 followers!!! Which means it is definitely time for a giveaway!!! Yay! Thanks to all my followers for being on this blog-journey with me. It's been about a year since I started this blog, and I can't believe how many things I've learned from all of my fellow bloggers and how inspired I am by all of you! You all are some incredible teachers! As a thank you - I am giving away a $25 gift card to TPT! All you have to do to enter is be a follower :)<br />
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This is my first time using Rafflecopter - so I hope I did it/do it right! The giveaway starts Monday and ends Friday! Good luck :)</div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1940b10/" id="rc-1940b10" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-56862823730863764472012-08-10T09:57:00.005-07:002012-08-10T09:57:52.812-07:00Book Bins and Back to School Sale<div style="text-align: center;">
I have been reading about all of you who are already back in school, and wow I can't believe how time flies! I don't go back until the last week in August and I am going to try to soak every last drop out of summer that I can! </div>
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It's that time again - time for TPT's back to school sale! I love this sale because you can get so many great things 28% off!!! What a deal! I will be joining many other teachers in putting everything in my store on sale - 20% off plus TPT's 10%. Don't forget the promo code: BTS12</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Abby-Alley"><img alt="BTS 12 250x125" border="0" height="125" hspace="5" name="138fcc26e35b4096_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.2049" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs075/1102126629145/img/2049.jpg" vspace="5" width="260" /></a></span></div>
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Every year I rethink the bins I use for my classroom library. I've tried the Dollar Tree, Target, and Really Good Stuff...I love the Really Good Stuff bins (really any shape, size, or color), but they are so expensive and I can never decide which size to get. The big ones are a little big for me (I feel like books get lost in the shuffle when bins are overcrowded) and the small ones are a little small. I've been looking for the "just right" bin. Last year, I found it and I got some more for this year. I present to you the perfect bins:</div>
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<a href="http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10001753&N=&Ntt=shoe+box"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ehyjsPvLpRqplKfQ6B3Y0wbjYE6itHChlBVhm6EZIQ2wFpt0UXnrzn6GBc6CSmMf0Qs207qS2Lnvj7EBiZ41AYqCSE5bV-J0cwUcX4U4jq3RTfqry_fJNl_iiGDey0GmS8o_fnFAqw/s320/OurShoeBox_xl.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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These are from the Container Store - and they sell them in packs of 20. I have my 20 from last year and I just bought another pack of 20. As you can see from the pics below - I use them for housing books as well as for math work stations. I love that they are clear so you can easily see what's inside for work stations. I also love the depth and width for books - they work for larger picture books as well as smaller chapter books. Labels easily stick to the plastic as well! What bins do you all use for your classroom libraries???</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkJ4OQclszNriOF7LFsE2pKfZUUuslrldt7hs9Q68lFK-CA6T2hq09mPAg_8noI2m3_HiS1oLmjlwrspj8tsBBIzZ2MJUf95QoWVp0jG9AabdWI57n1tWKdykGQUO6fEPqpNBaILh_A/s1600/IMG_1161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkJ4OQclszNriOF7LFsE2pKfZUUuslrldt7hs9Q68lFK-CA6T2hq09mPAg_8noI2m3_HiS1oLmjlwrspj8tsBBIzZ2MJUf95QoWVp0jG9AabdWI57n1tWKdykGQUO6fEPqpNBaILh_A/s320/IMG_1161.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnU_hx_eAxnANPU-YoHBdm2MZ-0aoVGuTAxkdVjRpQmypTgbbmn8bI222j1wxRIuL4QLhzulD0PWcuBLe5famuFcqNmJ2T7ckR6Mq3yfaTIRA4eAms7vLuwGki50M_7NEj1KL-OGvyw/s1600/IMG_1160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnU_hx_eAxnANPU-YoHBdm2MZ-0aoVGuTAxkdVjRpQmypTgbbmn8bI222j1wxRIuL4QLhzulD0PWcuBLe5famuFcqNmJ2T7ckR6Mq3yfaTIRA4eAms7vLuwGki50M_7NEj1KL-OGvyw/s320/IMG_1160.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-24790033031444047562012-08-06T14:28:00.003-07:002012-08-06T14:28:26.780-07:00Math Work Station Game<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi Friends! I have been busy making some Boggle letters for my classroom...but as I was doing that, it dawned on me that the same format would be perfect for practicing addition and subtraction facts. So I stopped with the letters (I need to get back to that!) and created this:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Number-Search"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HgA6pMWCMRptS2xX6rthJqyya9zZbiLdT7AlotIFw63NyvRj52HsDjMwbInF6DMOEuNJcGMNOrfXb7AiL0bSMe6EBpMj2HzsOoYxtuyZMf-hriPB7c6-q9Qg7-vWyq_aEDeEP2RLnQ/s320/Screen+shot+2012-08-06+at+4.43.23+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgni7h0UB2AbrF6c3YjWRK4qDZrqktA2bCVxbdTXdG7Q5FH8FrMJL31sBxobPhW_6Kkg06ND6xxqNvUzuQkX-j7U-lQ-_sVPuv20sc07uLEvgM-8UX2LgSmixmxX6ZxcSSiDQSJM_zInQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-08-06+at+4.46.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgni7h0UB2AbrF6c3YjWRK4qDZrqktA2bCVxbdTXdG7Q5FH8FrMJL31sBxobPhW_6Kkg06ND6xxqNvUzuQkX-j7U-lQ-_sVPuv20sc07uLEvgM-8UX2LgSmixmxX6ZxcSSiDQSJM_zInQ/s320/Screen+shot+2012-08-06+at+4.46.06+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The plan is for these game boards to be used as math work stations. The rules are basically the same as Boggle - add or subtract to reach the target number with as many or as few addends and subtrahends as needed. Numbers can be on top of, below, next to, or diagonal from any starting number. As you can see the blue boards are 3x3 and the yellow boards are 4x4. My students work in partnerships and will work on a different board each time they are at that work station. I am going to laminate these for durability - but I think page protectors could work as well. I'm really excited about these - and hope my kids (and all of you) like them as much as I do! You can pick them up <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Number-Search">here</a>!</div>
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Hope you're all having a great day!</div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-44805452793167389762012-08-04T08:19:00.002-07:002012-08-04T08:19:29.642-07:00Currently<br />
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I love reading these every month!!</div>
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margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLqnIWiWEm7k5BwYzcJ60Z4cRkULUP7G3AI6k0MGbdYIexnh6rHpwtNAJt8jsLv3L-z0w7QjzhAmv6sTJwfJryzRmKTR7AEFt4E8Sm574wpukdziPv_pBrcVeB1s_pNfmBC4cu8SS6w/s400/Screen+shot+2012-08-04+at+10.30.11+AM.png" width="297" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnyKcMKIV3LFp_hcU8HR9cjfQrrBN6hGk9czxfRCG98pdpkCAH8pTOlWqMrZ7CucxgAsuYAtvWN_dpXh5Oc9qx4BhUk30T8rn4Nu6NX9UvMxuyCXsblhRU49nLuDuBbjkFFG3VBJpvQ/s1600/michael-phelps-2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnyKcMKIV3LFp_hcU8HR9cjfQrrBN6hGk9czxfRCG98pdpkCAH8pTOlWqMrZ7CucxgAsuYAtvWN_dpXh5Oc9qx4BhUk30T8rn4Nu6NX9UvMxuyCXsblhRU49nLuDuBbjkFFG3VBJpvQ/s320/michael-phelps-2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I love Michael Phelps!!! He is amazing! I'm hoping for a comeback in Rio!</div>
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Link up with Farley <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2012/08/currently-plug-another-creations.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fjtmhg+%28Oh%27+Boy+4th+Grade%29&utm_content=Google+Reader">here</a></div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-34492905189840136352012-07-30T10:06:00.001-07:002012-07-30T10:06:56.283-07:00Math Work Stations<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi Friends! I am writing a quick post to let you know I just finished my first of many (hopefully - we'll see) packs of math work stations - which deals with number sense. I think these stations will be great for 1st or 2nd grade and can be easily differentiated. Here is a little preview...</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Number-Sense-Math-Work-Stations"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3cI5gMv4eibEfLwBQxEbbro5QC1z9_sIGGTtCuJ0uoVgcyeTR1yfT-g-_zNEEFGvIq4qNn7JqCQvTFSYZ7n34MckW0W7JTcCc9_FzrxESrRMLbPWc2pwep8_b999b_c3ybGo9WT3AQ/s400/Screen+shot+2012-07-30+at+12.25.16+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Click on the picture to check it out! Hope you're all having a great Monday!</div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-10267734287393090792012-07-24T18:12:00.002-07:002012-07-24T18:12:34.890-07:00CAFE freebie<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi friends! Just checking in to let you know I've added a few things to my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Abby-Alley">tpt store</a>....</div>
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I made these CAFE posters...that are free :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifT8SFBpjOdzQAyGhKhFkG9yhl7Q-o7Q4XNCzCePT7OCHswMa4TOyZN9f6cHVct7nryxZsd1PuqSy-Ow5rh4MOoVBqU8CR17dAx9g7udJG5mncJqQuB8aXS0Tu5h2NJ3frE1EhTDMuxQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.25.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifT8SFBpjOdzQAyGhKhFkG9yhl7Q-o7Q4XNCzCePT7OCHswMa4TOyZN9f6cHVct7nryxZsd1PuqSy-Ow5rh4MOoVBqU8CR17dAx9g7udJG5mncJqQuB8aXS0Tu5h2NJ3frE1EhTDMuxQ/s200/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.25.41+PM.png" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-e5DeLxgO5esd2ISAISg70Ra_DPUcdeh_fLzjajdctoKxf4OQMKTz4htfS4LeM3YSovEaRYC1NmSc0cmnEyfFWHQ2HqFHVIDQ92MHHTh3_iCRF6Im06qcURGAHSHXNiLVQhQvXbvnQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.25.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-e5DeLxgO5esd2ISAISg70Ra_DPUcdeh_fLzjajdctoKxf4OQMKTz4htfS4LeM3YSovEaRYC1NmSc0cmnEyfFWHQ2HqFHVIDQ92MHHTh3_iCRF6Im06qcURGAHSHXNiLVQhQvXbvnQ/s200/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.25.50+PM.png" width="148" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETeosk_AEutjMwcQvvccGV-MCC-WK49iIB9ong4auXVtECpLXyMNz0ryUQkrFdY3ZjfdQhDpcujmDNC0P2kzD9bZ9Ld0hZ_Zh7vBfFAfArcRy24H2hiPdDhIXTs4ICT9d-MTDPNmYuQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.25.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETeosk_AEutjMwcQvvccGV-MCC-WK49iIB9ong4auXVtECpLXyMNz0ryUQkrFdY3ZjfdQhDpcujmDNC0P2kzD9bZ9Ld0hZ_Zh7vBfFAfArcRy24H2hiPdDhIXTs4ICT9d-MTDPNmYuQ/s200/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.25.56+PM.png" width="149" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-e5DeLxgO5esd2ISAISg70Ra_DPUcdeh_fLzjajdctoKxf4OQMKTz4htfS4LeM3YSovEaRYC1NmSc0cmnEyfFWHQ2HqFHVIDQ92MHHTh3_iCRF6Im06qcURGAHSHXNiLVQhQvXbvnQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.25.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj96j-gDl4nOZuEDdFA_BBLAD5WXbieeTbx1-NtBYep5Clk3yIzNUyRAplFdx82tPufOxckjwP0R5wea1PC1weT-FKsr8k3jRH_ezqm-DM_XZ80KJxwJwMlCXYStTsV0IXRaUPVdpPhg/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.26.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj96j-gDl4nOZuEDdFA_BBLAD5WXbieeTbx1-NtBYep5Clk3yIzNUyRAplFdx82tPufOxckjwP0R5wea1PC1weT-FKsr8k3jRH_ezqm-DM_XZ80KJxwJwMlCXYStTsV0IXRaUPVdpPhg/s200/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.26.07+PM.png" width="146" /></a><br />
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I can't seem to get them all on the same line, but you get the picture!</div>
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I've also been working on new alphabet cards and number cards with ten frame dots to go with what I've been learning about number sense this summer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatu3TraaJOqozthllmpECi_3CrVIajRg1pZVPph3GogvsuVLMnhZoE2tfS5YE6lNPMZ1ZqfS3aaIfoDtZBS4yPCoeIVce8nJWAf2L7Dnv69ZuXgZ1r2_pnzv3e41caMglixht1J0wJQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.29.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatu3TraaJOqozthllmpECi_3CrVIajRg1pZVPph3GogvsuVLMnhZoE2tfS5YE6lNPMZ1ZqfS3aaIfoDtZBS4yPCoeIVce8nJWAf2L7Dnv69ZuXgZ1r2_pnzv3e41caMglixht1J0wJQ/s320/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.29.27+PM.png" width="235" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveNEJGTV7rSHAvVGvm__auIULLj1WtFkgXwUZmBYyeXiTdiJOsRSghOc6YcZeyNi5rFtG3pWPL42c68x5wzHgtMTrEN7HYiWAOEEDzHKflAw5Iji5Br2VwaDvEF_gBJr_2P-sBcJO5g/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.29.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveNEJGTV7rSHAvVGvm__auIULLj1WtFkgXwUZmBYyeXiTdiJOsRSghOc6YcZeyNi5rFtG3pWPL42c68x5wzHgtMTrEN7HYiWAOEEDzHKflAw5Iji5Br2VwaDvEF_gBJr_2P-sBcJO5g/s320/Screen+shot+2012-07-24+at+8.29.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Those are some examples...I'm really into polka dots right now (clearly) - and I'm going with a purple, blue, and green theme! All can be picked up <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Abby-Alley">here!</a></div>
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Hope you're all having a great Tuesday! I feel like it's the most productive I've been all summer...I'm almost finished with a pack of number sense math stations too :)</div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-15325141021257790512012-07-20T11:17:00.001-07:002012-07-20T11:17:37.324-07:00Apps in the Classroom<div style="text-align: center;">
Hope at 2nd Grade Shenanigans is having a great linky for sharing favorite apps. She shared what seems like a must-have for keeping track of clssroom library books, called Book Retriever (99 cents). I bought it, but don't have any books here to try it out at the moment. Check out her post on it <a href="http://shenanigansinsecond.blogspot.com/2012/07/so-app-happy-linky-party.html">here</a>!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #362f2d; font-family: 'century gothic'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px;"><a href="http://shenanigansinsecond.blogspot.com/2012/07/so-app-happy-linky-party.html"><img alt="App" border="0" height="358" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-g0ED67yUjOk/UAgb5q434OI/AAAAAAAAD_E/LfsRM0_z6tg/App_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: rgb(246, 120, 42); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(246, 120, 42); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(246, 120, 42); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(246, 120, 42); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="App" width="268" /></a></span></div>
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Unfortunately I don't have ipads or ipods in my classroom, but I do have an iphone and let my students use it if I have to. An app I recently heard about and plan to use this year is called <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/songify/id438735719?mt=8">Songify</a>. Basically you just talk into the phone and the app turns your speech into a song. It's pretty cool! I plan to use it for assessment purposes mainly. I'm trying to think more creatively with assessments - and I think this will totally work! I know kids will have fun telling me what they learned about any given topic and then hearing it back into a song. Talk about motivation! I'm sure there's a way to hook my phone up to speakers, or at least a computer for the whole class to hear either a student's song - or groups of students' songs. I feel like it's so quick and easy that there would be countless ways to use it! And...it's free! Can't beat that :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItHg8oHuLKGsNW_bHxCNTEa3Gp5GfhTJmLLQ50_zQw5Mh-pU4z1tUnGSj_HuAql6QsjrZY-Jm9TSRqZ8hrOJgNRQupKCtMoRNgRmsAP9GkXJzuNLs0LetfHzbG8n3w2sRNDc_puWgPg/s1600/20110714-songify-icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItHg8oHuLKGsNW_bHxCNTEa3Gp5GfhTJmLLQ50_zQw5Mh-pU4z1tUnGSj_HuAql6QsjrZY-Jm9TSRqZ8hrOJgNRQupKCtMoRNgRmsAP9GkXJzuNLs0LetfHzbG8n3w2sRNDc_puWgPg/s200/20110714-songify-icon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Has anyone else used this one? I'd love to hear how!!</div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-87134639073531477322012-07-17T09:29:00.004-07:002012-07-17T09:30:19.349-07:00Timed Tests, Favorite Books, and Strategy Posters<div style="text-align: center;">
This is going to be a post of randomness, but if you can make it all the way to the end, I would really love your opinion on something I read :)</div>
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First, I'll start with my favorite topic - picture books! The Teacher Wife is hosting a linky for must have picture books. It's pretty hard to narrow it down to five - especially when I am not in my classroom - but I will try! Be sure to stop by her party to get some great titles!!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://theteacherwife.blogspot.com/2012/07/must-have-picture-books-linky.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Mp4yCVBnC9_3jfGPb-Ru8HIDEFwoZRFB9S5N6wWbQiCIh3F65DPhZbzhNZKrrFXScckeF3npRJRKsdoxWauY6Q3yTaMgYtU80IARA6liprc_UkDhYPIjIQSDOmY0Vg69VzLTFKYEQA/s1600/BOOK-LINKY-IMAGE.gif" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></span></div>
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1. I love all books by Chris van Allsburg - I read so many of his books to my kids every year and they are so great for questioning, inferring, and predicting!</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sweetest-Fig-Chris-Van-Allsburg/dp/B006J44R3C/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342541123&sr=1-11&keywords=chris+van+allsburg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUBYSiuvnfn7j6jXY55DnkaDpg851YOS4Q_LCg036jSsPuzilEmJCFdROdrVKwqkDDoc9BZeQV0APdXHAwRGUxy4W-wgISI49GxbpzL5RRN85VGTJfNJFB0yEXa0wwIhMnxa5DfGW0g/s1600/240px-The-sweetest-fig.jpg" /></a></div>
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2. I also love William Steig. His books are great for vocabulary as well as strategy instruction. </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Bone-William-Steig/dp/031256421X/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342541312&sr=1-8&keywords=william+steig"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFk9BHp6ZksNd-9dxmvfgGhW0FVOWUBvxuG6yRgjGNvxqANDdoFGfMZKB82CieZN-5lb1x4xtsakh5PSTDenNbnX-4n-1dqBb2BZG48Q4Q0CxnWgjxE3VRMPnwYp3_idJlSYCWuuXKA/s320/7b7cddeeac-c26a-4485-849a-2f0e14dd611d7dimg100.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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3. You all know Fancy Nancy. My students and I just love her stories! I use these books to teach vocabulary strategies and have a bulletin board in my classroom for Fancy Words.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fancy-Nancy-Jane-OConnor/dp/0060542098/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342541475&sr=1-1&keywords=fancy+nancy"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRZTJtQiykJFtsR5zUJRGM0uFUzlMgJiXVKUny7HOypw94qar5YWo6_r9QaOU_B5TKnXJ4Bwx5ON96HJ7zomc4zbCzpuhNazIPNSYTQvAMS1P3d8YHhIRS3SlwSUdpxoVY0Imo-2Nlg/s320/9780060542092.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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4. This is one of my favorite books to pull out during our writing unit on poetry. The CD that comes with it is AWESOME!!! It really helps kids hear the rhythm and music in poetry.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hip-Hop-Speaks-Children-Celebration/dp/1402210485/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342541611&sr=1-1&keywords=hip+hop+speaks+to+children"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1zl8R9q6Lfumyt5pVEhPDZmH_0KDowNcN4c58wIZ5rFaRJ5ZUCnWQAUnXO2kvdKyM34iprdmlEUcD85rynyy752c_gZm7BYJCHQt_hdzNgSeleRX617hCr84V7qgpA3Mjkbuf24oBA/s320/hiphopcover.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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5. Another author I love is Steve Jenkins. His books are informational - and one of my favorite attributes of his books is that he uses comparison to convey information. The pictures are fab as well.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Biggest-Strongest-Fastest-Steve-Jenkins/dp/0395861365/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342541805&sr=1-1&keywords=steve+jenkins"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIU-d-X07lwHalCem42rRpsDIPgrsr7N28h2QT7_ypWurun1McJAN2EobgLmgxnzQxs8J2IBW0-_GFugh9fZEZSlRxSbm_eSNUyp4orWynYEKdgOPJSiRzJ1gHjdqNexjt8MMPvKrKA/s320/biggest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just writing this makes me excited about books :)</div>
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Ok - on to the next topic...strategy posters!</div>
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I have finished making 9 addition strategy posters that are on my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Posters">tpt store</a>. Thanks to Amy for helping me edit them!! I hope they came out ok. Here is a preview:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-Strategy-Posters"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXGgShtysk-6dIb71hHFeS4vf4obFTFy7FlGnRNZugAPx0MkxNlVKEPK1Mtz1ua5Zt9zs0VRKNfdXiX5vtNICPd1dY4RHRNl90VIlTo4ZEMhkA9c-xG5LrJVv00j_hfmq5I2NXBvGsA/s320/Screen+shot+2012-07-17+at+11.41.10+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last but not least, timed (math) tests. Do you do them??? I do....and I did as a student as well. I am currently reading this book:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oI_JNYZfUGTSzMVcCNn2Lj9aN4taW1EhNY6WKAfDGo262lXg_tMOjEl0WGw-aCKFm9JqfGu2Laf3O5MXYxTvZJ3ixFzhud_kgv8Q78YKQn1_9cUPopy_3ETMztIw70O-8YiPYZDpsQ/s1600/Teaching-Student-Centered-Mathematics-9780205408436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oI_JNYZfUGTSzMVcCNn2Lj9aN4taW1EhNY6WKAfDGo262lXg_tMOjEl0WGw-aCKFm9JqfGu2Laf3O5MXYxTvZJ3ixFzhud_kgv8Q78YKQn1_9cUPopy_3ETMztIw70O-8YiPYZDpsQ/s320/Teaching-Student-Centered-Mathematics-9780205408436.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
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and this is what is says, "Teachers who use timed tests believe that the tests help children learn basic facts. This makes no instructional sense. Children who perform well under time pressure display their skills. Children who have difficulty with skills, or who work more slowly, run the risk of reinforcing wrong learning under pressure. In addition, children can become fearful and negative toward their math learning."</div>
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It went on to say, "If there is any defensible purpose for a timed test of basic facts it may be for diagnosis -- to determine which combinations are mastered and which remain to be learned. Even for diagnostic purposes there is little reason for a timed test more than every couple months."</div>
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I would LOOOOVE to know your thoughts on this! It is making me reconsider doing timed tests once a week (basic addition and subtraction facts - where kids move on to the next one once they pass). </div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-70136235472614324812012-07-16T12:07:00.000-07:002012-07-16T12:07:40.939-07:00Made it Monday!<div style="text-align: center;">
I never thought I'd be able to link up with <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2012/07/monday-made-it-7-and-vacay.html">4th Grade Frolics</a> for this fun linky party because I'm not the most crafty person around! But thanks to some of my favorite bloggers, I have stolen some ideas and actually made something! Yay!</div>
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Jill over at <a href="http://msdraffkorn.blogspot.com/2012/07/monday-made-it-mr-spacer.html">Marvelous Multiagers</a> made these adorable spacers out of popsicle sticks, googly eyes, and mod podge. I copied her exactly, but used the thinner popsicle sticks. Here is how they came out:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cGXn4sDX1ehy-tjc9rvLDIRdiY6TIcRWj7r8Hsk8Fq78mKmfXeYN52m4VhaLfHMDmmWdIJx_c2ZyCmlWb_HdjETLCuDh-0N0MtnuVfgiX0_VjFI7S4rCG1IKPvELb_5D9u7ySKobjA/s1600/IMG_1865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cGXn4sDX1ehy-tjc9rvLDIRdiY6TIcRWj7r8Hsk8Fq78mKmfXeYN52m4VhaLfHMDmmWdIJx_c2ZyCmlWb_HdjETLCuDh-0N0MtnuVfgiX0_VjFI7S4rCG1IKPvELb_5D9u7ySKobjA/s320/IMG_1865.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think I will call them Space Men...or Space Women!</div>
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Then, Alisha at from <a href="http://thebubblyblondeteacher.blogspot.com/2012/07/monday-made-it.html">Bubbly Blonde Teacher</a> made some great things with glitter, including clothespins. I have been wanting to do this for awhile, so again, copied her - and even though mine aren't quite as nice as hers did - here is how mine came out:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZB5-jN8i97MXahwKQxCLn-vakO2ev0SoNY3CMkfcnkcr_G7gds9KmhRXLWi0cMXZJHnVc1VPuZ3fY2oJ8T3_WcLxw3tZyZHMZ6qPd4IrIsc5k6rORzj6st5l4HQcO81MIz-Cy-1_J6g/s1600/IMG_1864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZB5-jN8i97MXahwKQxCLn-vakO2ev0SoNY3CMkfcnkcr_G7gds9KmhRXLWi0cMXZJHnVc1VPuZ3fY2oJ8T3_WcLxw3tZyZHMZ6qPd4IrIsc5k6rORzj6st5l4HQcO81MIz-Cy-1_J6g/s320/IMG_1864.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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I think I will use these to hang anchor charts and student work. </div>
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Don't forget to check out what everyone else is making and link up over at:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a6609e; font-family: Schoolbell; font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 30px;"><a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2012/07/monday-made-it-7-and-vacay.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6DeeO9OgiYEXq23_dQfTvAlDWEnRlbm05DIbtWplo3lJzrOIRoFx8xtbIxJP-5o7m6UQiWDFbqF9Vko3zqlBRg9RfXTayZzugRR_H6SksUhyW2jsvHiKFu_H1in9Hcp_Iur_adx5lDI/s320/mondaymadeit2_240x240.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;" /></a></span></div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-7131288073271683492012-07-13T06:53:00.000-07:002012-07-13T06:53:02.261-07:00Mental Math...and a favor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I just finished reading this book - and I have to say it is a must read! It does such a great job breaking down the difference between "school mathematics" and "mathematizing." At the end of the day we want our students to understand math in the context of the real world (If we have 862 books in our classroom library how could we organize them into bins?) rather than be able to solve a problem for a test (862/20=?). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQudYvpBNzPVWox4YbAmdUsIfxvWgd0EOKpviBFCuT_8Kh396RtpH1WZd__NvxOUtmsGNyEseP7hlWfNe2WsYU2sro64z3pyvcv-cP0qG5CNSxws7Kkixt5woTErG-aDGnMADPuWhaCg/s1600/250840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQudYvpBNzPVWox4YbAmdUsIfxvWgd0EOKpviBFCuT_8Kh396RtpH1WZd__NvxOUtmsGNyEseP7hlWfNe2WsYU2sro64z3pyvcv-cP0qG5CNSxws7Kkixt5woTErG-aDGnMADPuWhaCg/s320/250840.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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My favorite chapter of this book was "Chapter 6: Addition and Subtraction Facts on the Horizon." I don't know about you, but every year I am frustrated by how few of my students really <i>know</i> their addition facts 1-20 by heart. After reading this chapter, I feel like the problem is not that my students come from homes that don't help with their homework or that education is way undervalued, but because I have put too much of an emphasis on memorization rather than understanding the relationship between numbers as well as the relationship between addition and subtraction. </div>
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Some common addition strategies are:</div>
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1. Doubles plus or minus -- 5 + 6 = 5 + 5 + 1</div>
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2. Working with the structure of 5 -- 6 + 7 = 5 + 1 + 5 + 2 = 10 + 3 = 13</div>
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3. Making tens -- 9 + 7 = 10 + 6 = 16</div>
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4. Using Compensation -- 7 + 9 = 8 + 8 = 16</div>
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5. Using known facts -- 3 + 2 = 5, so 4 + 2 must be 5 +1 = 6</div>
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So - how do we get our kids to use these strategies with automaticity (rather than relying on their fingers or a number grid)???</div>
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Based on Chapter 6 and Chapter 8: Developing Efficient Computation with Minilessons, Fosnot suggests that we give our students opportunities to try out these strategies everyday -- through number sense routines like the rekenrek -- or during mini-lessons that are "designed specifically to highlight certain strategies and to develop efficient mental math computation," all while embedding everything in an open-ended, real-life context. Whew! </div>
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The strategies Fosnot suggests we develop during minilessons are:</div>
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1. Doubles and Near Doubles with Addition: Use 5 + 5 to solve 5 + 6</div>
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2. Splitting: 27 + 42 might be solved by adding 20 + 40 and 7 + 2 and then 60 + 9</div>
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3. Making Jumps of Ten: 27 + 42 = 42 + 10 + 10 + 7</div>
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4. Moving to the Next "Friendly" Number: 48 + 37 - we want our students to notice how close 48 is to 50 and make the problem 50 + 35.</div>
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5. Swapping: 293 + 919 = 213 + 999 (as long as the digits represent the same place value swapping them can make for an easier mental math problem). 213 + 999 = 212 + 1000 = 1212</div>
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6. Adding vs. Removing: This is where we want our students to see the relationship between addition and subtraction. When the numbers are close together it is easier to add on, but when they are far apart, it is easier to work backward. For example, 44-3 (easier to count backward), whereas 44-27 (easier to count up.</div>
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7. Doubles and Near Doubles with Subtraction: 42-20 = 40 - 20 + 2</div>
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8. Making Jumps of Ten Backward: 150 - 39 = 150 - 10 -10 -10 -9</div>
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9. Moving to the Next Friendly Ten: 153-34 - solve it by going back to 150, then back 30 to 120 then back one to 119.</div>
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10. Constant Difference: This is sort of like the compensation strategy for addition, but since compensation doesn't work for subtraction, we have to do constant difference. 39-21 = 40 - 22</div>
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11. Canceling out Common Amounts: This one is great for larger numbers! 107,005 - 100,002...100,000 can be cancelled out - so the problem turns into 7,005 - 2. Much easier!</div>
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I also loved the chapter on assessment. If you use Everyday Math, then maybe you have felt some of the same frustrations as me. As much as I like a lot of the program, the end of unit assessments always seem so random. We could have just spent a week on fractions and on the test students are expected to have function machines mastered - or something equally as random. The unit grades always feel a bit arbitrary. My feelings were definitely affirmed. A big theme of this chapter is that<b> skills do not equal thinking, skills do not equal strategies, and concepts do not equal big ideas. </b>Fosnot encourages us to use assessments that are open enough for children to solve them in a variety of ways. "If we want to assess levels of mathematizing, then we need to open the tasks up and look at the <i>way</i> in which the answer to the question is found, not just <i>whether </i>the answer is found."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zdKhHt7w-jD3cl-Xuc_c2z6kbl-MFlwN6prh2T3k5LpZtfzYSHR1ksySlD6NaUty2jwfCZnDT7krwK5_cw99F7Q-vIJzX2CQueIivRb0nGZ1ZeLuWW6z2JxIgp3umZfHKs8QbJ489Q/s1600/IMG_1866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zdKhHt7w-jD3cl-Xuc_c2z6kbl-MFlwN6prh2T3k5LpZtfzYSHR1ksySlD6NaUty2jwfCZnDT7krwK5_cw99F7Q-vIJzX2CQueIivRb0nGZ1ZeLuWW6z2JxIgp3umZfHKs8QbJ489Q/s320/IMG_1866.jpg" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqYjUBJD9k1NmsqyFCXodCdEwed-ZzD1DsEu7_H4-REHIJkiFGUANOKt3Pj25Q2dSEx3fnr_0dMY1qgXBG0ofplI6K1A-NYxi-rva6Tp7ZyJjGfV80sOGaLe4iWZUil1B9Ps8Qr_PcA/s1600/IMG_1867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqYjUBJD9k1NmsqyFCXodCdEwed-ZzD1DsEu7_H4-REHIJkiFGUANOKt3Pj25Q2dSEx3fnr_0dMY1qgXBG0ofplI6K1A-NYxi-rva6Tp7ZyJjGfV80sOGaLe4iWZUil1B9Ps8Qr_PcA/s320/IMG_1867.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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These pictures are supposed to be stacked on each other and are what Fosnot refers to as the "Landscape of Learning." I wish the font was bigger - thats as close as I could get with my phone. She says, "The landscape of learning (which is comprised of strategies, big ideas, and models) informs the rubric used to analyze it (a problem/assessment) but it in turn also informs how it is taught." She went on to say that when we give open ended assessments many children's answers may be the same or just slightly different, but the key is that each child's position on the landscape of learning will be very varied. For example if the problem is 72 + 38 - one student may solve the problem correctly using tallies and counting by 1s, while another may use splitting by adding 70 + 30 and 2 + 8 and then 100 + 10. Clearly the second child has a much stronger sense of numbers because he used a more efficient and sophisticated strategy. </div>
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After reading this book, I now plan to run my math workshop like this:</div>
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10 min. warm-up with math routines (see posts on those <a href="http://msalleysclass.blogspot.com/2012/06/number-sense-routines-2.html">here</a>)</div>
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15 min. mini-lesson (from Everyday Math, but using a more open-ended, contextual approach)</div>
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15 min. independent investigation (I will conference with students - I am hoping about 3 a day)</div>
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10 min. "Math Congress" where we share out strategies and keep learning from each other</div>
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20 min. work stations (Debbie Diller style) while I meet with my Tier 3 group</div>
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That is a total of 70 minutes of math. I don't know that I have 70 minutes for math in my day, but hopefully this will work! I will have to be very conscious of time! </div>
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Last, but not least, I have a favor to ask. I made some posters to go with the addition strategies Fosnot talks about. There are 9 total and I want to put them on my TPT store, but I'd love if someone else looked at them first. They make sense to me, but I want to know they make sense to other people as well. If you would be willing to look them over, of course you can have them for free! </div>
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<br />abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-62071826304051864782012-07-10T19:34:00.000-07:002012-07-10T19:34:22.709-07:00Math Conferences Freebie<div style="text-align: center;">
All of my math reading and my blog stalking (there is a group of teachers reading the Guided Math book) have inspired me to revamp my whole math structure. Part of my plan is to incorporate a <i>true</i> workshop model with conferring and all. Conferring in reader's workshop and writer's workshop has been the one thing that I always question if I am doing it right. Am I meeting with a student for too long? How often should I meet with each student? How do I keep track of how my conferences and make sure there is some continuity and that I am working with each student toward a specific horizon? I feel like conferences require a delicate balance between making sure to give a meaningful teaching point and making sure to keep conferences brief in order to get to everyone in a reasonable timeframe - possibly each week or every other week - depending on class size. Something that has really helped me in reader's workshop is using a binder with tabs for each student to keep track of our conferences. So I thought I would create something (almost the exact same) for math! Here is what I came up with:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Math-Conferring-Record-Sheet"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVaZ_A1gJHx5vCZq1RHaGzSJsU7eoqH4AKqYQHFimNaFglEVAEki-9kn-f7x_zWUwUudqdBPd59yFaVoTzsZb6ZVPlYCBUPg9-8nkpCgXTNHlQBIa9eClnhOggSy5RJWp20EIMYEAiw/s320/Screen+shot+2012-07-10+at+9.34.28+PM.png" width="239" /></a></div>
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It looks weird with no borders - but I promise it looks normal in real life. Anyway - if you want a copy - it's free on my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Math-Conferring-Record-Sheet">TPT store</a>. If you grab it - let me know what you think :)</div>
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P.S. Click on the picture below to head over to Primary Inspired - she is hosting the Guided Math Book Study.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://primaryinspired.blogspot.ca/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFTVFw0nE-L3g1FaGUWpglq91HOFD4Md8TTiz_bhSNxnwkHY-yILxwmYk3xXIfsXCUgAdVPPCT3j7jJmrzKtDCbaSkklMqnWG1kr23ksupiKH8_X-sjuMSAnH78ymaK13LBTfmJKD7yM/s1600/mathbutton.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(233, 100, 155); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(233, 100, 155); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(233, 100, 155); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(233, 100, 155); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></span></div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-7310002220135443672012-07-09T10:58:00.000-07:002012-07-09T10:58:01.008-07:00A Couple Blogger Questions<div style="text-align: center;">
I am posting today (selfishly) with a couple blogger questions that I'm hoping someone can answer. They seem like simple things, but I just can't figure it out. Maybe some others are wondering the same thing :) (or maybe I'm the only one!).</div>
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My first question is:</div>
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When you comment on someone's blog, and you sign your name after your comment - I see lots of people also leave a link to their blog...but they don't write out the whole url (like I do) - they just have the title of their blog there and when you click on it - it takes you directly to their blog. How did you all do that?? </div>
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My second question is:</div>
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When I am scrolling through my google reader I notice that many of you have your blog button or favicon pictured next to your blog name rather than the blogger orange and white symbol. I also notice the same thing when posting comments on blogs. When I comment, the orange blogger symbol is next to my comment. How can I change those to be pictures of my blog button/ favicon? </div>
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Thanks for listening and thanks in advance for your helpful answers! </div>
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I'm reading yet another math book called, <u>Young Mathematicians at Work: Constructing NUmber Sense, Addition, and Subtraction</u>, by Catherine Twomey Fosnot. It's really good so far - I will definitely be back soon with a post about what I'm learning. Has anyone read this book or used her investigations in class before? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9BgCJXMPRxdkl65kasJk6skL5E7DmAhLOuShqDzCK27-4Jl_GxxaXaCN3SMIWi9oWPyB7lfJxD3ilrZej6Kjh_VlSeVdwwKTUB2SA1XW4iML5T64vixRRAuQi84kXnqocnQIsHGGtQ/s1600/250840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9BgCJXMPRxdkl65kasJk6skL5E7DmAhLOuShqDzCK27-4Jl_GxxaXaCN3SMIWi9oWPyB7lfJxD3ilrZej6Kjh_VlSeVdwwKTUB2SA1XW4iML5T64vixRRAuQi84kXnqocnQIsHGGtQ/s320/250840.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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Who's excited for the Bachelorette tonight?!?!</div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-26937256130392611492012-07-06T13:40:00.000-07:002012-07-06T13:40:15.099-07:00Math Workshop/ Math Work Stations<div style="text-align: center;">
First of all, thanks to the amazing teachers who have joined my first linky party! I've gotten some great ideas already!!! If you haven't linked up yet, <a href="http://msalleysclass.blogspot.com/2012/07/math-workshop-and-my-first-linky-party.html">please join here</a> :)</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #381c0e; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://msalleysclass.blogspot.com/2012/07/math-workshop-and-my-first-linky-party.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLDZtnlMiLR15Cgy32mcKPBdaK5Q0haCh0Kec4AtUD6E7kLBiTlvpgrqnQUbun-g-VzlsU90COajUqXRXOLXuzi__XuuI-0LqUh_2MQqfvETyRNKsgBUdeh1WJyazZbITHW0QMcJ8yQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-28+at+5.50.59+PM.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(206, 35, 87); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(206, 35, 87); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(206, 35, 87); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(206, 35, 87); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></span></div>
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As you probably can tell, June has been my math month (although I'm already 2 books behind since it's technically July). I wanted to make something I can use for my math meeting where I will incorporate lots of the ideas from <u>Number Sense Routines</u>. So I made a bunch of different ten frames and quick images to use whole class and in small groups. I'm also thinking of ways I can use them as a work station - especially the ten frames. I created a few different versions of each for differentiating. You can get them at my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Number-Sense-Routines">tpt store</a> if you'd like :)</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Number-Sense-Routines"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnozeZr9pudLKlDWobDIZN-dcAUIUpeQdpi8uUW59-8n7iEwLDWcUhaUeIGR6H5Kbdb0gWhfUrT4bzJHeqwW-mEf6fLA9DJknRnvGmHziFCOtIpwB1h1CvMDEu0wijZ_c_M95C0t_mw/s320/Screen+shot+2012-07-06+at+3.54.10+PM.png" width="237" /></a></div>
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I hope you all are staying cool - it's been so hot here in Chicago!! </div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-20019977035538200762012-07-03T18:56:00.000-07:002012-07-03T18:56:42.537-07:00Math Workshop and My First Linky Party!!<div style="text-align: center;">
I have to admit, I am a little nervous about hosting a linky party...1) because I am not great at the technology aspect and could possibly mess it up completely and 2) because what if no one wants to link up? :) </div>
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After reading <u>Number Sense Routines</u>, I couldn't help but wonder how everyone out there teaches math. I think I have 60, maybe 70 minutes at best to teach math daily, and am wondering how people fit it all in! It seems like a lot of people are blogging about math lately and I'm curious to see how you all are applying what they are learning!<br />
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Last year I tried to combine the workshop model with Everyday Math. It was a tight squeeze, but I liked it much better than just whole class math with Everyday Math everyday. My math block looked like this:<br />
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15 min. - warm-up/ mini-lesson/ routine (rekenrek, count around the circle, problem solving, introduce a new work station, etc.)<br />
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20 min. - math work station and I would meet with my tier 3 group<br />
I use Debbie Diller's book a lot to determine my work stations and manage them. I also pull from Everyday Math and TpT to find games and activities for the work stations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVUeGNzidBGUJ2DJEE09g_ynB08kx3RSZVj7YgNXTm6HCHkWrTGB1ZfkIZVkk3jIzk_6mR-EkGGa92UbtZoaNB_MUjefv-VsU02PTYFpNnSBWl1sowrHUCsGm-NWCt_ZIY3sALkOsmA/s1600/IMG_1160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVUeGNzidBGUJ2DJEE09g_ynB08kx3RSZVj7YgNXTm6HCHkWrTGB1ZfkIZVkk3jIzk_6mR-EkGGa92UbtZoaNB_MUjefv-VsU02PTYFpNnSBWl1sowrHUCsGm-NWCt_ZIY3sALkOsmA/s320/IMG_1160.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the only picture I have to show how I organize the work stations. The bins on the bottom shelf (with the pink and green labels) are my work stations. I have 6 stations - with 2 different versions of each to make 12 total stations. I also use xtramath.org for a computer station and myself as another station. </div>
20 min. - Whole group Everyday Math lesson - I usually just do Part 1 of the lesson and then give a 7-10 minutes for independent practice where I try to get around to my tier 2 kids to make sure they are keeping up.<br />
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My goal is to use Everyday Math more as a resource than as a day-to-day guide. Does anyone else do that?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLDZtnlMiLR15Cgy32mcKPBdaK5Q0haCh0Kec4AtUD6E7kLBiTlvpgrqnQUbun-g-VzlsU90COajUqXRXOLXuzi__XuuI-0LqUh_2MQqfvETyRNKsgBUdeh1WJyazZbITHW0QMcJ8yQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-28+at+5.50.59+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLDZtnlMiLR15Cgy32mcKPBdaK5Q0haCh0Kec4AtUD6E7kLBiTlvpgrqnQUbun-g-VzlsU90COajUqXRXOLXuzi__XuuI-0LqUh_2MQqfvETyRNKsgBUdeh1WJyazZbITHW0QMcJ8yQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-28+at+5.50.59+PM.jpg" /></a></div>
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I'd love to hear how you all organize your math blocks!! Please link up to a previous post or a new post having to do with your math block - and if you want, use the picture above to link back here. Thanks so much!!</div>
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</script>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-14264693718419101372012-06-29T12:04:00.000-07:002012-06-29T12:04:00.664-07:00Number Sense Routines #4<div style="text-align: center;">
I can't believe I have gotten through this book! I highly recommend it for all K-3 teachers! I would say it has been the best math resource I've read yet...and I read a lot :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaO9IPESl82cNbgHnlO8aZwFCTHcyv1Q345VJNDKc-a5SIs2ShYnkGCt297DgfKewfQz9j4sIpuI8xs3FdaVrd6icy3IBlYXEJpihFJO36fkPz2Z8iJxtJr8bXA5yC8wiC0cbLubxow/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-07-25+at+5.06.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaO9IPESl82cNbgHnlO8aZwFCTHcyv1Q345VJNDKc-a5SIs2ShYnkGCt297DgfKewfQz9j4sIpuI8xs3FdaVrd6icy3IBlYXEJpihFJO36fkPz2Z8iJxtJr8bXA5yC8wiC0cbLubxow/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-07-25+at+5.06.08+PM.png" /></a></div>
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So for my last post about this fabulous book...I am going to talk about the data and calendar routines chapter. Now, I am going to admit something that I am a little embarrassed to admit to all of you K-2 teachers.....I do not currently do a whole-class calendar routine.....I hope you don't hate me :) In my defense, in the past I have looked at calendar as something for kindergarten and maybe first grade, but something that was "too easy" for 2nd graders. However, after reading this chapter, I will definitely be doing a calendar routine...different than I had once pictured though.</div>
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For any skeptics like me out there - let me tell you why calendar and other data routines are important for building number sense. Shumway says that, "the math is embedded in the discussion -- it is being applied and used authentically within a context." What I love about this is that it brings math to life in a practical way. So often I'm not sure how to make math relevant to my students, but this is so obviously relevant!</div>
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Shumway shares 3 basic ways to use data routines are: Calendar, Collecting Data over a Long Period of Time, and Counting the Days of School.</div>
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Other than the obvious prompts like asking a students to read today's date or asking a student to count the days in a month, Shumway has some great ideas for taking this routine to the next level. </div>
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My favorite idea (that I will be doing this year) is to purchase a 12 month calendar and hang a few months at a time (if not the whole year). This will give students more of an opportunity to see how the numbers and the days work together. It will provide opportunities for discussions on things like, "how many days until ____'s birthday?" or "how long ago was our field trip?"</div>
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Some other great questioning prompts she mentions are:</div>
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"Find a number that's made of a 10 and a 2."</div>
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"Find a number that's one less than 16."</div>
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"If March ends on a Tuesday, what day will April start on?"</div>
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<b>Collecting Data Over a Long Period of Time</b></div>
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I am also super excited about this one! I've never done this (other than during a science unit), but I think it will have a huge impact on students if done over the whole year. Some suggestions for collecting data are: weather, temperature, sunrise/sunset. As I was reading this section, even though I was super excited, I was also thinking to myself, "when am I going to have time to do all of these routines everyday?" To my delight Shumway answered my question! She said that even though data is collected everyday (class jobs), the data is not talked about everyday. She said in 3rd grade she did a data mini-lesson once a month, but with Kinder or 1st she did almost daily...which seems more appropriate. I teach 2nd grade, so I think I will find a happy medium between weekly and monthly. Another thing I loved is that Shumway assigns multiple class jobs for the calendar/ data collection (another thing I'll be taking away from this book). She has one person do the actual calendar (days in school), one person do the weather (record the temperature on the graph), one person do the sunrise/sunset times (record on the graph), one person do the moon phases (which I'm not sure I'll do), and one person be the data supervisor to make sure everyone is doing their job correctly or to fill in for someone in case someone is absent. I love it! </div>
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<b>Counting the Days in School</b></div>
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In this section, I again love how Shumway differentiates how this routine looks in K-1 and then in 2-3. One thing that makes sense, but I hadn't considered, is that the use of straws (ones, tens, and hundreds) is not appropriate for K-1. She says it's too abstract of a concept that one 10 = 10 ones, which is called unitizing. That tends to be grasped toward the end of first or in 2nd. I suppose if you have a class of first graders that is solid on unitizing then go for it, but in general, I guess it's best to wait until 2nd grade to use the straws. What do you all think about that? </div>
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Rather than the straws (do you like my technical term?!) in K-1, Shumway suggests using a linear model - on counting tape or an array model on a hundreds chart or pocket chart. She says 2nd and 3rd grade teachers can use these as well, but will need to rachet up the math or change the focus to meet their needs. Some suggestions for that are using colors to make patterns and predict what number will be the next "yellow" number, talk about the patterns on the hundreds chart, and use the calendar to talk about days of school...like what day of school will October 2nd be? Or what day will it be on our 49th day of school? (So kids have to consider weekends and number of days in each month.)</div>
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So that about does it for the number sense routines in this book. The most important idea in this book is being a responsive teacher - constantly assessing what our kids need and then planning routines to help move them to the next landmark in their mathematical thinking. I hope you've enjoyed reading about all the great routines! I'd love to hear more about what works in your classrooms!!</div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-18246455350983428742012-06-28T10:24:00.000-07:002012-06-28T10:24:00.106-07:00Number Sense Routines #3<div style="text-align: center;">
For those of you who have missed my previous posts on visual routines and counting routines, I am doing a series of posts on number sense routines from this fabulous book:</div>
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This post is on <b>Playing with Quantities: Making Sense of Numbers and Relationships</b></div>
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The sentence in this section that stood out to me the most was: "The base ten numeration system and the concept of place value are crucial components of students' number sense development. Therefore, it is essential that students understand the number ten and play with grouping of ten." (page 80)</div>
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<i>Why do playing with quantities routines? </i></div>
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The purpose of these routines is to encourage students to play with quaitities, decomposing and composing them, as well as think about how the base 10 place-value system works. In some ways, this seems to be the most important (I don't want to devalue the other routines though) category of routine - only because I see time and time again students struggling with place value. </div>
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<b>The Ten Wand</b></div>
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This is by far the cutest routine in the book! The ten wand is made up of unifix cubes (2 different colors). Shumway talks about how she introduced it in her school by dressing up as the Queen of Ten on the 10th day of school (and again on the 20th and 30th). The Queen of Ten was very clumsy and her wand would always break. The students were given the job of figuring out how to put the wand back together by finding sums of 10. This routine is great for students getting comfortable with: combinations of 10, part-part-whole relationships, commutative property, and using the 5 and 20 structure. </div>
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I was sort of wondering if this could be used at a math work station? I'll be working on that!</div>
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<b>Ways to Make a Number</b></div>
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This routine is very much like "Name Collection Boxes" from Everyday Math. What I love though about the way she explained it, is she breaks down how we as teachers should be looking at our students' work. We want to look for the math in what they are doing so we can push them to think about numbers in increasingly more sophisticated ways. Here are some of the big ideas she says to look for:</div>
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- Decomposing a number into expanded notation (If the number is 470, a students may write 400+70+0 with lines drawn from each addend to each digit).</div>
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- Various groupings of ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands (If the number is 124 - a student could draw: 1 flat, 2 longs, 4 cubes; 12 longs and 4 cubes; 1 flat, 1 long, and 14 cubes)</div>
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- Using a pattern (if the number is 50: 49+1, 48+2, 47+3, 46+4...)</div>
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- Interesting ways of thinking about numbers using coins, pictures, subtraction, tallies, multiplication, etc.</div>
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- Showing a variety of ways to think about a number</div>
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<b>Today's Number</b></div>
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This may sound no different than "ways to make a number," but it is! The idea behind this routine is to help students expand their thinking about a given number in relation to different situations and scenarios. </div>
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For example, let's say the number is 50. Some questions Shumway suggests that we as teachers pose to are students are:</div>
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When is 50 big? </div>
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When is 50 small?</div>
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When is 50 a lot?</div>
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When is 50 very little?</div>
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Make 50 using three addends.</div>
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Make 50 by subtracting two numbers.</div>
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Divide 50 in half.</div>
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Double 50.</div>
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Divide 50 into four equal parts.</div>
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What other ways do you think about 50?</div>
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**What is 50's relationship to 10? to 100? (Shumway makes a point to discuss how valuable it is to relate numbers to 10 and 100 as it will facilitate a deeper understanding of magnitude, the number line, and seeing differences.)</div>
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What is 50's relationship to the age of your mom? to your age?</div>
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**How much is ten groups of 50? (Shumway talks about how talking about groups of numbers is a great way to establish understanding of the base 10 system....ten groups of 22 is 220 and one hundred groups of 22 is 2200...) </div>
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To extend this routine, Shumway talks about having students come up with number stories to match equations to match the equations students came up with in response to things like "make 50 using three addends." If a student came up with 20+20+10, a number story could be: I had 20 red beads on my necklace, 20 blue beads on my necklace, and 10 green beads on my necklace. How many beads in all? I also wonder if this extension could be turned into a math work station?? Ideas?</div>
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<b>Mental Math Routines </b></div>
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I am so glad Shumway included a section about mental math routines. I am always looking for ways to get my students away from relying on things like the number grid and their trusty fingers :) So, mental math routines aren't anything other than just posing a problem to students (at the carpet - preferably in a circle, but doesn't have to be) and telling them to give a thumbs up when they have found the answer. The most important part of this routine is helping students to verbally and symbolically represent the strategy or strategies they used to find the answer. Process over Answer!!! This is where things like turn and talk, active listening, and think alouds are so important! Shumway gives a great progression of possible mental math problems to use. Side note - she says it's important to give a context to problems (number story) in k-1 and even for much of 2nd grade, but by the end of 2nd and for sure in 3rd - they shouldn't need a context anymore. </div>
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- Making Ten (6+4 or 16+4)</div>
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- Counting on or Counting back (58-4 or 99+3 or 78-10)</div>
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- Decomposing Numbers into Tens and Ones (10+17, 36+20) - this would also be a good time to try a number string (36+10, 36+20, 36+22...)</div>
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- Using Ten or Compensation Strategies (9+11...changing the 9 to a 10 by adding 1 and changing the 11 to a 10 by subtracting 1)</div>
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Aren't these great routines? I loved this chapter!</div>
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That's it for now! Let me know any questions or comments or suggestions!!!</div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-51996401324008365412012-06-27T10:18:00.001-07:002012-06-27T10:18:31.672-07:00Number Sense Routines #2<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi Everyone! Before I begin talking about more number sense routines, I just wanted to share with you a great giveaway being hosted by <a href="http://secondgradesweets.blogspot.com/">Sweet Seconds</a>! I just found her blog - and because she has 200 followers, she is giving away not 1, but 2 $25 gift cards to tpt!!! Amazing! So head on over to enter!<br />
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Ok - back to number sense :)<br />
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For those of you who missed my <a href="http://msalleysclass.blogspot.com/2012/06/number-sense-routines-1.html">previous post</a>, I am reading this book and posting about my new learning :) Hope you enjoy!!</div>
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The next section I'm going to talk about it on <b>Counting Routines</b>. Of all the sections, this is the one I feel I have done the best in my own classroom. Maybe you feel the same - but for some reason, the counting routines come easier to me.<br />
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<i>So - why use counting routines? </i><br />
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Have you ever had a student who (whether it be in kindergarten or in 3rd grade) wants to count by ones rather than using any number of the more sophisticated strategies you and other students have modeled? I know I have. This past year, I can think of a couple! Shumway says students like this are not fully comfortable with the idea of skip counting and they probably don't SEE the patterns of ten on the number grid. The word "see" has come up over and over again in this book. I never knew how important it is for kids to SEE the math in their minds. I don't know that I rely on a visual strategy, so I didn't know that most people actually do...especially our K-3 kids! Shumway says the two objectives for counting routines are: 1) to understand counting sequences, 2) solidify fluency with counting sequences through recognizing and using counting patterns, 3) practice estimation, and 4) use additive and multiplicative ideas.<br />
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<i>What are the counting routines?</i><br />
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<b>Count Around the Circle</b><br />
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If you have not heard of this activity before, it is exactly what it sounds like. All students sit in a large circle (possibly at the carpet) so that everyone can see each other. The teacher explains the counting sequence (by 1s, 2s, 3s, 5s, 10s, forward, backward...), what number to start with, and who will start. From there, the kids go one-by-one saying what number comes next in the sequence. For example, I might tell my second graders that we are going to count by 2s starting at 131. The purpose for this particular count around the circle is to notice that all of the numbers will be odd and to continue getting comfortable with numbers, decades, and centuries after 100. As Shumway notes, it is important to set expectations when introducing this routine. The ones Shumway talks about are: everyone needs to listen to each person and count in their heads as each person says his or her number and give everyone the thinking time they need. The first expectation is important because in larger classes (like mine - 30 kids) it is easy for kids to get distracted and lose out on learning opportunities. The second is equally important, as we want our kids to feel comfortable making mistakes and needing more time without worrying about being rushed or embarrassed. One of the questions I had while doing this routine in my class was: What happens when we get to _____ and she has no clue and won't have a clue no matter how long we wait because her instructional level is so much lower than the rest of my class. I still don't have a perfect answer to this, but what I did was give her the same amount of wait time as I would have with anyone else so that she didn't think I didn't think she could do it - and then I would ask her if she wanted help and depending on how out of her range we were - I would either tell her to call on someone to help her (give her the answer) or call on someone to give you a clue. If anyone has better ideas, I'd love to hear what you do!<br />
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One thing I love about count around the circle, is how many ways it can be differentiated. For third graders (or maybe end of year 2nd graders) - counting around by halves or other fractional parts could be a stretch. I also think counting backwards by 3s starting at 5679 would be challenging for 3rd graders at first, but if they start to SEE the pattern, it will get more fluent.<br />
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Another way to change the routine a bit is to add in estimation. This year I did a lot of estimating with counts of 1 and counts of 10. For example, I might say, "We are going to count around the circle by 1s starting at 560. Who do you think will say 600?" OR "We are going to count around the circle by 1s starting at 560. What number do you think Darrius will say?" The important thing with estimation is that you praise the kids who actually use <i>estimation</i> strategies. I had some kids who knew how to count around the circle quickly to determine the exact right answer, but it was the kids who knew how to give a reasonable guess who were really estimating.<br />
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Something I had never thought to do with counting around the circle, is attaching number stories or word problems to the counting sequence. This is probably obvious to all of you, but it never really occured to me before. I can introduce a number story right after our count around the circle and ask, "how would we use what we just did/ just learned in this problem?" So simple! Of course when kids are problem solving and either using or not using a strategy from the count around the circle, it's a great opportunity to bring it up in a conference.<br />
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One last way to do count around the circle is to write the numbers as the kids say them. There are of course different formats to writing numbers in a sequence: list, number grid, or number line format. Shumway says all can be useful for different purposes. If you want kids to notice the pattern of the number in the tens place changing when you count by 10s - the list format might be the best. One of the objectives to writing the numbers down is for kids to really look for patterns and relationships between the numbers. As I'm thinking about when I would do this in my own class - I might write down the numbers maybe the first few times with a particular number pattern to help kids really SEE the patterns and relationships and really get it imprinted in their minds so they can begin to SEE it without actually seeing it :)<br />
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<b>Choral Counting</b><br />
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Choral counting is exactly what it sounds like too - counting aloud a number sequence as a whole class. Shumway says it's best to use this routine when the whole class is learning a new counting sequence. Because of this, I'm thinking this routine would show up more in K-1 than in 2-3, but correct me if I'm wrong! A couple tips Shumway noted that I loved are:<br />
- "When choral counting by tens, have students show all ten fingers as you say each number. They clench their fists, and then when you say each number they stretch the fingers our to show all ten at once. This reinforces the idea that they are adding another ten with each number."<br />
- "When choral counting by ones, emphasize different groupings by doing different whole-body movements. Count one through ten doing jumping jacks, then count eleven through twenty doing squats, then count twenty-one through thirty doing twist, and so on."<br />
I think both of these tips are great kinesthetic ways to help kids internalize counting sequences. I can see in 2nd grade using this with some of my tier 3 students. I'm trying to think of a counting sequence I introduce to my whole class...I'm drawing a blank. 2nd grade teachers? What am I forgetting?<br />
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One last thing, Shumway makes a point to say that choral counting needs to be used in conjunction with count around the circle so that students who are struggling don't continue to count incorrectly!<br />
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<b>Start and Stop Counting</b><br />
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This routine can be done as a count around the circle, as choral counting, or by individual students. The idea here is that students will be getting more familiar with the difference between two landmark numbers. For example, I might say, "We are going to count by 5s starting at 31 and stopping at 101." OR "We are going to count backwards by 1s starting at 78 and stopping at 26." This second one is getting them reading for problems like 78-___=26.<br />
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As with all of the routines in this book, it is important to think about the objective of the routine when choosing numbers/ counting sequences. Possible objectives for start and stop counting might be: keeping students flexible with counting on and counting back, helping students to gain an understanding of fractions and decimals and larger numbers, finding patterns (even/odd), and helping students think about magnitude and the difference between numbers. I love how the routine can change for whatever the students need!!<br />
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<b>Organic Number Line</b><br />
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This was a new concept for me, and I LOVE it!! The idea is that you start with a rope, cord, strip of paper, whatever - and place "0" at the end of the left side. Then you pose the question where to put "1." Place it where the kids tell you. Then...hold up "1/2" and ask where it goes. Hopefully they will tell you to put it halfway between the 0 and wherever the 1 is. Not done yet....then move the 1 to somewhere else on the number line and then ask students where the "1/2" goes now. Hopefully this will start a discussion about the concept of the whole. As students learn about fractions and different visual and pictorial representations of fractions, they can be added to the number line. I don't think I would go past "2" on the number line in 2nd grade. I'm just sorry I don't have a picture to show you what this looks like! Google images didn't help me either!<br />
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I hope this helps to add something to your math workshop or your math block! I saw a big difference in my students number sense after using these routines consistently! What do you all do? I'm sure there are more routines out there!! </div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-38023868144045099992012-06-21T18:28:00.001-07:002012-06-21T18:28:23.586-07:00Number Sense Routines #1<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi Everyone! I have been a very bad blogger and blog stalker! I opened my google reader and guess how many unread posts I had.........655!!! I can't believe it. I don't know how I'm going to get through it all and not miss anything! </div>
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Well, school is out - YAY! But, this week the K-3 teachers at my school have been attending PD at Erikson Institute, with whom we have a 4 year partnership to improve our math instruction and understanding of early childhood math development. We just finished our first year of the partnership and I have learned so much already! This year was also the first year I attempted math workshop - so the professional development and coaching from Erikson was perfect timing! I am reading a couple books to further my learning this summer. The one I am reading now is called <u>Number Sense Routines</u>, by Jessica Shumway. </div>
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I am going to try something I've never done before - and that's post about something I am reading as I am reading it. There are four types of number sense routines, so I think I will try to do four posts. So here goes #1!</div>
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Before I begin, I want to back-up and talk about what number sense is. Have you ever had a student say the difference between 17 and 9 is 2 because they subtracted 9-7? If the student had any number sense, they would be able to see that 2 doesn't make any sense for the answer to 17-9 because 9 is much further away from 17 than just 2 jumps.....but plenty of students make that mistake over and over again because they lack number sense and rely on the algorithm. Before Erikson, I thought I knew what number sense meant, but I didn't really know how to assess if kids had "it" or to what extent they had "it" and I didn't really know how to help students effectively when they didn't have "it." Here are some of the big ideas your students will have mastered if they have number sense (not necessarily in this order):</div>
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Subitizing</div>
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Magnitude</div>
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Counting</div>
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One-to-one correspondence </div>
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Cardinality</div>
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Hierarchical Inclusion</div>
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Part/whole relationships</div>
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Compensation</div>
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Unitizing</div>
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Now, if you're like me, many of these terms are new. I had never heard of subitizing or compensation when it comes to math before. After going to Erikson for these PDs and reading this book, I feel like I have a whole new framework to looking at my students math knowledge. I now feel equipped to assess their number sense skills and strategies and make an appropriate instructional plan to target specific needs. </div>
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Shumway believes that spending 10 minutes a day on number sense routines (as the beginning to math workshop or during a morning meeting) will greatly improve our students' number sense. If your students are anything like mine, this is the area in math that they are lacking in most....and it's probably the most important, as it's the foundation for everything else! Shumway makes a great point in saying it's important that these routines are <i>responsive</i> - that we plan them based on student need. </div>
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Shumway talks about 4 different types of number sense routines: visual routines, counting routines, playing with quantities, and calendar and data routines. I am going to talk about the visual routines today. I have tried all of these out in the classroom, so I can give some real feedback :) </div>
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Visual Routines:</div>
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In this chapter, Shumway talks about how important it is to give our students a picture of numbers and quantities. We want our kids to "see" a given number. My favorite quote from the chapter was, "Counting does not mean much to young children if they do not have the visual images to go with the number words or written numerals. Also, many children seem to lack a visual framework for quantities. They have a difficult time organizing amounts in their head, and later that leads to difficulties with computation, mental calculation, using efficient strategies, and having clear understandings of number properties and the base ten number system." When I read that - I was like - ding, ding, ding...that is all of my struggling math students! I need to go back to the basics with them and build up their number sense! So, here are the three visual routines Shumway explains in her book. I have tried all three with my students, and they have really improved my students' number sense, their abilities to mentally calculate using a 5 and 10 structure, and their ability to compose and decompse numbers. I am looking forward to hearing the 3rd grade teachers' opinions about this because this is the first year I've implemented these routines and I'll be curious to see if they notice a difference!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ten Frame</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLx4RD85r-ytIEzj_B1vWBYoB92HnERikJ01ltcybBpn6slEgFD6lyC1kCT_KJcz6BeHGIG_i337iFifDvO4cA2Y5o6Mctx4CrIFFC6oJ5iCIDAzlfjWZg_Ix6RKtu39L1tInIuDKyw/s1600/screen-shot-2011-02-17-at-3-10-19-pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLx4RD85r-ytIEzj_B1vWBYoB92HnERikJ01ltcybBpn6slEgFD6lyC1kCT_KJcz6BeHGIG_i337iFifDvO4cA2Y5o6Mctx4CrIFFC6oJ5iCIDAzlfjWZg_Ix6RKtu39L1tInIuDKyw/s320/screen-shot-2011-02-17-at-3-10-19-pm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you use Everyday Math, I know you've seen these before. I never paid much attention to them, but after learning more about them, they are really an amazing tool. Some of the benefits to using them are:</div>
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- students have a mental picture of what a number looks like </div>
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- students have a mental picture of combinations of 10</div>
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- students become familiar with composing and decomposing numbers - which means that they begin to see groupings within numbers and use those groups to find the whole</div>
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- commutative property </div>
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- learning the teen numbers when using a whole ten card and another card</div>
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- part and whole relationship</div>
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I've only used these with small groups, but next year, I'd like to try using them as a math routine more. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quick Images Using Dot Cards</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmajFnCIGYcdLN_BEuX2YwkUxpSpuwcl3L0K6Y9SxypUqWtX7nqMqN-uN-bWvchqRAqz0g6IKJqHnEUzKXqd5tKGSIMl80QNu3iYcZrUzMDwClJnYzEaNohm6V2buu3RRCp371hoZEQ/s1600/DotCards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmajFnCIGYcdLN_BEuX2YwkUxpSpuwcl3L0K6Y9SxypUqWtX7nqMqN-uN-bWvchqRAqz0g6IKJqHnEUzKXqd5tKGSIMl80QNu3iYcZrUzMDwClJnYzEaNohm6V2buu3RRCp371hoZEQ/s320/DotCards.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These dot cards are awesome! I've used these as a warm-up to math workshop and in small groups. They work well for both situations. I wish I had a picture of the ones in my classroom - they are packed away - so I had to find a pic online. These will work fine though. You can make dot cards in so many various ways and use them in so many ways. At the very beginning, you may make cards that look like the dots on dice (or other familiar patterns), but as children get older and more advanced in their number sense, making all sorts of combinations, holding up 2 cards at a time, and using different colored dots are great ways to keep building number sense. The cards are meant to be held up only for a few seconds so that students have to find an efficient strategy to find out how many dots in all. Using the above picture, a more advanced example that I might use in my 2nd grade class might be the middle two in the top row. After holding them up for a couple seconds, I would ask students to tell me how many they saw and how they saw that number. Some students may say they saw 4 blue and 5 green dots to make 9 dots altogether. Other students may say they saw 3 and 2 on the first card and 4 on the second card. There is no "right" way of getting to 9 dots total, but there are more efficient ways. We want our students to become flexible and strategic in their mental math thinking. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rekenrek</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazz3SlAFcLzmrJx5f7op3s40FVqX58VBs88B-Q7UQoIbmaUalg4wwARMkAF1Zxc-JfW4QOEZEc7JOB9hp0hFi-vCyHZDQXm0exJIcaf_vv6BTYNWSXQ1etUArm7BSh6PxGWCJc8KBsQ/s1600/rekenrek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazz3SlAFcLzmrJx5f7op3s40FVqX58VBs88B-Q7UQoIbmaUalg4wwARMkAF1Zxc-JfW4QOEZEc7JOB9hp0hFi-vCyHZDQXm0exJIcaf_vv6BTYNWSXQ1etUArm7BSh6PxGWCJc8KBsQ/s320/rekenrek.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is my favorite!!! Again, I wish I had a picture of all of the rekenreks in my class - we have a large one similar to this one, about 10 mini ones, and one made out of pockets (for students to put popsicle sticks into) stuck to the white board for our "question of the day," but this one will have to do. If you are like me, this may be new for you. I had never heard of a rekenrek before this year. All rekenreks have 10 beads on each row - 5 white and 5 red. This rekenrek has 20 in all, but others have just 10, and some go up to 100 (for older and more advanced students). The rekenreks in my classroom have 20 beads, except the one on my white board has 30 because I needed enough for all of my students to be able to answer the question of the day. </div>
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The rekenrek is an amazing, kinesthetic tool that helps students develop a strong sense of quantity (up to 20) and mental math strategies that can be used for two-digit addition and subtraction. I use the rekenrek daily as a whole class to answer the question of the day as well as at a math work station (there are many variations of games and activities to use with rekenreks). For the question of the day, I have a question written on the board when my students come in in the morning. The question is always a yes/no question. If their answer is yes, then they may place a stick into any of the 30 pockets (they are in rows of 10 with 5 white and 5 red - just like the picture above). The idea is that students then have to add up different combinations of numbers everyday. My hope is that students get away from counting by 1s and get more comfortable using doubles, sums of 5 and 10, and the base 10 system to add efficiently. </div>
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So that's about it for the first post. I'd love to hear some feedback, questions, comments, or how you are using any of these routines in the classroom!!! I know you all have some great ideas!</div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24372677517431924.post-14915378981095318002012-06-03T19:52:00.002-07:002012-06-03T19:52:48.045-07:00I'm Obsessed...<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi All! Im linking up with <a href="http://livingawonderfulife.blogspot.com/">Living a Wonderful Life</a> to share my obsessions! I love this idea!</div>
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1. Dessert - I loooooove dessert! I am really trying to quit, but it's hard for me. They are just too good! Here are a few pics of some of my faves!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLR03J39MjTkvIp5TexOwNrWDgJerDg6qmr0BqIO-mF-10WZ7f-VoJri3i90JcKxFbPOWqnowtecS7PfOehZqYHaFmxU8mHSxvLzH4uY4Q85jvVLWzDIkEsQOclsb0_pkfKqJmbAgEQ/s1600/Dessert-Recipes-Under-200-Calories_featured_article_628x371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLR03J39MjTkvIp5TexOwNrWDgJerDg6qmr0BqIO-mF-10WZ7f-VoJri3i90JcKxFbPOWqnowtecS7PfOehZqYHaFmxU8mHSxvLzH4uY4Q85jvVLWzDIkEsQOclsb0_pkfKqJmbAgEQ/s320/Dessert-Recipes-Under-200-Calories_featured_article_628x371.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINWSOSZW7_2DenV8AV4ZwBNnYFkhM0ErTJRJyH8qjR3Wi-0HIXJgdFnNAHqByKv-X1uzxQJns8Mjak3V4m9pGKCF1lz8jnNvWANX6WQ_HL5JL3MCje-9z6Ve8Zn29sDgZFgnm22FLhg/s1600/desserts_main1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINWSOSZW7_2DenV8AV4ZwBNnYFkhM0ErTJRJyH8qjR3Wi-0HIXJgdFnNAHqByKv-X1uzxQJns8Mjak3V4m9pGKCF1lz8jnNvWANX6WQ_HL5JL3MCje-9z6Ve8Zn29sDgZFgnm22FLhg/s320/desserts_main1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTM-r2BqCxXxjZVgSIhAmUqzQNBmRTgx1gvgmzjoz6Toi2jEntTWWc3_d1opMSjR6i77Fwd5Ahi3c4AekPDTXN1RptOqZ3IrzecHTEibGsgpdekck_6y_quQaC5SZRnP6OeNUI-TqOw/s1600/tumblr_luzotpkALR1qb3iqlo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTM-r2BqCxXxjZVgSIhAmUqzQNBmRTgx1gvgmzjoz6Toi2jEntTWWc3_d1opMSjR6i77Fwd5Ahi3c4AekPDTXN1RptOqZ3IrzecHTEibGsgpdekck_6y_quQaC5SZRnP6OeNUI-TqOw/s320/tumblr_luzotpkALR1qb3iqlo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2. Shoes!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lDbAwPGIvtG_k-UJo7QfesDzChS-nosIUef5KaOyiHxi8i5xQj2yggShyQL6Ow0js0SJ7MKixdMDj5P-cRfrDGrWaGTqOe3oIqRG_bevGMPBoLO1iZM3VZKcVLF-qmZzUo-x0edCUQ/s1600/retro_lady_looks_anthropologie_heels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lDbAwPGIvtG_k-UJo7QfesDzChS-nosIUef5KaOyiHxi8i5xQj2yggShyQL6Ow0js0SJ7MKixdMDj5P-cRfrDGrWaGTqOe3oIqRG_bevGMPBoLO1iZM3VZKcVLF-qmZzUo-x0edCUQ/s320/retro_lady_looks_anthropologie_heels.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYz5nYtNtQ19heVS0dZe212s_dQgNUlug_eUPd7Ie3Am4b6tAy_vjBM5apuNwq7UM8_aG8Fjezfkj0QVoj6jb_bGsujVs9yJZ7CMPzZLcdGWJ0ZbLTqkRnK7X7oc86-3W_EIu_Pf8FuQ/s1600/Anthropologie+Sequin+Gatland+Heels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYz5nYtNtQ19heVS0dZe212s_dQgNUlug_eUPd7Ie3Am4b6tAy_vjBM5apuNwq7UM8_aG8Fjezfkj0QVoj6jb_bGsujVs9yJZ7CMPzZLcdGWJ0ZbLTqkRnK7X7oc86-3W_EIu_Pf8FuQ/s320/Anthropologie+Sequin+Gatland+Heels.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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Wish I had an occasion to wear these!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdNPBsIwZbv97IuX2emi6RFCOxySaCMxRu_o-UFEYHqHAIsgZGAwk_DE6fmgGGOtpLyftQxfvzsEZqps0Ms6R0nA6U4FIueeGJqpCtt2H70mZM-oD3tdD60srulxVcPbehiPpKzwJMg/s1600/943355_014_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdNPBsIwZbv97IuX2emi6RFCOxySaCMxRu_o-UFEYHqHAIsgZGAwk_DE6fmgGGOtpLyftQxfvzsEZqps0Ms6R0nA6U4FIueeGJqpCtt2H70mZM-oD3tdD60srulxVcPbehiPpKzwJMg/s320/943355_014_b.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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3. Organizers</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0_bMCaDelTnzvXPfBDSgbIQzfeC7N3XPf7BPLZSTryMAEij3fCT1alpPvp5tzc1A_H_khwKgFVRYgL1fX-abZyjM-mgqXV-SQUJeh2LDlZRNW0D_4K8ZwoNmGm29x84OZstRICu6Hg/s1600/72761350199984282_iHzEzxJd_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0_bMCaDelTnzvXPfBDSgbIQzfeC7N3XPf7BPLZSTryMAEij3fCT1alpPvp5tzc1A_H_khwKgFVRYgL1fX-abZyjM-mgqXV-SQUJeh2LDlZRNW0D_4K8ZwoNmGm29x84OZstRICu6Hg/s320/72761350199984282_iHzEzxJd_f.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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How cool is this? If I ever have a walk-in closet, maybe I'll get to do something cute like this!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmPhcdvBHoT6UUSjaAl1pM2sPJGAfgJ96FOXU5J2CczsroA5UxDyZd5evn1vmP2XmSd5vv1uGedn_Po0_kMytbOhljVwc-TRyVO7wgIyoKNKkCSB_OyBunaWEJbndch1WRTnYuR8rmw/s1600/94EC96C8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmPhcdvBHoT6UUSjaAl1pM2sPJGAfgJ96FOXU5J2CczsroA5UxDyZd5evn1vmP2XmSd5vv1uGedn_Po0_kMytbOhljVwc-TRyVO7wgIyoKNKkCSB_OyBunaWEJbndch1WRTnYuR8rmw/s320/94EC96C8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And of course I love organizing in the classroom!</div>
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4. Books! I can't stop ordering from Amazon and Scholastic!!</div>
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5. Football! I look forward to the fall for the sole reason I know exactly what I am doing on Sundays and Monday nights! Go BEARS! BEAR DOWN! :)</div>
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<br /></div>abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09141308191125368574noreply@blogger.com7