TEACH SMARTER NOT HARDER Part 3

 It's about time, teachers, to teach smarter not harder.

When I was in Reading Recovery™ training, one concept that was ingrained in me was to teach with a sense of urgency.  That has carried over into all of my teaching and has prompted me to try to maximize both my teaching activities and the learning of my students.  In other words, I try to teach smarter, not harder.

To that end, I created One Dollar Words Challenges. Using these with my 3rd - 5th grade enrichment students proved to be smart teaching that incorporated computation with vocabulary development, grammar with research, and editing with Higher Order Thinking Skills.

The challenge is to find words that have a value of exactly $1 when the letters are added together using these values:

Just blindly striking out to discover a $1 Word couldn't be more frustrating to students.  So, I created clues to lead them.

Give each student a clue, a table of values, and a calculator.  Then send them off to find their words.  A thesaurus is an enormous aid to this pursuit and can be used in print or digital form.  [Be aware that digital thesauri can, on occasion, produce objectionable words for children.] 

Before long, students will discover the value of base words, prefixes, suffixes, plurals, participles, ... The skills honed include:

• addition computation
• vocabulary development
• parts of speech
• base words
• prefixes & suffixes
• participles
• singular & plural
• compound words
• spelling & proof-reading
• dictionary & thesaurus
• calculator
• internet research
• critical thinking
• problem solving
• cooperative learning

Teaching just can't get much smarter!

This file is FREE so you can try them before you buy them.

You can find 6 more units here. Additionally, they have been combined into several bundles which will save you money!

Come back soon for more ideas about WORKING SMARTER NOT HARDER.

TEACH SMARTER NOT HARDER Part 1

It's about time, teachers, for more efficient teaching.

Do you love combining disciplines for more efficient teaching?  I sure do.  To that end, I have made a new product line that blends vocabulary, spelling, and fractions with critical thinking.  I call them VOCABULARY FRACTIONS.  Each product includes 20 task cards that ask students to combine fractional parts of words to create thematic terminology. 

Here's an example from the Sports Edition:

Altogether, there are 15 sets of VOCABULARY FRACTIONS and 3 bundles.  The 1st bundle includes 5 products.

The second bundle combines VOCABULARY FRACTIONS for 6 holidays.

The 3rd bundle is part of my FOREST FRIENDS CURRICULA.  This bundle offers 3 products and 1 free unit.

If you would like to try them before you buy them, download this FREE set:

To quote one student, "These made my brain hurt, but I love them!"  I think your learners will feel the same way.

Come back soon for more ideas about WORKING SMARTER NOT HARDER.

 

It's that pumpkin time of year...

Like so many of you, I'm relishing this special time.  So armed with my pumpkin spice latte, I'd like to share some pumpkin ideas for your classroom.

First up is a FREEBIE! Create a pumpkin bulletin board with How Many Ways? Math Challenge - Fall Edition.  This is a fun, open ended, critical thinking math challenge that covers a bulletin board for a month or more. Use it as an anchor activity, math center, sponge activity, or a challenge for fast finishers.  Similar to Boggle(TM), your learners seek to arrive at a target number in many different ways.  It may be easily adapted to any elementary grade level and provides differentiation within a single classroom.

Another pumpkin activity is Pumpkinoes, a math center that is differentiated to use in any elementary classroom.  This domino style activity exercises counting & cardinality, composing & decomposing numbers, even & odd numbers, greater than & less than, basic operations, and Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS).

Pumpkin Squares is another differentiated, critical thinking activity that can be used in any elementary classroom.  The tasks progress in difficulty while honing the deductive reasoning necessary to eventually solve a Sudoku puzzle. 

Jazzy Jack-o'-Lanterns is another FREEBIE.  It challenges your students' creativity and is intended to be used as an enrichment activity that is completed at home.

I hope you enjoy your pumpkin time.

It's about time, teachers!

It's about time for a TPT Site Sale!

• Feb. 4 & 5
• Save 25% with promo code FEBSALE
• Everything in my store is on sale; even bundles! 
• My store is on sale through Feb. 7!!

It's about time to save on everything on your wish list.

It's about time to stock up on time-saving products that will make your life easier.

It's about time to check out all of the great, critical thinking products I love creating.  Examples:

    

It's about time to take advantage of this opportunity to grab gifted education resources based on my many years of teaching gifted/talented/enrichment.  Examples:

    

It's about time you discovered the Poetry Possibilities that reflect my passion for all things poetry and using poetry to teach myriad subject matter.  Examples:

    

It's about time you found the emergent readers that provide teaching practices based on my years in Reading Recovery (TM).  Examples:

    

It's about time you treated yourself to the materials that will preserve your precious time with family and friends.

HINK PINKS & HINKY PINKIES for KINDERS

It's about time, teachers, for a new bundle!

And, it's 50% off for 48 hours!  

This bundle includes 4 products that promote critical thinking and boost vocabulary.

These visual clues lead your learners to a two word phrase that rhymes.  For Hink Pinks, each word must have just 1 syllable.  Hinky Pinkies have 2 syllables each.  Because no reading is required, these activities are perfect for pre-readers, ELL, and speech and language students.

Want to try them before you buy them?  Download this FREEBIE!

COLLABORATIVE BOARDS for TEACHERS on PINTEREST

I have 15 boards that are open to new collaborators.  It's easy to join.  Just follow the board(s) and/or me.  Then send me an email with your Pinterest profile name and the board(s) you wish to join.  Easy peasey!

itsabouttimeteachers@gmail.com