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Sunday, February 15, 2015

Freebie February



Remember that this product is FREE for just 1 day.  Grab it while you can.



In this product, there are 16 rules for dividing words into syllables. Each rule is clearly stated on a full sheet bearing colorful, pirate  graphics. An example word is provided for each rule and those words are all thematically related.  


This product is aligned to the CCSS.  Did you know that EVERY elementary grade level has one or more standards associated with syllabication?


Other syllabication products you may like:

 



Saturday, February 14, 2015

A Valentine for the Teacher



Happy Valentines' Day, teachers!  You made it through the week, so sit back and relax on this sweet Saturday.

Here's your Freebie February product for today:

It's only free for 1 day, so don't delay.  Get it here.







You may also like these poetry products:
 

Friday, February 13, 2015

Friday the 13th and Freebie February



Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13. It's been referred to as a phobia since the ancient Babylonians, at least 1000 years B.C. When 13 falls on Friday, it is believed to be a double whammy called paraskevidekatriaphobia.  But there's nothing unlucky about Friday the 13th during Freebie February.  In fact, it's your lucky day because today's offering is Be a Math Magician.


This unit is packed full of fun, but challenging, magician's math tricks. 



It's only free for today, so don't hesitate.

Have a great weekend.  You've earned it.


Other critical and creative thinking products:






Thursday, February 12, 2015

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Freebie February -- Day 11

As the enrichment specialist for my building, I'm charged with creating ways to challenge everyone.  That's no small task!  So, I try to come up with things that will cover multiple grade levels. Story Sleuths is one such activity.  Originally, I designed it for gr. 1 - 3. However, kindergarten classes and 4th graders begged to join in on the fun.  So, of course, they were included.
This project begins with students reading (or being read) a specific set of 6 Caldecott Award winning books.  Since these books were recognized for their illustrations, it's important to draw students' attention to the pictures.  Not to mention that 1 clue in every set makes reference to the artwork.
After all 6 books are read, I distribute the week's clues for my detectives to devour. And, devour they do! (Have I every mentioned how much I love this job? Or that I'm the most popular teacher in the school!!) 
Because there are over 600 students in my building and only 1 of me, I require that the classes submit 1 solution as a whole group. (No way I'm slogging through 100s of guesses.) This results in some pretty amazing collaboration among the students. 

Each Monday morning, I deliver a certificate to the classes that guessed correctly.  Just to further enhance the enthusiasm, I don a Sherlock Holmes hat and carry an over-sized magnifying glass. (Have I mentioned that I'm the most popular teacher in the building?)
Each set of Story Sleuths has 4 weeks of clues.  The classes read 6 books so that they still have to think as week 4 rolls around. Process of elimination will only take them so far in this challenge. Also provided are book icons that can be displayed in the classroom. Per my recommendation, the icons for the books that have been used are taken down, helping the students focus on the remaining books.
You need not be an enrichment specialist to make this project work. Classes within 1 grade level could challenge each other or do it independently. I've had some teachers form teams within their class so as to promote the collaborative thinking. This also works well for the school librarian, especially near the annual announcement of the Caldecott Awards. The art specialist can add great depth to this activity by exploring the art techniques associated with each book's illustrations. 

Inasmuch as it's Freebie February, today I am offering Story Sleuths III for free. So hurry up and claim your copy. It's only free for 24 hours.




There are 3 sets of Story Sleuths so far, plus an economical bundle of the 3.



Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Presidents' Day + Freebie February



One of my favorite activities leading up to Presidents' Day is a probability center.  My students work in pairs flipping a penny 100 times and recording the results:  heads or tails.  A great bonus to this center is that it is usually close to our 100th day, so groups of 100 are fresh in our minds.

Each pair receives a set of 10 ten frames. Prior to starting, they predict how many times they will get heads and how many times they will get tails.  They write their predictions on the back of their recording sheet.  


My students take turns being the flipper and the recorder, switching jobs after filling each ten frame.  They record an H each time they get heads; T each time they get tails.  

At the end, they compute how many of each they got.  The final step is to compare their prediction to their reality. My kiddos love this activity.  I'll bet your's will, too.

It's day 10 of Freebie February! 


Just for today, you can get Patriotic Squares Critical Thinking. This activity is also known as Latin Squares. 


Enjoy!



You might enjoy these patriotic products, too: