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Poetry Freebie

In celebration of National Poetry Month Ive created a freebie for you. Students will read an abridged version of Jack Prelutskys poem "Bugs! Bugs!". Then they will choose a subject they want to write about. They will need to use several adjectives to create their poem. Have them use the adjective graphic organizer to brainstorm some.
Finally, they will use the guide and template to write their poem. Click the pictures or {HERE} for your free copy. Enjoy!

Available link for download

Playing with Place Value and Freebie

Ive just finished up a huge Place Value Unit with my students. I poured my heart and soul into this unit. In the past I havent dug very deep into place value. Now that Common Core is here, students must have a strong understanding of place value.
I got the chance to try out a new product from Laura Candler, Place Value Partners.  The thing I love most about Lauras products is the ease of implementation. I got the product a little after 10:00 p.m. and within 15 minutes I had it printed and ready to go for the next day.
Place Value Partners is a game for math centers, cooperative learning partners, small guided math groups, or even whole class instruction. The concept is similar to the game Battleship with partners facing each other across a barrier. Instead of ships and a grid, they have a place value game board and number tiles or number cards. One partner is the “Sender” who calls out the numbers and places, and the other is the “Receiver” who listens and builds the number on his or her game board. The two compare boards, discuss the correct response, and then record various forms of the number in their journals or on a recording page. This activity includes five different variations: three levels for whole numbers and two levels for decimals.
I used the game as a math center. I have an uneven number of students, so I had an extra receiver board set up. The kids loved the "game" and caught on really quickly. 
Laura has included two versions, one thats aligned with the Common Core and the other that is essentially the same but uses more traditional terminology. The CCSS uses slightly different place value terms. What used to be "standard form" is now "base-ten numeral," and "word form" is now "number name." This game is must have for your Place Value Unit! To read more about it, check out Lauras post HERE.

Another must have is place value dice from EAI Education. This is one of the best purchases Ive made for my math centers. We used them daily throughout this unit. Ive created a little freebie for you to use with the dice. They simply roll the dice, spin to see what place they are rounding to, and round. Super simple and really helps seal the deal when teaching rounding. Click HERE for your free copy.

Available link for download

Problem Based Learning for Common Core Math FREEBIE

How many of you are still confused about Common Core? I just learned this week that my state will not test on Common Core for a couple more years. My students will still be tested over the old state standards which Im no longer teaching. CRAZY! I think the thing that concerns me more than anything is the differences Im seeing in implementation.  The literacy seems to be consistent across the board BUT the MATH is has me very concerned. Ive been trained exclusively in the Problem Based Learning (PBL) method. This is a stark difference from the old way of teaching. Before you had a set of standards that you taught and checked off the list. (By the way, Ive seen numerous checklist for Common Core on TpT.) The PBL method is the complete opposite of the checklist method. The skill and drill is definitely OUT with this method. Students are asked to solve  real-world problems. Students will use various methods for solving the problem and no one way is correct. Teachers will no longer teach students a set of rules or algorithms. Students will "discover" these on their on by being immersed in student discourse. The teachers role will be that of a facilitator. The problem Ive been faced with is there is absolutely NOTHING on the market to help with implementing this type of approach, so I was forced to create my own. While spending numerous hours looking at student work samples, I noticed the lack of consistency. In many cases it was hard to even know what answer the child came up with. Even among trained professionals there was disagreement over what the child was thinking. In the PBL method student thinking is the key. Again I came up with a method to help reduce the confusion. I needed to create a standard for solving problems, so we could put our focus on the more important things. Thats how the A.L.I.E.N. method came about. The students choose their own method for solving the problem but are then asked to make sure it is in A.L.I.E.N. format, so we get a clear understanding of their thinking. A.L.I.E.N. stands for Answer, Label, Isolate, Explain, and Number Sentence. I love it, and it has helped tremendously when it comes to math discourse.
Ive had the opportunity to look at several examples of student assessments for the Common Core Assessment that is coming sooner or later.  If these examples are anything like what the real assessment will be like, those teachers not teaching the PBL method are doomed. Seriously these assessments are ridiculously hard. A child will need a lot more than the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide to score proficient. Im very curious to know if any others states are being trained in the PBL method.

In my freebie for you, Ive given you everything you need to implement this method in your classroom. simply click HERE or on the picture above  for your freebie. You can create these problems all on your own. If you are interested, Ive created a TpT product with 110 problem sets (3 problems per set) for a total of 330 problems. This is enough problems for an entire year of teaching.Ive also included an overview of the method and given you question stems for conferencing with students.  Im also having a 24 hour Flash Sale for my readers. If you want to pick up a copy from my store, click on the picture below.

Available link for download