Kite Day = Problem Solving Conundrum *Freebie!

Problem Solving is rough. If your kids are like mine, they would rather just add all the numbers in the problem up together. It's easier than doing all that thinking.

To illustrate my students' problem with problem solving, I place before you this story.
Thursday and Friday were Kite Day at our school. Kids bring kites. Kids giggle and wiggle and generally ignore their teacher all morning until PE. Kids go out to PE and run around, trying to fly kites in the sadly less-than-normal wind we had last week. Kids come back inside overestimulated and red-faced from racing around, dragging a kite through the dirt behind them. Picture Charlie Brown.
But that isn't the problem solving part. This is:
I walked toward my classroom from one end of the hallway. My students had been sent in from PE by the hall monitor. As I neared the door, I found them all bunched together, shouting. This is a no way, Jose. We do not shout. Ever. Cause it makes Ms. Beltran nuts.
What were they shouting?"AAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" and waving their hands in the air. "What is going on?!" I demanded."We're all tangled in Jasmine's kite!!"
They were. They were all tangled in Jasmine's kite. Tangled? Yes, wrapped up. As in trapped. As in caught in a web of Jasmine's kite string. My class, the class that I have worked with and dedicated my love and soul to all year, was netted in a string held by a child. They were helpless, like a rat in a trap. Dancing in circles, shouting with their hands in the air were the only things they could think of. It didn't help.
It took us a while to sort them out. We finally did. I slowly removed a child at a time from the kite trap, with Jasmine giggling diabolically in the background. All right, maybe Jasmine wasn't giggling diabolically...but she was giggling. There were only about four kids involved, but with the crowd of screaming bystanders, it had initially seemed like more. Also, they were standing right in the doorway, blocking other traffic, so there was a bit of a bottleneck effect. 
Everybody's ok.
So anyway, back to problem solving. This week, we were reviewing for The Test. We used various stations to review concepts like 2D shapes, 3D shapes, money, length, fractions, time, and...problem solving! This is the worst, so I had 2 problem solving stations. I was at one and my intern at the other. Lots of guidance. These are some of the things we did.We made this foldable to help them remember how to differentiate between the different operations.

On the front, we sorted cards with the four operations, the action each one represents, and the name of the answer (product, sum, etc.)

I gave the kids a sheet with four word problems on it. They had to read the problem, draw a picture, identify the operation, and glue it inside the correct flap.

On the middle of the inside, we wrote observations (I noticed...) and we recorded some problem solving tips, such as drawing a picture with labels, thinking about the relationships between numbers, and setting a purpose for our problem solving.

We have one more day till The Test. I am not happy about it. But whatever will be will be. We don't even know what the passing rate will be yet! The state will set it once they decide how many kids they want to fail. Nice, huh. I heart Texas.

Anyway, if you want to do this problem solving activity, and many others (including a fun bonus mad libs-type activity that I'm excited about), you can grab this activity pack at TPT or Teacher's Notebook.

Grab this KeyWord sort at TPT!
*Just updated to adjust for the size of the cards so they fit better on the tree map!

Warning! The following is a commercial:
This problem solving activity pack is geared toward 3rd and 4th graders. It includes activities to practice identifying operations and solving one-step word problems with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Useful for reviewing for state exams!

Addition Problems include adding numbers up to 3 digits
Subtraction Problems include subtracting numbers up to 3 digits
Multiplication up to 2 digit by 1 digit
Division only includes fact families - no remainders

This pack includes...
*Problem Solving Strategy Song
*6 math actions posters
*Keywords Tree Map Sort & sorting cards
*Problem Solving Foldable Directions, Pictures, and cards for students to sort and build foldable
*Problem Solving Sorting Activity: Identify the Operation. 12 Addition/Subtraction Cards, 12 Multiplication/Division Cards & 2 Sorting Mats
*5 pages of problem solving practice (Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, and Mixed Review) + Answer Key
*Bonus: Create-a-Problem: Mad-Libs like Activity to build problems

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Best Blog Buddy Ever Award

Ok, so I got a "Feel better with alcohol" package in the mail today from the best blog buddy EVER!
Natalie Lemacks of Teachery Tidbits,
You                                       Are                                                                                  the                                                                                                                             Best!
After work today, I trudged up the sidewalk carrying my bazillion teacher bags. As I took my key out of my purse, I saw, sitting next to my door, a box! A box addressed to me! A box addressed to me from Natalie!
I opened the box, and a bright light shone forth, blinding me momentarily.
This was what was in the box.

Pineapple wine and some tasty sweet things from Okinawa. WOW! That's the longest trip anything I've eaten has ever taken! I chilled the wine for a while, and when it was cold, I popped it open and tried it.

You know how some wine bottles say "refreshing hints of apple" and they taste nothing like apple? This wasn't like that. This pineapple wine tasted like someone had made a tasty alcoholic beverage in a pineapple and shoved a straw in it. It was a tasty delicious sweet pinappley wine. I love it.

I'm gonna share one with my friend who used to live in Okinawa. I wonder if she's ever tried it before.

I know this post is not school-y. I'm working on a post about the measurement stuff we're doing in class along with a product so you can do stuff too! But today, my giant ringkie finger is super annoying and I've typed about as much as I can do - I just HAD to thank the best blog buddy ever. I actually started to put together a cute award, but my finger got in the way WAY too much! 

So it;'s back to watching Raising Hope. 

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Poetry Stations & Scavenger Hunt *Freebie

I think my posts will be brief until I get this splinty thing off my pinkie and no longer have a giant ringkie finger that gets in the way and keeps pushing letters and does NOT help me capitalize things with the shift key and just generally hurts because I can't rest it on anything.But I really really wanted to share this activity we're doing to review poetry. 
This week, the kids are working in poetry stations to review the characteristics of poetry. We read a poem for shared reading and spent some time identifying important ideas and language in the poem. There are four stations for students to rotate through. Each station includes a matching activity and Test-like questions to practice the skill. I work with kids when they reach the most difficult station (station 2, this time). We analyzed a practice test to see where they were struggling. After we stopped crying, we created stations to address the worst of these areas.
These are the four stations:
1. Word Work. Matching activity: match synonyms and antonyms to words in the poem. Questions: context clues, synonyms, and antonyms.
2. Making inferences. Matching activity: statements from the poem to conclusions/inferences you can make. Questions: The reader can tell... type questions, and questions about why the author chose to include certain lines/stanzas.

3.  Features/Characteristics of poetry. Matching activity: match words like, "stanza" and "line" to examples from the poem. Questions: using features of the poem to answer questions.
4. Figurative Language. Matching activity: match lines from the poem to two things: the poet included this line to show... and this line means... Questions: interpreting figurative language. 
I know this is vague... I can probably clean up the files a little to show you sometime - but typing hurts. waaah.
Anyway, this is the freebie for you: if the kids finish their station early, they can work on the poetry scavenger hunt below. I included two levels to make it useful for different grades. Grab it for free at TPT or Teacher's Notebook.

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Pinkie Drama

So, today I wore a splint-y thing on my pinkie cause I think I have a hairline fracture in there. 

I was gesticulating madly as I got into my hunny's car about a month ago. Who knows what story I was telling! Waving my right hand in the air, I shoved my pinkie head-on into the door frame. And it hurt. Big time. But I mistakenly assumed that it would stop.

It didn't.

So five weeks later

twice I've banged it against the gear shift in my car - ow - ow

and twice I've wrenched it away from the rest of my hand - ow - ow

I'm using the backspace like never before because I only have use of parts of my right hand. Instead of a ring finger and pinkie, I have this weird morph of the two: a ringkie finger. It's enormous and useless and just sticks off the side of my hand inappropriately. 

It's not good for typing.

Or writing.

Or anything involving fingers.

I went to school today wearing my splint. Of course, my kids were horrified.

Kid: What happened to your hand?! look on face of complete mortification. 

Me: I hit it against my car and it hurts sometimes, so I put a splint on it. 

Other Kid: Does it hurt?

Me: Not much. Only if I hit it on something.

Third Kid: Did you break it?

Me: No, I'm just trying to protect it so it can heal right.

Fourth Kid: Does it hurt?

Me: repeating Not really. Only if I hit it on something.

Kid enters classroom, tardy: Ms. Beltran! What happened to your hand?! picture hands and face like McCauley Caulkin in Home Alone - AAAAAGGGGHHHH!

Other Kid: She broke it.

Oh, my children are good listeners. 

It happened several times during the day that the kids made up reasons for my 'broken finger'. 

My favorite? "I'm gonna tell my mom you got in a fight with a school box and you lost!"

hahahaha kids are silly.

Today is the last day for my Teacher's Notebook Sale! Go grab some cheap stuff!

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Furry Friends Linky! *2D Shapes Freebie

Several things today.

One:
So I know I just recently mentioned my little fuzzy pants in a post, but when I saw how precious this graphic was from Soaring Through Second, and what a cute linky party it was, I decided to reblog. (reblog: v. to blog again)

These are my little fuzzers.

This is Lucy. Lucy was dropped off at my house one morning by somebody who found her in his backyard. She was just a little ball of fluff with a face back then.

 Lucy is a great dog. People who don't like dogs like her. She's smart and learns quickly, which is good, because even though I'm good at teaching children, I know next to nothing about teaching dogs. With Lucy, I still feel like the dog whisperer. That's how smart she is. She knows what I want her to do when I don't know how to tell her to do it. Smarty Pants. 

From Lucy, I've learned:

Just be nice. People like that.

This is Penny. Penny is a dachsund who was given to me by one of my students about five years ago. He and his family had to get rid of her, so she became mine. She has diabetes, the poor baby. When I feed her in the morning, she gets so excited that she bounces on her three-inch-legs.

From Penny, I've learned 

the value of a good appetite. 

This is The Professor. I got him from someone whose cat had kittens and they didn't know where to put them. He's a smarty pants, too. He looks like he's dead, but he's not. This is his preferred position: back on the floor, legs (usually all four, unlike this picture) in the air. Out of the two cats, he's the boss. 

From the Professor, I've learned:

Let it hang loose. Who cares, anyway?

This is Jeannie. Jeannie's a weenie. But I didn't know that when I named her. Just got lucky. She meows incessantly for attention. She wants to be loved, but is terrified of attention. 

From Jeannie, I've learned:

If you need some love, ask for it!

As you can see, some of my lessons are conflicting. I guess it depends on whether you're in a dog mood or a cat mood; a safe mood or a dangerous mood. Lately, I've been in a dog mood. In the winter, I'm more of a cat.

This may not be normal; I really don't know. Pets are lovely. Until you have to clean up their poop.

Two: Teacher's Notebook Sale through Monday. Go grab some cheap stuff!

Three: New 2D Shapes Pack for second & third grade.

Grab it at TPT or Teacher's Notebook!

Four: And for being awesome, have this freebie for...free!!2D Shape Hunt Tree Map and 2D Sorting Chart: Quadrilaterals vs. Other ShapesGrab it at TPT.

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Marshmallow Math & Kids at Parent Night *Freebie Repost

Today we got ready for Parent Night. I mean, I like parents and all, but... well... I stress about parent night. I'm not sure why. I just expect parents to come in with a frowny face and angry eyebrows. Maybe because I'm deathly afraid people won't like me. That's sad. But they don't. I usually get nice feedback, or none at all. It's funny to see the kids explain things to their parents. On Reading... Kid: This is my prediction. Parent: Of what? Kid: Of what I'm reading! Parent: Oh. reading "Why do spiders spin webs." Hmm. Why DO spiders spin webs? Kid: I have no idea. Nice. I'm really making an impact there. lol On Social Studies... Kid: This is our tree with the three branches of government. Get it? Trees have branches!! Parent: Yes. Can you feel the excitement?

On top of their desks, the kids put several of their notebooks to share about, including their math, reading, science, and social studies, as well as their science collection. Kids also write a brief note about parent night to their parents and put it in their Write On Wednesday notebooks. This parent night, on top of all that stuff, the kids had their marshmallow 3D shapes we made as part of our 3D shapes unit. It went super well. First, I had the kids predict the number of marshmallows they would need for vertices and toothpicks they would need for edges for each shape we made. 

We compared the prisms to pyramids, in the hopes that students would notice the major differences: - pyramids have a base with a vertex opposite of the base -prisms have two faces opposite each other You can get both of  get the activities from my TPT store.

Also, grab the marshmallow model recording freebie at TPT!

At TPT 

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