I NEED to be Creative & You WANT a FREEBIE!

Hot off the press!  Here is a simple and functional FREEBIE to help you cover Needs and Wants.  I love when my anchor charts, posters, and student journal inserts coordinate.  They aren't always an exact match, but I aim for continuity.  This freebie includes full size pages for both needs and wants (which you could have printed as posters), as well as matching half page journal inserts for each.  I also included a blank half page insert for wants so kids could fill in their own wants in their journals!  Enjoy!

Please leave feedback on TPT!

Leveled Subtraction Cards

Well, it only makes sense after looking at your data from my FREE TPT Diagnostic Subtraction Tool within 1,000 to follow up with some leveled practice.  What I love about these cards is that they are differentiated by level with the use of different colors.  Hellooooo, easy set-up and clean-up! I'd like to think that all of my little lovelies always put things away in the proper place, but the color coding is like my insurance policy just in case I end of having to re-sort the cards.

If you choose to put these cards in a center or use them in a game setting, kids at different levels can play together.  Though a lot of centers and small group activities are set up to have kids at similar levels working together, this is a nice change.  All you have to do is give kids the color cards they need to work on.

These 3-4 digit subtraction cards were my very first TPT product!  It's a really basic product, but looking back, I remember that it took me hours to create because it was such a new world to me I was totally out of my league and feeling lost (kind of like how I felt when I built this blog).  I really struggled with titling the product because I'm not a big fan of the word borrowing.  I'm in the "re-grouping" family and my kiddos and I always relate re-grouping for trading out with an even exchange (one ten is the same as ten ones), whereas borrowing implies that you are gaining something.  I went with borrowing in the title because it was if my marketing and business professors from college were whispering in my ear.  I wish the teacher in me would have told them to put their voices back in their pockets.

This product has 42 leveled cards for just $2.00!

I've thought about doubling the number of cards for each level…what do you think?

Diagnostic Tool for Subtracting Within 1,000

Data and I are BFFs.  Sure, sometimes we fight and don't speak to each other for the rest of the day. I might be guilty of talking about her behind her back, but we always make up and build a stronger bond than before.  After breaking down the data from a formative assessment on subtraction, I realized I could very easily group my kids based on exactly where their "break down" occurred in subtraction, rather than high/medium/low, got it/kind of get it/lost, etc. After that, I started making formatives and centers that really focused on each layer of subtraction separately.  I'm probably preaching to the choir, and you're probably thinking DUH, but sharing is caring, so here you go!  You can download a FREE Diagnostic Tool for Subtracting Within 1,000 to help you find where your kiddos are breaking down.  One of my peeves is when response spaces aren't reasonably sized for my little guys.  I made this with plenty of room for the kids to show their work!  Easy on the eyes, right?

Plenty of room to show their work!

Blank space for customization!

Who doesn't love an answer key?

What "duh" moment have you had lately?  Comment below!

Pumpkin Investigation Freebie

Even though I've never met you, I have a feeling I know what you like...FREEBIES!  Last year I was blessed with twenty-nine third graders.  Yup, twenty-nine...that wasn't a typo.  With these 29 kiddos came a group of extremely brave helpful parents that were willing to lead a group of 6 students in costumes through our Halloween Pumpkin Investigation Day. One dad even brought a drill for the carving portion and the kids in his group thought it was the coolest thing ever.  You and your room might will be covered in pumpkin goo when it's all said and done, but the kiddos will be engaged and doing meaningful work. What teacher doesn't love that? Heck, you don't even have to carve the pumpkin.  Just investigate the outside!  If volunteers aren't an option for you, do this as a whole class with just one pumpkin.  Your little ghosts and goblins will still enjoy it!

To grab the Student Pumpkin Investigation Booklet, head on over to my TPT store and download the FREEBIE!  Don't forget to leave feedback so that you can earn TPT credits towards your future purchases.  

If you do decide to carve that sucker, the ideas are endless...5-senses, counting seeds by 5s or 10s, etc.  What other ideas do you have?  Share your Pumpkin Investigation ideas with others in the comments below!

Writing number sentences, subtraction, adjectives,
descriptive sentence, how to writing, and design a pumpkin

Set up for easy assembly: copy f/b
with side staples and then cut in half!

This Just Got Real

Well, it actually got real when I found myself fighting back tears and a naughty word or two, but now it's real for the rest of the world, for better or worse. When I decided to embark on the journey of putting together a blog, I envisioned a world decorated with cute fonts, glitter, snazzy digital images, and an increase in coffee consumption all while letting my inner creative self out.  I'd say there was just one problem, but there was definitely more than one.

HTML?  What IS that?  I don't speak that language. You can see how this might be a small problem, right?

On more than one occasion, I considered paying someone to design my blog.  With one click of the mouse and a credit card number, someone would come to my rescue.  There were those cute fonts, glitter, and snazzy digital images I'd been dreaming about.  But there was that inner creative self encouraging me to build my own.  Did I mention that I don't speak HTML?

One of the things I love most about being a teacher is being surrounded by brilliant people that are so willing to share and help you learn how to do something new.  I shouldn't have been so shocked to find that teachers-some of YOU-had taken time (one of a teacher's most prized possessions) to put together amazing online tutorials to guide non-html speaking people along.  SHOUT OUT ALERT! Christi Fultz and many other talented bloggers "held my hand", talked me off the ledge, and walked me through putting a blog and Facebook fan page together without even knowing it.  Thankful for all of the knowledge people have shared online!

I'm sure you've all heard the saying about knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.  I did a little of both.  This blog design is the result of my blood, sweat, and tears (literally with the tears), advice & online tutorials from some extremely talented people, and a digital scrapbook kit I purchased....and I wouldn't have it any other way!  I hope y'all like it!

P.S.

I still don't know what HTML means.