tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83838033763859242422024-03-29T01:14:35.968-07:00Light Bulbs and LaughterDenise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-23243546120214790052018-04-10T06:56:00.000-07:002018-04-10T06:56:50.198-07:00How Teachers Can Join NAEIR<span style="font-size: large;">Teachers, have you heard of NAEIR? It's a nonprofit organization that receives donations of merchandise from huge companies, and offers them to schools, churches, and other nonprofits. Technically we (teachers) receive the items for free, by paying only processing and handling fees. This means savings of 66% - 96% off retail prices!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_RbN7dxYVxSk4QsodtAC9ssX-yQdtahbW9ciBllaJvP-zBEuyaI84fjfzRcGcB38XL7n_cC1P3adBAkRruGEiLu6pZTt7gr4_EIFURYM_YGLRSQLsgqxcKb7QFpLZB8TQGQJqI_XHlhu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-04-08+at+3.27.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_RbN7dxYVxSk4QsodtAC9ssX-yQdtahbW9ciBllaJvP-zBEuyaI84fjfzRcGcB38XL7n_cC1P3adBAkRruGEiLu6pZTt7gr4_EIFURYM_YGLRSQLsgqxcKb7QFpLZB8TQGQJqI_XHlhu/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-04-08+at+3.27.37+PM.png" width="286" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Shopping on the NAEIR website is a fascinating experience. You never know what you will find. Looking under <b>Educational Supplies</b> will lead you to pencils, pens, markers, rulers, a myriad of post-it notes, and tape dispensers, just for a start. Keep in mind that merchandise is always changing, and make sure to look in other areas as well, such as <b>Best Values</b>, <b>Clearance</b>, <b>Specials</b>, <b>Deal of the Day</b>, and <b>Overstock</b> products.</span><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here are a few of the companies that donate to NAEIR:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_JIAoWsLrzPPG72gkyiXsEVi9z-fZbjRyo4sOvBg3bb5QKsxNPd5IKgc1pJfxR7rgvmb6GFonwWBksf9zblfTwolSHdUwhpEaBxNWwWyZQWnhnK_uM-nCW_Lm0NyuwTFt4Ef-Qlv7dQY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-04-08+at+3.24.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="620" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_JIAoWsLrzPPG72gkyiXsEVi9z-fZbjRyo4sOvBg3bb5QKsxNPd5IKgc1pJfxR7rgvmb6GFonwWBksf9zblfTwolSHdUwhpEaBxNWwWyZQWnhnK_uM-nCW_Lm0NyuwTFt4Ef-Qlv7dQY/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-04-08+at+3.24.43+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIivcu5rb_fS2dgYWT1xZlFCKO_pI_FFIhmG4dEsYHo_mtyAH33_nFpyHMepmMwB4ZGG_0HJILayTbnkHxOhGRanFKKosCkq4DwY9GhZUCX13_awdw52WbjwxDU9JmjTxKGe4oWN44YgFS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-04-08+at+3.25.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="631" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIivcu5rb_fS2dgYWT1xZlFCKO_pI_FFIhmG4dEsYHo_mtyAH33_nFpyHMepmMwB4ZGG_0HJILayTbnkHxOhGRanFKKosCkq4DwY9GhZUCX13_awdw52WbjwxDU9JmjTxKGe4oWN44YgFS/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-04-08+at+3.25.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mkiA_b97dR5RkbzqOYR7AuE9lBOZsDKhyphenhyphenbSq_09px55doO-Xrss0X2Wb2A7BQYBCgSzILoQa1zCsgbtmQZqevpgXVFhq9kRlKZTzPcpZZqawZ-e_mp67tyAv_7scWHZbo2wDkYN6d6si/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-04-08+at+3.25.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="630" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mkiA_b97dR5RkbzqOYR7AuE9lBOZsDKhyphenhyphenbSq_09px55doO-Xrss0X2Wb2A7BQYBCgSzILoQa1zCsgbtmQZqevpgXVFhq9kRlKZTzPcpZZqawZ-e_mp67tyAv_7scWHZbo2wDkYN6d6si/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-04-08+at+3.25.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is one of my favorite items - I have purchased many of them to use in my Readers and Writers Workshop. The price for these super sticky post-it notes comes to less than 15 cents per pad! And, at the time this post was written, there were over 20,000 available.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERHO5M4sXW3hPIx0sWW_QEIZKmXRTK33qw9JG6sp1afxY3pcXKEfAvZq72ALwZswSdZ-5ige-Qi4ABQjDiNX7hXbOS5u738RpT9jNL_R9EUGqmxukFWL2f7hUVdT9TFUhUmyoABVFdZvZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-04-08+at+3.49.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="746" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERHO5M4sXW3hPIx0sWW_QEIZKmXRTK33qw9JG6sp1afxY3pcXKEfAvZq72ALwZswSdZ-5ige-Qi4ABQjDiNX7hXbOS5u738RpT9jNL_R9EUGqmxukFWL2f7hUVdT9TFUhUmyoABVFdZvZ/s640/Screen+Shot+2018-04-08+at+3.49.55+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> NAEIR is a Better Business Bureau accredited charity, and you can feel good about using this company to help your students! (By the way, the name stands for National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Keep in mind, the items that you purchase must be used for your students, and not for any other purpose. Are you ready to join? Click <a href="http://www.naeir.org/" target="_blank">HERE</a> to go to their website, click on Teacher Program, and sign up. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FK44n_T5w70Y7o_yf8RckCnv0H0CeeXTHqFjzXO5nBAyEo7a87dmFxh1c6VmNqvqQFy7V7thlD59AjZo3Pc5w13voAIpI0QQ2EToEsKJ9Isjkk59TtUvWgEPyu83V3nrgqhZ83Vxt4yd/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="53" data-original-width="600" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FK44n_T5w70Y7o_yf8RckCnv0H0CeeXTHqFjzXO5nBAyEo7a87dmFxh1c6VmNqvqQFy7V7thlD59AjZo3Pc5w13voAIpI0QQ2EToEsKJ9Isjkk59TtUvWgEPyu83V3nrgqhZ83Vxt4yd/s640/blog+signature+2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com71tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-44604020965257646132018-04-08T14:57:00.001-07:002018-04-08T14:57:22.845-07:00How To Post a Classroom Request on Donors Choose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Donors Choose is an amazing resource for public school classroom teachers! We never seem to have everything we need in the classroom... and Donors Choose has companies and individuals who want to help. What could be better?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whether you are in desperate need of calculators or markers, or you're dreaming of chromebooks, iPads, or flexible seating, it's possible to get them with just a little bit of time and effort. I'm here to show you how.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before we begin, let me say that I have been made a Teacher Ambassador for Donors Choose. That means that if you make an account and post your first project because of this post, I am authorized to make the first donation to your request! Granted, it's only $5.00, but every little bit helps. To receive this donation, contact me via email (on the first and last picture) and let me know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I encourage you to take the time to read through this post, and then follow the directions. Look around on the site. Look, especially, at what other teachers have written about their classrooms and at what they are asking for. We can learn so much from each other!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, time to get started...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">These numbers change every day! These are correct as of early April, 2018.</span><br />
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<span id="goog_1344581276"></span><span id="goog_1344581277"></span><br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-6168150662047378052017-02-20T19:57:00.004-08:002017-02-20T21:00:52.758-08:00Kindness In the Classroom Freebie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the first day of school somewhere between twenty and thirty students walk in to my third grade classroom. They're all a little bit nervous. What kind of teacher will they have? Are they going to like the other kids? Will they make new friends?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I look out at this new group of kiddos, and wonder about their stories. Who has divorced parents and goes back and forth between them? Who has older siblings who bully them? Which kids are regularly taken to R rated movies and taught that foul language is acceptable and even necessary? Who worries every day that their mom or dad will be deported? Who has a parent read with them every day, and teach them to be kind?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My job is to turn this group of eight-year-olds into a team. A family. A group of friends who look out for and encourage each other. This is my top priority, because when students feel safe and cared for, they learn. And when they don't, well, they shut down. Some years are easier, and some are more of a challenge. Here are some things I can do to make this happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kindness sparks kindness. I'm the grownup here, so it begins with me! I must show my students the way that I expect them to behave. Say please and thank you. Apologize and ask forgiveness when you hurt someone. Give a sincere compliment, ask a question, give a smile and a greeting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seriously. I explicitly teach my students what it means to show kindness. We have a morning meeting every day during which we share good news and bad news with each other. This is when students learn how to appropriately respond to a classmate who is happy, and how to respond to one who is sad or angry or scared. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The sharing ball is passed around the circle, and only the person holding it may speak. Others respond with gestures - happy fingers to show that we are happy with them, or a hand on the heart to show that our heart hurts for them. We have also had lots of laughter, and even some tears for each other - when a family member has died, for instance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(If you are wondering about the time a morning meeting takes - we give it twenty minutes every day, and it is so worth it. My principal watched and agreed that it teaches speaking and listening skills, which are an important part of our language block.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Within the first few weeks of school, once we've gotten to know each other, we write a class motto together. We ask ourselves three questions: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Who are we?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Why are we here?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">How are we going to accomplish our goals?</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">The students' answers to these questions becomes our motto, and we say it every day to begin our morning meeting. Here's our motto for this year:</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">"We are the third graders at ___________ school. We are a team of friends who look out for each other. We are here to learn the third grade standards so that we will be ready for fourth grade, high school, college, and a job someday. We will do this by asking questions, working hard, doing our homework, reading a lot, making smart choices, and having stamina for learning. This is our pledge and our promise!"</span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It doesn't take long at all for this to be memorized, and hopefully internalized! When problems arise in the classroom, I can say, "We are a team of friends..." and the kiddos will finish with, "Who look out for each other!" This is powerful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In case you haven't noticed yet, I kind of have a thing for quilts. I have some that my grandmother and great grandmother made, and I love their history. Every quilt has a story. (If you've never read Patricia Polacco's book <i>The Keeping Quilt</i> with your students, you should!) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So I've made a free <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Kindness-Math-Art-Quilt-Square-3026441" target="_blank">Kindness Quilt</a> for you and your students. My hope is that you will use it as a part of your effort to promote kindness on your school campus and in your classroom. I love that it is math fact practice - three levels for differentiation - as well as being a beautiful display for your wall, bulletin board, door, or window. Students can choose their own colors, which makes every quilt square unique. Click on the picture below to download it from my TpT store.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-9106532988220356362016-09-16T22:06:00.000-07:002017-07-22T19:54:43.974-07:00Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The floors have been vacuumed, and the tables cleaned. The art work and "All About Me" banners are hanging on the wall. Student binders with work samples are ready to be placed at each student's "home base" spot for parents to look through.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Light-Bulbs-And-Laughter/Category/Emoji-Products-257452" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Top: Emoji Self Assessment Tools. Bottom: Class Rules from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOm9i1DZ78He2Adi6aUmhou8semakR2Yz19GiuyB5PaKM2EgvlL_wvpSrOtXEc9fiywzT8aFl58Pnv_NWmUVHqKjSdSuveu-k1EckVWG5j_z-wWplHIqS9ZIjSOFMn3mYaC4LtOZfroRkf/s640/2016-09-17+19.57.39.png" title="Top: Emoji Self Assessment Tools. Bottom: Class Rules from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Light-Bulbs-And-Laughter/Category/Emoji-Products-257452" target="_blank">HERE</a> to see my Emoji Products</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our student-written Class Motto is front and center, and music is playing softly in the background. My sign-in sheet is printed, and my donation cards are ready, because it's...</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrHdeAkwt_l6-BKU7nhkHk9YpRBlbxUzahaGpbgguP2yZN-m5yLTte8Z_OlGVPcWyBS3DMx9v3OPNbDHJPhQ9Q7gw4J3zb6vc7a8afT5wk5K0LO3ybSb4T5mxh1gu9UNCjM-ZKbf_ghhyphenhyphen/s1600/2016-09-18+19.01.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrHdeAkwt_l6-BKU7nhkHk9YpRBlbxUzahaGpbgguP2yZN-m5yLTte8Z_OlGVPcWyBS3DMx9v3OPNbDHJPhQ9Q7gw4J3zb6vc7a8afT5wk5K0LO3ybSb4T5mxh1gu9UNCjM-ZKbf_ghhyphenhyphen/s640/2016-09-18+19.01.09.png" title="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Light-Bulbs-And-Laughter/Category/Emoji-Products-257452" target="_blank">HERE</a> to see my emoji products.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Back To School Night.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Open House. Meet the Teacher. It goes by many names, but no matter what it's called, it's one of my favorite things about teaching. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I love meeting with the families of my students! After ten years in the same grade at the same school, many of them are old friends now, because I've taught their older children. If they're new friends? That's great, too. Meeting them helps me better understand my students, and gives me a chance to answer their questions.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVybD8LI_jLNK-BWnHuH0XeLtjpycgTXdPM-Z2JNK5AODeGDv803dDkIBvICevpYhmgXn1jnhoNM3431XGQhoK7D7pV4209B4YdGQPb75NqZEEWeMzRT5iwThVgkuTUYEekIOgJu_TeEWY/s1600/2016-09-17+20.04.50.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVybD8LI_jLNK-BWnHuH0XeLtjpycgTXdPM-Z2JNK5AODeGDv803dDkIBvICevpYhmgXn1jnhoNM3431XGQhoK7D7pV4209B4YdGQPb75NqZEEWeMzRT5iwThVgkuTUYEekIOgJu_TeEWY/s640/2016-09-17+20.04.50.png" title="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For two hours, I stand and talk with parents, brothers, sisters, School Board members, Administration, and the many past students who come through my classroom. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I provide a fun game for the older students, so that I can focus on current students and their parents, but even so, I would guess that I have less than two or three minutes to speak with each family. The rest of their visit, they wander the room.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04AjQ0e7yU83gTUOy87Gc3BU3lWXoyvb3EVo4UNYJBLy-9nXzfqpo-HhTki26QUdhzAXJGRk4TDHpFqPDtVli7expCaJDfozxYNZLFVUCorz89BtSosY5IZumKQLcYlyZDwO-SUXLInTz/s1600/2016-09-17+19.58.23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04AjQ0e7yU83gTUOy87Gc3BU3lWXoyvb3EVo4UNYJBLy-9nXzfqpo-HhTki26QUdhzAXJGRk4TDHpFqPDtVli7expCaJDfozxYNZLFVUCorz89BtSosY5IZumKQLcYlyZDwO-SUXLInTz/s640/2016-09-17+19.58.23.png" title="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hopefully, a comfortable, cheerful place in which their child will spend about seven hours a day. A place where their child can feel safe and be a part of a community. A place to grow and learn.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And then they're gone. They've moved on to another room, or gone home. They won't spend much time thinking about me, or the classroom. And that is as it should be. They have their own lives to live, after all.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiuDFs4o9x1VcLnop2cicOinILGPXdtpqzg65EcMeyBr2FJRZRUpCsytgEmJ5Ok-6eEtUBxSeCj7racx6C3g94r4fxwexTLu9zjkjy6vruLBpqbaq5zHfc3KOw9MdsafQkkb5d_6T5dBj/s1600/2016-09-18+14.00.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiuDFs4o9x1VcLnop2cicOinILGPXdtpqzg65EcMeyBr2FJRZRUpCsytgEmJ5Ok-6eEtUBxSeCj7racx6C3g94r4fxwexTLu9zjkjy6vruLBpqbaq5zHfc3KOw9MdsafQkkb5d_6T5dBj/s640/2016-09-18+14.00.21.png" title="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They don't know how many hours I've spent writing grants at Donors Choose for that rug, this game, that white dry erase table, or those iPads. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They don't know about the hours and hours of research that have gone into best practices in math and literacy, growth mindset, student self-assessment, flexible seating, and the reasons that wobble stools and cushions really <i>can</i> help some students learn. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They don't know how many cans of spray paint my husband had to buy when he painted my old set of mismatched metal bookshelves this summer, or how many hours it took to label my thousands of books to fit our new reading program.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO7cwGNrR9gklyp32KkN-GxFgPRAI9DxEodMbtFxDKls6atavIw8jQa6UbzIOEae6rBd6fOWCDYUCsW6a3eQRumCg-crlYE5So0ve2p5OQriHYxEoz_3N08-20tzxLJNob5_Xd_3oEYX1/s1600/2016-09-17+20.22.34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO7cwGNrR9gklyp32KkN-GxFgPRAI9DxEodMbtFxDKls6atavIw8jQa6UbzIOEae6rBd6fOWCDYUCsW6a3eQRumCg-crlYE5So0ve2p5OQriHYxEoz_3N08-20tzxLJNob5_Xd_3oEYX1/s640/2016-09-17+20.22.34.png" title="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-Classroom-Labels-for-Target-Squares-Black-White-3264318?aref=h41p6vx6" target="_blank">HERE</a> to see these labels in my TpT store.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They don't know that my family stopped at twelve different Target stores on our summer vacation so that their children could have book boxes with special labels. They don't know that I've spent hundreds of dollars of my own money for Scholastic books and products on Teachers Pay Teachers to supplement our curriculum and provide their children with high quality, well researched, and engaging lessons that teach the Common Core State Standards. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSx2F2-QRKd0hZP_Vp1ID6SThjClwRT6CJMAsyp0_bNPZ68rnekSgKRxGRxH9dS5zNLnyfisdwkT3m9C2lzNAU8fMfL7X6aFf6JTWtdDdZDJpU3yhgcXy8c5ogrT9VG0Zo8V4RdkxI8eZC/s1600/2016-09-20+17.10.40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSx2F2-QRKd0hZP_Vp1ID6SThjClwRT6CJMAsyp0_bNPZ68rnekSgKRxGRxH9dS5zNLnyfisdwkT3m9C2lzNAU8fMfL7X6aFf6JTWtdDdZDJpU3yhgcXy8c5ogrT9VG0Zo8V4RdkxI8eZC/s640/2016-09-20+17.10.40.png" title="Back To School Night - What I Don't Want Parents To Know - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They don't know that I got rid of my teacher desk because I needed more room to teach in small groups. Or that I went to school more than fifteen days this summer to work on my classroom. They don't know that I learned how to recover furniture just so I could take a chair that someone was throwing out and recycle it into my read-aloud chair.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">They. Don't. Know.</span> </b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And that's okay. I don't <i>want</i> them to know. As long as they know that their child is happy to come to school, and excited about learning, I'm happy. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Exhausted, but happy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's going to be an amazing year. I hope yours is, too!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9YZn3IUb7Yph-xwQQxrUariZhpZRojYU-NSEDKVswJgLzocCFnzm4xyl2e-c3i_4cqFoe3VOuRuF5UYgijeCQD00xhMArJ_ham-lfWx-6dcPX6FYqvRbht8G4pJJ12afS8nCMruETjLo/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9YZn3IUb7Yph-xwQQxrUariZhpZRojYU-NSEDKVswJgLzocCFnzm4xyl2e-c3i_4cqFoe3VOuRuF5UYgijeCQD00xhMArJ_ham-lfWx-6dcPX6FYqvRbht8G4pJJ12afS8nCMruETjLo/s640/blog+signature+2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-67284755018332976192016-07-27T07:09:00.000-07:002016-07-27T07:23:13.736-07:00Self-Assessment Tools, Emoji Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSfYoLqV15PmXeI2A9wGgc_oC77r44Lm5KKeA_QUeqmaRyXRJecIVU9WeL2onRPJ6puZttEDSuln8b82VqAJE-UPz9_X2Y0xF81uB04B-3YabIFRkimkWpAn8cXz_JUpWrneYdhnx6UXl/s1600/2016-07-11+12.00.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSfYoLqV15PmXeI2A9wGgc_oC77r44Lm5KKeA_QUeqmaRyXRJecIVU9WeL2onRPJ6puZttEDSuln8b82VqAJE-UPz9_X2Y0xF81uB04B-3YabIFRkimkWpAn8cXz_JUpWrneYdhnx6UXl/s400/2016-07-11+12.00.01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So this happened... I was walking through Walmart, minding my own business, and these emoji beanbags threw themselves into my cart. Sort of. First, I saw that they were on clearance for $7 each. How could I resist? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This picture shows them sitting in the back of my trusty minivan, waiting for the custodians to finish cleaning my classroom and let me in. (My need to begin setting up my classroom begins about mid-July every summer, because I report back the first week of August.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At first I thought they might be used by my students as actual bean bag chairs. Um, no. The fabric is thin, and the insides are pretty uncomfortable. So the flexible seating idea was out (more on that idea later). These babies are just for show. When I walked into my room, I saw that my old TV had been removed, leaving a very high corner shelf in the front of the room. Perfect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My walls were completely bare this summer, awaiting the installation of a new 70 inch smart TV that will take the place of my projector. So I got to thinking about the really important stuff that would be front and center in my room, our self-assessment rubric, class motto, and rules... and I decided to change them all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Two-FREE-Posters-Emoji-Style-2686520" imageanchor="1" roduct="" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" wo-free-posters-emoji-style-2686520="" www.teacherspayteachers.com=""><img alt="Metacognition: get your students thinking about their thinking! Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNHBLmQvRwsur_XLPF6DLoh0MrctyvixLuRZG63zoVXSrLtlEdl4ZW94IWKAB7BcHlHIYTNheqYie3VYIk7RKcjGuU9qBD5V96AWpTGoFXfGzo3Bqfp_nUAm3lLLtuj2jWXYNcIoRUMAn/s640/Self+Eval+Emoji+Freebies+Pin.png" title="Metacognition: get your students thinking about their thinking! Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" width="412" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Here's the first emoji update: our growth mindset/metacognition posters. This is how I get my kiddos to start thinking about their thinking (for the original post on this subject, click <a href="http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/12/metacognition-helping-students-assess.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>). These posters are free at my Teachers Pay Teacher's store, just click on them to download!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next part of my emoji update is the complete set of self-assessment tools, which you can also find for sale in my TpT store by clicking on the following picture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a emoji-self-assessment-tools-posters-cards-student-response-page-2686385="" href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Emoji-Self-Assessment-Tools-Posters-Cards-Student-Response-Page-2686385" imageanchor="1" roduct="" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" www.teacherspayteachers.com=""><img alt="Self-Assessment Tools, Emoji Style. Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25oT0ekp-ChBr9FdNGyYm-VKvAyGcXWECTOMURLtNqgdT-uj3yxzKa5i56LqGTWasK1ReSYx5kBUdlkotyUxMpsA1bLJ93mGTFYdbGSMaE0sCT6GL4ZEl24LJuM-Ha8koJ0sXq2mST0qt/s640/Self+Eval+Emoji+Pin.png" title="Self-Assessment Tools, Emoji Style. Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="412" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">My new class motto is:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">GROW your brain</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(Growth mindset!)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">SHOW your stamina</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(Whole Brain Teaching - stamina is being able to do something for a long time, without getting tired or giving up.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> KNOW</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">how you're learning</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(Self-Assessment!)</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you want to join me in my new emoji style, I'm working on editable class rules next!</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Happy teaching,</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAcFjpC2s90HnZgxY_pEnxgUo-FFmyF6DYOQbMHRb4dn9y_eKbzJ5rLrhUCf3KYPiPLAj22_xFVua9AP45q2QER8mPxHMyUzqhR5XKjBhBRzl15md0BGldmU3yKTnO0K5ZClBMtvUQDFI/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAcFjpC2s90HnZgxY_pEnxgUo-FFmyF6DYOQbMHRb4dn9y_eKbzJ5rLrhUCf3KYPiPLAj22_xFVua9AP45q2QER8mPxHMyUzqhR5XKjBhBRzl15md0BGldmU3yKTnO0K5ZClBMtvUQDFI/s640/blog+signature+2.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-81615387103341641512016-04-03T22:15:00.001-07:002016-04-03T22:44:36.368-07:00Earth Day in the Classroom<span style="font-size: large;">How do you celebrate Earth Day in your classroom? Here are a few fun and easy ways that we reduce, reuse, and recycle in ours.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxjcgs31g5n31DldGReDINFLLnP1O0i6DZUCpogYXO4ZWxvdXQ1kiOQZjqLst2sgM7aOFrNbFRD8baCqjm0iWBRjaot8f6CNl0-VkIzHEJCauTZIFiU8_dMRhyg-CUIGYhy6nMiviJQyn/s1600/Earth+Day+Blog+pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earth Day in the Classroom from Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxjcgs31g5n31DldGReDINFLLnP1O0i6DZUCpogYXO4ZWxvdXQ1kiOQZjqLst2sgM7aOFrNbFRD8baCqjm0iWBRjaot8f6CNl0-VkIzHEJCauTZIFiU8_dMRhyg-CUIGYhy6nMiviJQyn/s640/Earth+Day+Blog+pic.png" title="Earth Day in the Classroom from Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Have students bring empty plastic or cardboard containers from home. Challenge them to look around their house for one special item that they think could be reused in the classroom. Then lay them all out on a table and brainstorm ideas. Bonus points if you give students duct tape or washi tape to match your classroom decor!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEIXdWJ25XTDAHsU9I1spmw2g-dVdLDqBWsDXyFG7NOQGbVLfXxPIXZ3pVL-If7KLC7vBcB-mJP1n2wZtzQ341z_g_c-L3VldlSZg_Q0M0Pyh2wPXeZ4syIkz6rw0HCs_drAvCeoexcDW/s1600/Crayola+Colored+Pencils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Recycling in the classroom from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEIXdWJ25XTDAHsU9I1spmw2g-dVdLDqBWsDXyFG7NOQGbVLfXxPIXZ3pVL-If7KLC7vBcB-mJP1n2wZtzQ341z_g_c-L3VldlSZg_Q0M0Pyh2wPXeZ4syIkz6rw0HCs_drAvCeoexcDW/s320/Crayola+Colored+Pencils.jpg" title="Recycling in the classroom from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These containers used to hold macadamia nuts. Now they're stuck together with duct tape to hold colored pencils!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Put your classroom games into page protectors and use them with dry erase markers. No wasted paper! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgwEUqptk1A8zzL5zbGsg5Hg5FZjuHgM8U0qfWoNNciKG9AUya9Wlhj9Sf1CcldYEPtv7_dM5glfx4JcDNuyYkjLJy6ci7HoB-Owcsgw3BkH2YG3JCdEQ7_T8dUAuzG6fcUOt2Hqqt4om/s1600/penguin+mult+game.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Free multiplication game from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgwEUqptk1A8zzL5zbGsg5Hg5FZjuHgM8U0qfWoNNciKG9AUya9Wlhj9Sf1CcldYEPtv7_dM5glfx4JcDNuyYkjLJy6ci7HoB-Owcsgw3BkH2YG3JCdEQ7_T8dUAuzG6fcUOt2Hqqt4om/s320/penguin+mult+game.png" title="Free multiplication game from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This game is a free download on TpT! Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Penguin-Multiplication-Dice-Game-2-Bigger-Numbers-1752413" target="_blank">HERE</a> to download.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">3. Looking for an Earth friendly way for students to erase their games or white
boards? We use socks! Years ago, I bought them at Walmart (in black,
so they wouldn't show all the marker colors!), but now I have the
students bring them from home. No, not their best socks! Ask parents
to send in "strays" that always show up in the dryer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrSpYKIFMRH1SQdAliVSsHSSt96rzU_DKwGzt3IMXA29erLMZrwfIsnpaZb-yLlkw8tAB21YWWRZJnXVKg7KodXxddxg2H06NxLxcvrQhJGFD39RQwPtQ7JdB_tndGVCCQiSR7Ht0NQHO/s1600/white+board+pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Recycle old socks as erasers - Light bulbs and Laughter blog" border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrSpYKIFMRH1SQdAliVSsHSSt96rzU_DKwGzt3IMXA29erLMZrwfIsnpaZb-yLlkw8tAB21YWWRZJnXVKg7KodXxddxg2H06NxLxcvrQhJGFD39RQwPtQ7JdB_tndGVCCQiSR7Ht0NQHO/s320/white+board+pic.png" title="Recycle old socks as erasers - Light bulbs and Laughter blog" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Make an "extra bin" next to where students turn in their work. This makes classwork and homework easily accessible for students who are absent or lose their paper. It also gives students who love to "play school" at home with friends or siblings a place to gather materials. What a great way to recycle paper! Studies show that students who can teach others what they are learning develop a better understanding of the material.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-R4WXG7iXqBxyE7tpGyTkiePB1fztj4ohRwIsCd0bLGFyLZtWp62lfZ7Mlb8dHZppcI5IKdY8zeqf7VXXP7YxdW1yHdX6o8GbmXVTjOLQooWJEE96SDLKQYaMZtIUGM69eSeAxrFFu3l/s1600/extra+bin+pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Turn it in and Extra Bin - Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-R4WXG7iXqBxyE7tpGyTkiePB1fztj4ohRwIsCd0bLGFyLZtWp62lfZ7Mlb8dHZppcI5IKdY8zeqf7VXXP7YxdW1yHdX6o8GbmXVTjOLQooWJEE96SDLKQYaMZtIUGM69eSeAxrFFu3l/s320/extra+bin+pic.png" title="Turn it in and Extra Bin - Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Remember the days of overhead projectors? Many schools have boxes of this transparency film sitting around, unused. How can we recycle these?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVWeAUajEzl5_xSjJp9vytmOme5KJo5y7Bh4AxXAVCuUSUgLKJ4qva76a15t2hUrlm2xTDYEic2Bk73t_lZ253qJY9Ehh1x26c4YeJT2-SpImBxda4jxpk1P8DelhM8tZ-_SliQWcTA36/s1600/overhead+transparency+pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to recycle transparency film in the classroom - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVWeAUajEzl5_xSjJp9vytmOme5KJo5y7Bh4AxXAVCuUSUgLKJ4qva76a15t2hUrlm2xTDYEic2Bk73t_lZ253qJY9Ehh1x26c4YeJT2-SpImBxda4jxpk1P8DelhM8tZ-_SliQWcTA36/s320/overhead+transparency+pic.png" title="How to recycle transparency film in the classroom - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9aOJ3m5wwndSz9icMWlO1hd91mdTy0-L1vhjrWpFgy80jlBl5QuBpFNT0GnM1gy78ovCWIP9tyOkHfLix7HxZwVFKWli_aLSoWGofbWV6_cNDNy7PTFCTUGIiGsxSUHfzDqHqcjHnbso/s1600/quilt+on+plastic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="How to recycle transparency film in the classroom - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9aOJ3m5wwndSz9icMWlO1hd91mdTy0-L1vhjrWpFgy80jlBl5QuBpFNT0GnM1gy78ovCWIP9tyOkHfLix7HxZwVFKWli_aLSoWGofbWV6_cNDNy7PTFCTUGIiGsxSUHfzDqHqcjHnbso/s320/quilt+on+plastic.png" title="How to recycle transparency film in the classroom - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharpie paint pens work the best for this project.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Use them to make a "stained glass window" for your classroom! Find an art page that you love, copy it onto the film, and have the kiddos use Sharpies to color. They look gorgeous with the sun coming through them. Bonus points if they have to do math when they color! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_W05Jx5ZQGK0AvQFp806rQ4zL4GsGiDVQe3nxO-UyUMczEmat7tsYDGOrffaMJtpf68fVoSFQoWZq28l7oIhNOlVFkiPi8N-UkxEth7M-KGAxWiIAGoRdPjZVhGBf3ndT0cbaCnvM06P/s1600/stained+glass+window.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt=""Stained Glass Window" in the classroom - Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_W05Jx5ZQGK0AvQFp806rQ4zL4GsGiDVQe3nxO-UyUMczEmat7tsYDGOrffaMJtpf68fVoSFQoWZq28l7oIhNOlVFkiPi8N-UkxEth7M-KGAxWiIAGoRdPjZVhGBf3ndT0cbaCnvM06P/s400/stained+glass+window.png" title=""Stained Glass Window" in the classroom - Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of our math quilt projects. My students love these! Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Light-Bulbs-And-Laughter/Category/Quilt-Square-Math" target="_blank">HERE</a> to see them all.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a window in the school office. Our school secretary says she loves it, and the students are so proud to see their work displayed! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, I have the students talk to their parents about recycling. They take home this page for homework, then bring it back the next day for a class discussion. It's free, if you would like to use it with your class. Just click under the picture.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKg6W0lOHre5UdXfoBzX2qfSdpZcJ333YPLlvcIG6lMsJx4KKNV9DeJvF0jHf-m2-wmNl41UNCtRvBkjE3AXfWK_efWjbuMLGKBPnGaAl3jT3xfGIVTtLYz6JapZGo_8PFtYjbiXUX8uKb/s1600/Slide6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="What does your family recycle? - Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKg6W0lOHre5UdXfoBzX2qfSdpZcJ333YPLlvcIG6lMsJx4KKNV9DeJvF0jHf-m2-wmNl41UNCtRvBkjE3AXfWK_efWjbuMLGKBPnGaAl3jT3xfGIVTtLYz6JapZGo_8PFtYjbiXUX8uKb/s400/Slide6.png" title="What does your family recycle? - Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-1219170" target="_blank">HERE</a> to download these free printables.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then they color and sign their pledge to help the Earth.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYFh9JIzOdewaaCzt8uA3lyHQFV0Yd8mUNVmlNqNeBFiU80Q4eHH8CNGaD-LpcdtLKA8wvGkH_H0WVtQkKDOkHUZCwHu7IuVwhJJSWaeJYVYYM3MO18izQPORRLEhCozew1URa_bu3L9N/s1600/Slide7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How will you help the Earth? - Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYFh9JIzOdewaaCzt8uA3lyHQFV0Yd8mUNVmlNqNeBFiU80Q4eHH8CNGaD-LpcdtLKA8wvGkH_H0WVtQkKDOkHUZCwHu7IuVwhJJSWaeJYVYYM3MO18izQPORRLEhCozew1URa_bu3L9N/s400/Slide7.png" title="How will you help the Earth? - Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" width="308" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for joining me on my Earth Day/Recycling journey in the classroom!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5n1F1xciprmN5fSGSZP8LeKdOe4i_JpQKXCz62mFsf267WYenOWz4LmgGetsAgiJVoYhUiOeQapGWLTeD_fCBDk2Ica988-zgYtg7vTr7ed9cmy88pYc4AAP0fH6cASoLjjsZWIhzoU1/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5n1F1xciprmN5fSGSZP8LeKdOe4i_JpQKXCz62mFsf267WYenOWz4LmgGetsAgiJVoYhUiOeQapGWLTeD_fCBDk2Ica988-zgYtg7vTr7ed9cmy88pYc4AAP0fH6cASoLjjsZWIhzoU1/s640/blog+signature+2.png" title="Light Bulbs and Laughter blog" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-81645087419931884912016-02-10T21:46:00.001-08:002016-02-11T05:30:58.961-08:00Classroom Friendship Tree<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0dQ0Xl1DSsDKGb2QNXEIEf40e6znBhSpYjbS4WtQ4LSshhqPTDee-MfL8cMyl-21xDjtINX-UEGxbbVo4Xmd3KHgkRvXTwmx6HFiNfYwJLKxSH7UMlPXZA63i-ZSRgRdWnzuVufYwHc6/s1600/thankfultreepinpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classroom Friendship Tree - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0dQ0Xl1DSsDKGb2QNXEIEf40e6znBhSpYjbS4WtQ4LSshhqPTDee-MfL8cMyl-21xDjtINX-UEGxbbVo4Xmd3KHgkRvXTwmx6HFiNfYwJLKxSH7UMlPXZA63i-ZSRgRdWnzuVufYwHc6/s640/thankfultreepinpic.jpg" title="Classroom Friendship Tree - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="246" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">The struggle is real, people! Third graders can be so sweet and kind... or not. Many are the times that I have opened the classroom door to be greeted with a group of kiddos, all trying to tell me their side of a particular recess story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My boys? They seem to do okay most of the time. Give them a ball to kick or throw, and they're happy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But my eight-year-old girls? Today they're best friends forever. Tomorrow? Not so much. Feelings get hurt, friends get left out, tears are shed... and that's just the teacher! Seriously though, it's hard to get on with the business of learning in the middle of all the drama. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some years are much better than others, and I think it depends on the personalities of our students. This year I have twelve boys and seventeen girls, and I have to say that it's a challenge. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One thing I've found to be helpful is to make a Friendship Tree. This is perfect for February, when hearts are all around us. First, trace your own hands and forearms for the branches, then make a trunk. Then brainstorm with the class about what makes someone a good friend. Have each student make a heart out of construction paper. They can write one word or phrase on their heart, decorate it, and place it on the classroom tree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next time problems arise, you can send them to look at the tree, and ask themselves if they are being a good friend!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's to friendship, </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Denise @ Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s640/blog+signature+2.png" title="Denise @ Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="640" /></a></div>
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Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-78185346124020979882015-07-11T22:01:00.000-07:002015-07-11T22:17:01.276-07:00How To Follow Educational Topics on Pinterest<span style="font-size: large;">I love Pinterest. I use it every day, mostly for teaching ideas. I love to have school links saved in an orderly and logical fashion - maybe because in my home life I'm not so good at this! But lately my news feed has changed, and I'm not seeing the kind of pins that I'm looking for. I know that I can use the search bar, but honestly, I don't always know exactly what I'm looking for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So here is something I just found out about Pinterest, and I'm so excited to share it with you! We all follow other pinners, or other boards, but did you know... you can follow other TOPICS? Maybe I'm the last to know, but I am so excited about this that I had to share! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGtKpeJapEX15eRluW-3rsY6tfGPm8TKMF7XjNeBY6RjZaRXURbbGq-pQxedd1kFDYCqcTYTAcYx4t-KXUHd_K_cVVcYmC3o-JMi3yjLjsquTr7bEqRRuJlEGWfoij0NQYzQSrDifrL-P/s1600/Pinterest+Topics+Pin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How To Follow Educational Topics on Pinterest - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGtKpeJapEX15eRluW-3rsY6tfGPm8TKMF7XjNeBY6RjZaRXURbbGq-pQxedd1kFDYCqcTYTAcYx4t-KXUHd_K_cVVcYmC3o-JMi3yjLjsquTr7bEqRRuJlEGWfoij0NQYzQSrDifrL-P/s1600/Pinterest+Topics+Pin.jpg" title="How To Follow Educational Topics on Pinterest - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So here's a picture of the topics that I have started following. I may have gone <strike>a little bit</strike> WAY overboard here. My husband just looked at my list and did the dreaded eye roll - the one that means he knows me too well. I can't help it - I love Pinterest, and I that I am seeing things I haven't seen before. In summer, when I have time to look at them! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYlET-KeIqD1z9j10cKIJEI5HBFF1oAe2dxrCjfnZAORv9StvOQQMCJjg2jWeMr1EXQAp98HPMdesHRPktgSqtrB3ge2N4muCM2lESfjoX4GdT6tqSdNUrgTwuLn6WHxN9xPGBtx5s-91/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-07-11+at+8.53.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How To Follow Educational Topics on Pinterest - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYlET-KeIqD1z9j10cKIJEI5HBFF1oAe2dxrCjfnZAORv9StvOQQMCJjg2jWeMr1EXQAp98HPMdesHRPktgSqtrB3ge2N4muCM2lESfjoX4GdT6tqSdNUrgTwuLn6WHxN9xPGBtx5s-91/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-07-11+at+8.53.19+PM.png" title="How To Follow Educational Topics on Pinterest - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">It took me a while to find these... some are quite a few levels down. So I made some links for you. Check them out and let me know what you think. Did you all know this already?!?</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/learning/" target="_blank">Learning</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/instructional-strategies/" target="_blank">Instructional Strategies</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/teaching-strategies/" target="_blank">Teaching Strategies</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/art-education/" target="_blank">Art Education</a> <br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/common-core-standards/" target="_blank">Common Core Standards </a> <br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/guided-reading/" target="_blank">Guided Reading</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/reading-workshop/" target="_blank">Reading Workshop</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/close-reading/" target="_blank">Close Reading </a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/close-reading-strategies/" target="_blank">Close Reading Strategies</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/vocabulary-strategies/" target="_blank">Vocabulary Strategies</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/english-language-learners/" target="_blank">English Language Learners</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/common-core-math/" target="_blank">Common Core Math</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/math-notebooks/" target="_blank">Math Notebooks</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/math-journals/" target="_blank">Math Journals</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/guided-math/" target="_blank">Guided Math</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/math-centers/" target="_blank">Math Centers</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/multiplication-strategies/" target="_blank">Multiplication Strategies </a><br />
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/educational-technology/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/educational-technology/" target="_blank">Educational Technology</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/technology-integration/" target="_blank">Technology Integration</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/google-drive/" target="_blank">Google Drive</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/qr-codes/" target="_blank">QR Codes</a><br />
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/augmented-reality/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/augmented-reality/" target="_blank">Augmented Reality</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/explore/ipad/" target="_blank">iPad</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Pinterest Perusing,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s640/blog+signature+2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-53080092397050388522015-06-26T09:44:00.000-07:002015-07-04T11:51:37.282-07:00TpT Seller Challenge: Week 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As a teacher I am always on the lookout for great ideas for my classroom. Handouts, printables, flip books, homework, games... Often, I would find something that was close to what I wanted, but not quite right. So I would make it for myself. At first, the pages were <strike>awful</strike> not terribly attractive (remember Comic Sans? It was my favorite), but they worked! Over time, got a little better at it, and I started sharing things with the teachers at my school. It was then that I discovered <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/" target="_blank">Teachers Pay Teachers</a>. </span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFdjKRzipX3YRNKx9cDWSB0EFqEpuZqsfph5JlkYwpsTI9YuIKIz82VCVvbGWtoVFHc_IjBerrlkwtSKAxd1t0NcsM1Z13zaIgWtQYfOxzaK0mhPZYU7RJdkOsbOW7UebZaFKEaFICAt_/s1600/DigiDewi_GoodDay-Tag-Best.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFdjKRzipX3YRNKx9cDWSB0EFqEpuZqsfph5JlkYwpsTI9YuIKIz82VCVvbGWtoVFHc_IjBerrlkwtSKAxd1t0NcsM1Z13zaIgWtQYfOxzaK0mhPZYU7RJdkOsbOW7UebZaFKEaFICAt_/s320/DigiDewi_GoodDay-Tag-Best.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oh. My. Word. So many products to choose from, from other teachers just like me! And a lot of them were FREE. Woo-hoo! I went a little bit crazy downloading free clip art (did I tell you I LOVE clip art?), and then I started BUYING things. Like all the time. I couldn't stop myself. It got so bad I had to hide it from my husband. How was I going to pay for my habit?! Well, why not sell my creations on TpT?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So I made myself a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Light-Bulbs-And-Laughter" target="_blank">store</a> and uploaded a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editable-FREE-Bright-Polka-Dot-Monthly-Calendars-2015-2016-1284690" target="_blank">free product</a>. It was a school year calendar that I made to put in my teacher planning binder. With bright colors and polka-dots. I thought maybe a few teachers could use it, and that made me happy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgms7mIRUsxQZHTaBwdvaWmKO8epOPB5UsjbO4VVcOwXfgxvOimf5m2q4zNa6btRRdKOOvP3E7YfuVaTtXAQ526HzWEQ9DAfn011qH5q_FwBdcnoefoWOuF2SsmCpxlpO_6HkNiUU3vyYdC/s1600/Calendar+bright+15-16+Pin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog - 1025-2016 School Year Calendar - FREE" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgms7mIRUsxQZHTaBwdvaWmKO8epOPB5UsjbO4VVcOwXfgxvOimf5m2q4zNa6btRRdKOOvP3E7YfuVaTtXAQ526HzWEQ9DAfn011qH5q_FwBdcnoefoWOuF2SsmCpxlpO_6HkNiUU3vyYdC/s640/Calendar+bright+15-16+Pin.png" title="Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog - 1025-2016 School Year Calendar - FREE" width="247" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A year later, I have updated it for the 2015-2016 school year, and as of today, it has been downloaded <strike>19,422</strike> 23,355 times. Seriously. Something that I made has made a lot of teachers' lives just a little bit easier. How cool is that?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've also made some other products. Things that I use in my own classroom. I charge a little bit of money for them. Not a lot. And here's the good news: I am now breaking even! I figure that if I can earn as much as I spend on TpT... it all helps our kiddos, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, enough background info, and on to the Challenge part of this post! Last week I joined the TpT Seller Challenge started by four amazing teacher-bloggers. I was to go back to one of my first products and update the covers with new fonts and clip art. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I chose my 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVz917gMeiybhA4ye9M71-9Zaur_XQMmM_FUkYM3DyjTyNC9igGCK_1ccP7VrrfhdhOd1_Di3GW2q8hw-sGYq9cu_o07P8lMA541l3ZoRoULnDIRnL9USshWS4xKTs2OiIvbglxKU6WXJm/s1600/8+MPS+Makeover+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Light Bulbs and Laughter - TpT Seller Challenge: Week 1 - Makeover Madness" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVz917gMeiybhA4ye9M71-9Zaur_XQMmM_FUkYM3DyjTyNC9igGCK_1ccP7VrrfhdhOd1_Di3GW2q8hw-sGYq9cu_o07P8lMA541l3ZoRoULnDIRnL9USshWS4xKTs2OiIvbglxKU6WXJm/s640/8+MPS+Makeover+Pic.jpg" title="Light Bulbs and Laughter - TpT Seller Challenge: Week 1 - Makeover Madness" width="387" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">What do you think? My style has definitely changed in a year! I like them, but my husband prefers the originals and he's a teacher, too. If you click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Light-Bulbs-And-Laughter/Category/8-Math-Practice-Standards" target="_blank">HERE</a>, it will take you to my store to look over these babies and see for yourself. I would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Blessings, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s640/blog+signature+2.png" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-40351906118571460752015-05-17T20:33:00.000-07:002015-05-18T16:40:08.696-07:00Teaching Kids to Give <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQqYxdMr82YIJ-0DtRG89i9sUs_nOk_mhlTgVNGlhdcULIflQ8pxLuSDv1tpjj6jC2u1m_DoukRmcjWIwyAirUw52jP3N9dYXSJGxPMWvi8Fsdc_OWKLIkWNcNVRbwz4nM1sHh-pcGrCs/s1600/coins+for+a+cure+blog+pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Teaching Kids to Give - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQqYxdMr82YIJ-0DtRG89i9sUs_nOk_mhlTgVNGlhdcULIflQ8pxLuSDv1tpjj6jC2u1m_DoukRmcjWIwyAirUw52jP3N9dYXSJGxPMWvi8Fsdc_OWKLIkWNcNVRbwz4nM1sHh-pcGrCs/s400/coins+for+a+cure+blog+pic.png" title="Teaching Kids to Give - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="308" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Before I became a teacher I thought teachers taught subjects. Like reading, writing, math, science, and music. Boy, was I wrong. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Teachers teach kids. </span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And we don't just teach them the usual stuff. Some of the subjects are highly specialized! Here's a list of a few of the things I have taught my third graders this year:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">not to run around screaming if a bee flies into the classroom</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">not to whack people on the head with _______ (insert any noun imaginable) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">where to sit under the tree outside our classroom to avoid getting bird droppings on you</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">how to chew with your mouth closed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">what it means to be respectful</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">not to pick your nose and rub it on your desk </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">where the giant Symphony chocolate bars can be found at Walmart</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">to give money to a good cause</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This last one is my focus in this blog post. My little K-8 country school has about 440 students. When one of our staff came to us saying that she was raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through Coins for a Cure, we decided to sponsor her as a school. We needed to raise $2000. That's a lot of money!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDgq1sOBFsV9QvQN2Ra5VGFem6T4c9_LYhSD_wLiqAyNhjjJTJsr32ttBiBviaknr3zKyZER1gwuyYG5p_q6X7WolR1gbRdLCEZkQvs6g43vCHWwuy71dwOpWgMjwPUYXTqasVSH6zJsn/s1600/coins+for+a+cure+pic+2+final.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Teaching Kids to Give - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDgq1sOBFsV9QvQN2Ra5VGFem6T4c9_LYhSD_wLiqAyNhjjJTJsr32ttBiBviaknr3zKyZER1gwuyYG5p_q6X7WolR1gbRdLCEZkQvs6g43vCHWwuy71dwOpWgMjwPUYXTqasVSH6zJsn/s640/coins+for+a+cure+pic+2+final.png" title="Teaching Kids to Give - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="420" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each class decorated a big tin can and asked students to bring in spare coins from home. The money trickled in slowly. We are talking S-L-O-W-L-Y. It takes a lot of coins to get to two thousand dollars. Some of my students live in such poverty that they have no coins to give. Others simply hadn't been taught the concept or the importance of giving and expecting nothing in return. (I referred to the concept of tithes - giving away ten percent of your income - and not one of my students had any idea what I was talking about!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One day, I was looking at the older model iPad that my sister had donated to my class (she's amazing that way) and realized that I needed to make the giving more personal for my students. You see, my sister has leukemia. After dealing with months and months of hospital stays and chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, she is in remission. So I told my kids her story. And they went home and told their families her story. And guess what??</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVbIetoXSUxSOcbame805Fbcy8EOmyH_tHi1AhSYKzKYKkx5tgTqQGDLJoOvEXdEu81GQk20HSLcUaao72tzf0XH0o4rnLS2XC2C1cyYR8nwZqdSWzuOuqpm7gmsHD_L20rxfAAK11V7n/s1600/Dear+Mrs+Isaac+letter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Teaching Kids to Give - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVbIetoXSUxSOcbame805Fbcy8EOmyH_tHi1AhSYKzKYKkx5tgTqQGDLJoOvEXdEu81GQk20HSLcUaao72tzf0XH0o4rnLS2XC2C1cyYR8nwZqdSWzuOuqpm7gmsHD_L20rxfAAK11V7n/s640/Dear+Mrs+Isaac+letter.jpg" title="Teaching Kids to Give - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The parents caught the enthusiasm! The students wrote letters to their parents, asking if they could do chores over spring break to earn coins for a cure. I heard stories of washing cars, dishes, and even dogs. I heard about vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, and raking. (One student claims he was paid to stay in his room and leave his brother alone, but I haven't confirmed that story.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The results were amazing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqLVU_KPkI0WjbDOS3Np8ajqExQkBqlmxMzFEbIL8Hf3CaZ0FuV6KDvHob9tAb2dzhxx1etrm3zRRk67bJRW-C_FOu3aHqQhCB1eW7FxY1LVuHVAqtgTiXa-d-HmzuKfaGO_TAzlv3jZG/s1600/coins+for+a+cure+pic+final.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Teaching Kids to Give - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqLVU_KPkI0WjbDOS3Np8ajqExQkBqlmxMzFEbIL8Hf3CaZ0FuV6KDvHob9tAb2dzhxx1etrm3zRRk67bJRW-C_FOu3aHqQhCB1eW7FxY1LVuHVAqtgTiXa-d-HmzuKfaGO_TAzlv3jZG/s640/coins+for+a+cure+pic+final.png" title="Teaching Kids to Give - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="310" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">By the time the fundraiser ended, our little school had raised $3,522.34, and almost $400 of that came from our classroom of 24 students. My students were so happy and proud of this accomplishment! My favorite response to the whole thing came from a kiddo who said, "Now your sister never has to have leukemia again!" I hope and pray that he is right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So here is my formula for teaching kids to give:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">find a worthy cause</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">make it real - tell a story</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">ask parents for help</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">encourage kids to EARN their contribution</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">add a silly school-wide incentive if it seems appropriate (yes, our principal has to kiss a pig because we reached our goal, and the kids love this!) </span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A terrific side benefit of this whole process is that kids get lots of practice handling and counting coins, a very important math skill!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Teaching About Giving,</span><br />
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-38413339581291213932015-03-08T00:10:00.000-08:002015-03-08T00:10:56.598-08:00Free Multiplication Practice Game - For Bigger Numbers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmHmkZHUJ59AReE5r-Qyef5m2KiGvPSoJCAQdB3y7OqI2_AEEg1zpdJxgrc5mPcPPPG1oWROAHPISArXRiY-8E45o1eJ6KQmNZWTSlU5mlNfGKd9Pz5kZ9vU3b_b7ldgsXNcyrnwva3Bb/s1600/Penguin+Mult+BIG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmHmkZHUJ59AReE5r-Qyef5m2KiGvPSoJCAQdB3y7OqI2_AEEg1zpdJxgrc5mPcPPPG1oWROAHPISArXRiY-8E45o1eJ6KQmNZWTSlU5mlNfGKd9Pz5kZ9vU3b_b7ldgsXNcyrnwva3Bb/s1600/Penguin+Mult+BIG.png" height="400" width="308" /></a></div>
A few months ago I made a fun multiplication partner practice game for my students. It uses two regular dice, which means that students are only practicing from 1x1 to 6x6. They loved it! I posted it as a freebie on Teachers Pay Teachers, thinking that I would soon figure out how to make one for bigger numbers. Then life became super busy, as it always does...<br />
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Then last week I had a TpT customer ask a question... would I please make one for 7x7 to 12x12? This teacher already had some dice to use. Befuddled, I had to think about that for a while (in my defense, it was parent - teacher conference week, and I was distracted). Where was I going to get dice like that? Then I went rummaging through my classroom cabinets and came up with these!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Wr3vLrR-aNnqUE35ZPJCiOnmbMHXmTXngGNMw7xddsUMH2gFDfbCaMdx67-tcqf2w_TR2f3PhaIA1sA1hO-2sfEbx-jWqirADkIWXN288wTcBDofM5yiyOGy33oAmZJ2S2WVAt4dpwzF/s1600/foam+cubes+Dollar+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Wr3vLrR-aNnqUE35ZPJCiOnmbMHXmTXngGNMw7xddsUMH2gFDfbCaMdx67-tcqf2w_TR2f3PhaIA1sA1hO-2sfEbx-jWqirADkIWXN288wTcBDofM5yiyOGy33oAmZJ2S2WVAt4dpwzF/s1600/foam+cubes+Dollar+Tree.jpg" height="320" width="276" /></a></div>
I grabbed my favorite new Sharpie (it clicks open and closed!!) and started writing on them.<br />
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And voila! There you have it. Dice to use for the bigger multiplication numbers. Another way to make these is to put small stickers over regular dice, and write on the stickers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijku-fIRMIDsFdcUA8U0Q9PwffIeqNTKsu1iPAw1SX-5YQ_ReZaP3uNkhOetK1TC4r7t8xIzFRLhMqNdmGVMSuqoCvXXAof6dWcTrDgIsDUfxU7OF-4tSzBSsanq6pD-D2y_9nhyphenhyphens7HdMy/s1600/foam+dice+7-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijku-fIRMIDsFdcUA8U0Q9PwffIeqNTKsu1iPAw1SX-5YQ_ReZaP3uNkhOetK1TC4r7t8xIzFRLhMqNdmGVMSuqoCvXXAof6dWcTrDgIsDUfxU7OF-4tSzBSsanq6pD-D2y_9nhyphenhyphens7HdMy/s1600/foam+dice+7-12.jpg" height="144" width="320" /></a></div>
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So I made several copies of the new game, threw them into page protectors, and tried them out in my classroom. The game was a hit, as you can see.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZZBKQChmkGnlqUeqvFHJIfWWDJq08h8TdZe3kXqDJipHkLfIRXGKmt2SSJG6p_4UKRXzu0RwUoVPgaKcc764uttHJcQpxClX1uGdk6yaIeH3C6YMJwmDD8eeaWZnVUBDrnEvRg_FeiQO/s1600/Mult+BIG+pic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZZBKQChmkGnlqUeqvFHJIfWWDJq08h8TdZe3kXqDJipHkLfIRXGKmt2SSJG6p_4UKRXzu0RwUoVPgaKcc764uttHJcQpxClX1uGdk6yaIeH3C6YMJwmDD8eeaWZnVUBDrnEvRg_FeiQO/s1600/Mult+BIG+pic+1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Some students prefer playing with game tokens (these came with our old math curriculum).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMsdIknWpSIz6Ml7eThRVIqwYsUjQx5ckqg0uM-a9DL__mL7na3XFEZQ4ZAYXT5IeAnO8sHYxm8_HMi76CywmXrfEfaLCSBas_GSOWssqCInHVcLzTbSuHmAoCfpGX1LrCIA1oSP0-hCB/s1600/Mult+BIG+pic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMsdIknWpSIz6Ml7eThRVIqwYsUjQx5ckqg0uM-a9DL__mL7na3XFEZQ4ZAYXT5IeAnO8sHYxm8_HMi76CywmXrfEfaLCSBas_GSOWssqCInHVcLzTbSuHmAoCfpGX1LrCIA1oSP0-hCB/s1600/Mult+BIG+pic2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Other students prefer using dry erase markers. Each player is allowed to choose his or her own color from my white board marker stash, which makes this quite popular.<br />
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So I must say thank you to Cyndy, who have me the figurative kick in the pants that I needed to get this done! We are getting close to testing season, and activities like these are perfect for centers when I am working with a small group. Yay!<br />
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Happy multiplication practice,<br />
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com402tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-92023488193273910562015-01-10T23:35:00.001-08:002016-08-31T11:35:44.783-07:00Multiplication and Division Fact Families<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Division-Fact-Family-Practice-Pack-1643531" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Book from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG8rG3faDaLKj_ymf0pAXhsYmnLI3gZzTXdolTrJ-banMRLf3j_Lv3jZj9UU9tas2mN0cFwEBk9nSd_HtF64bxVJ-fss0Azi4BgzgAbn8QfXNug5M1UEewDxoaO977b26OGBTiR5Uk_OW/s640/Fact+Family+Update+PIN.jpg" title="Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Book from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="244" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">My third graders have been working on multiplication and division for months! First, we focused on understanding what multiplication is. After the conceptual understanding was in place, we began to memorize our facts so that we can use them with fluency. (For my blog post about this, click <a href="http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/11/unlocking-secret-code-of-multiplication.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have now moved on to division in our lessons, but will continue to do timed tests and memorization for a few more weeks. About a third of the class has completed their ice cream sundaes (See the picture below; they have memorized their facts through the twelves), and moved on to division timed tests.</span> <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ice-Cream-Sundae-Shop-A-Classroom-Incentive-Program-for-any-Subject-1263069" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Multiplication Ice Cream Shop - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjrfZgRKl2YaLr25xpxLudCxlrXUuBw3l_LH6GCv3FnC4h4PS5F-UPDj1b1ozQfGW5wF0_J-beD7BMBlADyGaZYt_I4pz3Li4NTjYfDXdNzQw-KR8vKOlA0HJG86rdghE0Bn1Vu2SN00h/s1600/mult+ice+cream+sundaes+1-15.jpg" title="Multiplication Ice Cream Shop - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday, one of my students came to me before the timed test and said, "I don't know how to do the division threes." She had just passed the ones and twos, but was completely convinced that she did not know the answer to the threes. (Remember, she had learned ALL of her multiplication facts through the twelves!) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were in our first week back from Christmas vacation, during which each student completed review homework that looked like this (including a page for each set of fact families from the ones through the twelves):</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Division-Fact-Family-Practice-Pack-1643531" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Book Cover - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JdlCCEG2L11vTWp2v2FSoXocca5kWn78C5EoUjbrTp6oUwUjjSpc9Ob4Y8YjC_3K7QuYRq-2pZbeQjuBiYJZmfKhf_BmlsbjUD2ER4AT9muxhhbDAQwdawP7hpxlFPb-OxPa7saO2Bji/s1600/Slide05.jpg" title="Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Book Cover - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="247" /></a><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Division-Fact-Family-Practice-Pack-1643531" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Pack - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiejS5E_Fy7u-xye-kQbr83Oeh8IhDJVE2v76r8kFjC3WXfUnhqzKZ6IOHDk3h6WVJciITMsmo9wMvtc6B8Iu6nVOwGzhR3l4nnuxd4BC4qiz_wu2bvA4lC2uxs6i9KaAz8qpXiVyHOwIn/s1600/Slide09.jpg" title="Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Pack - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="247" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We went to check her homework, and she had completed the whole thing. Perfectly. All twelve pages. We talked about the idea that if you know your multiplication facts, you know your division facts, also. This is because they are in the same fact family. I could not get her to believe me until I showed her the division sentences that she had written! Her "light bulb moment" was a joy to see. Her smile lit up the room when she realized that she already knew every answer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzoG6kcAu9SpttX7ezLasZnWPeInx17ltFbfo3UF7t_3md3NYCQ4_yhKq8vBd7at3UXHoQh_ikrYvmj8LB6pjjLOaioShhP8PfwJOfLZDv1cGnH3W9dJvEojIUUBdSRHOHXzAPz4hHmtrq/s1600/fact+family+3s+example.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzoG6kcAu9SpttX7ezLasZnWPeInx17ltFbfo3UF7t_3md3NYCQ4_yhKq8vBd7at3UXHoQh_ikrYvmj8LB6pjjLOaioShhP8PfwJOfLZDv1cGnH3W9dJvEojIUUBdSRHOHXzAPz4hHmtrq/s1600/fact+family+3s+example.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes I assume that students understand the big picture behind something, because they are able to do the specific task that I assign. But how do I know for sure? I guess I actually have to talk to them. Individually. If she hadn't approached me to let me know her dilemma, I would not have known there was a problem. It's also possible that they might forget what something means. After all, I forget things all the time!! (Where did I put my keys?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm a little embarrassed to admit all of this... sometimes I focus so much on the students who are obviously struggling that I don't see what's happening with my "on grade level" kids. When I pull a small group to work with, these kids are usually not part of it. So here's a resolution for the new year: I will try to meet with each student individually, once per week, to talk about where they are in their math journey. (It seems much easier to do this for language arts, between reading with students and doing fluency testing, etc.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This week, I plan to show each student their completed fact family practice book and ask for an explanation of how it works. It should be interesting!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Division-Fact-Family-Practice-Pack-1643531" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Pack - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAL9_x6SpZQLGU28C860CmS42QeIoEc2WaN_Nd12ATIMhGzhA6PU3EjmcoRv75qbEunrX9EtL-WAXH76ePZQlmYXS_UkxhbTS-fuFiJfhNSj0X5dwwX0ekftlGPGkZhD3PhVfT6Tmzcxeq/s1600/Slide1.jpg" title="Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Pack - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Division-Fact-Family-Practice-Pack-1643531" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Pack Covers- Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjc0vNcDJw0gv6ikZMWsapvPLc-AJYU5zO8wrTD6_BfEuY8xAyPKptccaWLdtYpADb-w-vIm-3kEds5aR65FMurwX6GQxw-S-PJOTnSOMcC8wtydcLFXAc1ESC-PwX1TjpAqE_cAzeQyWO/s1600/Slide2.jpg" title="Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Pack Covers- Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are interested in my Multiplication and Division Fact Family Practice Pack, you can find it in my TpT store.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Teaching with Fact Families,</span><br />
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-35169526630314121752015-01-03T21:25:00.001-08:002015-01-03T21:29:21.146-08:00Intro To Multiplication: Things That (Always) Come in Groups<span style="font-size: large;">Word problems are a HUGE part of teaching elementary math! The best way that I have found to get students excited about word problems is to have them write their own. When it comes to addition and subtraction, my third graders do pretty well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First, we work together as a class. I choose a student to help me. This students gets to say where we are going (Walmart is a favorite), and what we are purchasing (video games and candy top the list). They decide what each item costs, and we put it together like this:</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ana went to _____________. She bought one _________ for $_____ and two ___________s for $_______. </span></span></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next, we decide whether we want to add or subtract. If we add, the final sentence would be something like, <span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"How much did Ana spend altogether?"</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If we subtract, we might use the sentence, <span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"How much more did the ________ cost than the _______?"</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, I have the students do the problem on white boards, either individually or in groups, and we discuss our answers. When we have mastered this, I have students write their own word problem and share it with a partner who must solve it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Multiplication word problems</b> should be easy after this, right? Well. Sort of. We had a bit of a problem with this earlier in the year. I started us off with the idea of rows of desks. I chose a student who decided how many rows, and how many desks in each row. Easy. We followed the same pattern of working whole class, then working with partners. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is when things got tricky. See, I did what I always do. I changed the lesson in the middle. It seemed like a great idea to leave one of the numbers out of the equation and ask this question: "How many days are there in eight weeks?" Instead of answers, I got a lot of blank stares. Then I tried, "How many horseshoes do I need for nine horses?" This time they did a little better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What I realized is this. My students were so used to being given two numbers to multiply that they couldn't seem to think beyond this to figure out one of the numbers for themselves. So I got a large sheet of paper and made a 3x3 grid. I labeled each box with the numbers from two through ten. And I asked my students, "What comes in twos?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was shocked by their answers, which were as follows: desks, candy bars, apples, and books. What?! I tried again, putting emphasis on a particular word. "No, what COMES in twos?" They continued to give me answers such as pencils, rulers, magnets, and desks. I was stumped. Then I realized what was happening. They were so used to making groups of objects to multiply that in their minds anything could come in groups of any number. <b>I was not asking the right question!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I tried again, adding the word ALWAYS, and gave them a clue. "What always comes in groups of two? Think about your brains." I pointed to my head and watched the understanding dawn on their faces as most of them raised their hands to answer the question, "Hemispheres!" (We talk about our brains a lot.) Of course I had to ask for a complete sentence, and we finally heard, "Hemispheres always come in groups of two!" Whew.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now we were cooking with gas. We started filling up the chart with things that always come in groups of a particular number. Some were a lot more difficult than others! Here's a picture of our (not terribly attractive) chart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Intro-To-Multiplication-Things-That-Come-In-Groups-1630355" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Equal Groups Poster - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGflKtcV_ewC3jnucF23mL33FbbeXreO36KWq3Vh_OmHcKEiSf35Wn0vizx00ntjE9RIDRj9BT83PUJbcl7T2f2peQlZ9jHeiMsiLc3Abw6M-bc1AlDemCXWzcONoKjhebS9LKWy4dUDW/s1600/Slide3.png" height="494" title="Equal Groups Poster - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We didn't do very well with some of the numbers, so I added more later! I have to mention two particular students here. The first just wasn't understanding, and kept blurting "desks!" every time I asked, "What always comes in..." The second student questioned most of the answers with words like these, "What if you accidentally cut off your finger?" and "What if I step on the spider and half his legs fall off?" Arrrgh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Somehow we made it through our lesson, and I think that we are better for it. We did some good thinking about numbers and groups and multiplication, and we had a lively debate about changing the word <i>always</i> to <i>usually</i>, because of the potential to cut our fingers off and step on spiders - to which I say, ick. (My word, <i>always,</i> won the debate. This is one of the perks of being the teacher.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Intro-To-Multiplication-Things-That-Come-In-Groups-1630355" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication Equal Groups - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cBySeQui5X9Tv8iq_6xxfvA1jrHEy4mW1c8c8qnk2GAv-T2XXQeITKT9-_Ze6sNfPCihc6aPXzoA-vP-_mqy97YFm06qYXl4XjhLazAHPagdvpYzlvZtsqVHsybhqWCG5SN2pbf8AuVF/s1600/Slide1.png" height="308" title="Multiplication Equal Groups - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24UYcmuREHb6g2dG8G-UgACYo7wdkuQZILSXPf8Ld1-8SMFPsW1hBRtrSo6K6wVJ1Hd9nKx2l7OBkagh81RVyD8nQVljIqtffQHGUvKog7RqM1U3Hym58tMosU3RIKOB19jHvWKgpbQzM/s1600/Slide2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication Equal Groups - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24UYcmuREHb6g2dG8G-UgACYo7wdkuQZILSXPf8Ld1-8SMFPsW1hBRtrSo6K6wVJ1Hd9nKx2l7OBkagh81RVyD8nQVljIqtffQHGUvKog7RqM1U3Hym58tMosU3RIKOB19jHvWKgpbQzM/s1600/Slide2.png" height="308" title="Multiplication Equal Groups - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">So. If you would like to have your students think about what (ALWAYS) comes in groups, I have a freebie for you. Well, two, actually. In case you would rather have the numbers spelled out. Click on any picture in the post to go to my TpT store for the free download.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Multiplication Word Problems,</span><br />
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-3256078824733134512014-12-14T19:23:00.000-08:002015-09-27T08:48:34.971-07:00How To Organize Your Daily Multiplication Fluency Testing Every third grade teacher (at least those of us using Common Core State Standards) must deal with the fluency and memorization of multiplication facts. There's no way to avoid it! So let's make it organized, less painful, and add some fun. =)<br />
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I call it the multiplication train. It's silly, but it saves time, and keeps me organized. Here's how it works.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication Fact Fluency Assessment - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1F41OnkZF7A31KHh5Wy4N5LjW77QC5m1gVMLk5dlcWWzS87vhi36H3OI1ttx5M2ca3WwHUpIRWDIGaxf4ayS_UD26dd7LnaUUSMxXiRPI8JmxLXThVeDJGNu6T1K2-lOKBgYIhGXmAmZX/s1600/timed+test+folder.jpg" title="Multiplication Fact Fluency Assessment - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="320" /></a><br />
1. Put each of your assessments in a separate, labeled folder.<br />
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2. Print the answer key for each assessment, and tape it in the folder on the left side.<br />
<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tracking Multiplication Fluency - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbFzxg0jZetmhyzS-MpltVOM570KrXdOmXCm1uLudQ-bnAr97aV7K-v18TPiE5UMWEb0JLanGbBT-VFK13X8flGMlGeW322MMEzd2tL6CV0D29UsIalrYUI14IV3GtkYjGWPPPoN59JBf/s1600/timed+test+folder+closed.jpg" title="Tracking Multiplication Fluency - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="325" /></a><br />
3. Put sticky notes on the front of each folder to write student names.<br />
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4. Now you are ready to assess. At first, you give every student the same page (for me, the zeros and ones).<br />
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5. Start a timer going up from zero, and have students write down the time it took them to complete the page. I use the online stopwatch <a href="http://www.online-stopwatch.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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6. Stop the clock when you believe they have had enough time. I start with six minutes on these pages. Students who do not finish simply stop writing when you stop the clock.<br />
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7. Have a student pick up the papers and set them on top of the folders, ready to be graded.<br />
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I like to grade these myself at the beginning, to get a feel for how each student is doing. As students pass (which for me means that every answer is correct), cross their name off of the first folder sticky notes, and write it on the next one.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication Memorization Tracking - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5roDRlt2afOT4kzHQi2tTZxydRt_xG0nUoBjX1cEN-DlbYVMW3lkmkcCQxX9slii5vOV-NbNJVhASUvlugrgiET93GpGYIOwrTN8Jc_ytRBtvg9dlHtVWZLHJEwhAwG-gsesTwBQOygEQ/s1600/mult+timed+test+binder+closed.jpg" title="Multiplication Memorization Tracking - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="320" /></a>Within two weeks, I will be handing out as many as ten different tests. Here is how I handle this. I show the results from the day before under my document camera, then call the names from the front of the first folder. Students must make a "train" as they come to the front of the room. This means that they come around one side of the room and I give them their paper when they quickly walk by. I then call the names from the second folder, and so on.<br />
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They go back to their desk, write their name, and turn the paper over when they are ready. No one is allowed to go backwards on the train tracks, or there will be a collision. Our goal is to do this as quickly and quietly as possible (Once, the superintendent walked in during this process and was quite impressed). A stray train choo-choo sound can be heard here and there, but they have to keep it quiet enough to hear their names called!<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication Memorization Tracking - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGZGrfnGixOQxib6I4C2o2xgtMUG2gB2T1xvM-Vsn_jQGnUCTaOf88XFeSnSBv09XEUUJeXcD1AsPTRxWt2lvyJs77H5bSeYC_6srD1T9U5_OMU1veC8rtMJYTQAg-Jpk2k3EEhFlYm53/s1600/mult+check+list+in+binder.jpg" title="Multiplication Memorization Tracking - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="320" /></a>Now when the student in charge picks up the papers, he or she will need to arrange them in order, to prep them for grading. To make the process more streamlined, I don't always grade the pages that are not completed.<br />
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Once we get going, I look for other people who can grade these for me. If you have help of any kind in your classroom (Aide, older student, or parent), use them! If not, the best thing that you can do regarding grading is to make it a reward in your classroom. If you have students who are careful and trustworthy, you can have them grade the tests when they finish their other work. I have a table with bright colored markers set up for this purpose. After they are graded, it only takes a minute or two to change the names on the folders.<br />
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Then I make sure to keep track in a document in my grade book. In order to accommodate the tests and flash cards, I make this word document in ledger size (11x14) and keep it folded when not in use.<br />
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There you have it, my multiplication fact fluency train. This process should work with whatever fluency tests you are currently using. If you are interested in these specific products, you can find them in my <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" target="_blank">Multiplication Memorization Tool Kit</a> on Teachers Pay Teachers.<br />
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For the blog post explaining my whole memorization process, see <a href="http://lightbulbsandlaughter.blogspot.com/2014/11/unlocking-secret-code-of-multiplication.html" target="_blank">Unlocking the "Secret Code" of Multiplication Memorization.</a><br />
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Happy Teaching,<br />
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-35996256165141460962014-12-11T20:20:00.000-08:002014-12-11T20:30:30.140-08:00How to Play Sparkle in the Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've been blogging about teaching multiplication lately, and have mentioned playing a game called Sparkle as part of our memorization process. Today I thought I would explain how we do this in my classroom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Basically we are skip counting by ones, twos, etc. We call this "Secret Code Sparkle," because we're just cool like that. =) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a cooperative practice game that requires listening skills. If a student is talking, they will not know the answer. Uh-oh. They learn pretty quickly to pay close attention to what is going on. It also teaches students how to handle the frustration of being out of the game, whether they have made a mistake, or through no fault of their own. (I have students model good and bad ways to respond when they get "sparkled". I have found that third graders also need to learn how to be gracious winners, so we model that, too.)</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here are the basic rules:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Have your students stand in a large circle around the outside of the classroom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. The teacher stands in the middle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. NO moving once you have found your spot!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. The teacher chooses a number from 1 - 10 and points to a random student, saying, for example, "Count by twos to twenty, GO!" (The teacher holds up two fingers while always facing the student who is speaking, in case they forget the factor being used.) <span style="color: red;">Be careful at this point! If they get going really fast, you could get very dizzy!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. The first student repeats the number, the next student (going clockwise) says the next skip counting number, and so on, until the original number has been multiplied by ten.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. When the last number is stated, the next student says, "Sparkle!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. The student after the sparkle student sits down. They are out of the game.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">8. If a student says the wrong number, or takes too long to answer, they must sit down. (Because of Whole Brain Teaching, the entire class says, "It's cool!" when someone makes a mistake - making it much easier for students to handle!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">9. The last student (or students - you decide when to stop) standing get a reward. This can be anything: first choice for centers, an extra minute of recess, first in line to lunch, a reading buddy (stuffed animal) on their desk during quiet reading, a lollipop, etc. Whatever is a reward in your classroom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(I know that many of us have special needs students in our classroom. I have found that my students naturally give more wait time when it's needed, and extra positive feedback for a correct answer, etc. I do allow certain students to "sit out" the game, if they are having a bad day.) </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">There are many variations on this theme:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A. Use spelling words every Friday before the test.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">B. Use vocabulary words, but instead of spelling them, the first student defines the word, and the second must use it in a sentence. (This works best with smaller groups during centers.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">C. Use parts of speech. Say, "Give me 5 verbs, GO!", "Give me seven nouns, GO!", etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have a lot of fun practicing what we have learned with this game, while learning important listening skills, speaking skills, and social skills.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Do you use this game in your classroom? I would love to hear other ways that it is used! Please let me know in the comments.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Teaching With Sparkle,</span><br />
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Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com171tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-89599922052304711912014-12-08T22:45:00.000-08:002014-12-14T22:42:55.319-08:00Metacognition: Helping Students Assess Their Own Learning<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Classroom-Posters-For-Elementary-Teachers-1600458" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="FREE posters for elementary teachers - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6ZFUHULLf1FhyphenhyphenRUM1QZS097IH_Zgeb7rRm5_WJs3oYkMB8b9e9CHTfjVzCrQakLFLwxWNRdai6JlimJQMLuyfSNPaRxxKhMQo2OWjqyVNx1lbnSsfGlNRd18FYGCrIOwiGcyW74ntirN/s1600/Self+Eval+Freebies+Pin.png" height="400" title="FREE posters for elementary teachers - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the picture for free download from TpT.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've been thinking a lot about formative assessments lately. Formative assessments are all about gathering information from your students - during instruction - in order to inform your teaching. The most obvious place to gather that information is from student work (click <a href="http://lightbulbsandlaughter.blogspot.com/2014/12/what-is-formative-assessment-anyway.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> to see a post about that), and it can be a lot of fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another place to gather information is also from your students. But now you have to get inside their brains, and find out how they assess their own learning. How in the world are we supposed to do this? And why is it important?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let's tackle the importance question first. Studies show that students who are partners in their own assessment show increased engagement in all subject areas, and are more likely to become life-long learners. Also, students who are taught to analyze their own learning show increased motivation to learn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, that's enough to convince me. It just makes sense, and I think we can agree that this is important. So the next question is, how do we do this? Here's the bad news. Most students don't walk into your classroom knowing how to assess themselves. In fact, many adults have trouble with metacognition.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJ_pWjRCAoh1NnHHN_CpNaDCYAhNhJ-tsp4rs6DKJV4x2yQhgmhZU0dt4a0B8_ceMgifgOg2VeUMvgR83_pSQ03UbwdWL6UpofwDrg4xloA9R1an8gcc1LIVA188ha0hI6MPsmfizdMpj/s1600/metacognition+definition.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="metacognition definition - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJ_pWjRCAoh1NnHHN_CpNaDCYAhNhJ-tsp4rs6DKJV4x2yQhgmhZU0dt4a0B8_ceMgifgOg2VeUMvgR83_pSQ03UbwdWL6UpofwDrg4xloA9R1an8gcc1LIVA188ha0hI6MPsmfizdMpj/s1600/metacognition+definition.png" height="137" title="metacognition definition - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the good news. Metacognition can be explicitly taught. In fact, every teacher I know is already doing this (though perhaps we are not always aware of the fact that we are teaching metacognition. haha). We model reading strategies such as activating prior knowledge, summarizing, finding the meaning of a word through context, and stopping and rereading, just to name a few.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/122019471123875735/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Teacher Tap Light Pin on Pinterest - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gifxk4rm_w7EtEQBwsqA_H0ws5OSU1w5Ma114BiZixJAFOUyAqy74SiJkGokAW2n-uv4iOKbXs0gVrs_GrZ4bJ8bHBmemVVhbHf51CNKj9vL9yzlK2-MtKjSH3cvIzo8YF6rpZxnQ64x/s1600/Screenshot+2014-12-08+15.21.27.png" height="200" title="Teacher Tap Light Pin on Pinterest - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on picture to see Pin.</td></tr>
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Here's another great Pinterest idea. If you have not invested in a tap light, it is fabulous for modeling reading strategies! Just tap the light on when you stop reading to model what you are thinking. Run to Walmart and get one. You won't be sorry. The only downside is that students will remind you to use it every time you interrupt your read aloud. So if the phone rings in the middle of the book, be prepared for 26 voices to yell, "Turn on the light first!" when you go to pick up the phone.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When it comes to math, those of us teaching the Common Core State Standards are modeling the 8 Math Practice Standards (see that post, <a href="http://lightbulbsandlaughter.blogspot.com/2014/07/why-i-love-common-core-math-eight.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>). These practices are vital to teaching students to monitor their own mathematical thinking. We model ourselves not giving up, even when something is difficult to master (MP1), or looking for a shortcut (MP8), etc. (I have to share this... the other day, one of my students was struggling with a math concept. I asked him if he could find a shortcut to use. He looked up at me and said, "I'm going to use the long cut, because I really want to learn this.")</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So what about metacognition as it relates to self assessment? Well, we have to model that, too. And here is where it gets fun. We get to model for our students that we make mistakes. All. The. Time. Then we walk them through the thought processes involved in fixing the mistakes. I want my students to see mistakes as something positive - as the poster says, mistakes are proof that you are trying! Here are some ideas:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Model mispronouncing a word, catching yourself, and then correcting it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Make a mistake on a math problem. Model how to find the correct answer.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Revise something. Decide (out loud) in the middle that it is not quite right. Then fix it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Stop in the middle of a sentence and ask, "What am I doing right now? Am I on task? What is my strategy for learning?"</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.wylio.com/credits/flickr/6301078974/"><img alt="stop light halloween costume from Flickr via Wylio" id="Flickr-6301078974-1418140362524" src="https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6042/6301078974_3f5ab0eb9c_z.jpg" title="'stop light halloween costume' by woodleywonderworks, released on Flickr under the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), found via Wylio" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">© 2011 <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/wwworks/" title="'stop light halloween costume' published on Flickr by woodleywonderworks">woodleywonderworks</a>, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/6301078974/" title="from Flickr">Flickr</a> | <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" style="font-size: .8em;" title="Creative Commons Attribution License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC-BY</a> | <a href="https://www.wylio.com/" title="Easily credit free 'kids in circle' pictures with Wylio.">via Wylio</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the past I have used the idea of Marzano's levels of understanding for the process of self assessment. I gave each student the "stoplight" colors to keep on their desks (red - I need help, yellow - I'm trying, green - I can do this), but I felt as though I needed more than color coded paper. I've also used the number system (A student who holds up one finger needs help, and so on), but I wanted to use them together, with the addition of light bulbs to signify learning. I checked on Teachers Pay Teachers, and there are many excellent versions, but nothing quite matched the picture in my mind. So I made my own. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Student-Self-Assessment-Tools-Based-on-Marzanos-Levels-of-Understanding-1600485" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Student Self Assessment Posters - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIcvxhOy57sicLzztNG8em_4xRj4HB-q3XKdUPFTQX2nryw2dKmk9VtHmf1TKU2Bx3kysobKKcmViwdMeIypfYpkZS426pLQQY0xZ8Faz7u8xJn-fKLg85ssokMctUvvExPklKeBl764X/s1600/Self+Assess+Pin.jpg" height="640" title="Student Self Assessment Posters - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="412" /></a></div>
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<ul><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">(So here you can see my own version of self assessment posters, a rubric, and cards for students to keep in/on their desks. There's also a notebook page. Click on the picture to take you to my TpT store and see for yourself, if you like.)</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span></ul>
<ul><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">
This process of going from 'not knowing' to 'trying' to 'understanding' to 'explaining' also has to be modeled for students. Here are some ideas:</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Model those mistakes, and why they are a good thing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Model that it's okay to ask for help.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Model that everyone is different, and some people need more practice than others. <span style="font-size: small;">(I use drawing for this one, because I'm terrible at it, but I still try. And I need lots of practice!) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Model that being on #1 is not a bad thing. It just means that you haven't learned something yet. <span style="font-size: small;">(I use the Spanish language for this example. Sometimes I don't even want to try, because I know I will make mistakes. About half of my third graders are bilingual, and when I mispronounce something, they let me know!)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Model the difference between explaining how to do something and simply giving the answer.</span> </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thank you for reading along as I think about my thinking (and teaching). I truly believe that writing this blog is helping me to become a better teacher. I'm sure that most of you are light years beyond me in this journey, and I'm humbled by the fact that you choose to read my meanderings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you can use the free posters at the beginning of this post, and I hope you will come back again to read some more. Next time, I'll show you my new KWL charts. And KWHL charts, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Self Assessment and Metacognition,</span><br />
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com194tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-51108656838376447832014-12-06T15:22:00.000-08:002014-12-11T20:37:21.567-08:00What is a Formative Assessment, Anyway?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Let's say that your principal called you into his office and sat you down. Then he said these words: "What formative assessments are you performing for your current math unit?" Would you know what to say? I didn't. All that came to my mind in that moment were quizzes (which I had not made for a while) and exit slips (which I made, but kept forgetting to use). Luckily, he got an important phone call and said that he would talk to me later.<br />
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My new number one goal in life became finding out exactly what the words "formative assessment" really mean. Because if it was really quizzes and exit slips, I wasn't doing much of it at all.<br />
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Now the word assessment tends to stress some people out. It sounds so formal, like a test, but more scary. Then, when you get your teaching credential you find out how many kinds of assessments there are. Really? We learn words like criterion-referenced and norm-referenced and interim and benchmark. We all know about the BIG assessment at the end of the school year, the one that shows whether we are a good teacher or a lousy one, right? (Let's save that debate for another time.)<br />
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But I'm talking about me. In the classroom. With my students every day. My teacher ed classes taught me that there's one assessment at the beginning of a unit of study (diagnostic), and one at the end (summative). You compare those to find out how much your students have learned. What falls in between are formative assessments. That's what I understood. So, off I went to look up the words:<br />
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Hmmm. So it can be any method that gives the teacher information about a student's needs and progress toward a particular goal. Okay. Further reading led me to understand that what makes it formative is not what you do, but how you USE the information that you gather. If you use it to inform instruction - that is, changing how you teach, then you have given a formative assessment.</div>
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I pondered for a while. This was sounding good to me. So they don't have to be formal. Or scary. Or even use pencil and paper. I decided to look back at what we had been doing in math for the last several weeks. Our focus was on multiplication. My lesson plans did not show any quizzes. So how was I gathering information to inform my instruction? I went back through the pictures I had been taking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCv6mQyHV5nLwXyLKdjZzwKl9ssCUUXLJFaJtCWmqOlJ-F6fW6B2HDvOg2iNRSMvbr4n5IZ-2oNg-5FrNkcLcX_LO9_-eNkmp6x09veFuMD69ovD7sLzFer9taw2UeA0EZpjHPYSn4qA1r/s1600/mult+formative+assessment+pic+.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication Formative Assessment - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCv6mQyHV5nLwXyLKdjZzwKl9ssCUUXLJFaJtCWmqOlJ-F6fW6B2HDvOg2iNRSMvbr4n5IZ-2oNg-5FrNkcLcX_LO9_-eNkmp6x09veFuMD69ovD7sLzFer9taw2UeA0EZpjHPYSn4qA1r/s1600/mult+formative+assessment+pic+.png" height="320" title="Multiplication Formative Assessment - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="221" /></a></div>
Look at this lovely young lady to the left. We were working with our white boards (a piece of printer paper inside of a plastic page protector). I asked her to show me everything she knew about 5 x 4. That's all I said. She drew what she knew, and called me over when she was done. We had a 30 second conversation, and I walked away, informed about what she understood about multiplication at that time. I made a note on my clipboard, sent her to partner up with a struggling student, and moved on.<br />
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Could this really be a formative assessment? Where's the scary part? Look at that face... she's not nervous, she's having fun! And did I use the information I gathered? Yup, sure did. I noted it and sent her to help someone who wasn't as far along as she.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7hbyWfx0Uhz8oTiKBEWHLltUSnhtH0tVEegmARA4hIjEKl_x5pjZxZI7SE_ldTIp_R7voAy8Q1fxT5020cN3SatBoifNMv6XakhFsx0O_ViKktQpuTxgBw13JuB1a3gz7HmRmzjQMfQJ/s1600/mult+game+playing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication games as formative assessments - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7hbyWfx0Uhz8oTiKBEWHLltUSnhtH0tVEegmARA4hIjEKl_x5pjZxZI7SE_ldTIp_R7voAy8Q1fxT5020cN3SatBoifNMv6XakhFsx0O_ViKktQpuTxgBw13JuB1a3gz7HmRmzjQMfQJ/s1600/mult+game+playing.jpg" height="240" title="Multiplication games as formative assessments - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="320" /></a> So what about partner formative assessments? (Of course, I really mean games. I make a lot of math games for my students.) So I asked myself some questions. Do I walk around and listen to my students when they play these particular games? Check. Do I get an idea of where they are in their multiplication fluency? Check. Do I then group them accordingly, and reteach the group that is struggling? Check. That's a formative assessment. This was getting fun!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9oe0O8zUjrum-aKx1dB8gWdw74xfkwfKTMGPXeANMP6EZS_US8c2arqQJH6nWdxOKGcR1PD3b0NmOnDvLNz-Q_JnUPPOGRgnnBz2OWSMO1ciNF7MFr9ZgDN-J4Tpk1EuOkOoau_aWU2_/s1600/mult+white+board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication formative assessment on white board - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9oe0O8zUjrum-aKx1dB8gWdw74xfkwfKTMGPXeANMP6EZS_US8c2arqQJH6nWdxOKGcR1PD3b0NmOnDvLNz-Q_JnUPPOGRgnnBz2OWSMO1ciNF7MFr9ZgDN-J4Tpk1EuOkOoau_aWU2_/s1600/mult+white+board.jpg" height="219" title="Multiplication formative assessment on white board - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQOm5oCzFrD3aJYslACMaYMtgzRhenjHvortirhYv1MX1lvF78yqB4A4L0rghW2oZ2fYv7H6TQks9kMXCNHd5vQov299azlTxyFrlgYpfEzbhB15PGm21PrIshS7aDlGP-LFo1RH18l46/s1600/orange+iPad+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="iPad math game: tape diagrams - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQOm5oCzFrD3aJYslACMaYMtgzRhenjHvortirhYv1MX1lvF78yqB4A4L0rghW2oZ2fYv7H6TQks9kMXCNHd5vQov299azlTxyFrlgYpfEzbhB15PGm21PrIshS7aDlGP-LFo1RH18l46/s1600/orange+iPad+5.jpg" height="320" title="iPad math game: tape diagrams - Light Bulbs and Laughter Blog" width="282" /></a>How about when students come up to the white board to work a problem? Is that a formative assessment? Let's find out. Am I gathering information? Yep. Do I know who did what? You betcha. (They love putting their name by their work.) Do I use this data to decide if I can move on to the next lesson tomorrow? Uh huh. There you go. Formative assessment.<br />
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Unfortunately, here's one that doesn't count. I'm working on getting a set of seven iPads for my classroom, so that we can use them when we do groups. (We are up to 5 now, but that's another post!)<br />
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This student is doing a fabulous activity using tape diagrams - something we were studying that week. The problem is, I have no way to track what she is doing at this time. Did she get it right? Probably. But I don't know for sure. And if you look really closely? You will see that she switched from multiplication to addition. Sneaky girl! So this activity cannot be considered a formative assessment.<br />
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There are many other math activities in my classroom that qualify as formative assessments under this criteria. Here are just a few:</div>
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<li>Going over homework together</li>
<li>Playing Multiplication Sparkle - a whole class game</li>
<li>Daily multiplication fluency tests</li>
<li>Using computer based standards practice such as IXL (our district has an account)</li>
<li>Small group activities</li>
<li>Practicing flash cards </li>
</ul>
There are many more, even quizzes and exit tickets (if I ever remember to use them!).<br />
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So, the next time my principal calls me in to ask me that question about formative assessments? I'll be ready to answer. And it's nice to know I was doing them all along!<br />
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Happy Teaching,<br />
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-46169151781441676012014-11-29T15:33:00.000-08:002014-12-11T20:44:46.381-08:00Unlocking the "Secret Code" of Multiplication Memorization<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Unlocking the "Secret Code" of Multiplication Memorization - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRc1AlosP8mvY9a99iep9FWl6nOCiiZVsFaZwwzr8aWLSiUQrEC7DOOKbjGUquc_WTXhumetlEGml2elKL-QWO_q9WlMk2YLBV2gT5ucxSyNE0AT3DHwZkVDAwIm4sDKhAu3-GLkmloFM/s1600/Secret+Code+kid+pin.jpg" height="640" title="Unlocking the "Secret Code" of Multiplication Memorization - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">©Depositphotos.com/@tomwang</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Multiplication is<span style="background-color: white;"> <span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">so</span></b></span></span> important for third grade. It is imperative that students know the facts so that they can focus on higher level math tasks in fourth grade and beyond. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We've already discussed some of the key ways to ensure that students understand how multiplication works (see the post and get a freebie <a href="http://lightbulbsandlaughter.blogspot.com/2014/08/id-like-some-multiplication-with-my-ice.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>). Now the question is... how do we get them to memorize 8 x 7 = 56? See how I used the word memorize? Some educators will tell you that this is the wrong word. They like to use fluency instead, or maybe automaticity. Memorization connotes, to some, a type of rote learning that the Common Core State Standards are trying to move us away from. But here is what the standards say:</span><br />
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Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers. (3.OA.7)<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If the understanding comes first, as it should, then memorizing <span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>is</b></span></span> what the students need to do, so that they can become fluent, and have automaticity. There. See how they can all come together? I particularly like this definition from the online psychology dictionary:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0xNFo_jhK61_lMj7Kk6Dy1rsrxiYL9dDj_jtw-1h6En74Gt6PLDZiJ92zfUOIyRdDt8Q91e-Mes-UV57FH1hpSpav1A-hgZbPBoPY8U2eYpsEankiBtqDtAEIRGKeaakLARh7H_qP_-J/s1600/automaticity.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0xNFo_jhK61_lMj7Kk6Dy1rsrxiYL9dDj_jtw-1h6En74Gt6PLDZiJ92zfUOIyRdDt8Q91e-Mes-UV57FH1hpSpav1A-hgZbPBoPY8U2eYpsEankiBtqDtAEIRGKeaakLARh7H_qP_-J/s1600/automaticity.png" height="71" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">©Depositphotos/@BestPhotoStudio</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Think about riding a bike. It took work to learn how, and a lot of practice to do it well. You had to think about balance, and steering straight, and moving your feet on the pedals. Those training wheels really helped! And when you finally got everything working together, it took practice to get to the point where it no longer required conscious effort. (And it was wonderful!) This is what we want to do with multiplication facts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So what does this mean for the classroom? It means that students must be given time, in class, to practice their multiplication facts. In more than one way! They should also be practicing at home. And then we need a way to assess their _______________ <span style="font-size: small;">(insert your favorite word here: fluency, automaticity, or memorization). <span style="font-size: large;">But let's give them some training wheels (scaffolds) - like the "Secret Code" to begin with. Finally, let's give them an incentive, something that keeps them engaged and excited in the learning process.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Secret-Code-Banners-Bookmarks-FREE-1545351" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFE3gBEzwZ610HY3RCXp4rrMTBirQ5TU4k13SKdo4lIN0f4kpg5Qibt3jqyTS5xidDaeEoGrvZtzA1Xx3k-vbmbdBpbGvx93U1gk2RxulKDxiAWnEC5nx1Me_eXiWZfpsvdJ_7l1lAi61i/s1600/Slide01.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the picture to download for FREE from TpT</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><u>Step 1</u></span>: Tell students about the "Secret Codes" that will help them learn their facts. Eight-year-olds love secrets! (Some of them will know that it's only skip-counting... but they'll still have fun with it.) Study them closely, decipher them, and look for patterns together. Then practice them! Write them down, say them together, get in a circle and have each person say a number in order (We play a game called <a href="http://lightbulbsandlaughter.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-to-play-sparkle-in-classroom.html" target="_blank">"Sparkle"</a> with them). Write them in a multiplication chart, so students can see how many they already know. You can even sing them... but that's another post.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="color: blue;">Step 2</span></u>: Practice, Practice, Practice! Practice the multiplication facts in many different ways. We use regular flash cards, which they take home to practice every night. There are tons of computer games, iPad apps, card games, multiplication charts, dice games, free worksheet generators, etc. Find the ones you like. Here are a few of my favorites:</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Multiplication-Division-Three-Corner%C2%AE-Flash-Cards/dp/B0006HXTYG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1414386487&sr=8-5&keywords=multiplication+cards" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Find this product on Amazon.com" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlxfAV8C6PgEuYC1exdiQNQCjn-BJwAcBRo-4VYMYVBtWrj0S64qyG01HQAx_81_BRxis0npEb-Lzf58TESiFrZCz40__T9VVIQTDDxHIiak18PkznWnQ8usi0kI0idxE2dDvxebBWxaZ/s1600/Three+Corner+Flash+Cards+Amazon.png" height="195" title="Find this product on Amazon.com" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These can be purchased on Amazon. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"> These are fabulous cards for practicing and understanding fact families! Cover the top number for multiplication practice, and one of the bottom numbers for division. (I bought these from Amazon.com)</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://resources.oswego.org/games/mathmagician/cathymath.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="© Copyright 2002, Oswego City School District " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqbS4FxHLW6WydhGSl79C5IQkPwGBWeprU0ywNpSBQZ14oWl39g-hHG46HX3aJoHd_2Q2xzePeuhLljCi8uBioWbRhNveAHjiH_mnQe8msyrrUbI1hSMgPo1o5tT8F3zUmHy4aJQ1MYrC/s1600/Math+Magician+Games+blog.png" height="165" title="© Copyright 2002, Oswego City School District " width="200" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click the picture to try this computer game!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Math Magician Games - put a link on your student computers. Click on multiplication or division to practice any set of facts from ones to tens. Students try to answer 20 questions in one minute. (My students love this one, and it's free!) They can print a certificate when they pass.</span></span></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Nh7xapVB-Wk?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Show a video! Here's a student explaining multiplication memorization, and why it's not so hard (3:49)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSyRxdc537_FUxA2erCWi8vpPsYSOIBqNDiY7mcENdXrg1rHB2lkUNyuh1eWB0TjvsgDo1CmPX87bmfEUgETApiKXKB3WZh6YHjHmXDG7uJPFH5HmbE4yHGHSQTshtBieueAUytU73KYX/s1600/Cover+Image.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the picture to see this paid product on TpT</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The following pages are from my Multiplication Memorization Tool Kit. Click on any picture to see the kit in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. It has over 100 pages of multiplication memorization magic! (There is a cost for this product, since it took me eight years to make...)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Multiplication Fluency Practice - Light Bulbs and Laughter Multiplication Tool Kit" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBRm0J7fCWXG6ehid30900gbbTkXHWOG7U6aizWPp_Ms8qbhU-TiS6nURA4BsD2tFwhQp_Zi6E-NIcy5ngzei4xgO-TK8EaxXzfSuWyNFeTVy73-l4pbeX41Dkhg57aHwd_SLmhA30o93/s1600/mult+ice+cream+cones_Page_3.jpg" height="320" title="Multiplication Fluency Practice - Light Bulbs and Laughter Multiplication Tool Kit" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Ice Cream Cone Fluency Practice</span></u></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> My students love to practice with dry erase markers. We put these ice cream cones into page protectors, and they use them at a math station. These can be differentiated by having students work with different factors in the middle. One version has the factors in order, the other has them mixed up.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Secret Code Mazes</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My students love these! They have to follow the code (x1 to x10) four times in a row to get to the end.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Partner Dice Games - Light Bulbs and Laughter Multiplication Tool Kit" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfapFZio7ddHClcqZFRs6NN5woz8Fdf1u-AX6T2XZr_uLK0mlalIz9NPVWhp1Bbd_nl-RcUd3BMUpkYnigIAj3X-kTVa_ZtWGReBtPEUS6gHAlxzfpKcfZTuOUCDuN6adG7vXwfGqr8qET/s1600/Slide3.jpg" height="320" title="Partner Dice Games - Light Bulbs and Laughter Multiplication Tool Kit" width="247" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Partner Dice Games</u> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">This is one of the games in my Multiplication kit. They use two dice and go up to 6x6. These make a great math center when placed inside a plastic page protector and played with dry erase markers or game tokens.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication Homework - Light Bulbs and Laughter Multiplication Tool Kit" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIbWDGrkx1XOuRvkaHUQwBpGBIywMGk_UjLTU1GfETTYgkiyRkVX1xwAYRKwhRtM25xUbWavB4NFZbKl4ri1S9z_H6a48QtqeP6yfIfGT2NCahEfx5699JG97GsxiVfE94H0HitDU_8-C/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="320" title="Multiplication Homework - Light Bulbs and Laughter Multiplication Tool Kit" width="247" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Multiplication Homework</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have three different pages of practice that are easily differentiated. Perfect for students who need extra practice or have not quite mastered certain multiplication facts.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Memorization-Tool-Kit-1585420" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiplication Timed Test with "Secret Code" - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kFGDTyZ13D8SCncBBnmJBJ81MtWGZGGgTzySFv3DHn1Tj62hyphenhyphen8iYkTGyfKbtfCQQYptCwPOTv26DhQEk72DffijQOxag6U5DnwdOUT-OVfd8F9TxDjWbVDL8g_6JCfj8l5RM74NutR3C/s1600/Gustavo+annotated.png" height="320" title="Multiplication Timed Test with "Secret Code" - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="247" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><u>Step 3</u></span>: Assess <i>with scaffolds</i>. <span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u>Make sure</u></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u> students have a strategy for the facts you are testing!</u></span></span> Van de Walle states that a drill without an efficient strategy is a waste of time, but an effective drill strengthens memory and retrieval capabilities. Let them take a practice timed test, but have them write the "Secret Code" down the side. Set the timer to count up from zero, and have them write the time it took to finish. When they do it again the next day, they can try to beat their previous time. (I use the online timer <a href="http://www.online-stopwatch.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a>)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><u>Step 4</u></span>: Finally, assess with a timed test. By this time the hope is that they will have memorized the set of facts you are working on. I use my own timed tests from my Multiplication Tool Kit, because they have a built in review section at the bottom of the page. (What good is remembering the fours if you have forgotten all of the threes?) There are also many that you can find for free, on TpT or using a Google search.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">I give my students a week to memorize each set of facts (we have already been working on understanding multiplication for at least a month by the time we start this process). I keep track of the class on a word document that shows when they have passed the test and the regular flash cards.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ice-Cream-Sundae-Shop-A-Classroom-Incentive-Program-for-any-Subject-1263069" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ice Cream Shop incentive program on TpT from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmRMtAFiYhKk-oI06x9mwda3RymSSU0KoHOypVY7s9XJbKBRRSEhV1m6vE8ChWu4yidaOTBuyXYNQAM6ywTv3-7TF_1CTRrsfbSWrbKbb-NAFE38BuUNFzFBIMk_gcmHTxkvUMXcofmiq/s1600/ice+cream+shop+wall.jpg" height="512" title="Ice Cream Shop incentive program on TpT from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Click on the picture to see my Ice Cream Incentive Program on TpT</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><u>Step 5</u></span>: Whew! If you've made it this far, thanks! Now comes the reward. When students pass the timed test and the flash cards, they earn a part of their ice cream sundae. I have the pieces copied onto colored construction paper, and they cut it out and glue it onto their sundae on the wall. They LOVE to glue each part on - and to show it to their parents at conference time! </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ice-Cream-Sundae-Shop-A-Classroom-Incentive-Program-for-any-Subject-1263069" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ice cream sundae multiplication celebration from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0I-Cc_IOz47M5MRoVSdIhDMaOXH75skPL5AYyjg8TtsnIpPsIjsgMVZ2gRoMn6hTq116rRCVNNFsZgN1xASUQQiVvNrfEPCNAw33DXnCxAvJSgzNq_PZTY4YCJmdKw797TjcQBWCGqyzk/s1600/ice+cream+sundae+real.jpg" height="216" title="Ice cream sundae multiplication celebration from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">When the ten (or more) weeks of multiplication memorization are completed, we have a huge party. I invite parents to provide the goodies, and to help scoop ice cream, squirt syrup, sprinkle sprinkles, spray whipped cream, etc. I work in a high poverty district, but we have always had parents willing to help their children celebrate this milestone.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">My teaching partner and I have had considerable success with variations on this process for the last eight years. I'm sure there are many other (and maybe better) ways to lead students to multiplication fluency, automaticity, and memorization... but this has worked well for us. Plus, we get ice cream!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">p.s. 8x7 used to be difficult for me to remember, until I thought about the order of the digits: 56 = 7x8. Now it's my favorite fact to teach =)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Multiplication Fact Teaching,</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Denise from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" height="56" title="Denise from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/png; border: medium none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 32px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 24px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com75tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-40731415143496798942014-11-24T16:48:00.000-08:002014-12-11T20:45:21.794-08:00"Teacher, Your Penguin is Too Fat!"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACDce19eJZuGOgiiv4vW_C-tRlGdW4kWnVtJK8CEbXx6A1n9-YCnaXUyRAqIcWIGk1VuRBHq5Y3xGkuswIYu9GzDQhDI1bw5vQYaZy5vvL2IBoiOgl6qN0Jd2-lg9RYFYA9qR1N8_nmgv/s1600/Emperor+Penguin+Fat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=""Teacher, Your Penguin is Too Fat!" from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACDce19eJZuGOgiiv4vW_C-tRlGdW4kWnVtJK8CEbXx6A1n9-YCnaXUyRAqIcWIGk1VuRBHq5Y3xGkuswIYu9GzDQhDI1bw5vQYaZy5vvL2IBoiOgl6qN0Jd2-lg9RYFYA9qR1N8_nmgv/s1600/Emperor+Penguin+Fat.jpg" height="400" title=""Teacher, Your Penguin is Too Fat!" from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="332" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Allow me to introduce you to my Emperor Penguin. Her name is Penelope. I made her in one of those incredibly rare and much beloved moments in teacher time, twenty minutes spent student-less in the classroom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I gathered my butcher paper, scissors, and heavy duty glue stick, looked at my inspiration picture from Pinterest (click <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/122019471127560937/" target="_blank">HERE</a> for the original pin), and began to cut. I had to give up my lunch for this... but it was worth it. Or so I thought.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When the students walked in after lunch, Penelope was attached to the cabinets in the back of the room. Immediate chaos ensued (they're eight years old and they get excited, which is part of why I love teaching), as all 26 students needed to see her and touch her. We have been studying about penguins for a few weeks, and she was to be a part of our culminating activity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, all the students were sitting down and quiet. We were preparing to do our math fluency test when a hand went up in the middle of the room. I called on this student, who said, "Teacher, your penguin is too fat!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now my signature way of dealing with kids who do not use my name is to smile and call them "Student". They usually smile back and use my name. Not this kid. It's November, and he still calls me teacher. But I digress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So I said, "Student, why do you think Penelope is too fat?" He said, "Penelope is too fat because she should only weigh 66 pounds." Be still my heart! He can't remember my name, but he remembered what we read about penguins!</span><span style="font-size: large;"> AND he answered in a complete sentence! I asked one more question, "Student, what evidence do you have to support this statement?" He then opened his penguin folder and removed the research page he had filled out, showing me the average weight of an adult Emperor Penguin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well. I would have done the happy teacher dance if I were not hobbled by a bad knee. We went together to look at Penelope more closely. I asked the class whether they agreed that she was too fat to look as though she weighed 66 pounds. They all agreed (which third graders tend to do, no matter what question you are asking), so we put Penelope on a diet.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNryYUHpaLwPI23WTWMWCtY9LDX77jDAo9Xslx7q1ZKjS-wqyB2QsfCbdAXP970QpXugBNivCa1Dvbwhch_njL9MwMYlidKbyVfQoYh1uJgpTMVm0-Yu0c9neorRW8EYUu9X-cO8oGpj8/s1600/Emperor+Penguin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Are you taller than an Emperor Penguin? From Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNryYUHpaLwPI23WTWMWCtY9LDX77jDAo9Xslx7q1ZKjS-wqyB2QsfCbdAXP970QpXugBNivCa1Dvbwhch_njL9MwMYlidKbyVfQoYh1uJgpTMVm0-Yu0c9neorRW8EYUu9X-cO8oGpj8/s1600/Emperor+Penguin.jpg" height="640" title="Are you taller than an Emperor Penguin? From Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="372" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And here she is, newly svelte and waiting outside so that the younger students can see if they are taller than an Emperor Penguin. We looked up the meaning of svelte, and chose the first definition. Penelope is now slender, and while I doubt she is graceful while walking on the ice, we choose to believe that she is very graceful in the water!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3ZwDJ-Rpk4OQmRAm6mBg_4ddPbe6kDluOSR1wVKI72Jg6JBv1RjjhB3HEyWRrbvVzI3LOtsNu5Cj0GtQO2rSRJyCqvgTGesJYLjX9qBgvftZMAMToJwH7YK39xk-u7CEdD6klz-zjPXC/s1600/svelte+definition.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3ZwDJ-Rpk4OQmRAm6mBg_4ddPbe6kDluOSR1wVKI72Jg6JBv1RjjhB3HEyWRrbvVzI3LOtsNu5Cj0GtQO2rSRJyCqvgTGesJYLjX9qBgvftZMAMToJwH7YK39xk-u7CEdD6klz-zjPXC/s1600/svelte+definition.png" height="126" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Normally I do not recommend a diet that relies on scissors for results, but in this case, it worked out well. =)</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbXbYDgG4Tb5FsSp8vJsHZreysXW10-6JwfANQSqQM5-KbCLxz80RiTv3RZQLnVSMycvrodnCiDjVZ6NzZ9gyXlrFp2N5vcsF2R9qXU-8gbUIXul0dv0j76wWyqoGPotYQiuLZvmL6po5/s1600/Riley+the+Kitty+Penguin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuRh-IND2FaeH3R68WaPtEwbXINBf9MjoreAFOZbeGo0fMPNthmDtt0eGPTJbHpN1Y-cTgCsUY7_Bw72CW5f13OswKzhFkE_LdJEERWjklK8hTCdNi2dTmrxZ6UrEVzJtkfnMVpbon1QU/s1600/Riley+and+Penguin+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Riley the Cat and His Penguin from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuRh-IND2FaeH3R68WaPtEwbXINBf9MjoreAFOZbeGo0fMPNthmDtt0eGPTJbHpN1Y-cTgCsUY7_Bw72CW5f13OswKzhFkE_LdJEERWjklK8hTCdNi2dTmrxZ6UrEVzJtkfnMVpbon1QU/s1600/Riley+and+Penguin+cropped.jpg" height="640" title="Riley the Cat and His Penguin from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="584" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25KE1qH1WjRQaaivERp-C_384kFMrthmscUXd1KpcYyIsgdW1FnPCjn6ECGoBdXSOoRf07mp5R5kaYUoaITjl3GI-SRpBwFSZ3Q4PLAMGKRoGIvrS5-zfVKLLEesN9GxfrMchc7uybDWP/s1600/Penguin+like+Riley+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Before I go I must share with you this picture of my cat. His name is Riley, and he looks a bit like a penguin. Riley loves to stand up on his back feet and be petted on the back of his neck. This is what I imagine might happen if a penguin came to visit. Can you tell which one is Riley? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One more quick penguin item... here's a freebie from my TpT store. It's the same multiplication game in color and black and white. Click on either picture to download.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Penguin-Multiplication-Dice-Game-1577809" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="FREE Penguin Multiplication Game from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3b1KAZYfoqgrwctYr7UBdQopyjsbJdkUw3h6xrv5tdO_-w2clCXD80NK3wtSeBnUI6rR683dpwwHGxmsKi_iMWX-xRedMqg_CTAKiB2USbsJppeMLu4LIRN67Q2YuY_2cEC4AXmIechN/s1600/Slide1.jpg" height="640" title="FREE Penguin Multiplication Game from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="492" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Penguin-Multiplication-Dice-Game-1577809" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="FREE Penguin Multiplication Game from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sqXmyTurBYOq2xrHoFArCCH7_bBideTj9WN5WqawBXPhIzHUkpf4pCfPrZxrvtBdGGTZtjfhIiR1zJemlPYBc4x2pVTiOkM4rSYzAJc3eJ6x_aTqbceoIZxdSXgU_5NyiyCDyirjaycX/s1600/Slide2.jpg" height="640" title="FREE Penguin Multiplication Game from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="492" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">I also have a Pinterest board with lots of links to penguin activities, freebies, art projects, and videos. You can find it <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/dbese/teaching-with-penguins/" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy teaching with penguins,</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" height="56" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-55230323312418333372014-10-16T21:53:00.001-07:002014-12-11T20:46:28.586-08:00Classroom Conundrum: I Don't Like Halloween<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs687UApCDqs8je1KVfg9IAiGKmNc5afJcR9b0xpHfJg0NfYttHLszCjW9fYOrO1uWnO0yLZtaO6yVZrIj_wjDLdsR4rQp859ZBESlZdjl_xm28deKsQsYyU67zi5GkhbgcIxISFKQn1p/s1600/Classroom+Conundrum+Halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Classroom Conumdrum - I Don't Like Halloween - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs687UApCDqs8je1KVfg9IAiGKmNc5afJcR9b0xpHfJg0NfYttHLszCjW9fYOrO1uWnO0yLZtaO6yVZrIj_wjDLdsR4rQp859ZBESlZdjl_xm28deKsQsYyU67zi5GkhbgcIxISFKQn1p/s1600/Classroom+Conundrum+Halloween.jpg" height="640" title="Classroom Conumdrum - I Don't Like Halloween - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Depositphotos.com/@ Krisdog @Wavebreakmedia</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have a confession to make. I'm an elementary teacher who does not like Halloween. Honestly, I find the whole thing kind of distasteful. The focus on evil/scary/ugly things is just not something I can appreciate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For a lot of teachers, this is not an issue, because so many schools do not celebrate the holiday. Mine does. We make a Halloween craft. We read Halloween books. We allow students to wear their costumes to school and celebrate with a parade through the classrooms. Parents send candy and cupcakes and all sorts of goodies for their kids to hand out to their classmates. Our Principal even wears a costume, and teachers are expected to wear costumes, as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After all that, we try to teach, when all the kids can focus on is the candy waiting for them at the end-of-the-day party. Seriously, what are the chances that any learning will take place that day? For several years, I had a BAD attitude about Halloween. Yes, I wore a costume. But I didn't have to like it! Once, I got the flu, and I was almost happy to be throwing up, because I could avoid the whole day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then I started really paying attention to my students during October. Their little faces would simply light up when they described their costume to me. They didn't want to be evil, they just wanted to be a ladybug. Or a Superhero. How could I dislike something that brought them so much joy?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF4uJGpE8bn76FxEFBt_0KQ9E3Kks67m0t9BiPa2HsWSPrpM43yVm0Tli5P0Y_UP_8gHV7RYIVXyJLRft73tEmOlYaDhkGFuUrsoPhoHTSBRrW5RTJEWWvK4lXVKnAH7KI-VL_VwU_T8OF/s1600/SUPER-KIDS+halloween+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Superhero Kids - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF4uJGpE8bn76FxEFBt_0KQ9E3Kks67m0t9BiPa2HsWSPrpM43yVm0Tli5P0Y_UP_8gHV7RYIVXyJLRft73tEmOlYaDhkGFuUrsoPhoHTSBRrW5RTJEWWvK4lXVKnAH7KI-VL_VwU_T8OF/s1600/SUPER-KIDS+halloween+blog.jpg" height="320" title="Superhero Kids - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Depositphotos.com/@ Malchev</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">So here's what I do. I do my best to turn Halloween into something more positive. I tell my third graders not to be anything too evil or scary, because I'm too young for scary stuff (this always makes them laugh, because they're sure I'm at least a hundred years old). I pull out my Cat in the Hat costume and paint on some whiskers, and I do my best to appreciate their joy in the day. </span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I take their picture and have them write about their costume. I look on Teachers Pay Teachers for non-scary activities that address the standards we happen to be learning. And when it's over, I give a BIG sigh of relief, wash off my whiskers, and put my hat away until next year.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETMrYQmcCGKeOiEfPa4bPIsctNZnhBNzBAzA_gWPgvGR0Pz1leiBRLdqXRyNxpRigANtfFDt3jbZwmaAAIRb-nNsmxfQGQnpY87sy8dK-68rbnKybvwcshY2-ueC3uvPH6YyAYQGo_u3E/s1600/Say+BOO+to+Drugs+Halloween+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Say Boo to Drugs door - Red Ribbon Week - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETMrYQmcCGKeOiEfPa4bPIsctNZnhBNzBAzA_gWPgvGR0Pz1leiBRLdqXRyNxpRigANtfFDt3jbZwmaAAIRb-nNsmxfQGQnpY87sy8dK-68rbnKybvwcshY2-ueC3uvPH6YyAYQGo_u3E/s1600/Say+BOO+to+Drugs+Halloween+blog.jpg" height="400" title="Say Boo to Drugs door - Red Ribbon Week - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="276" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also try to incorporate Halloween into other things that are happening in October, like <a href="http://redribbon.org/pledge/" target="_blank">Red Ribbon Week</a>. So we say "Boo" to drugs, and make ghosts (cute ghosts, not scary ones!) with our hand prints and some googly eyes. I found this ghost craft idea on Pinterest, of course. You can find the original pin <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/122019471123634488/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now that I'm routinely sharing things on Teachers Pay Teachers (many for free), I decided to go ahead and make monthly calendars with seasonal and holiday clip art, so teachers can have a choice of which to use. For October, I have two choices: an Autumn theme, and a Halloween theme with happy jack-o-lanterns. Nothing too evil or scary =) Click on either picture if you would like these free calendars to use with your students.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-October-Calendars-Autumn-and-Halloween-Theme-1503403" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="October Calendars FREE from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyT_on5fVfGCKefr79FVXdkrwi-DxsfdHz4sol0v8rhrFeB155uQTC2zsQMgx5ZF4H2gDzeWAMgztMHxNdzG2KwWl46HOasArjK6SxEB9EnvuxEpSScqNFkZviGG-p2Kseevz8AoClBHIR/s1600/Calendar+FREE+October+Pin.jpg" height="640" title="October Calendars FREE from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="412" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can find the entire year of calendars, with and without Holidays (27 in all) for sale <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Monthly-Black-White-Calendars-to-Use-Year-After-Year-1483667" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Teaching at Halloween,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" height="56" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url("data:image/png; border: medium none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 18px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-11673019863294616712014-09-21T22:32:00.000-07:002015-07-03T11:30:32.628-07:00Classroom Posters For Every Teacher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Classroom-Posters-For-Every-Teacher-1460091" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7xvXRo6tZl-dM2BaFGRAWjFaBUdTe0a0TMR49Ktt1ztIAlA-HZC9fIX8D3YR3ekFKmJKdPUdYohWha6ONPoxgRkUemyufgkELyJHQx7-3UH9SvwV05xdR6hWxIUiaoGJhLi8L2tebzxf/s1600/paint+splatter+signs+BW+pin.jpg" title="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Oh. My. Word. This is THAT year. You know what I mean. Every teacher has had at least one. This year is really going to help me grow as a teacher. That's all I can say. Well, I can say a lot more, but I'm going to let my students' words speak for themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In my classroom, we make a habit of talking out the negative things that happen. We come up with alternate ways that a person could react to a situation. We help each other get along. We apologize when we've hurt someone. We write a pledge together and recite it every day. In it we promise to work as a team and follow the Golden Rule. We learn about the Pillars of Character. You get the drift.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a list of some things I've heard from my students this year. We wrote them on the board. Then we talked about how a person could respond to these words. Here's what we came up with. If these are posters that you can use, please download them from Teachers Pay Teachers. Use them with my blessing! And have a wonderful year. <span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">(Click on any picture to download. They come in two versions: paint splatters and black and white.)</span></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">"He made me do it."</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">"She did it first!" </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">"I wouldn't have kicked him if he hadn't hit me."</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Classroom-Posters-For-Every-Teacher-1460091" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJN6m8m7pEGi31Zv4nbDvq_6T480jIigcxtQgJmBIgYmjOi_SCRSold86OOpcjktr2kPtYER1t9xnVabbDRaL5VPiIdoZa6UPPvGU6HvshnrpuF2JKTCeA15pqyEIWxRS9lB5EHilhl0ne/s1600/Slide7.jpg" title="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="308" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">"My dog peed on it and I had to throw it away." (Checked with mom. She said, "We don't have a dog.")</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Classroom-Posters-For-Every-Teacher-1460091" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0hW4ayrhJEUhFs2Qrci3uvKC8iTN7ElKKZscvO0S7mK-_2MK6-gjeZZbnTDLZg8jZyGJtPXS6HRiYWj9C_bOCs1nlu4JvT6BAmTjK_XrJr7EaVo8OMj40Mai_W_fOdykLH4GcXu485ni/s1600/Slide6.jpg" title="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="308" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">"Nobody gave me my homework."</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">"Why do I have to? It's not fair!" </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Classroom-Posters-For-Every-Teacher-1460091" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYzZCBtAyGWH-AzCoYImfExwIzCS-CdiGwp5hHT3BKsyz29pcuFDHg4froJUQstZ99KLLNO5ZhInil0BK3WHnFJCssv5WX70U-lSxQklTHjoo_cfFwU56V0-jZyQwCIFNaJrL2RznyWsm/s1600/Slide9.jpg" title="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="308" /></a></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">"I had to erase her name and put mine. You didn't give me one."</span></li>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Classroom-Posters-For-Every-Teacher-1460091" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDX6qzXpoj0seKI7oWCof_OiAD77zufb_BPmozrRduk-4I0VO7e9tUUKKnFMTXrTMqBeZljFIIq9iEfpf4yge72gS_DJkAuN69MA7pwxVIw3gEDVPz2iPGcvVmXZ5MejoolMdTqYx6bN2/s1600/Slide3.jpg" title="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="308" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">"I didn't do it." (Oh, yes, you really did.)</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmO_mzZCZrZzpB0JmMEziCw1SZtFDQuH6rMKsrSXdZJYz4c5LVKrO5Djq6av-pi-FE6sp3UCQDHwl0qPXPMpMBxMXyLtvyt-0rYXKSROzKdYNp-ZpcvIbLzGCkRoHW5Q7mXwrtWrfj411/s1600/Slide2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmO_mzZCZrZzpB0JmMEziCw1SZtFDQuH6rMKsrSXdZJYz4c5LVKrO5Djq6av-pi-FE6sp3UCQDHwl0qPXPMpMBxMXyLtvyt-0rYXKSROzKdYNp-ZpcvIbLzGCkRoHW5Q7mXwrtWrfj411/s1600/Slide2.jpg" title="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="308" /></a></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">"I don't like purple. I want the black ones."</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Classroom-Posters-For-Every-Teacher-1460091" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnutlDbGMl2Itl67WjshfXDv9kAIdNRgON-kfXYBBYnWMV-0_6jRXhKWssKm0mwFDABfsHtNDgQ8hv-RAl8LT_8fpy6l4b4GpgzvwwJi_F9ltYpdR9sk1wG_5m1KVZ2QVTZyjE6o9yLIDV/s1600/Slide2.jpg" title="Classroom Posters For Every Teacher - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="308" /></a></span></div>
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I hope that you do not need these as much as I do this year! The good news is, I think they're already helping. =)</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Teaching,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-90003420952274016802014-09-13T23:31:00.002-07:002015-09-05T19:37:51.205-07:00How To Make a Paper American Flag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlSHA_EiN7wZElXp2SZoW2Jiae77-yU5V3QIDC6LPogrUN_wxTaNQ0BkbKHauEmpJEG2WqXjRCDc4ttNdHVXeKhZ1tjOS_hLXBVBmawnoBVjrIuxzwtX8uvpW9SfbZ8QPVlTNxo12VxR3/s1600/SS+Banner+day+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How To Make a Paper American Flag from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlSHA_EiN7wZElXp2SZoW2Jiae77-yU5V3QIDC6LPogrUN_wxTaNQ0BkbKHauEmpJEG2WqXjRCDc4ttNdHVXeKhZ1tjOS_hLXBVBmawnoBVjrIuxzwtX8uvpW9SfbZ8QPVlTNxo12VxR3/s1600/SS+Banner+day+pic.jpg" title="How To Make a Paper American Flag from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our school had an amazing day celebrating the 200th Birthday of the Star Spangled Banner! We raised a new flag, sang every patriotic song imaginable, and were even on the local news. My third graders were so proud of the flag that they made (with a little help from their teacher). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The inspiration for the flag came from Pinterest, of course... but that flag was small, and we wanted to make a BIG one to be on television, so here's the recipe for a 3x4 1/2 foot flag:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/How-To-Make-a-Paper-American-Flag-A-FREE-Recipe-1446738" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Recipe for a Paper American Flag from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-La6w3vjyu6LlkkPJDNEZvSCb9bztrTNCWZMcTUFKBIeCatSal6jZwRyanApA6cG3CldxwMsgEF8xmhI1NJoHjRgd1ArAz4ISa9VeFn52A0GoJGhlPrVVAIV44TXzz8oZeDDxXbliV3H5/s1600/Recipe+for+American+flag.png" title="Recipe for a Paper American Flag from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Click on the picture to download the recipe. I hope you have as much fun making this as we did! Here's a look at our new Star Spangled Banner being raised. (See our flag on the fence?)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNWB9Av4JnUPW-8Vt5mXXPoz2LHZraIYM2Kl3ql0618NPfh4PHk1xMSQKg-UCM472tepYg9MeSTgbXxeqZjZaNdoAYcnLY245BZnU4tISDJIgMowwig2VTmQDFiDl9TPdt4T_7se_LjG7/s1600/SS+Banner+day+pic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Raising the Star Spangled Banner - Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNWB9Av4JnUPW-8Vt5mXXPoz2LHZraIYM2Kl3ql0618NPfh4PHk1xMSQKg-UCM472tepYg9MeSTgbXxeqZjZaNdoAYcnLY245BZnU4tISDJIgMowwig2VTmQDFiDl9TPdt4T_7se_LjG7/s1600/SS+Banner+day+pic2.jpg" title="Raising the Star Spangled Banner - Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="594" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Teaching,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUg5WPoAexH8DGvusaJ8xndWAW140-LD4Wui0jmFobjoqnCPTSKqWXVAdZdfJwueZVgkEyuB8AWYsjqIIIm4UYeFvvRdwCOJRuPuMOS_u0EEQ3DspDroYLzcEaAznpGiGR8zTpcQTZgjUW/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-18468600223165013682014-09-08T21:39:00.000-07:002015-09-14T07:11:26.005-07:00The Star Spangled Banner's Birthday!<span style="font-size: large;">On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key was on an enemy ship in Baltimore Harbor, and had just watched a 25 hour battle in which the British attempted to capture Fort McHenry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">They did not succeed. When dawn came, he was able to see the huge American flag flying above the fort. Overcome with emotion, he found an envelope and began to write on it. Those words have become the National Anthem of the United States of America.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love teaching about the Star Spangled banner! It was huge. It was
also unique, being the only U.S. flag that had 15 stripes instead of
13. I love the vocabulary... words like ramparts and gallantly and
perilous. They're beautiful, and so full of meaning. Our students need
to know these words. They need to know that they live in the land of
the free and the home of the brave. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Star-Spangled-Banner-FREE-Poster-and-Coloring-PageCloze-Activity-1437139" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Star Spangled Banner Poster from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRIfZ4E4IDPTwKVNECO8GbEripMLJTo96JZRZCvRW49p1mtS1JDIzUOWfs6l7rouMrIgkvpnfe7JnwOe5Rx5a0lD2AkIYJKEF8QezbDvoc3lYvvb0YPd7IRICG3FnR6x3E0__bEytFtZE/s1600/Slide1.jpg" title="Star Spangled Banner Poster from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Star-Spangled-Banner-FREE-Poster-and-Coloring-PageCloze-Activity-1437139" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Star Spangled Banner Coloring page/Cloze Activity from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rWHa67enL-d7znkOVTNkkL12fJtwFeT79PERkhzhyphenhyphenbAs5AyP4_BGlxJIQb8FzSTt4-_UmvMzeOdRctKuC7y344yG7wSC8GwxFl5c4QyT5coOgZZCEldhoWy_h3p_d7YJn2dcjEEgJ22Q/s1600/Slide2.jpg" title="Star Spangled Banner Coloring page/Cloze Activity from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">September 14, 2014 was the 200th birthday of the Star Spangled Banner. To celebrate this occasion, I made a poster for my classroom with the lyrics, and a coloring page/cloze activity to help students learn the words. These are a FREE download on Teachers Pay Teachers. Just click on either picture to download them both!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I like to play videos of different people preforming the song while the students fill in the blanks. Youtube has many to choose from, but be careful of ads and strange suggestions in the sidebar! If you would like to play them directly from Pinterest, you can access my board <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/dbese/teaching-about-the-usa/" target="_blank">Teaching about the USA</a>. Play them from there, or repin them to your own account.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Star-Spangled-Banner-Flip-Book-1437030" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Star Spangled Banner Flip Book on TpT from Light Bulbs and Laughter" border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7FXaYEckw34RbumTdKQGk85XSVpUzhafdTr7E1Tbbf2aVAUsFdiTa1T7mpB9JSqHxKA8BEtWHsG9GP5NEOmwN6JoFrAH8L7xhyT52ylun4ickWk_12d1lZpz0s9TY4vEULnWTYyRAU6Q/s1600/Slide01.jpg" title="Star Spangled Banner Flip Book on TpT from Light Bulbs and Laughter" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">I've also made a paid product, a flip book that tells the story, teaches the vocabulary, lets students put the song into their own words, and has them draw the Star Spangled Banner. Click on the picture to check it out. It is appropriate for third through fifth grade.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our school is having a HUGE event on to celebrate this 200th Birthday. We'll be on the local news and everything =) I'll post some pictures in a few days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Teaching,</span><br />
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<br />Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-62638016211262441552014-08-05T07:49:00.004-07:002015-09-20T23:29:14.688-07:00"I'd Like Some Multiplication With My Ice Cream, Please."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbH41LVCiFX7gdgfkF-bXdpCcyOlU5zRfffAj4q2igy3k-BhjOEyOK72yeX-5-bBINYgTZ0zkwNNcpZ817oakR55_tQXIuy7H9VzCTCETHoYTIux9lEiZ1rNLCV9OsTpLasMWBriyvZsBr/s1600/mult+ice+cream+cone+pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbH41LVCiFX7gdgfkF-bXdpCcyOlU5zRfffAj4q2igy3k-BhjOEyOK72yeX-5-bBINYgTZ0zkwNNcpZ817oakR55_tQXIuy7H9VzCTCETHoYTIux9lEiZ1rNLCV9OsTpLasMWBriyvZsBr/s1600/mult+ice+cream+cone+pic.png" width="172" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Third grade is all about multiplication. We explore it. We dig into equal groups and patterns and skip counting. We make sure students get to a deep understanding of what it is and why it works. We talk about properties and unknown factors and arrays.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the end, we are hoping for two things: understanding and fluency. Understanding is demonstrated by being able to show many ways of finding an answer. For instance, a student could be looking at the problem 4x3. He or she could show an array made with objects, a written equation, equal groups of dots drawn inside of circles, and skip counting on a number line. He or she should also be able to verbally explain why each of these represents the idea that three groups of four (or four groups of three) equals twelve. After this, they must know how to interpret a multiplication problem as a word problem. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are looking for a student to be able to say, "Well, if there are seven rows of chairs, and I put eight chairs in each row, there will be fifty-six chairs altogether." This, along with drawing a picture or using manipulatives, would demonstrate understanding. This poster helps to illustrate what third graders must understand:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRMgXChyphenhyphenGoHY3bdDcx6M7pK0mAvtcgSqcil6BIiiEIMl7W7zqpR3Ufzom16j-3dBRCshQNHdqssI44OH3kjsTaF-pcVl3ehzLTiKOh61wJDLbh755gbT7XkkCVkWiSt8TuTULjNGmXT7F/s1600/Slide2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Light Bulbs and Laughter - Multiplication Give Me 5 Poster" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRMgXChyphenhyphenGoHY3bdDcx6M7pK0mAvtcgSqcil6BIiiEIMl7W7zqpR3Ufzom16j-3dBRCshQNHdqssI44OH3kjsTaF-pcVl3ehzLTiKOh61wJDLbh755gbT7XkkCVkWiSt8TuTULjNGmXT7F/s1600/Slide2.jpg" title="Light Bulbs and Laughter - Multiplication Give Me 5 Poster" width="492" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Give-Me-5-1374187" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Light Bulbs and Laughter - Multiplication Give Me 5 Worksheet" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rvrHkHIZju_y4XZppUpqMA3QP-zF4VoqqELNPN7pkuDr9WCkB80LveqKnTBU0MOLEOcunRGw1SopoMTVbRt_pMFL4xAPJm0gbRh9Fx9xYC6fTXWAPGLbivd8O09SSkmr2nfMmaKdPnXh/s1600/Slide2.jpg" title="Light Bulbs and Laughter - Multiplication Give Me 5 Worksheet" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on either picture to download both (FREE) from Teachers Pay Teachers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, students need a way to show their understanding, so I have made a page so that they can "Give Me 5." After they are used to this template, they can easily do the same thing in their math journals or on a blank piece of paper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">**UPDATE</span>: <span style="color: blue;">I have added a second set to the free download that replaces the word problem with repeated addition!**</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">True understanding of these concepts does not happen after one or two lessons... it may take weeks for some students. Some will find a favorite method and may not want to use others. I encourage them to keep trying all of them (Here's where a gesture and a smile can accomplish so much! Just hold up your hand with your fingers spread apart and they'll know you mean "Give Me 5"), and I ask LOTS of questions while they are working:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">"How does that work?"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">"Could you do that a different way?"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">"Why did you choose that method?"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">"What else could you use to show the equation?"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">"Why is every one of your word problems about aliens?" <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(true story!)</span> </span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Encouraging them to talk to each other is important, too. I love hearing students explaining their thinking to each other! Have them do a page together in groups (poster size is fun), or have groups take turns using the white board to "Give Me 5". </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the understanding has been established, it is time to develop fluency. The Common Core State Standards call for students to:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the
relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 ×
5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end
of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers. (3.OA.7)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Next time, we'll talk about fluency and memorization. (You can find that post <a href="http://lightbulbsandlaughter.blogspot.com/2014/11/unlocking-secret-code-of-multiplication.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.) I hope that you find my "Give Me 5" pages helpful in your classroom. Please leave a comment and let me know!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Teaching,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStnKBuTiDI8tAUQSF41EJJPZdZtHJzVPfaw56g8W5ZVGR5S2kXf_uTN-Dpk9tnjybHKk7MghMU6jsXJP6PLFA_pFgIuLCZlBOIyJsau7SECuEJ5-XxjUBitf6naBtYgvVrAuvbF4pO31X/s1600/Signature+with+LBL.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStnKBuTiDI8tAUQSF41EJJPZdZtHJzVPfaw56g8W5ZVGR5S2kXf_uTN-Dpk9tnjybHKk7MghMU6jsXJP6PLFA_pFgIuLCZlBOIyJsau7SECuEJ5-XxjUBitf6naBtYgvVrAuvbF4pO31X/s1600/Signature+with+LBL.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Denise@Light Bulbs and Laughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10832578550688444659noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383803376385924242.post-78428335545275440172014-07-25T22:58:00.003-07:002014-12-11T20:50:54.459-08:00Eleven Rules for Engaging Students' Brains<br />
<div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: HelloBirdie; font-size: 7.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-bidi-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am not a scientist. I'm a regular teacher who does regular teacher-y things. Like taking classes to learn to be a <i>better</i> teacher, and reading articles, books and blogs. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: HelloBirdie; font-size: 7.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-bidi-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The only thing that I am an expert on is what works in my own classroom. That's it. <span style="font-family: HelloBirdie;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've spent years figuring this out. No one knows this better than I do. This is because:</span> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: HelloBirdie; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: HelloBirdie;">I have made it my goal to try to teach </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: HelloBirdie; font-size: 7.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-bidi-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: HelloBirdie;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">the way kids learn.</span> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: HelloBirdie; font-size: 7.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-bidi-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This means taking the time to figure our how their brains work! So here is my list of 11 Rules for Engaging Students' Brains. I<span style="font-family: HelloBirdie;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">'m printing it out and keeping it close while I teach, because I need constant reminding! </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 7.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-bidi-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="font-size: large;">(That's the way MY brain works.) </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: HelloBirdie; font-size: 7.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-bidi-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: HelloBirdie;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I hope it can help you, as well. </span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnCv2RNOzciKY8nTs1N3_DjoCFfoWgVu9bVGu4caTTCyhkxeNaKMTyisyC5mH3uwdypG27YZKU8NdULV2BaCPVKfWbVOLco5e5bC6DyLJE_Oi648JUq78yFX6pWwxMDFoOD9ivXAeFemU/s1600/Slide1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Light Bulbs and Laughter - Eleven Rules for Engaging Students' Brains" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnCv2RNOzciKY8nTs1N3_DjoCFfoWgVu9bVGu4caTTCyhkxeNaKMTyisyC5mH3uwdypG27YZKU8NdULV2BaCPVKfWbVOLco5e5bC6DyLJE_Oi648JUq78yFX6pWwxMDFoOD9ivXAeFemU/s1600/Slide1.png" height="640" title="Light Bulbs and Laughter - Eleven Rules for Engaging Students' Brains" width="416" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: HelloBirdie; font-size: 7.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-bidi-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> You can download these FREE posters </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: HelloBirdie; font-size: 7.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-bidi-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">from TpT by clicking <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Eleven-Rules-for-Engaging-Students-Brains-1348324" target="_blank">HERE.</a></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpbkBWcbL6s3hyV-3ROrV-fIrPegoXir-e4y23oC0ASvvEjTi5jfrHxUOV_blvOTgQXOD6PAFxqvsrSdwAW7rG3kBwtcQ-DCBUmvBJhkX4Lyt8faj0nKVegqLW2VAgJ4PH7g9I7do9r_U/s1600/10+Rules+for+Brains+Pic+Black.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Light Bulbs and Laughter - Eleven Rules for Engaging Students' Brains" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpbkBWcbL6s3hyV-3ROrV-fIrPegoXir-e4y23oC0ASvvEjTi5jfrHxUOV_blvOTgQXOD6PAFxqvsrSdwAW7rG3kBwtcQ-DCBUmvBJhkX4Lyt8faj0nKVegqLW2VAgJ4PH7g9I7do9r_U/s1600/10+Rules+for+Brains+Pic+Black.png" height="640" title="Light Bulbs and Laughter - Eleven Rules for Engaging Students' Brains" width="416" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: HelloBirdie; font-size: 7.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-bidi-font-family: HelloBirdie; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwsugnDaXUaOi2rngfO8gS5K_aG_r6uYYcbbBqVcToc6Qil-sa3ZiJOAClhgzbR16RZvQSEAikaOTaZLFg0lk9A1jaPsUbTSq9OkZT6yxO0paOsbGnwdp2tlxuil1Wa1DlDtdMtn9ReZ9/s1600/Slide3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Light Bulbs and Laughter - Eleven Rules for Engaging Students' Brains" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwsugnDaXUaOi2rngfO8gS5K_aG_r6uYYcbbBqVcToc6Qil-sa3ZiJOAClhgzbR16RZvQSEAikaOTaZLFg0lk9A1jaPsUbTSq9OkZT6yxO0paOsbGnwdp2tlxuil1Wa1DlDtdMtn9ReZ9/s1600/Slide3.png" height="640" title="Light Bulbs and Laughter - Eleven Rules for Engaging Students' Brains" width="416" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Teaching,</span></div>
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