Desks instead of paper

We start every class period with a bell ringer.  The students will have 2-4 problems that they must begin working when they come in the room.  After the bell ringer, they will do a quick one question quiz which reviews some concept we have previously discussed.  The quiz must follow the four step plan of: Read, think, solve and justify.

Of course, we have papers that they can keep the work organized, but this year I like to throw in a little different bell ringer every now and then.

One morning, I handed each student a dry erase marker when they walked in the room.  On the bell ringer screen, I included a box that stated to answer the bell ringer by writing on the desk with the dry erase marker.  I heard several gasps and "REALLY?"  They got to work and enjoyed the activity.

I typically give 2-4 minutes to complete bell ringer.  We usually switch papers and grade it.  On this occasion, we weren't really able to switch papers, so I told them to go on a field trip to somewhere else in the room.  This not only allowed them to get up and move, but it kept their attention.

After checking the bell ringer, they wiped off the desk and got ready for the quiz.  Most of the desks wipe off very well.  A few of the desks have a little different laminate, but a disinfectant wipe got the marker right off. Once the quiz was completed, they went on another field trip to somewhere they had never been before.

The kids really took to this.  I have thrown this in about once a month.  A few weeks ago, we had group work for 3 days, so each day I allowed the bell ringer and quiz to be done this way.  It provides a change-up and it helps to keep the kids excited about what the class may hold.

This was an example of one desk after the quiz.  I had all the kids take a trip to this desk to see what I look for in a justification.

It is great to give the kids a little surprise, and this surprise was FREE!

Happy Desk Writing!

Punch board

It has been a while since my last post!  The whirlwind of school came in FAST!!  It has been non-stop since the first day of school.  I have been finding new things to do this year, and it has kept me busy.

My biggest thing is starting the interactive math journal.  I LOVE this!  I wish I would have started this years ago.  As soon as I take some good pictures, I will put it in a post.

I just created this punch board tonight.  I plan on using it for a review game.

Items used:

• tri-fold display board
• plastic bowls (purchased at Dollar Tree....they even came with lids)
• stick-on velcro
• tissue paper
• rubber bands

Here is what I did to set up my board:

• I used velcro to adhere each cup to the board.  
• I got a big thing of tissue paper (50% off right now at Hobby Lobby).  I cut a few pieces in fourths. 
• I used a rubber band to put the tissue paper on.  
• Once the cup has been punched, I can restock and use the same rubber band to put a new piece of tissue paper on.  This would be a great job for a student.  I see some math bucks being earned with this.  
• If I don't need all the cups for the task at hand, I can put the lid on the ones not needed.
• For easy storage, I can pull the bowls off and store the board.

My son has tested the board, and it worked just fine.  He had fun hitting it!

Here are some ways I plan to incorporate this:

• word problem questions
• skill (create the item listed on the SMART board..for example, right now we are reviewing graphs and plots.  If they punch a bar graph, they would need to draw a bar graph on the board)
• # to a question on a test/paper already assigned  (periodically I do group tests, so this would be a good way to assess)
• incentive rewards (different prizes, etc)

I am sure I will come up with more uses as I incorporate this.

Happy Punching!!

Testing Time oh my!!!

Today was the 8th grade math test for the State of Texas.  I really do not like testing time.  I don't like the kids feeling like one test determines if they have learned or not.  That is just NOT the case.  I have explained to my kids the way I would test them if I were in charge.  The kids liked it, so maybe one day, I can help have a say in how we test our kids.

Our math department always puts together goody bags for our kids.  We are able to pay for these through fundraisers.  The bags include:
peppermint gum
peppermints
smarties
bracelet
motivational pencil
eraser
stickers
little note of encouragement

I love seeing the kids put his/her note on the corner of the desk, so they can look at it throughout the test.  It makes the time spent putting the bags together so worth it!

The kids have 4 hours to take the test, and that means 4 hours for teachers to watch and actively monitor.  Nothing can be more boring!  I would rather take the test 50 times as opposed to staring at the kids.

As I was watching the kids, you could start to see the energy running out.  I made up little inspirational notes on a sticky note.  I walked around and put it on the desks.  Many of the kids lined it up right beside the other one. I did this every 30 minutes.  I would alternate between a note and a sticker.  I have a pile of sticker pads I have picked up at Dollar Tree.  You never know when you might need them, and they are only $1.  (Of course, I never think about putting the stickers on papers).  The kids love the stickers!  This sure helped pass the 4 hour watching period, and it made the kids feel good.

Here are two of the desks after the test was over!

Whenever your testing time comes around, remember to tell the kids that one test does not define them.  Let them know that regardless of what this one test says, they have learned so much throughout the year, and one test could not possibly ever measure how much they have learned.

Happy test taking!

Minute to Win It Battle Ball

I am always trying to find creative ways to assess my students.  With benchmarking, the kids become overwhelmed with all the tests.  I have done partner tests, tests where the kids rotate around the room, group tests, etc.  Measurement is a difficult concept, so on my big measurement test this year, I let them work in their houses.

I created:  Minute to Win It Battle Ball:  A game of Brains and Skill

The kids LOVED it!  I had kids so excited about coming up and answering the questions.  At first I used a random number generator found with the SMARTboard.  The numbers 2 and 4 were not coming up very often, so the kids asked me to use something else.  I started using an interactive number cube, and it was much better.


Objective:
Work in your house to answer the questions.
You want to add as many points to your house while taking away points from another house.

• Each person in the house needs to have a number 1-5 (6 th period will have 1-4) in the
top right hand corner of your paper. Do not use the same number. If you don’t have
enough house members, someone will need to be the other number(s).
• Work together in your house to solve the questions.
• Everyone must be working the problems on his/her own paper.
• Periodically, time will be called and all papers need to be put in the air.
• A number will be randomly selected.
• The person with that number must IMMEDIATELY go to the front of the room with
his/her own paper.
• I will look at a problem. If the answer is correct, 5 points are added to the house. If
the answer is wrong, 5 points are deducted from the house. If there is not any work,
five points are immediately lost and the player is disqualified from the round.
• The players will then get to try to make a basket.
• If the basket is made, an additional 5 points are added to the house, and the player
can take away 5 points from another house or combination of houses.
• Play continues until questions have been graded.
• Questions should be graded by all students as we go through the game.
• 5 points will be deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct (including telling other groups to
shut up)

Minute to Win it Round:
• Periodically, a random person will come forward to complete a skill.
• If the skill is completed within one minute, 50 points are added to the house.
• The first person to complete the task will win an additional 50 points, and he/she can
deduct 25 points from any house or combination of houses.

+5: correct answer
-5: incorrect answer
+5: make basket (can take away 5 points from another house or combination of houses)
-5: unsportsmanlike conduct
+50: complete skill within one minute
+50: first person to complete the skill (can take away 25 points off any house or combination
of houses)
+100:  House with the highest mean test score

Some examples of games we did with the minute to Win It round:

Marshmallow Stacking

Cheerios on a noodle

Cookie slide

Cookie slide

Marshmallow stacking

The competitive nature of the kids came out!  Overall, it went GREAT!  The kids have already asked me when we will play it again!

Happy Battle Ball!

Incentives! Incentives!

This year the change I made was to reward my kids more!  I have always given incentives to the whole class, but I really wanted to make more individual or small group rewards.

As mentioned in an earlier blog, I divided my classes into six houses.  For the first semester, the reward was a trip to a Dallas Mavericks game!  The kids were so excited.  We had a great time at the game, and it was wonderful to see the kids have a good time outside of school.  Some of them never get a chance to do anything like this.

For the second semester, I am rewarding a small prize at the end of each six weeks, and a bigger prize at the end of the second semester.  Of course, we will cut the second semester time frame a little short, so they can get the reward in.

The winners of the 4th six weeks will be announced tomorrow.  So many of them are so anxious and cannot wait to find out.  Now, I just need a good prize!  :)

I also rewarded a group who had an outstanding video for their sing a long project (also in a previous post).  Two groups went above and beyond the criteria, so we had a contest between the two videos.  The kids voted in class and we combined that with facebook votes.

I took the winning group to Air U in Longview Texas.  It is an indoor trampoline park. The boys had an absolute blast!  We have a contest going on right now with the commercial project, and I cannot wait to see what they do with it!

Regardless of what rewards you offer, your students will work hard to earn them!  We all win when they work hard!

Happy Rewarding!

Jib Jab part 2

I signed up for Jib Jab over the summer.  It is $12 for the whole year, and you can make countless cards and videos.

At the beginning of the year, I put a few of the kids faces in the jib jab video, and they really liked it. I have used it since for personal videos, but I had not used it in a while for school.

After our sing-a-long, we had a contest to see which video was the best.  I featured the stars of the winning video in a jib jab video and posted it on our class facebook page (permission has been given by the parents).

The kids enjoy seeing their faces dance around.  I recommend jib jab to any teacher. It is a great motivator.
Here is the jib jab video I created.  Sing-a-long Stars

Side note:
The students who created the winning video will have their name on a trophy that will stay in my classroom.  I am also treating them to an afternoon at AirU (an indoor trampoline park).

Happy Jib Jabbing!

Math Sing-a-longs

For the last few years, I have done a sing-a-long project with my math class.

I give them the option of singing the song live in class, or pre-recording it and bringing in a video.  Most of the videos I receive are the kids standing and dancing to the song they made.  I love it when students go above and beyond the criteria.

This year, I had two really good videos.  They both had great original songs with a great video. The kids have voted in the classroom for the favorite video.  Since I created a class facebook this year, I have put the videos to a vote on there, as well.  I love seeing the parents promote and share the videos on their pages.  This has turned out to be a wholesome, family project with the voting.

Go to my facebook page and check them out:

Video 1:  Click here 
Video 2:  Click here 

Math in action

I am going to give both groups a prize, but the group with the most overall votes will get a special prize.  The next project is a commercial, and I have already heard different students say they were really going to work hard on it!  Cha-Ching!!!  Excited about math..... WooHoo!!!

The objectives of this project are:

(1) help students retain frequently used mathematical procedures by setting them to music/verse

(2) integrate math with music/verse/dance, providing students with the opportunity to utilize both their cognitive and creative abilities

(3) provide a motivational strategy that will encourage an appreciation for mathematics

Students will present an original song/rap and dance.

The song/rap must:

•  have a catchy title
• have a music accompaniment that will be played during the presentation 
• music of any kind can be used (preexisting or your own creation)
• preexisting songs can be used but the lyrics must be dubbed out
•      be less than 2 minutes but more than one minute in duration
•      consist of acceptable lyrics that cover any math topic (approved list)

Happy singing!

Nets of 3D figures

Nets are always a great way to help the students see what the 3D figure looks like.  The most difficult thing for them to grasp is that the base is not always what the figure is sittting on.  With this hands on activity, the kids are able to see the 2D form and then actually fold it into the 3D figure.

I gave the kids 5 nets:

• rectangular prism
• Triangular prism
• Triangular Pyramid
• Square Pyramid
• Cylinder

I have copies from an old textbook, but I have found some on the internet that work, as well.
Here is one site:  http://www.senteacher.org/wk/3dshape.php

This year, I had the kids follow these steps:

1. Sketch the net
2. Identify the figure
3. Identify the shape of the base
4. Calculate the area of each base and face (use the actual net; NOT your sketch)
5. Measure in cm
6. Round to the nearest half cm
7. You may use a calculator
8. For the cylinder net, the rectangle part does not stay a rectangle; therefore, you cannot use lw for that part. It curves around, so for that part, you use: 2(pi)(r)(h)
9. Calculate the height of the figure

We made 2d and 3d books, so they include the sketches and the information above in the back of that book.

After writing the above information, I also had the kids do the following to the actual net:

• Color the base(s) of the figure
• Cut the net out - Do NOT cut the tabs off
• Fold the net and create the figure
• Use GLUE
• Create a mobile, by taping yarn to each figure

We hung the models from the ceiling.

As I was walking around the room, I would talk to them about what the base was.  Many of them still wanted to say the rectangle was the base of the triangular prism.  After I stood the prism up on the triangle, they were able to see that you could put it on any of the sides.  I hope it helped!

I had the kids in cooperative learning groups.  Phew!  I am worn out from all the same questions.  It is amazing since I:

• Verbally gave instructions
• Posted the instructions on the screen
• Printed out instructions for each group

They don't take the time to READ.  Tomorrow, I have printed off a following directions test.  I cannot handle another day like Friday and today!  It is exhausting to say the same thing over and over.

I want to keep group work with the hands-on activities, so hopefully, the kids will learn better habits.

Here is a FREE copy of the posted and printed instructions I gave the kids.  

Happy net folding!

Marbles for Management

I have two VERY talkative classes this year.  They are not bad classes.  They are just very talkative.  As I was walking with my family, two weeks ago, I was thinking of a way to nip the talking.  I came up with a marble jar for each class.

To begin, I used three old cotton candy tubs (I had these under the sink).  I put a piece of duct tape around the top.  I filled it with glass gem marbles from the dollar store.  I introduced the concept to the kids the next day.

Each time they begin talking during a transition time or if the voice level is too loud, I will pull a marble out.  They are able to earn marbles back if they are doing great, etc.  If they go below the line, they will have a punishment.  If they stay above the line, they will earn an incentive.  We will check each Friday.

To give them ownership, I had them brainstorm the punishments and incentives. I adapted a few and numbered them 1 through 8.  I told them that each consecutive week above or below the line will result in the next punishment or incentive.  They were all into this.

This week, I had to have a sub.  I forgot to include the marble system in my sub book.  The kids told her!  She pulled marbles when they were loud, and they would correct the talking.  She even allowed them to earn them back.  Although, they were still talkative, she said they were all good classes, so no bad note!  Of course, I had already warned what would happen to those left on the "naughty" list.

I love coming back from being out and not having any issues to contend with.  The first thing they asked was what the note said.  I told them, "well let's talk about it.  You tell me your side."  Of course, I didn't have a bad note, but they will tell you everything.  They admitted to losing marbles and that they talked.  The also admitted that no one did anything bad, so I was pleased with their honesty.  I gave them a sucker for their behavior.

Even for 8th graders, they love the marble system. Right now, we are above the line in two classes and right at the line in one class.  We will see what tomorrow holds in store for them!  I need to print the list of incentives!  I hope to present them with one on Monday!

Happy Marble Managing!!

School is Rockin

Phew!  I am exhausted!  School is Rockin right along.

 This year, I am using the house system (Thank you Ron Clark....End of Molasses Classes).  Each class is divided into 1 of 6 houses.  They are able to earn points for different things.  At the end of a specified time, the house with the most points will earn a prize of some sort.

Last week, I handed all my students the lyrics to a dilation song.  I used the Firework song by Katy Perry and I created new lyrics based on dilations.  On the first day, we sang it as a class.  It was funny to listen to the kids.  Many of them cannot sing....just like me!  I told them that on Friday, each house had to perform the song.  Friday came and the performances began.....well I cannot call anything I witnessed a performance.  I had one group all day that actually had a performance....of some sort.  It was really only one student who blew me away.  I know that once I get them out of their comfort zones, the performance factor will happen....for some.

This week, I will present them with two more songs.  One about scale factor to Moves Like Jagger, and one about translations to Tonight Tonight.  I am thinking a math musical might be in store for my classes at some point.  They will be required to write songs as a house, so I will be interested to see how this goes.

Tomorrow, I am doing a lesson I have never done....Black Light Transformations.  I went up to the school today....on a Sunday!  I had to black out my room.  I put up my black lights.  I cannot wait to see how this goes.  I will post some pics tomorrow.

It has been super busy, but I know we are working hard and having fun.  I am almost convinced that my kids will be okay in the event that I have a sub.  We still have some more practicing to do.

Happy Rockin!

Homeworkopoly

I have seen versions of Homeworkopoly in different places.  Over the summer, I decided to create the board.  Teachnet.com has the board you can download.  It comes out to be quite large.  My first debate was where on Earth I was going to put it.  I already have so much in my room.  I picked up a tri fold board from Wal-mart.  It works perfectly.

I was able to tape the board to the middle with a little overlap on each side.

After placing the game board on, I put contact paper over it to protect it.

On one side of the board, I put a copy of the rules that I created, and a list of possible prizes. You can find those here.

On the other side, I created little card holders by gluing three sides of card stock paper to the board.  I created Chance and Community Lunchbox cards (template on teachnet.com).  The prizes I wrote on there are the same ones on the prize sheet.  The Brain Binders are fun little thinking activities found on teachnet.com.  I made smaller versions, so I could get more on a piece of paper.  On the back, I attached a qr code with a link to the site, so they could see what the solution would look like.

My next debate was how I would keep up with what prizes the kids earned and where they ended.  With 75 kids, there was no way I could give each one a game piece.  I created an Excel Sheet with the prizes and properties listed and a place to put each student's name on top.  Almost all of the prizes include some sort of pass.  Those are cheap prizes!!! After everyone plays, I can pass out the appropriate passes.

Now, I had to figure out how often I would do this.  My main homework is a weekly assignment they receive on Monday and it is due by Friday.  If they do not have it, they have lunch detention (that could be a whole post on the blog).  I always have someone eating lunch with me.  This year, I wanted to try and reduce the number of lunch detentions, so I "encourage" each student to bring 5 problems Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  This includes justifications (that is a whole post too).  I don't grade them, but I just check to see they are completing all of it, etc. Now, I am able to discuss what they might be doing wrong before they turn the finished product in.  I have been doing this for two weeks now, and I love it.  Each day they have it, they will earn one roll.  We will roll either Friday or Monday.  Some kids earned 4 rolls!  Next week, I have told the kids that if they do not have their work at the door, they will pay one math buck (another post for that too).  Anyone who lands on "Free Homework" will earn a homework pass and all the math bucks collected!

My next problem was how the kids would see their movement on the board.  I wanted them to have a visual, but I didn't want to mess up the board.  I used a little sticky note.  You can see it in the picture above. All I need to do is tell each student where to put the marker, and we are ready to roll.

We did this today.  I knew the first time would take a little longer.  While the kids were working on classwork, I called each kid up to complete the number of rolls they had earned.  Kids were still able to ask me for help, so it worked.  I told them that if they stop working and just watch the rolling, they will lose their roll.  I didn't have any problems with this.

With one class, I had two kids come up and roll at the same time (I used an orange and pink sticky).  That made it go quicker.  Once we get the routine, I anticipate about 15 minutes will be needed.  I also plan on designating a student to be the leader, so I can monitor other things.

The kids loved earning the prizes.  I even heard a few say that they needed to do their problems tonight, so they could roll next week.  SCORE!  I am able to fold it up and place it against the wall out of the way until next week.  My sheets are on the clipboard, so I know what passes to hand out and where each student will begin next week.

If you decide to create the game, make it work to fit the needs of your class.  It is a great motivation tool.

Happy Game Day!

Inspiration

I found this wonderful video on youtube.
What teachers make
It illustrates how fulfilling the job of teaching can be.  I hope that you find your job as fulfilling as I find mine.  I know we all have days that might not go as well as we plan, but in the end, our ultimate goal is to make a difference.

Hopefully, the difference being made goes beyond the classroom.

Happy Inspiring!!

First Day of School and jibjab

The first day of school is behind me.....PHEW!  I love coming in and meeting my new kids, and I always know it is going to be a GREAT year.  I do not like going over the rules and procedures.  Why can't they just know what I expect?  It sure would make it so much easier.  :) 

The day was a great one, but I am exhausted.  My little boy started kindergarten today, so I was thinking about him all day; my feet were killing me (since I had to wear real shoes again); and my throat is sore since my portable sound system won't be shipped until the end of this month (I  miss you little microphone...If you have never used a portable microphone system in your room, I strongly encourage it.  They are the best thing ever)!

We hit the ground with understanding the high expectations I have.  We are an aligned department, so by the time they get to me, I get to fine tune them.  Hit them hard and tough at the beginning!  I have incorporated some new things this year, so I am hopeful that it will make me a better teacher.

Tomorrow, my kids are going to be put in their houses (thank you Ron Clark for the wonderful idea).  I have set up my groups based on the "Star" theme.  My houses are Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Nashville, Times Square, New York, and Broadway.  They will get to earn points as a house and we will have contests. 

I paid the yearly fee and joined jibjab.com.  This is the best!  I created a video using myself, Candy, and one other math teacher.  I showed it to my kids today to show them that we will have fun, but we will also work hard.  They were laughing and wanted to watch it again!  I am thinking about creating a video for each class each week.  The kids who have turned in their work will be eligible to be in the video.  I think they will really like this.  Here is the link to our little video: 

http://www.jibjab.com/view/edO6RIVFMHyYLL4C

The fee is only $12 for the year.  Be careful.  They are not all appropriate for kids.

I hope everyone has a great beginning to the school year.  Look into jibjab.  The kids will love it, and you will enjoy watching them laugh!

Happy jib jabbing!

Inventive Incentives

I am a big believer in giving kids incentives to complete their work and do the best they can.  Some people disagree with this thought, but let's face it.  Kids are different today.  Many kids would gladly "take the zero".  When that happens, no learning of any sort has occurred.

Zeros are not an option in my classroom.  I gladly give up my lunch to have lunch detentions.  If the kids have not completed their two big assignments for the week (and test corrections when applicable), they will eat lunch with me until they have the work completed.  Some will argue that we are not preparing them for college, etc when someone is not there to stay on them to turn in work.  My thought is that what are they learning now by not doing the work in the first place?  At what point do we stop "teaching" them to be responsible and just "assume" that they should already be that way?  It is better to get a good foundation on completing work now, so they can be responsible with being on time in the future, and I am instilling the art of being responsible for their learning!

At the end of each six weeks, our math department offers an incentive party.  We do a really big party for the first and last six weeks.  The criteria to attend the incentive party is simple:

• all work must be turned in
• 100% effort must be given on benchmarks (this includes working every problem and writing a justification)

The kids live for these parties.  I always have a missing work list hanging outside my door, so I do not get the constant questions of "what do I owe".  I give them the deadline for the work  If they have any missing work as of the deadline, they do not get to participate.  Work will come flying in from the kids who never would have done the work to begin with.

For the first and fifth six weeks, we rent two bounce slides, and we set them up in the gym.  The kids slide and play and many will bring basketballs and footballs.  They have the option of being "tuned in", and they can bring their electronic devices to the party.  The party takes place during their math class for the one day we have designated.  We are double blocked for math, so they get about 90 minutes to relax. That is our way of saying, "thank you for doing your work and trying hard".
In order to pay for the bounce slides, the math department will host different fundraisers throughout the year:

• dances (sell concessions and glow items....easy way to make a profit of at least $900)
• sell tattoos (during football season on game days)
• water balloon dodgeball (sell water balloons and we go out on the field one afternoon and have a battle between teachers and students.....make at least $500)

For the other six weeks, we do smaller incentive parties in the classroom:

• movie and popcorn
• wii or xbox and play games (the kids love to play "just Dance")
• go to the gym or outside 

For our final incentive party, the kids will bring $5-$7.  We take the kids off campus for this incentive party, and it lasts the whole day.  We always schedule this after ALL state testing has taken place (usually third week of May).  For four years, we took the kids to a skating rink and park.  We no longer have any skating rinks in our area, so this past year, we took them to the movies.  The theater opened just for us!  We watched a movie, and then we went to the park.  The kids cover the cost of their ticket, and we cover the transportation costs (due to our fundraisers, we still have money). For many kids, this is the only time they experience any type of special outing like this.

Regardless of the party, I tell the kids that the biggest reward is not doing math for a day and to enjoy being a kid!

In my classroom, I also offer other incentives:

• turn work in on time
• A's on tests
• helping other students
• great comments or suggestions
• improvement in any area

I have a star chart for each class period.  When a student accomplishes the things above, they get a star on their chart.

Once they get 5 stars, they get to participate in "incentive roll", and they get their name on a big star that hangs in the hallway.  For Incentive Roll, they roll two dice, and they get the prize that is listed.  The prizes are simple and cheap, but the kids are excited to participate.