My daughter came home one day with a rounding worksheet... she struggled through it. Creating number lines did not help, because she wasn't sure how to plot the numbers. So, I created these number charts to give her some extra help. We practiced for about 10 minutes, and she responded well to the activity. She said the activity was fun (dry erase markers always help) and feels like she's finally understanding how to round numbers. Yay!  You can download this free resource at the end of this blog post. An editable page is included! Here's how to use this free resource.  EXAMPLE 1:   Round 47 to the nearest 10. Discuss why we round numbers. (We don't need the exact number, and rounding helps us create friendly numbers which are easier to work with.) Review counting by 10s to 100. Those will be our benchmark numbers. Find 47 on the chart. Underline the tens digit (4). The value of 4 tens is 40. So we need to decide which benchmark numbe......

This year is year four for me using Google Classroom, and every year I learn a little more and do a little more!  A few months ago, I took the plunge and took the exam to become a Google Certified Educator and am glad that I did so. Whether you are just getting started with Google Classroom or have been using it for a while, there is always something new that may come in handy! Below I have compiled 10 ideas that you can start to use in the Google Classroom today. 1.  Create Classroom for Subjects I teach 3rd grade, so I have 6 separate classes set up.  I have a class set up for each subject:  Reading, Writing, Word Work, Math, Science, and Social Studies.  This allows me to easily include links, assignments, and post questions for each specific subject.  For example, when we are doing Math, my students know that all related resources are found in the Math classroom.   2.  Exit Slips Take the paper out of exit slips.  After......

Geometry can be lots of fun, but it can get overwhelming for students. I've created this free resource to help students review important vocabulary words in a fun way. They will plot points on a coordinate grid to create line segments, angles, and shapes.  Review Sheet #1 Students review the following vocabulary words: obtuse angle acute angle right angle parallel perpendicular After plotting the ordered pairs, students use the vocabulary words to complete each sentence. You could give students markers/crayons to complete these at a math center. To save paper, place each sheet inside a sheet protector and have students use dry erase markers. Review Sheet #2 Students review the following vocabulary words: pentagon square rectangle trapezoid parallelogram Here's a fun way to review shapes!  You could also have students draw: A rhombus that is not a square A parallelogram with 4 right angles. A parallelogram that is n......

Let's face it.  We all want engaging ideas for teaching elementary math and reinforcing numeracy, but students come to us in so many different ways that it can be hard to meet all of their needs at the same time.  But what if I told you that meeting those diverse student needs and getting them engaged isn't as tall of an order as you think?  (And no, the solution here isn't to clone yourself a few times so you can sit with all of your students and give simultaneous one-on-one instruction...even though that sounds pretty cool.) The solution is math centers ! Let me read your mind for a second and recite some of the common gripes about centers: they're a time sink, they can be super frustrating to organize and do, students constantly interrupt your teacher led group  I know exactly how you feel, because I've had some of those gripes too! Sure, everyone would love to have fun, math-tastic centers that make even the most number-phobic students engaged, but ......

Math centers are a large component of guided math, but in order to differentiate and meet the needs of our students on a daily basis, creating and keeping up with math centers can be so time consuming.   So, how can you simplify math centers in order to make them realistically manageable?   Here’s my solution:   GO DIGITAL! Technically, what constitutes a math center?   Math centers provide opportunities for student to practice skills that have been previously taught.   That's it!   There are an abundance of printable math center available.   I love them, because I just love making things cute.   What I have noticed though, is that I can’t keep up with the demands of putting them together.   I have to print them, cut them out, laminate them (I don’t want to have to start the process over again), and then store them.   It’s all so time consuming, and I always feel that I’m behind.   I’ve discovered ......

tw When it comes to math, geometry seems to be in a whole different league. Some kids fall in love with it instantly, while it seems challenging for other kids. One of the great things about geometry is that there are so many hands-on activities we can provide for our students, which makes it lots of fun! Here are some of my favorite geometry activities: 1. Start With Shapes I like to have students start with shapes they've known since they were tiny, like triangles, squares, and circles. We draw these on whiteboards as a whole class. Next we draw the more advanced shapes like pentagons, hexagons, octagons, trapezoids, and even the rhombus! This brings us to a discussion of polygons and we can classify shapes that way. Besides whiteboards, there are lots of ways for kids to work with shapes, like Popsicle sticks (which are also great to use to illustrate lines like parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular), LEGOS, Geoboards, and even clothespins which can be clipped t......