Mathematicians use strategies!

Yeah, but we don’t even know what strategies are?

Mia you are so cute but really we have been learning them since day 1 of 1^st grade.  Let me explain.

Cameron has 9 Legos and some fell on the floor.  How many does he have to look for...there are 5 on the table.

Kids were given a whiteboard and a marker.  We reviewed what we knew and what we needed to find out.  Then I let them use any “strategy” they felt could best solve for the number of Legos.  Some drew pictures, some used subtraction, and some even used addition to find the missing Legos. 

So Mia here drew 9 and then drew circles with lines through them like she “sees on signs” to subtract 4.  She then walks through how she minuses 4 to get to the 5.  She even uses a related addition fact to help solve.

Shaner uses his knowledge of the 10 frame to help him find the missing addend. He knows that 5 and 5 would make a ten frame. He also knows that 5+4 would equal 9.  5 is the number of Legos on the table and there’s 4 on the floor.

I am so proud of these kids and their ability to reason.  They are using connections to things they know from their world, like how Mia sees it on signs and Shaner knows 10 frames.  We will continue to keep working on their reasoning and explaining to justify their answers. Make sure to check back and see how we grow as mathematicians!

New York, New York!

Today was filled with mixed emotions and yes I am in New York, New York!  I met up with one of my oldest, dearest friends from junior and high school.  She made reservations and I was so excited to visit the 9/11 Memorial.

Now the hard part, what an emotional place.  The place was filled with people taking pictures, remembering the day, and then a moment of silence to reflect.  I told the group about Michael Roberts and his family.  Did you know you can google his name and it tells you where his name is on the Memorial?  We were standing right there taking pictures.  When I saw his name I had to take a deep breath and say a prayer.  Thank you to all those represented on the Memorial.  

My friend Amy and I are here in New York to attend the Teacher Town Hall tomorrow at NBC Education Nation.  I am so excited! You know Education is near and dear to my heart.  I am so excited about teaching using the Common Core Standards.  The next 50 years are going to be different in so many ways and we cannot continue to teach the same way as the past 50 years.  We need to raise problem solvers that can collaborate and create.  I am excited to hear the message tomorrow and get back to my chickens! I can't wait to get back for Monday morning.

Apple Day 2013

Johnny Appleseed's birthday is big news in 1st grade.  A day filled with apple stations and apple tasting!!  YIPPEE Anything with food is BIG hit.  We enjoyed parents donating apple goodies and some moms even found time to help us out with apple centers.  I tried to capture the day's events and ended up with 133 pictures.  I know a sickness I have.  The funniest thing was at the 5 senses station, there seemed to be loose teeth after eating some apples.  Well low and behold 2 kids had a tooth come out.  Check out the video and see that Isabella and Logan lose a tooth on Apple Day 2013.  Extra special surprise was the cupcakes, singing-cha, cha, cha, and present from my class.  Soooo sweet and can you believe these 6 year olds kept a secret?  Thank you to all the families because it was a great day!  Check out the video for the pictures.

Kids Know my Favorite Number is 10

In first grade we spend quality time grounding the students in the number 10.  10 is my favorite number and they KNOW it!  We talk about all the combinations of ten and how 10 is a foundation number.  Let me explain.  If a child can get to 10 they can get to a decade and that is a beautiful thing when adding or subtracting larger numbers.  I know why now when it is only the 23rd day of 1st grade?  I am laying the foundation or the progression for when we work with larger numbers.  Each day they identify mystery numbers on a blank 100 chart. This day we just happened to be talking about 18, 48, and 88.

How many until the next friendly number?  "2" and "how do you know that?"  "I can count 2 boxes." or "2 more and I get to 20, 50, and 90."  YES!! now why? After some questioning someone pointed out... well check out the video and see why.  Aren't they the best mathematicians ever?!?

Is it ever too early to think about college?

Funny 19 years teaching and I still get asked why do you talk about the Seminoles when you teach 1st grade?  Is it ever too early to think about college?  I do teach in Florida and yes we live and LOVE our college football-especially the Seminoles of FLORIDA STATE every Saturday!  Last year I had the pleasure of teaching Tye and his mom volunteered every chance she could.  She is the Media Specialist at Bethune Cookman University and she is the BEST ever! What a mom and inspiration as a truly genuine person! Today FSU takes on Bethune Cookman so my friend Lucas, who comes from a family full of Seminole fans, and I are putting our game faces on!  Check us out! Win or lose thinking about college is always a good goal to have...one day way too soon for my chickens.

Shake Those Beans

One way of practicing addition and subtraction together is playing Shake Those Beans!

Yes, it does get a bit loud in the classroom but the math you hear is incredible!  They shake the beans and spill them out on the placemat.  Sort the red and yellow, then compose an addition sentence using the red number as the 1st addend.  I love when they put them in a pattern like my friend Reese who put them in a 4 dot formation like on dice to reveal the number sentence 4+4=8.  They are such mathematicians!  Check out as Timmy and Logan play a round of Shake Those Beans.  I notice at the end they each have something close to what the other has...do you notice too? Make sure to pay attention to the part where the music is in the video.

9/11 Never Forget

I have seen this everywhere today and stopped throughout my day to think back to that day.  I remember it like it was yesterday not 12 years ago.  I sat with Kaile and Carson this morning and told the story.  Kaile was 6 months old and at Ms. Linda's house.  I was teaching 2nd grade at Horizon Elementary and my husband was working that day as a police officer.  We went to a lockdown but didn't know why and then Tim called, "Have you heard?"  Heard what we are in a lockdown.  "Someone flew a plane into the Twin Towers."  You have got to be kidding me and then it was all over the news, the papers, and in every conversation.  The days were filled with sadness and who could imagine the torture one lived through waiting to find out about loved ones.  Police officers, firemen, and first responders became heroes. It still makes a lump in my throat today, 12 years later...

We were greeted with our very own local Fire Chief and Fire Marshall.  Mr. Weir is a former Wright's Rippers parent and what a fabulous family!  Thank you both for everything you do each day to keep us safe.

Then Cypress Creek made a lovely dedication to Fireman Michael Roberts.  He is a cousin to a family at our school.  The children will never know what a hero Michael was since he was one of the first to respond and lost his life.  These kids were younger than 12 so they weren't here to be part of this but the effects live on within this family and hundreds like it across our country.

We observed a moment of silence in honor of these heroes and their families.  Thank you Cypress Creek for the dedication-and Ms. Garver.  Thank you to the Fire Chief and Fire Marshall.  Thank you to the family of Michael Roberts.  Thank you to my fabulous husband who works everyday to keep peace and order in our community.  You are all heroes and we will NEVER FORGET your importance, dedication, and sacrifice you make daily to keep us safe.