Money! So much fun to have, but so much work to teach little minds about! Check out my recent matching game for learning money. I’ve got two sets: one for matching the words to the coin and another for also adding up the coins to find the total amount. These would probably be most appropriate for second grade.
Click here to download the matching-only puzzle: Money Match
Click here to download the money match and countingpuzzle: Money Match and Count
Here’s a cool opportunity from Altitude Summit:
“We have partnered with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who supports teachers and celebrates innovation in education, to bring our Alt community a fantastic opportunity. During the next two weeks, we hope you will join us in a contest to celebrate just that and participate for a chance to win a ticket to Alt Summer for yourself and $500 cash for a deserving teacher.
Between May 1st and May 15th, you have three ways to appreciate an educator in your life who is using social media in innovative ways in the classroom. If you’re an educator, we’d love to hear how you are using social media.”
Click here to read more.
I recently blogged about a number sequence/counting worksheet I made around the idea “before, between, after.” I thought it would work well for the alphabet as well. This will be a bit more challenging for kids, especially the section on what comes before a letter. However, I think this is still a valuable ABC exercise. Enjoy!
Click here for the free printable PDF: Before Between After – Letters
Here are some more freebies I designed for We Are Teachers. I made one with simpler writing for younger grades and one with “cooler” writing for older kids:
To go to the free printable freebies, please visit my post on We Are Teachers.
I recently came across a well written piece called “A Letter to My Children: What it Means to be a Teacher.” The author provides some insight to her own children about teaching. It’s definitely worth the read. Here are some of my favorite lines:
“Teachers don’t see their classrooms as places where you go to make rules and assign homework.”
“Teachers worry about their students the way I worry about you.”
“Teaching doesn’t open at 8:00 in the morning and close at 5:00 at night.”
“[Teaching] creates an eternal optimist of you. It reminds you that every life matters…”
“Teachers could have chosen any profession, but instead they chose to teach you.”
“Take the lessons of teachers with you: work to discover and be your best selves, see potential in others, extend kindness, and ask tough questions.”
“We spend one week each year remembering to appreciate teachers, but I want you to spend a lifetime teaching appreciation.”
Calling all geeks! It’s May 4th, so you’ve probably already bid your friends farewell by saying “May the fourth be with you!” I probably should celebrate (or at least acknowledge) May 4th at school. I know this next idea is a little late…hindsight is 20/20. I’ll have to do this next year. (Ta-da! Now I’m prepped a year ahead!)
I just saw this free coloring page over at Homeschool Encouragement and thought of a math connection!
Print one of these for each student. Then make up a key that might look something like this (choose your own colors if you want):
This way, you’re practicing shapes while you celebrate May the Fourth! If you’re looking to be more interactive, consider having your students create the image above with tangrams.
Here are some other Star Wars themed coloring pages for you to be creative with!
But no matter what you do, may the fourth be with you! 🙂
Being a teacher is hard work. It’s nice when people recognize that! Looks like McDonald’s is giving teachers some pretty sweet perks this year! They seem to be decided by region, so I’d do an internet search for your area. For example, in Arizona, McDonald’s is giving teachers a free extra value meal (and some get keytags for free beverages) and in Nevada, teachers get a free breakfast.
Click here for another great list of perks!
If you hear of any other valuable teacher perks, please comment below! Thanks!
Mental math. It causes so many students anxiety, but it’s a critical skill to be able to do more complex math. I’ve seen ideas similar to this, but they seem to use more prep (like writing things on craft sticks), so I’ve made my own. If you want each student to complete this puzzle, I recommend giving this page to each student, having them cut out the strips and glue them on a piece of paper in the right order. If you only want one set for your classroom, be sure to print it on card stock and then laminate the strips so they last longer!
Mental Math Puzzle A – Answer Key
Mental Math Puzzle A
Mental Math Puzzle B – Answer Key
Mental Math Puzzle B
Squarehead Teachers 