Do Your Students Know You’re Proud of Them?

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

I saw this cute idea in an elementary school classroom a few months ago. It’s super easy to make, and sends a great message to your kids.

Buy a dollar store picture frame (8″ x 10″ is best)
On a piece of cute, light color paper, write “I am proud because.” Add stickers, etc if you want. Cut the paper to 8″ x 10″ and put it in the frame.
Use a ribbon attached to the hook on the back, attach the frame to your file cabinet or a nail on the wall.
Write with a Visa-Vis pen (or other overhead marker) what makes you proud.
Write a small note in your planner every few days to remind you to update the frame. In addition, you may want to attach a class list to the back of the frame so you can keep track of who you’ve featured on the frame and who you still need to acknowledge.

What You Need to Know About April Fool’s Day

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

April Fools

It wasn’t until I taught in China that I even had to think about why we do April Fools’ Day. My Chinese students thought this was a pretty funny idea, and were amazed that so many people “celebrated” it! So here ya go… a free worksheet all about April Fools’ Day! Comprehension questions at the bottom.

Click here for the free printable worksheet: April Fools Day

Ask 3 Before Me!

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

Teachers answer questions all day long… and it’s exhausting! I saw this phrase up on a classroom and just HAD to share it! The teacher’s rule is that students must ask 3 other students their question before coming to the teacher with the question. Chances are one of those 3 other students will know the answer and the teacher can keep his/her sanity a little bit longer!

EASY Place Value Game… Around the World (with a twist!)

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

So you’ve probably heard about the classroom game, Around the World (IN A NUT SHELL: The teacher shows 2 students a math flash card. The first one to blurt out the answer moves to stand next to a new student’s seat and faces off with them using a new flash card. The winner gets to advance to a new student and the kids try to move as many seats as possible.) Here’s a fun twist on the classic game.

TEACHER PREP:

Write any multi-digit number on a note card (for older grades, add decimal points)
Underline 1 digit in the number
Repeat until you have a stack of cards
OPTIONAL: label the back of each card so you know what place value is underlined on the front (tens, hundreds, thousands…)

PLAY: Instead of telling you the answer to a math fact (like in regular Around the World), the student must name the place value underlined on the card to win the face-off.

Submitted by a 2nd grade teacher in AZ. Thanks!

Click here for more free math stuff!

Spring Time Math Facts Dice Game

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

I love playing math games… and what student can’t benefit from some basic math facts practice. So here’s a game for you.

Print 1 copy of the worksheet for each player.
Roll the die (let’s say you roll a 5)
Color in the section of the picture that equals the number you rolled (for example, you could color in the section labeled “4+1=”). Make sure you write the answer in the section so it becomes a complete number sentence (“4+1=5”).
Take turns rolling, and coloring (any color you want)
First player to color in the entire page wins!

Make sure you choose the operation you want: basic addition, basic subtraction, basic multiplication or basic division. Happy Spring!

EPSON MFP image

Click here for more free math stuff!

Make Your Own Calendars… helpful website!

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

I just found this website that provides downloadable calendar blank templates for Microsoft Word and Excel. You can choose from weekly, monthly calendars and yearly calendars for specific years. To quote the website, “Why spend millions developing what Microsoft has already spent Billions developing?”

Spring Story Starters (free!)

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

More story starters (can you tell I’ve enjoyed having these in my classroom?)! What’s not to love about easy, self-explanatory writing projects?! I often add extra requirements to the story (use spelling/vocab words, figurative languages, underline adjectives, etc.) to make it even more educational. Right click on the page, choose “save image as” and save it to your computer so you can print it later. Yay for writing!

Marble Painting

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

Here’s a fun art idea I did this past week. It’s extra cool because pretty much any age artist will have a good time. The older artists will have better control of the marbles, but regardless, it turns out neat. (CAUTION: potentially messy, as with most painting projects!)

Supplies:

paint (we used washable, since we were doing this with kinders)
marbles
cookie sheet, cake pan, box lid (should have used something with a taller edge since we had younger artists)
paper (any size, color)
paint containers
plastic spoons

Steps: