Subject or Predicate Game

Sometimes at the end of the day when we are waiting for the bell to ring, we'll sing songs like the Sentence Song to fill the time productively.  The other day someone picked the Sentence Song to sing and another little dear went and grabbed the Sentence Shazam! game and handed it to me.  That is how much they love it.

They loved it so much that I decided to make a Subject or Predicate Shazam!

You could play this and sing the Subject and Predicate Song to help your little peanuts learn these concepts.

Click the picture to go to my Teacher's Notebook shop

My kiddos requested more shazam! cards for this version because they like them.  Go figure!  You could take out some if need be.

I'll give away a copy of this game to a random commenter.

Sentence or Fragment

Why is it most kids can answer a question in a complete sentence but can't write one?  I think they just get in a hurry.

Well, we are working on complete sentences like crazy.  Knowing how to write complete sentences is crucial for the whole year since I require almost all written answers to be in complete sentences.  (Is that mean of me?  Or do you do that too?)

We started out by learning what a complete sentence is and isn't.  Enter "The Sentence Song" which the kids and I love.  I don't recall where the original came from (not me) but I've tweaked it just a smidge.  (Oh, snap that's on my computer at school so I'll post it later this week.  Sorry.)

Then we played the "Secret Question" game.  Again not my original idea but don't ask me where it came from.  For this you have one student come to the front of the room and whisper a question in his/her ear.  The child then answers in a complete sentence for all to hear.  The rest of the class has to figure out the question you asked based on the child's answer.  FUN!  Divide kids into teams and score points for correct questions if you want.  Some kids have a really hard time with this and some get it no problem.  One of my brightest was dumbfounded.

We also played "Sentence or Fragment Shazam!"  For this game, students draw a card from a container.  I like to use a lunch bag from the Dollar Store.  The student reads the card out loud and tells (in a complete sentence of course) if it is a sentence or a fragment.  If correct, the child keeps the card.  If incorrect, the card gets put back in the bag.  But, dun dun dun...if a shazam! card is drawn all that child's cards go back into the bag.  The winner (if you want) is the child with the most cards at the end.

Click on the picture to download

I don't make this game self-checking because I like the kids to have discussions about why or why not it is or isn't a sentence.  I say prove it a lot to my kiddos.  I very rarely have huge arguments.  But if you want you could number the cards and make an answer key.  Most of my kiddos were quickly able to tell what part was missing which will help this week when we actually learn the terms subject and predicate.

If you can use it please leave me some love.

Updates & a Freebie

This little blog is so neglected.  I feel like a bad mommy.  Thank goodness there isn't a Blog Services that someone can turn me into for neglect.

It's so hard to believe I've been in school a month.  I keep pinching myself to see if I'm dreaming but I guess I'm not.  I love the beginning of a new year for a lot of reasons.

I redid a lot of my class (again...I know) and have pictures to share but, alas, the camera is at school.  I promise I will get them posted before the end of the year.  HA!

My permanent Promethean board was installed before school began and da da, da da, da...i'm lovin' it!  There's another reason this blog has been neglected.  I spend a great deal of time trying to find flipcharts to go with every lesson I do.  And let me tell you, that a whole bunch of flipcharts that are free on Promethean Planet leave a LOT to be desired.  I haven't paid money for any yet because they are ex.pen.sive!  I'm afraid I'll spend a gazillion dollars (almost) and it will be the same crapola as many of the free ones.  Anyone bought anything that can vouch for their worthiness?  Or do you know of another great resource for flipcharts?

My class is wonderful.  I've got 18 students with another possible on the way this week.  (I'll get into that in a few.)  I'm Whole Brain Teaching them to death!  I love it and they seem to, too.  I'm going to enjoy it while I can since the class coming up next year is incredibly exhausting.

I have an adorable little guy who had a brain tumor as an infant and requires a lot of special help because of it.  Unfortunately we only have a special ed teacher for him for about 20-30 minutes a day.  Remember I'm at a private school.  Frankly, it isn't enough and I am left to do the rest on my own.  The other kids end up helping a lot.  Anyone else have that problem?

So now I'm supposed to get a new student who is coming from the public school because the parents are unhappy because their child is a "genius" but not getting anything extra.  This means I'll have the largest class in second grade and an extremely special need student, a high maintenance parent and a "genius".  Is that fair?

Do you ever feel like you get penalized because you're an effective/good teacher?

Okay, onto the freebie.

I had to make over the "number squeeze" game to fit my theme.  I also wanted it to go up to 120 instead of 100.  It includes math talk cards.  You can grab it by clicking on the preview below.

Leave me a comment if you have any advice or answers to my questions.

1.  Are the Promethean Planet "for sale" flipcharts worth it?
2.  Where else do you find good flipcharts?
3.  Do you get stuck doing your "own thing" with special needs students?
4.  Do you ever feel like you get penalized because you are good at what you do?

On A Roll

In math it is all about money right now.

I've played this simple game with my students for years although it never had a name or any recording sheets.  So as we were playing today for the umpteenth time, cause the kids love it, I decided it needed some tweeking and a name.

So this is what I came up with.

All you need are dice, real or fake coins, and the recording sheets.

"On A Roll" can be played to 50 cents using pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Or to $1.00 using the same coins with or without half-dollars depending on the ability of your students and curriculum.

This game includes teacher directions, student directions, and recording sheets.

It is now available at my Teacher's Notebook store for $1.00.

I'll give it away fuh-ree to comment number...






















seven!!!
(And only one comment is allowed.)

But if you warm my heart on this wretched below zero day (with inside recess all day and loud snow-crazed kids) you might get lucky and get one too!

BTW, the weather isn't supposed to improve until after Friday.  Can you say inside recess all week, no recess aides, no breaks, someone's gonna die?

You Could Win My Heart

My little ones are going to be "officially" working on two-digit (or double-digit) subtraction in the weeks before Valentine's Day.  So today I whipped up this little math game for them to use to practice this skill.  It is called "Win My Heart".  It will actually make your students want to get a math problem where they have to trade (or borrow) for a ten so that they can earn an extra point.

It is available at my Teacher's Notebook store for $1.  (Hey, a girl's gotta retire someday somehow, right?!)

I will give it away free to comments 1 and 5!  (I like odd numbers.  What can I say other than, yes, I am a little odd myself!)

Back to School Game

I created this back to school game using the "I have Who has" model.  However, I wanted it to be a cooperative group game since there will be some kids who can't read as well as others and/or new kids to our school.  So instead of individuals getting a card or two, I will put the kids in small groups (probably 3 depending on class size...that is unknown still.)  You'll notice the cards say "We have" instead of "I have" and each group must read their card in unison.  (Before beginning the game, I will have groups practice reading their card together.)

This game would only be used after I have introduced certain areas and procedures in our classroom and school since some of those things are included.  It also incorporates rule review and the names of specials teachers.

My classes in the past have always liked playing this type of game and enjoy me timing them each time we play to see if they can go even faster than the previous time.

Because this is something you would need to personalize for your class and school, let me know if you are interested and I will email it to you.  The font I used is smiley monster from Kevin & Amanda.  My class rules are from Whole Brain Teaching.

Back to School I Have Who Has

Doubles Derby Math Game

At the beginning of the year we work hard to master our double facts in math. A friend and I created this game years ago and the kids absolutely love it! They beg to play it all year long...I think it must have something to do with the little race cars. :)

Doubles Derby

All that is needed to play are mini-race cars (I think I purchased mine at the Dollar Tree or Walmart--it's been so long I can't remember), a clear spinner, and a game board for each child. You can also have the kids record the doubles equations on a small white board for practice as they play. If you like to have something to check or show parents, have the kids record on a piece of paper.