Seasonal Stories - Books Your Students Will Love

Hi everyone,

I'm so pleased to be taking part in this blog hop hosted by Brandi from Focused on Fifth.  Today I'm participating in Day Number 10 of her blog hop.  The focus is on books your students will love:

Two of my favourite books are Moostletoe and Santa's Pants are Falling Down.  They are both hilariously funny and do offer a springboard for great writing activities.

This verse story, told in a singsong rhythm, stars a moose who is determined that his family`s Christmas will be     "perfectly perfect. " Moose" shopped till he dropped. Check," and " baked tons of tins of cookies. Check," --but in his busy life he completely forgets to buy a Christmas tree. After a fruitless search in the snow on Christmas Eve, he finally has to do the right thing: stand in a corner and become the tree himself. A great rhyming story.

This book is a sure hit with students who love creating piggy back songs.  Often students will spend hours upon hours creating some fun songs.  We often showcase these on the last day before holidays and have a singing cafe.  All fun poems and silly songs can be turned into a class book.

http://www.focusedonfifth.com/2015/11/unwrapping-classroom-holiday-ideas.html

An InLinkz Link-up

Math Tip Monday - Keeping Math Meaningful

A December classroom can be a very hectic place.  Keep Math meaningful during the month of December with some of these fun activities:

1) Turn gingerbread house making into a math adventure.  Students have to "buy" their ingredients based on prices and a spending allowance set by the teacher.  For example, for grade 3, I often state that a gingerbread house making expense could be $10.00  From that, ingredients are determined to have a cost.  Jelly beans could be a penny each, graham crackers could be worth 25 cents and so on.  Students have to determine how many things they can buy for $10.00 (using play money of course).  Once ingredients are purchased, the gingerbread making construction begins.

2) Play some fun math games.  Here's one of my favourites:

Students generate odd or even sums and then race to the gingerbread house.

3) Finally, have fun with some Christmas Medleys.  Imagine rewriting the 12 Days of Christmas using a mathematical theme.  The possibilities are endless.  

Thanks to Theresa's Teaching Tidbits and K's Classroom Kreations for hosting this Math Tip Monday! 

  

http://theresasteachingtidbits.blogspot.com/

http://ksclassroomkreations.blogspot.com/

Products to Get you Through the Month

Hi everyone,

I'm so pleased to be taking part in this blog hop hosted by Brandi from Focused on Fifth.  Today I'm participating in Day Number 6 of her blog hop.  The focus is on products to get you through the month. 

I absolutely love adding a few math games and activities to any season.  

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Math-1572182

Two of my favourite activities from this are a gingerbread making money activity and a hidden mystery picture based on decimals.

Two fun word activities involve silly sentences for fluent readers and Christmas Idioms.  These two activities are always a hit and keep students engaged in some higher order thinking:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Silly-Sentences-for-Fluent-Readers-1356654

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Idioms-Christmas-1546063

http://www.focusedonfifth.com/2015/11/unwrapping-classroom-holiday-ideas.html

  

An InLinkz Link-up

Holiday Writing Ideas

Hi everyone,

I'm so pleased to be taking part in this blog hop hosted by Brandi from Focused on Fifth.  Today I'm participating in Day Number 4 of her blog hop.  The focus is on writing holiday ideas.  

With the hustle and bustle of Christmas, there are often days that involve concerts, fundraisers, buddy days, rehearsals and making gingerbread houses, just to name a few.  I've created this fun writing "bingo" for Christmas template to fill those few minute gaps between events.  Just click on the link below and grap this forever freebie:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Writing-Freebie-1223258

Here are some more writing goodies to choose from.  Your students will never say "I have nothing to write about again!"  They can be purchased together or separately.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Writing-1560851

 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Recount-Writing-Our-Special-Christmas-Memories-1036078

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Writing-1534733

 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Writing-Paper-1530445

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Writing-1560308

Happy Writing!

http://www.focusedonfifth.com/2015/11/unwrapping-classroom-holiday-ideas.html

To continue with the blog hop, please click on the link below: