TPT SALE AND Freebie~Fluently Adds Within 5 With The Cat In The Hat

We have been working almost solid since after school tonight to get our St. Patrick's Day Lucky Literacy Center up for the Leap Day Sale.  I can't wait to use it.  We have included many fun literacy activities for this special St. Patrick's Day coming up real soon. 

This goes along with There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Clover...Great retelling activity and reviewing 2-D shapes!

Head straight to our TPT store to check it out!

Busy Bees TPT Store Click Here

Fluently Adds Within 5 - Cat in the Hat

Freebie Week...Thing One and Thing Two - Adding Facts to Five

As promised, here is the beginning of many freebies we are offering to our bloggers this week.  Hope you enjoy your fun filled week with Dr. "S".  I gave my kids a challenge tonight for homework to see what Dr."S's" real name was and write it down on their homework book tonight.  Then if they do, they will get something special tomorrow morning.  I guess I had better make a Kroger run in the morning for those who know his real name!! 

Our March Math Journal(click the words March Math Journal for a direct link to TPT) is up and on our TPT store.  This math journal is sooo easy to prepare.  No cutting or gluing.  You can just put it in the copier, staple, and it is done.  We have designed it so that it reviews many of the "clusters" of the math model curriculum.   

The students will review:

Count to tell the number of objects

Compare numbers

Understands addition as putting together and adding to

Understands subtraction as taking apart and taking from

Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category

Shape Review  just to name a few!!

Fluently Adds Within 5 - Things One and Two

DIBELS...How To Keep My Top Kids Challenged

Our district gives the Dibels test 3 times a year.  I have been working hard with the kiddos since the end of September on these Dibels components.  We started out with Letter Naming Fluency for homework practice.  Then we moved into segmenting and initial sound fluency.  And finally we have worked on reading nonsense words.  

We have worked on them during our reading time and I have included them this year in my homework packet.  These have proven to be SOOOOOOO useful this year in both my classroom for practice and for an easy way to involve parents with these Dibels goals.  

Here is what I have used this 2011-2012 school year.  You can find it on our TPT store:
Letter Naming Fluency and Initial Sound Fluency Homework Packet for only $1.00
Segmenting Words for Dibels and Dibels Next Practice for $1.00
Nonsense Words Homework For Dibels and Dibels Next Practice for $1.00


I have used these above "homework packets" in my classroom too for Dibels practicing.  I put them right up on my SMARTBoard each morning for us to practice.  I have put these cards at a center for them to use during their Daily 5 read to self and read to someone.  Some cards have dots for those kids who need tracking and the other cards do not have dots.  I use these with parent volunteers and University observation students.
Nonsense Cards For Dibels and Dibels Next Practice for $1.50
  

Since the last testing was completed I have been asking myself...How Can I Keep My Top Kids Challenged?  All of my top kids can "read" the nonsense words by reading the whole word and not sound it out.  I am finding my "middle of the pack" kids are able to read some of those whole word, but are able to meet the end of the year benchmark goal now on sounding out those individual sounds.  So, we have put together some "fluency cards" or "fluency booklets" for the kiddos to work on to keep there skills moving towards next year's oral reading fluency benchmarks.

Cruising Through Fluency Phrases (click this for easy access to our TPT store) is a packet that we have put together to practice reading phrases.  We practice reading them with expression and at a "faster" pace for fluency.  These can be put into booklets for the students or you can make individual cards.  I made booklets for every child in my room.  When the students come into my class first thing in the morning and get their morning jobs done, this is one of the things they do when their morning jobs are all done.  We also work on reading them together as a "choral read" during our reading block.  This booklet is incorporated into my Daily 5.  The students read this booklet to their self and also use it to read to someone else.  

I made some sets of these cards for the students to use, too.  They have used them with a parent volunteer, their second grade helper, and as a different "type
of book that they can read.

We are currently working on some ideas for my next homework packet to round out the end of the year.  It has to do with some Oral Reading Passages.  It will be up and ready in the next couple of weeks since our 3rd nine weeks is over in the middle of March.  This booklet will take me to the end of the year. 

What Do You Do For Dibels Practicing?  We would love to hear!!  Leave us a comment!

Oh, forgot to tell ya...I made a TON and I mean a TON of Dr. Seuss Math Freebies coming your way throughout the week.  Gotta finish them up!!   
 

St. Patrick's Day Math Packet Giveaway

Chance To Win Our St. Patricks Day Math Center Fun and Vinyl March Containers

Since you all have been producing Dr. Seuss Units for all of us to enjoy, SueBeth and I decided to create some St. Patrick's Day Math Fun.  This unit contains the following activities that can be used in whole group, small group, centers, and for one on one intervention:
Represent A Number of Objects With A Written Numeral 1-10

Represent A Number of Objects With A Written Numeral 11-20

Counting Sets 0-20~Digging For Gold

Decompose Numbers from 11-19 into Tens and Ones

Fluently Add Numbers

Fluently Subtract Numbers

Telling Time To The Hour

All of these activities come with easy to grade worksheets.  Many of these activities come with different levels of worksheets so that you can differentiate between the levels of learners in your classroom.

Click here to take a look at our St. Patrick's Day Math Unit for $4.00 on our TPT.  More pictures to come on these fun activities.

Bucket came from Family Dollar.  My green zebra vinyl came from Vinyl Couture.

Gotta love my dear daughter who decided some of my March Center buckets needed some ribbon, too!

Another view of my March Center Bucket.  Check out our button for Vinyl Couture to see other vinyl samples.

Sample of how some of my March Center will be stored.

Thanks for the tons of suggestions a while back, but this is the easiest way I have found to store my centers when I am not using them.

I write the month, the topic, and the standard that it is covering.  Easy storage that can fit right into my other folders.

Wrapping up President's Day and my "February Love Units" this week and of course some Dr. Seuss fun.  Look for more pictures and activities to come.

Tomorrow I will post about our new fluency card activities that I have been using that have worked wonderful with the kiddos who know all 37 popcorn words.  I have seen a HUGE improvement.

Since my daughter, Jordan, helped SueBeth and I with this fun March unit, and she turns 19 tomorrow, we will giveaway 2 St. Patrick's Day Math Units tomorrow evening.  Please make 1 comment on our blog to let us know that you would like a chance to win this St. Patrick's Day Math Unit.  We will choose a winner Wednesday, February 22.  Have your comment submitted by 9:00 Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, February 22.  Don't forget to put your email.  

Happy Birthday, Jordan!! 

Feeding The Winter Animals and Counting Sets Teen Numbers Freebie For President's Day

SueBeth's second grade students came down to our room on Friday and were such a great help.  One of our Science goals for the day was to make some things that we could then take out to our "Kindergarten Tree" to help feed the animals during the winter.  Even though it is February, we read the book The Night Tree by Eve Bunting and my kids loved all of the things that the family left around and on the tree for the winter animals.  We also made another item for the birds that I will share next week.  We used bird seed for this activity.

I always like to take pictures of the kids doing this and it was pretty muddy outside on Friday.  So, look for pictures to come this week on this fun activity. 

Our President's Day hats that we made to help remind us about George Washington.

This student so graciously modeled for me because I didn't think the picture would show how cute these turned out.

This part was the hit.  They loved having longer hair like George Washington did!!

We don't have school on Monday, but we do have to attend teacher in-service meetings at our high school.  We will be wrapping up President's Day this coming week along with our February Units.  SueBeth and I have been working really hard on some March Units this weekend.  So, hope to post about those items real soon!  Here is a President's Day freebie to help practice those teen numbers.  Let us know if ya grab it...we love your comments.

Happy President's Day!

Counting Some American Symbols

Going Wild Giveaway Winner and President's Day Freebie

One of the items that I have been reinforcing during my math lessons is numbers.  The students are working hard on writing their numbers correctly (without any being backwards), using one to one correspondence to count objects, and understanding which numbers are less/more, comes before/after, etc.  We are starting to turn the corner on all of these items which certainly comes in handy when adding and subtracting is our MAIN focus right now.  We have developed a learning center activity that we will work on hard this week and next week that has a red, white, and blue twist to it.  I plan on using it for 2 different centers, one for numbers to 11 and the other for numbers to 21.  Let us know if you grab yourself a free copy of this fun center activity! 

How To Play:

Copy/Laminate both sets of cards.  Cut them apart to make 2 different centers.  One for numbers 0-11 and the second one for numbers 10-21.  These number cards have a color border around them which makes it easy for checking on the provided worksheets.

Now for our Going Wild Vinyl Giveaway Winner...

Before, After President's Day

Vinyl Giveaway Ends Tonight, George Washington Art Project, And Computer Question

Don't forget that our Vinyl Giveaway ends tonight, February 15, at midnight Eastern Standard Time. We will post the winner tomorrow on our blog. Look for some fun things to do with this Jungle Theme Vinyl Packet coming real soon!! Please enter on our February 10 post to make it easy to choose our winner!! Good- luck!!

The kiddos wanted to take a picture of their monogrammed Valentine's Day cups.  They were so excited to take them home.

Almost time to go home and call it a wonderful Valentine's Day!!

Wrapped up this fun George Washington project today.  I thought they did a great job with cutting and following directions.  They were amazed at some of the facts they learned about George! 

QUESTION...I have been searching for some fun math websites for addition/subtraction or just plain kindergarten/first grade math.  Any suggestions?!?  Our school uses Successmaker, but I want something else that they can "play" that will help them reinforce math concepts.  Any suggestions/ideas?  Thanks so much!!
More president day ideas coming your way tomorrow and some other February fun!!

American Symbols Counting Freebie, February Fun and Vinyl Giveaway Ends Wednesday

We had a blast today for our Valentine's Day.  We all got a special treat by a 2 hour delay due to snowy roads.  Shortly after the kids got there, we talked about our Valentine Scrapbooks(see previous post) that they were completing today.  They were sooo quiet doing this that I was truly amazed.  They finished those up, and we completed some February Fun Centers.  After that it was time for us to have our Valentine treat.  I gave the kids their monogrammed cups and a chocolate chip cookie.  They loved the cups and couldn't believe that I was going to let them take it home.  A couple of the kids said, Mrs. Drerup we are going out to eat tonight, but I am going to take this cup with me to dinner!!

Now that we are wrapping up Valentine's Day I guess I have 3 days to finish up some President's Day activities before it hits on Monday.  We don't have school on Monday, but have teacher in-service.
I took pictures today and left my camera lay on my desk, so I will post pictures tomorrow!!
As always, if ya like the freebie, let us know by leaving us a love note!! Here is the freebie that I will be using tomorrow.  One of the items on our last grade card was being able to one to one count and write the number correctly.  I am going to give it tomorrow as an assessment.

DON'T Forget that our Going Wild Vinyl Giveaway ends Wednesday, January 15 at midnight eastern standard time!!  See February 10th post to comment!!

Counting American Symbols 1-10

Heart Measurement, Abe Lincoln Project, And Vinyl Giveaway Ends Wednesday

Trying to get things off of my to do list is becoming a stressful task. SueBeth and I are headed to Columbus tomorrow for an ETECH conference. As you all know...it is more work to be out of the classroom than to be at school.  We are so excited to get some technology ideas that we can use in our classroom. I am picking her up at 6:00 AM to head towards Columbus. My husband can't believe that I will be up at the same time he is tomorrow!!

This past week we shared some of our Math Centers. Here is another center that the kids enjoyed last week. They were measuring with heart rulers and that had two standards that they were working on with measurement. They were measuring and telling if objects were longer/shorter than a specific amount. They were also measuring different "Valentine" items to tell how many hearts long the items were on a given worksheet.

You can find this Valentine Measurement at our TPT Store for only $1.00

Working with partners to measure with out heart rulers to see if it is longer or shorter.

This team is working on measuring certain heart clipart to see how many hearts long the items were on the worksheet.

We made this Abe Lincoln project after reading Abe Lincoln's Hat.  We also did a writing assignment together.

More President's Day Activities will be coming this week.  Watch for some freebies. 

Don't Forget About Our Vinyl Giveaway...

Here are just some of the samples that you will get in your vinyl packet. 

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THE GIVEAWAY ON OUR FEBRUARY 10, 2012 POST!!

Wild About Vinyl Giveaway

If you are a proud owner of a Cricut, Silhouette, Sizzix Machine, or any other die cut machine this is a giveaway that you won't want to miss.  You have a chance to win some vinyl pages that can be used on these machines to create anything for your classroom or crafty projects at home.  We will be posting some vinyl ideas throughout the next few weeks on our Busy Bees Blog.  If you don't own one of these machines, you can still use this vinyl to trace/cut out letters, use for name tags, etc.

1.  Follow Busy Bees Blog
2.  Add Busy Bees Blog To Your Blog Roll
3.  Follow Busy Bees TPT Store
Please check out Vinyl Couture Store to see all the different vinyl pages they have to offer for your school and "crafty" projects.

You can leave us 3 different comments telling us that you have completed all 3 chances to win this animal print vinyl package.  

Please make sure that you leave us an email on one of your comments so that we can contact you if you are the winner of this Going Wild Giveaway.

 

Puppy Love Centers and Heartbeat Freebie

We started our Puppy Love Centers yesterday and the kids loved them.  Here are some of the pictures from these fun center activities that we did during Math.

These students are using Ipods/Ipads as a center.  They love using these in a center and playing fun math games.  Right now they are playing an addition game.

This student is doing the subtraction Puppy Love Center Activity.  She had to count the dots, subtract the ones that were taken away, and tell me what what left. 

Student completed this subtraction activity as described above, while filling out a worksheet for me to check.

These two students are working hard on our Puppy Love addition activity.  They didn't agree with how many there were altogether, so they decide to recount it together.  This involves counting, adding, and recording their answers.

These students are working on the assignment in pairs.  This is the first time that I tried it and I love it.  One student I allow to be the teacher and the students did AMAZING!! 

I would love to hire this student.  She did an amazing job being the teacher and helping another student make the numbers correctly!!

Fun addition game on the Ipod/Ipad.

Another Puppy Love Center Activity that require the students to compare how many more/how many less.  I put the cards in order to match the worksheet.  At first I thought this might be too tough for the students and they might need some help, but they did it perfect!!  Another standard that I have been able to review.  With this practice, I think it will be much easier for the kids to tell me how do you know there are more bones.

Here is a freebie that we thought you might enjoy.  I purchased those plastic hearts a month ago at Dollar Tree and Target and have been wondering how I could use them for both reading/math.  I am going to write some "difficult" sight words on the top of the heart with a permanent marker and then put spray a clear acrylic over the top to keep it from coming off.  Then on the inside of the heart I am going to put a number on the bottom with a permanent marker and then put that many candy hearts in the container.  The student has to read the words, count the hearts, and add them together.  I will take pictures of this activity tomorrow and share the pictures with you.
More pictures to come tomorrow of some of our additional Valentine Themed Centers that we have been working on during Math. Drop us a comment if you enjoy our Heartbeat Freebie!!

Heart Sight Word and Addition Game