Homeschool Chicks Have Hatched!

The Homeschool Chicks website has hatched! Several of the bloggers from www.TeachingBlogAddict.com have come together in a brand spankin' new website for home educators. Each of the five of us will focus on a specialty area. We have a Fun Chick, Organized Chick (that's NOT me!), a How-To Chick and a Reading Chick. I'm the "Math Chick." (Never in my wildest dreams...) On the site you'll find a homeschool blogroll (we'd love to add yours!), pinboards, linky parties, and lots of freebies. Spread the news! And click the button below to come check us out.

Poison! Race to 100

Poison! Race to 100

In the upper grade Math Club we played Poison! Race to 100. Here are instructions to continue play at home:

Materials Needed:

• Base 10 manipulatives: 1 mat per child and a bunch of strips (10s) and units (1s) - those pictured can be purchased from The Math Learning Center.
• 2 Dice labeled 0-5 and 1-6

Directions
Each player gets a mat (red 100s grid shown above) as a playing board. Player #1 rolls the two dice, adds the numbers, and collects that many base ten pieces. The player can choose to keep those pieces, adding them to the playing board (the red mat), or roll again and collect additional pieces. BUT, if the dice rolls a 0 (POISON!) he loses everything in that turn.  (Once pieces are on the mat, they are safe.) Each time the player rolls, she must exchange base ten pieces from that turn so that she has the least number of pieces in her possession. So, for example, if in one roll she gets 8 and then in a second roll she gets 4, she must trade in 10 units for 1 strip (ten) with a total of 1 strip and 2 units. The same is true of the board. As pieces go into the safe zone/red board, they are exchanged for the smallest number of pieces.

As students play, they might consider:

• How much do you have?
• How many do you still need to reach 100?
• How many more/less do you have than the other players?
• Challenge: What is the probability of getting poisoned (a zero)?

Ruptured Eardrum

I'm out this week with a ruptured eardrum. Hope to be back soon. Carry on with math!

Math Monday Blog Hop #67 (Sept. 17, 2012)

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Grab a Math Box: love2learn2day button for your own blog:

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Subitizing - Try it Online!

Familiar with subitizing? Try some online subitizing exercises for yourself. Can you see how many dots there are...in a flash??

Math Monday Blog Hop #66 (Sept. 10, 2012)

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Grab a Math Box: love2learn2day button for your own blog:

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Students Who've Suffered Early Trauma - Dealing with Behavioral Issues

Over the last several years, I've worked with students who suffered early trauma, usually as infants. Contrary to what I used to think, trauma can involve many things other than abuse. Neglect, separation from birth mother, extended hospital stays, inadequate daycare...and many, many more things can contribute to a traumatic start, which can eventually lead to rather unappealing behaviors as students reach school age.

If you teach (or parent) a child with behavioral issues, take a moment to read "An Open Letter to Educators Who Work with Students Who Have Been Diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder or Have Suffered Early Trauma." It's an excellent primer for those who are struggling with disruptive student behaviors.

Sometimes I shake my head. At myself. I thought I knew so much as a 22-year-old beginning teacher. And later as a beginning parent. Now, over twenty years later, I'm amazed and humbled as I consider all that I still have to learn.

Taking the Outside Temperature

I love this idea for learning about temperature, found on the Math Learning Center Blog. It could be done at home or at school. Students read the outdoor temperature each week, thinking about a range as they consider this poem:

Fahrenheit Weather

90 degrees is pretty hot.
70 degrees is pleasing.
50 degrees is getting cold,
and 32 degrees is freezing!

Look at the original post for detailed lesson instructions. You'll find a blackline classroom wall thermometer here if you'd like to add one to your room. I printed one on cardstock, slit the very bottom of the thermometer and added a thin strip of red tagboard to slide up and down for the temperature gauge. 

Math Monday Blog Hop #65 (Sept. 3, 2012)

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Grab a Math Box: love2learn2day button for your own blog:

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TBA Open House Week ~ Monday: Meet the Teacher!

Over at Teaching Blog Addict (TBA) they are having all kinds of link-ups to introduce some changes to the website. Bloggers (teachers and homeschoolers!) can link up to share:

Monday: Meet the Teacher- tell us all about you and your teaching style!
Tuesday: Classroom Photos
Wednesday: Handouts for Parents
Thursday: Bulletin Board Photos
Friday: FREEBIES!

Meet Me...

I'm Cindy. I first entered the classroom a little over 20 years ago as a high school English teacher. I looked too young for that setting (got asked for my hall pass!), so I found a job teaching middle school language arts, social studies, Spanish, drama, and more. That experience made me interested in learning more about self-contained classrooms, and I went back to get my Master's in Elementary Education. As an elementary teacher, I loved teaching literacy, became addicted to children's books, and then...wait...fell in love with teaching MATH. Over the years I've taught almost every grade level, preschool to graduate school. I do a lot of consulting, work with both classroom teachers and homeschool parents, and teach kids of all ages in a wide variety of both public and private settings. Oh...and I have 5 kids.

My style? LOL. Based on the description above, I'd say ECLECTIC. :) One of my hobbies? Collecting math-related children's books.

Who are YOU? Introduce yourself and join the blog hop! :)