Still Alive, Games for the Boys, Surviving Until the End

It has been FOREVER since I have blogged!  I have been so busy with school and family and life.  Time got away from me!  I can't believe it has been so long. 


EXACTLY how I feel!!!

I have been creating a lot of new products for some boys in my class.  I have just put out a Star Wars Bundle  and a few Minecraft inspired Watch, Think, Color games.  Be sure to download this month's free Roll and Color Addition sheet.   


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Star-Wars-Bundle-Watch-Think-Color-Games-EXPANDING-BUNDLE-699629

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Minecraft-Inspired-Expanded-Notation-Watch-Think-Color-CCSS2NBTA1-700447

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/May-Roll-and-Color-Addition-FREEBIE-697712

I have another four weeks of school.  We have a year-round calendar.  I enjoy the breaks throughout the year.  The end of the year always feels like it flies by!  My kids are starting to get really restless.  It seems we have more behavior issues at the end of the year.  I am sure that part of the problem is that I expect more of them at this point.  One of my summer "tricks" is rewarding good behavior with otter pops at recess.  They are cheap, can be stored in a cabinet, and are not messy.  When it gets hot out, I always have a supply of otter pops in my room!  What are your tricks for dealing with end of the year issues? 

Hopefully I will blog again before another two months go by!  YIKES! 

Results of the Jelly Bean Science Experiment

I just couldn't wait until Friday!  We put the jelly beans in Sierra Mist and waited for about an hour.  The soda was dyed the color of the jelly beans and they turned completely white.  It was pretty fun!  VERY easy and cheap - 1 bag of jelly beans $2.00 and a soda from the machine in the lounge $0.50.  I would totally recommend doing this with your classes , plus when we had plenty of jelly beans to share after we finished!  YUM!!!

Easter Math, Science, and a FREEBIE to Share!

Easter is so much fun!  Right now my class is finishing up a unit on money.  I created several Easer Baskets for them to use to practice counting coins.  They fill each egg with the correct amount of money then close it up.  I can look at them right away or save them to check later if I am too busy at the moment.  I also have three "Bankers" in my room who help me check.  They have really mastered counting money and have shown that they are responsible helpers and good teachers.  I use the different colored eggs to differentiate the centers.  For example, the pink ones are the most basic (10 cents) and the green ones are the most difficult (more advanced numbers and how many coins you must use).  This is a really easy center to put together and the kids have had a lot of fun with it. 

I found a cute science experiment on pinterest that I want to try on our Fizzle Pop Friday.  You put a different color jelly bean into Sprite and see what happens.  Do all jelly bean colors have the same reaction?  The link from the pinterest board does not work, so this will be a real experiment!  We will see what happens. 






I have posted a FREE Easter Egg Watch, Think, Color game.  In this game, kids use their favorite color crayon so you end up with lots of colors of eggs.  Do you have any fun Easter ideas to share?

Primary Techie Blog and Watch, Think, Color Demo Video

I started this blog in November, but also started another blog (The Reading Ticket).  I have spent a lot more time and energy on the Reading Ticket blog, but now realize I should never have abandoned this blog.  I am going to continue forward with two blogs.  The Reading Ticket was designed to go with my reading curriculum.  It will now be devoted solely to Harcourt Trophies first grade reading.  This blog will be used for all else Primary Techie. 

I love making fun stuff to use in the classroom.  I incorporate technology whenever possible.  I make a series of games called Watch, Think, Color.  These games have been a big hit on TpT.  They come in a variety of math skills and a ton of fun designs.  Check them out at my TpT store.  Here is a preview of how these games work.

 

There will be lots of fun stuff happening here, so I hope you follow me!    Have a great week!  - Autumn

Watch, Think, Color Games

What is Watch, Think, Color?

Watch, Think, Color is a game I made when my students were learning place value. I created a powerpoint showing numbers represented by base tens units. The kids had hundreds charts and colored in the spot that corresponded with the number.  When they were done, they had made a picture on their chart. They LOVED the game. They were quiet and focused. The slides changed automatically so they could not whine if they got behind. I found that this game afforded me a few minutes to attend to other classroom duties. My kids were engaged in learning WITHOUT me entertaining them! I have made many versions of the game focusing on different skills including counting money, reading number words, expanded notation, mixed operations and (of course) place value. When I start this game with a new class or we move on to a new skill, I do it with them the first time. I pause the powerpoint so that we can discuss what number is represented. After the class has a grasp on how the game works, I let the game go with automatic page turns. 

Get Watch, Think, Color Games at my TPT store!

This is a Veteran's Day Version of the game.

This game has animated leaves and the sound of wind on the last slide.

Here students must read number words and color the number.

Students must color spot 56 red in this game!

Here trees represent tens and leaves are used for ones. This indicates color spot 55 brown.