Easter Holidays are nearly over and I managed to accomplish most of the things on my "To Do" list, including my newest TPT product.

It's 50% off until tomorrow night.  Check it out.  I'd love some feedback!

What Would Leif Say?

I came across this cool (and free) app called ChatterPix and thought it would make the perfect review activity in Social Studies.  Before the students got their hands on the iPads, they had to pretend they were Leif Erikson and write a paragraph explaining who they were, what they accomplished, and why they didn't stay in Newfoundland very long.  Once I approved the paragraph, they were ready to create their ChatterPix.  Here are a few examples:

Canada Biggie Sized!

Way back in the summer I accidentally came across the Canadian National Geographic website while searching for something totally unrelated.  Well, I'm sure glad I found the site and spent a few minutes looking around.  I found that they lend giant floor maps of Canada - for FREE!  So, I signed up and kinda forgot about it all during the rush of the fall.  I was reminded by email after Christmas that I had signed up and was asked if I was still interested in having the map delivered. I replied with a definite YES and waited for the map's arrival.

The map was so big I couldn't even get the whole thing in one picture.  You get the idea.

The map also came with a trunk full of lesson ideas and materials like bean bags, pylons, picture cards, and chain links (to outline the watersheds).

My fifth graders had just finished learning about the six geographical regions of Canada, so the map arrived at the perfect time.

Who Doesn't Love A Sale?

I'm sooo excited that Teachers Pay Teachers is having a sale!  I have my shopping list ready.  Do you?

Thanks Strawberry Shake for the super cute clipart :)

Right Angles

We did a quick review of right angles today in math class.  The kids really enjoyed writing their names using only right angles.  Some of the letters like "K" and "R" were a bit tricky.  This activity was one of the things I had them do while at the Teacher Table during math rotations.

For a quick wrap-up at the end of class I sent the kids off in pairs to find examples of right angles around the school. They took photos with the iPad and used the PicCollage app to show their understanding. 

Here are a few examples:

I liked how this group drew the arrows to point out the right angle in each picture.

I thought this group's title in the shape of a right angle was a clever addition.

This group used their hand to form the right angle shape for a lot of their photos.

Overall, it was a simple enough activity to do in the last 10 minutes of class.  The students were thrilled (like always) to use the iPads and while they were hunting for right angles, I was able to do a quick assessment of who "got it" and who didn't.

3 Math Must-Haves!

Did you know I love the letter D?  Disneyland, driving, dreaming, and of course, my name Dorlisa.  Well, my love for the letter D is evident in my math class, too.  I have 3 go-to items that I use almost every day in my math centres:

Dominoes

Dice

Deck of Cards

Partial Products Practice

I LOVE using dominoes in math class.  Here is how my Grade 5 students used them this week to practice 2-digit multiplication using the partial products method.

A New Year ... A New Look

Each new year I set a few goals, some personal and some professional, that I try to work towards throughout the year.  Well, it's only two weeks into 2015 and I've completed a goal!!  My new and improved blog is up.  Thank you so much to Albemarle PR for the amazing work.  I LOVE everything about it.  I'm hoping with the new look that I'll be more motivated to blog on a regular basis (which is another goal of mine).

Step-by-Step

My Grade 5s have been mastering 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication using the distributive property this week.  While at the "Teacher Table" during math rotations today, I checked their understanding of the steps with a simple activity.  I posed the question and the students wrote each step of the process on a separate strip of paper.  

The final addition step was done on the Boogie Boards.  Easy peasy!

Introducing Fractions

We used Legos and our new Boogie Boards to write fractions 3 ways.

Prime & Composite Numbers

My Grade 5s learned about Prime and Composite Numbers this week.  Here are a few photos of the activities they did:

QR Code Activities are always a hit with my kids.

A whole class activity.  Each student was assigned a set of numbers and they had to decide which of their assigned numbers were prime and which were composite.  We used pink stickies for the prime numbers and yellow for the composite.  This is a great visual in the classroom.

A simple sorting activity.  I wrote random numbers up to 100 on milk jug caps.  I asked the small groups to sort the caps, then I challenged them to do it as fast as they could.

Who doesn't love making an avatar and teaching their friends about prime and composite numbers?

This free app was a real crowd pleaser.

O Canada!

My Grade 5 class knew very little about Canada's geography when we started the year.  We did a carousel activity the opening week where they made lists of the provinces/territories, cities in Canada, bodies of water, and so on.  There were more wrong answers than right.  

Another teacher and myself came up with a Canada map puzzle project. Students were given pieces of the country that they needed to assemble.  This lead to a lot of discussion among the students about where things should go.  I liked hearing the students say the actual names of the provinces/territories, as well as directional words like east and west.  After the puzzle was assembled, they simply coloured the provinces and territories.  We did a few side activities on the provinces/territories and their capitals before they returned to their maps to label.  

There are six geographical regions that we need to cover, so we started on the east coast with the Atlantic/Appalachian region.  Students recorded what they think they know about the region's climate, vegetation, natural resources, bodies of water, animals, and landforms on little pieces of paper attached to toothpicks. I was pleasantly surprised with their comments.  Most responses were bang on with the region, so maybe they were paying attention when I showed them a Canada film the first week of school.  After learning about the region, we'll return to the map and add new learning with different coloured paper and taller toothpicks, so they stand out a bit more.

I'm excited to see the final product.

Boogie Boards

I'm excited to give Boogie Boards a try with my Grade 5 math class.  I've been saving my Scholastic bonus money and have my fourth Boogie Board on its way. My kids will be thrilled to use the boards at one of the math centres.

Is It Friday Yet?

This was how I felt all day!  Anyone else?

Magnets + Math = Much Loved Lesson

I was at the Dollar Store picking up some prizes for my husband's classroom store last night when these number magnets caught my eye.  I bought a few cookie sheets while I was there & just like that I had a math lesson ready to go.  I was a little worried that my Grade 5 students would think the lesson was a little "babyish", but they surprised me.  Everyone made a positive comment about it!  The lesson was a review on rounding.  I gave the students a number, and they used the magnets to show the number rounded to the nearest 10, 100, or 1 000.  

Update

Here is what I've been up to the last couple weeks:

• Our house sold!  After only 2 weeks on the market, we were thrilled to put the SOLD sign up.

• We went on a whirlwind trip to South Dakota & Yellowstone last week.  My kids were so excited to visit Flintstone Park in Custer, SD.

• We met with a new builder and are happy with the progress we've made so far.

• I have not done one thing in my classroom & I'm kinda starting to panic.

• I am nearly finished my 70 page digital album from the west coast trip my family took at the beginning of July.

• I finished another TPT product & have put it up for sale on MONDAY, AUGUST 18th only.  20% off!!

Daily Math Grade 5 September

I'm looking forward to this week.  Here's what I'll be doing:

• Family photos tomorrow morning.  Sooo happy I booked an appointment to get my make-up done.

• 3 days with my extended family at a nearby provincial park.  Luckily, we'll be staying in the condos & not tenting.

Have a great week everyone!

TPT Sale On Now!!

It has been crazy around here.  We put our house up for sale two weeks ago, and it has been non-stop cleaning, prepping, organizing, and staging the house during the day.  It's so much harder with a two and five year old to work around.  I'll get one room cleaned and turn around and have to clean the room the kids were just in.  At night and into the wee hours of the morning, I've been getting ready for the big TeachersPayTeachers sale.  I've changed up the covers on a few products, and I LOVE how they turned out!  

Newspaper Activities 2

Newspaper Activities

Newspaper Bundle

Precipitation Foldable

I've added a few NEW products, too.

Ewww, It's Mold!

Go West! Settling the Canadian Prairies

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Got The Time?

Times Tables Door Hangers

The TPT Sale is on NOW until August 5th.  My entire store is 20% off.  Make sure to use the promo code BTS14 for an additional discount.  Who doesn't love saving 28%?  I still need to go shopping, but it'll have to wait until tonight.  I have a house to sell!

Happy Shopping!

Linky Party

Thank you http://teachertamseducationaladventures.blogspot.ca/2014/07/its-back-to-school-sale-freebie-and.html for hosting a Linky Party.  I don't participate in too many because I never know if I'm doing things right.

Right Now

I'm 3 weeks into summer holidays & here's what I've been up to:

1. I celebrated my 13th wedding anniversary today.  Hubby & I went to the new Cameron Diaz movie Sex Tape!

2. We have been working our tails off the last 5 days getting our house ready to put on the market.  Today we met with the realtor & the FOR SALE sign is on the front lawn!

3. I am trying to complete my biggest TpT product ever!!  I planned it all out on the drive home from Vegas & each night I try get some work done on it.  It's a slow process

TpT Vegas!

I am finally home after being on the road for 18 days with the family.  We drove down the Oregon & California coast, then back home through Vegas.  I planned the trip so we'd be in Vegas for the first ever TpT Conference on July 11th.  I was totally blown away by the whole experience - the energy, the creativity, the expertise, and the TpT celebrities.

Here are my 5 take-aways from TpT Vegas:

1) NETWORK - I need to get my store name out there.  I noticed a lot people had super cute business cards that they were handing out.  What an awesome idea! 

2) Larger Products - The majority of my products can be completed in one class, but one speaker suggested creating larger products.  I started working on a 2 week product last night.  I'm excited for this new challenge.

3) Believe - Everyone has a TpT story.  I want mine to be awesome.  I can do this!

4) You can write several blog posts at once & then set a schedule for when you want them to go live on your blog.  I did not know this!  How cool is that?

5) Set Goals!  I am a list maker & goal setter.  I love crossing things off a list.  For some reason I never posted clear TpT goals in a place I could see every day.  This I am going to do.

It sounds like there will be another TpT conference next summer in Vegas.  I've got a lot of work to do before then.