Teachers are Super Heroes and WE NEED Superhero Products!

With the upcoming TpT sale, we want to help you find "heroic" products that have helped others in their classrooms. I recently received some wonderful feedback on my Expressions and Equations Scoot and Compute Pack. Many teachers have commented about how much they love this product because I have differentiated the questions.  There are 120 problems, 12 questions in 10 different algebra areas.  I printed mine on colored cardstock and put them on rings.  Then I can give more difficult problems to students who need a challenge.  You can see pictures in a blogpost I did {HERE}.  I use these primarily when it comes time to review for our state assessment, but I found myself pulling them out as center review several times this year to keep the algebriac thinking fresh throughout the year.

Click on the image above or {here} to go to the product.

Browse around the linky for other heroic products, or feel free to grab the graphic and link up your own! Link to a post containing one heroic product and its feedback. Use the graphic if you wish. (No direct links to stores or products, please.) Include the linky button and link it back to this post so others may find great heroic products.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Five for Saturday.. Math Centers.. Mardi Gras and a little Teacher Love

Happy Saturday my friends!  I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for a little Five For Friday.. a little late.
#1:  Math Centers:  I am loving the ability to have math centers this year.  My schedule permits me to teach about 45 minutes of whole group math, and then I get about 30 more minutes of math centers.   We've recently started our unit on Integers and Rational Numbers, and we've been digging deep into vocabulary.  I love using these Integer Phrase Task Cards in groups.  My students each take a card, read it and find the space on the number line.  We then find the opposite integer and then the absolute value as well.

We also have been working on mental math computation.  I need my students to get quicker at completing basic computation skills.  We started out doing these 4-5 step problems using a Hundreds Chart as visual reference.  As we progressed during the year, I have moved my students off the Hundreds Chart and into dry erase boards.  Most of them have moved completely to mental math, but I still have a few that work problems on the dry erase boards.  Right now, we are using my Marching 'Round the Hundreds Board for Mardi Gras to help us with this.

#2:  Speaking of Mardi Gras.. we went to our first Mardi Gras parade in Mobile this week!  How fun!  We loved seeing all the beads, parade floats and marching bands.  We also tried our first Moon Pies! I can't wait to see a few more this weekend.

#3:  We've also been busy starting pre-season for softball.  My beautful "24" is the starting catcher for her JV team.  We have loved the new softball family we are getting to know.

#4: For Valentines Day a local church stopped by and gave all of the teachers in our little school a donut and Starbucks. It was so kind of them to think of each of us, and it was a nice little pick me up on a busy busy day.

#5:  I'm pretty close to a 1,000 Facebook Followers!  I'm planning to have a little rafflecopter givewaway, so if you aren't following me on FB, stop by and like the Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans page!

Thanks to Doodle Bugs for letting me link up for Five for Friday!

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Using a 3-2-1 Reflections Graphic Organizer for Informational Text with a FREEBIE

We have been working hard with informational text lately!  Sixth grade feels like it is ALL about being able to explain our thinking about what we are reading, and backing up our claims with evidence from the text.  We have been practicing this concept with fiction, nonfiction and poetry a lot!  I've been trying to instill in my students the need to use quality vocabulary in the answers.  Drawing on the academic vocabulary within the text helps them "sound" like sophisticated sixth graders.

One of the ways that I work in vocabulary and details is with a 3-2-1 Reflections Graphic Organizer.  We recently read informational text about the increase in the number of child immigrants that are illegally entering the United States.  Using our 3-2-1 graphic organizer we found academic vocabulary that was related to the story, two details that supported the story, and wrote one question that still remained after the article was finished.

If you are interested, you can grab the organizer {HERE}.  It is a FREEBIE in my TpT store.  I've provided two different copies.  One is similar to the organizer mentioned above, the second is blank so you can add what you need as far reflections. We've used them when looking at compare/contrast text structure as well as facts and opinions.  If you were analyzing a poem, the 3-2-1 might be good for figurative language or thematic details.
I'm going to continue working with text structure informational analysis throughout the week.
We'll be using my Buddy Bookmarks

Sorry I didn't get a picture of these in use.. the one I took was blurry.  These are part of my Navigating Nonfiction Text posters and bookmark set.  I love these because we can use them with ANY text.  I'll also be incorporating some of the Reading Rectangles from my Reader Response Pack.  We are going to focus on Compare/Contrast structure next, and I'll even be incorporating that language into my math topics with integers.  It is important for my students to understand that these types of structures are in all subject areas, and the 3 2 1 Reflection organizer will be a quick formative assessment for me to use.  

Do you have any further suggestions for this type of organizer?  I'd love to hear! Have a great week!

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Squared Away on Super Bowl Sunday!

Happy Sunday friends!  I'm blogging today about a few things that I've managed to Square Away this weekend.  Not all are school related, but a little of this and a little of that.

My kids and I are planning to try a new snack for the Super Bowl:  Buffalo Wing Cauliflower Bites.

You can find the recipe {HERE}.  I love Skinnytaste!

Little ole me was featured on the Teachers Pay Teachers Blog today! EEK!  I had written about Chinese New Year, and they added me to the article!  You can check it out {HERE}

I got my second Stitch Fix in the mail this weekend!  I was so excited to open it and check out what I got!  Sadly, I didn't keep anything in it.  <boo hoo>  BUT I learned a lot more about my own personal style, so I'm walking away with a positive attitude.  The shirts were a little too boxy for my taste, and I didn't care for the colors of a few.  Have you tried Stitch Fix? It is the perfect venue for introverts like me.  You can check it out {HERE} to learn more about it.

What have you Squared Away this Sunday?  Do you have anything yummy planned for the Super Bowl?  I'd love to hear if you've got anything fun planned for school this week, or if you have any fun outfits planned!

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