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Growing Grade by Grade 2016

7 Reasons Why Games Are A Powerful Learning Tool

7 Reasons Why Games Are A Powerful Learning Tool

     Some of my favorite memories as a student and a teacher center around playing games. I was a student a long time ago, but I can still remember a sunny spring day and my first-grade teacher showing us how to safely play Dodge Ball. Finding and creating content games in my own classroom made my lesson prep more enjoyable.

      Playing games is a powerful tool for students! Games are fun, and they help us learn and master skills as well as apply those skills. The longer I work with children, the more I see the value of playing games.

 Click here and download Guess My Number.
     Games can give you the same great practice as the best worksheets but games are vastly superior. Here's why:

1.  Games are more engaging than worksheets. Don't we all want our students to enjoy lessons? Children are typically attracted to games and more eager to participate. 
2.  Games can address curriculum standards as well as any worksheet.
3.  They're less stressful. We usually don't grade games so that pressure is off kids. We can also make games more cooperative, so there is no winner/loser stress. Children don't have to sweat the loser label.
4.  They are new and fresh each time they're played. Especially if the game includes pulling cards randomly or rolling dice, you never know what you're going to get.
5.  Once students learn a game, they can work independently. That's great for building confidence, for the smooth flow of a classroom, and for successful centers.
6.  We can differentiate many games. I often adapted card decks, set number limits, or gave time limits to support student needs. I've also assigned different games to students based on their needs.
7.  Games are typically one-prep or low-prep. Enough said.

     I have some games to share with you here! Subscribe to my newsletter and you'll have access to my FREE Resource Library. There, you can download my Valentine Fraction 4-In-A-Row game. Complete directions are at the top of the page. Copy in color or black and white. All you have to add are number cubes and markers.

Click here and download Dots and Boxes.

     You can find even more games in my TpT store, Growing Grade By Grade, and add fun practice to your classroom!
     I'd love to hear how games work for you! Happy Math-ing!
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Valentine Math Choice Board FREEBIE

Valentine Math Choice Board FREEBIE

We're heading into the Valentine season! There are so many fun and creative activities for this time of year and we can't forget that academics come first. I've designed a fun and creative, Valentine-themed Math Choice Board for you - and it's FREE!

     Kids can choose from among 16 different activities to practice math and get creative! I've included three different color versions and an ink-saving black & white version.

     How to get this Valentine Freebie? Sign up for my newsletter. You'll have access to the link and an immediate download.

      I'd love to know how you like it!
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35 Movies That Will Inspire Teachers

35 Movies That Will Inspire Teachers

     A recent Facebook thread had members sharing their favorite inspirational teacher movies. Some were funny, some modeled great teaching, and some modeled the teachers we don't want to be. I thought how great it would be to have a ready list for those times when you need to pile up on the couch with snacks, tissues, and the remote and reaffirm why we all do this.
     Teachers spend their careers feeding and inspiring others. It's no surprise that we often need a dose of inspiration themselves. 

     Consider searching for a quick synopsis before you watch these movies. You can determine which ones fit your needs and tastes, then sit back and be inspired! I'd love to know what other movies inspire you in the comments section below.
  1. Mr. Holland’s Opus
  2. The Ron Clark Story
  3. School of Rock
  4. Akeelah and the Bee
  5. Stand and Deliver
  6. Mona Lisa Smile
  7. McFarland USA
  8. Finding Forrester
  9. Bad Teacher
  10. Dead Poets Society
  11. To Sir, With Love
  12. Mr. Holland’s Opus
  13. Dangerous Minds
  14. Kindergarten Cop
  15. Freedom Writers
  16. The Miracle Worker
  17. Billy Madison
  18. Matilda
  19. Pay It Forward
  20. October Sky
  21. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
  22. Jump Street
  23. Mean Girls
  24. A Smile As Big As The Moon
  25. Facing Giants
  26. Wonder
  27. The Marva Collins Story
  28. Harry Potter
  29. Finding Nemo
  30. Big Fat Liar
  31. Precious
  32. Renaissance Man
  33. Remember the Titans
  34. To Be and To Have/Etre et Avoir
  35. Lean On Me















Stock photo by Samuel Ramos, TpT Hardplayed
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How To Have Fun AND Build Number Sense: Play "No More"!

How To Have Fun AND Build Number Sense: Play "No More"!

     Do you want a no-prep math activity that you can use with almost any grade-level? Do you like to feel confident that you're building strong number sense? Would you like to know you're creating a smooth segue into pre-algebra? If so, let's play "No More"!
     When I say "no prep", I mean it! Simply stroll to the whiteboard or SmartBoard and sketch this:
     Next, pick a number. I typically use the day's date at the beginning of the year, but you can pick any number. Write the number at the top.
     Now, challenge students to call out as many different ways as they can think of to "express" that number. 

     This is a beautiful way to get used to identifying just what a mathematical expression is - another way to say a number. I always make an ELA connection here, explaining that I can refer to a child, say Jayden, with different expressions. I can refer to Jayden as, "Jayden", "Mr. Williams", "the boy closest to the door", "the guy in the red shirt", "one of my students", etc. In the same way, we can refer to numbers in just as many ways.

     As you get started, students will typically share fairly simple expressions although some students are ready for more advanced examples:
      Help students by adding some expressions yourself. Remind students that they can use the word form of a number, the short word form, Roman numerals, decimals, and fractions.
     My students often hang out with the easiest expressions they could think of, like addition. As you notice one operation being used a lot as in the example below, write the operation in the "No More" column. This means that there can be no more addition used in expressions for the rest of the game! Yikes! Kids really start to slow down and think!
     They may head for the relative safety of, say, subtraction. Let them go a while, then lower the boom. No more subtraction!
     Continue playing for a few minutes, usually 2 - 5. Once you eliminate the third operation, you're really cooking!

      You get the idea. You're guiding students to think deeply about how to create a number and they're understanding the difference between expressions and equations.

      Consider adding this to interactive math notebooks, assigning it as a warm-up, and letting kids collaborate before they share. I'd love for you to try "No More" and let me know how it works for you!
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[name=Pat McFadyen] [img=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczE6mtgjdS5V3nWcCULBmAKHizsGN444Azjfc-ELJU4pYOVxAuVvcVGE029uyMOPBP-AUR_CJvQrMIVFpWzqAbwkwZ4EKslxl_weBhSbNsjgReTTdZq0IiCYvyyzXomhRuka_TgZ-Wd_Z/s1600/Pat.jpg] [description=My purpose is to support YOU and your students with practical solutions and curriculum materials that teach, play, practice, and assess.] (facebook=https://www.facebook.com/GrowingIn5thGrade/)

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