Learning to count money is such a fun skill to teach! Students get so excited to practice counting coins, especially when real money is involved. However, when it comes to practicing writing word problems about money, well, that's usually where the fun is lost for kids. So, I created this Money Math Walk activity to get students more engaged in writing word problems. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here. For this activity, students are given math coin ... READ the POST
“Big Piggie” Math Game
This math game is one of our favorites! Meet Big Piggie....isn't she cute?! Big Piggie (yes, we voted on the spelling of "Piggie") is one of my favorite ways to review money skills with a whole class. This game is highly engaging, and very simple! All that is needed for Big Piggie is a whiteboard, a whiteboard marker and some magnetic money (money cutouts that have magnetic tape on the back). I use coin bulletin board accents that I laminate, which are great because of their larger ... READ the POST
Cutesy Calendar FREEBIE!
I want to share with you my free set of Cutesy Calendars. These are perfect for a student-made holiday gift, but they can also be used for a variety of other purposes, too. Handprint calendars make the sweetest gift for parents to receive from their student during the holiday season! I love these because they are simple and very budget-friendly. All you will need is a set of my (FREE) Cutesy Calendars and some washable paint that is safe for finger painting. First, have the students use ... READ the POST
OCTICORN
OCTICORN is one of my new favorite picture books for teaching students that IT IS OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT! This cute story is about a octopus/unicorn who doesn't seem to fit in with either group. This book provides lots of good teaching points for students, too. This post contains affiliate links to products I personally recommend. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Inspired Elementary. Octicorn experiences what it's like to be different, so ... READ the POST
The Compliment Box
The Compliment Box is another one of my favorite classroom management tools. Teaching students how to compliment one another not only promotes kindness, but it provides them with an opportunity within the school day to practice that kindness. WHAT YOU NEED: To set up your own Compliment Box, all you need is a small box (I used a cardboard box and painted it) and some Compliment Cards printed on ASTROBRIGHTS paper. WHEN IT'S DONE: Students can leave compliments for each other if they ... READ the POST
Adjective Collages
I love Adjective Collages! They make such a special teacher gift (or a gift for parent volunteers)! To make an Adjective Collage, I have each student choose a word to describe the teacher (or parent volunteer). Every student gives me three adjectives, that way if there is any overlap (which there always is) I have options to choose from. Then, in Microsoft Powerpoint, I create a slide that is 8 inches x 10.5 inches. I center the teacher's name in the middle using a bold font, and then add ... READ the POST
Favorite Poetry Unit
Teaching poetry is so much fun and so easy to do when you have the necessary tools! I remember my first year teaching fourth grade, our writing curriculum had nothing for teaching poetry. Luckily, I have always loved to write, especially poems, so I developed my own Poetry Unit. It was incredible to see even my most reluctant writers get excited about sharing their poems...I was inspired! The following year, when I moved down to second grade, I knew my Poetry Unit was something I wanted to ... READ the POST
Counting Coins Activities
Counting money is such a fun skill to practice. I love all the great ideas out there on Pinterest and I'm always amazed at how excited students get when real money is involved. Here are a few ideas that can easily be mixed into your math centers for some counting money fun. I love the "Counting Coins in Cupcakes" math center! This is a re-usable center that students can change out for you over the course of the year....win-win! This post contains affiliate links to products I personally ... READ the POST
Solve It Strips
When math is hands-on, I have found that students will engage, no matter how difficult a math concept may initially seem. I have seen this over and over during my years in the primary classroom. Building math fluency, as well as student confidence in math, is critical in the early elementary years. In order to help my students be successful, as well as build those foundational math skills and fluency, I created this student-favorite activity... Solve It Strips are a series of ... READ the POST
