Choices and Consequences, Holiday Adding and Subtracting within 10, and books!

Primary: 5th Sunday Edition
Being the 5th Sunday, and our first 5th Sunday in Primary, my counselor and I decided that we would play a game that my mom has used many a time. I'm not sure where she got it from (knowing my mom, she came up with it), so if you know where please share below!

I forgot to take pictures of the board that I had made, so here is the picture of the one my mom made. For the board I made, I made 5 pockets so that we could store the choice cards.

The choice cards are just CTR shields with the choices on the back. Some choices:
1. You stole money from a friend and bought candy.
2. Your mom asked you to help her and you helped her right away.
3. Your brother was being a pest so you pushed him.
4. Your friends wanted to play on Sunday, but you didn't and told them that you can play with them a different day.

The game rules with an introduction and a conclusion. We also gave out stickers for good choices and then candy at the end in honor of Halloween.

In order to make the game a bit more engaging, we added options for doing the consequences with a friend/sibling or with your whole class. Some consequences were pages from the Friend and LDS coloring book. Others were things like do jumping jacks until the quote is ended or putting together a puzzle of a church figure (like Captain Moroni).

Overall, it seemed to be a success! We had investigator kids and they told the missionaries that they want to come back next week (win).

Here are a few of the pages that I printed out for the challenges.

What are some of your favorite 5th Sunday activities?

TPT
What's one of my posts without a section about Teachers Pay Teachers?

I am heading to Chicago with Baby A this coming weekend, so I wanted to make sure I got a few things up before leaving (in case I decide to slack). All three of them are adding and subtracting within 10. I'll just share one at a time so I can spread the love.

I tried making these Thanksgiving-themed puzzles and it was hard! I use Photoshop Elements to make most of the images that I use. Overall, I think I did a fairly decent job. I am pretty excited about them 😀

Multiplication and division are up next on the docket, get ready. It is crazy to think how fast this year has gone by. Find Adding and Subtraction within 10 here. 

"Caraval" by Stephanie Garber: 2017 Reading Challenge

From Goodreads: Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless, she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

What I Liked:

The idea of Caraval is great! It has sisterly love, romance, magic, and a mysterious game. One sister has to run after the other and win the game before time runs out. The leader of the game could have been a great villain or her father could have been great to string along through more of the story as another villain. I also liked that even though I disliked the author's writing style, characterizations, etc, I still wanted to know how it ended...mainly to know if my predictions were right.

What I Disliked:

The biggest irritation was the author's use of weird descriptions. In the story, the main character sees feelings as colors. For example, she used the term "periwinkle of curiosity." It would have been alright if it was important to the story, but it isn't. It was just odd. 

Another thing that bugged me was that the characters didn't really progress or change outside of a smidgeon at the end. Also, Scarlett claims to be searching for her sister; however, she spends a lot of time worrying about Julian and Dante. She really needed to sort out her priorities. 

In this mysterious and mystifying game, we're also supposed to believe that Scarlett has minimum interactions with the other competitors. She has almost no competition from the beginning! If this was realistic, everyone would be concocting plans and attempt to either take her down or bring her into some sort of alliance. 

The ending was just sort of an exposition dump without any explanation for the magic outside of (basically) I don't know, it just works that way. Are you kidding me?? I mean, I'm all for suspension of belief for a while, but that's too much even for me. 

Will I read the book coming out next year? Probably! I am curious where she will go with the sister's POV and if it'll be better than the first. 

What are your thoughts on the book?

I can go to the temple for my ancestors when I am older and Halloween Math

Primary
The past few weeks have been a jam-packed, busy storm of activity. I've been recalled as primary president, so I've been trying to get things in place and settled. This week's lesson is on attending the temple for our ancestors when we turn 12.

(from Melonheadz)

I printed out this picture and turned it into a puzzle. To start the lesson, the primary children will hunt down the missing pieces and build it on the board.

Next, we're going to go over some vocabulary. I pulled these terms from the Friend and turned them into posters. I feel it's a good idea to go over these words with the kids on a frequent basis (when it ties in) in order to help them learn. I'm planning on asking if they have heard the terms before, where they have heard them, and to explain them to me before revealing the posters. 

After, I'll have the kids look under their chairs for the different ordinances that can be done in the temple. We'll put them up on the board by the ordinances poster. 

I'll bring up how we can go to the temple and get these ordinances when we are older and baptism when we turn 8.

Then, I'll tell a story about a relative passing away before receiving the ordinances and ask what can be done for them. Hopefully, we'll get to the point where they know that their ancestors can still receive the ordinances, but we have to do them for them. 

We'll continue on and go over how we can prepare now to go to the temple for our ancestors. 

I am giving out laughy taffy at the end with a card that says "I can 'chews' to prepare to go to the temple for my ancestors." I haven't decided if we will do the suggested coloring activity yet or not. 

While doing research for this lesson, I really liked the suggestions from Life's Journey to Perfection. There are also some good ideas on Sugar Doodle as well. 

Organization

I haven't been able to find binder covers and organizers that I like online so I may develop ones that work for me. Here's the cover that I have been working on:

I slightly modified one design that I saw online to make this one, but I'm not sure if this will be the final design. 

Teachers Pay Teachers

I am surprised how much TPT took off this month so far. I am glad others are finding the things I develop are helpful in the classroom. 

The adding and subtracting decimals worksheet will probably be the final Halloween-themed item that I put together this year.  I am preparing to move on to Thanksgiving in the next few days! You can find the product here.

I can't believe that it has been about a year since I began Teachers Pay Teachers. I have done much better than I thought, gotten better at developing products, and learned a ton. It will be exciting to see what the next year brings.

Tips for TPT:

1. Make sure you have something for holidays. 

I missed out on a lot of sales the first 6+ months because I didn't have holiday items. If you are starting a TPT account, definitely start making things for the next holiday coming up first. 

2. Pinterest helps A LOT

I never thought much about how Pinterest could help with advertising products, but it helps drive a lot of traffic to the store. 

I debated a lot about getting one of those services that pin for you, because the higher your activity on Pinterest, the more your pins pop up for people. It took a web seminary from Create and Go to make the final decision. They said that they do not use a service because they studied it and you get more exposure when you pin things yourself. 

3. If it's not fun, take a break or change

It's important to keep this fun in the long run. If you aren't having any fun making products, you probably won't keep with it very long. Take a break or try something new if you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious by it. Stop looking at other people's products and success, because that will get you down too. Success will come for you. I'm starting to have success, so it is DEFINITELY possible!

Reading

With everything going on, it is hard to find time to sit down and read for long spaces of time. I am now switching between The Way of Kings and Caravel. I'm not sure when I'll finish, but when I do I'll report. I am excited to give my reviews of the books!

Addition and Subtraction Within 20 Common Core Aligned Worksheets

The last several days have been brutal. There has been a lot going on for church and with our family. However, I'm pretty excited to be nearing the end of my addition and subtraction within 20 worksheets. 

My mother-in-law had requested these a few weeks ago and I've finally reached a good stopping point. I think I will go back to them after a while and make more, but for now, I am good. 

I'm planning on releasing the worksheets in groups over the next week or so. Once these are done, I'm hoping to continue with Halloween products!

The picture adding and subtracting worksheets focus on facts 1-10.

The Add or Subtract worksheets have students inserting the correct symbol to make the equations correct.

The color sort worksheets have students sorting equations into groups with the same end number in the sum. 

There are also worksheets where students will cut equations out and glue them under the correct sum on another piece of paper. 

The full set of worksheets can be found here!

The contest from my last post is still going on. Check it out here. 

Math Center Idea: Adding and Subtracting Within 20 and a Contest

Addition and Subtraction Within 20
My mother-in-law asked me to create materials for her to help her students master adding and subtracting within 20. Most likely the largest Teachers Pay Teachers project that I've undertaken, I'm almost finished and I am really excited to share the results.

It's been a long time since I've done task cards, so I decided to share those first. I've loved using task cards in several ways in the past. 

Math Centers

One way to use the task cards is in centers. Unfortunately, I can't find the blog post where I found the center organization method I used (it was called GIFT, I believe); however, there are several other organization methods out there that look fantastic. The key will be to find what works for you and your students. Math centers have been wonderful because they are something different than we normally do in class, they can be more interactive than regular lessons, and they are a great way to review subjects. I also loved using them when I had to get substitutes. The students knew them well enough that they could almost completely fly solo. 

Here are some links for ideas to organize your math centers. 

Sparkling in Second, The First Grade Parade, Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher, and Tara's Teaching Treasures

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Test Review

When it comes to test review, it can be hard to keep it interesting for students. This is where task cards come in handy. One of my students' favorite games has been musical task cards. For this game, you scatter the task cards around the room and have students ready with pencils and response sheets. Then have them wander the room as music plays. Once you stop the music, everyone must go to a task card and work on solving it. When the music starts again, they need to go back to moving around and wait until the music stops again. After the given amount of time has passed, have everyone sit down and go over the answers as a class.

Some of the other favorite task card games of my students are: "trashketball," Bazinga, and Scoot. I'll go into those games in a future post. 

Fast Finishers

When students finish work fast, these task cards are great for giving them some extra practice with the topics that you are studying in class. These can also be great for students that need either an extra challenge or just need extra practice. Having the answer keys with each set of cards also helps with management, since students can check their work as they go. 

The different decks can be found here:

Addition Within 20 Task Cards

Subtraction Within 20 Task Cards

Addition and Subtraction Within 20 Task Cards

Each set of task cards also has a printer friendly version! These are great if you want to save on ink.

When using these with your students, I would recommend laminating the cards before you use them (especially if you do musical task cards). Laminating them will help them last and survive the damage that will probably happen during reviews and centers. 

These cards are also CC aligned. They fit with 1.OA.1, 1.OA.6, 2.OA.2, and 2.NBT.5!

What are some of your favorite ways to use task cards in the classroom?

 Blog Contest
In honor of bringing this project to a close (soon I hope), I am holding a contest. The first reader to complete any of the following will win a free packet of worksheets that will be featured in my upcoming bundle for Addition and Subtraction within 20.

1. Answer the question I left at the end of the blog in the comments.

• What are some of your favorite ways to use task cards in the classroom?

2. Complete this survey here.

3. Or both one and two

However, if you are an upper-grade teacher, I will send you a grade-specific freebie instead. 

After I get 5 people to do any of the above tasks, I will post a special freebie to the blog.

Halloween Addition and Subtraction Mystery Pictures: Facts to 10 and 20

I am so excited for fall! It has been a hot summer here in Southern California and I'm looking forward to cool weather. In honor of the next big holiday, I've finished two holiday sets.

These have been pretty popular with my mother-in-law's students. They enjoy being able to color as they solve the problems and try to find out what the pictures are. 

The Addition and Subtraction within 10 packet is aligned with CC 1.OA.6. The Addition and Subtraction within 20 packet is aligned with 1.OA.6 and 2.OA.2.

 You can find the packets here:
Halloween Addition and Subtraction Within 10 Mystery Pictures
Halloween Addition and Subtraction Within 20 Mystery Pictures

The worksheets are great for center activities, small group practice, individual practice, substitutes, and more.

What are some of your students' favorite ways to practice addition and subtraction?

If you have a moment, please share your thoughts on what kinds of products, books and teaching tips you would like to see on here below or on this survey. All survey answers are anonymous!

More Reviews and More Mystery Pictures

Adding Two Digit by One Digit Whole Numbers Puzzle 

I liked doing the adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators so much that I decided to create a similar set for adding two digit by one digit whole numbers. Pretty similar, however, I decided to have a few different levels for some of the worksheets. This way, students at different levels can still enjoy completing the picture. 

Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles

So I stayed up late the other night to finish this book in the series. Fairest is just a novella and so far you don't need to read it to understand Winter, but it is definitely an interesting read. Disturbing, but it was interesting to read Levana's background. I did think that I would get some understanding of the character and maybe sympathy, but nope. She is just as vile as they make her seem in the main series. This book isn't too dirty, but the dirtiest of the books so far with a lot of detailed "slut shaming." Overall, interesting for people who like learning about villains' backstories, but otherwise a book worth skipping.  

2017 Reading Challenge, The Lunar Chronicles Review, and Adding Multi-digit Whole Numbers Oh My!

2017 Reading Challenge
I have made some headway into my 2017 Reading Challenge! Previously, I said I would start out on the walking level and then progress throughout the three levels (hopefully) by the end of the year. However, I have yet to stay faithful to a reading challenge because I get way too excited about other books that may or may not fit the guides of the challenge. I've checked off a bestseller and a recommendation through The Lunar Chronicles.

The Lunar Chronicles...so far
I finished Scarlet and Cress in the past week and a half. I am happy to say that I am still hooked and excited to continue reading the series.

The series takes place after a 4th world war. Cinder takes place mainly in Asia, Scarlet is mostly in Europe, and Cress was in Africa, space, and Asia. I found the main story lines engaging, but I did get frustrated when the author switched to other characters because I wanted the main story to keep going without interruption. 

The switches in focus makes sense and each switch is easy to follow, which is pretty hard to do in my opinion. Marissa Meyer does an excellent job with her characterizations and both female and male characters are equally interesting. 

I really appreciate that these books are pretty clean. I don't recall any swearing so far and the dirtiest it has gotten was when they described a ship that has the silhouette of a naked lady on it (no description beyond that). I would recommend these books to higher level middle school students and high school students as well. Definitely worth multiple reads as well. 

Adding Multi-Digit Whole Numbers

(find it here)

I took a break from fractions and completed another set of task cards. Once I built a template, it became easier to edit the product. It's a lot of fun to create these products and I have a lot more in store. I've even started making a few sales! I'm excited to see where this will take me. 

Has anyone else made any headway on their reading challenges?

Adding Decimals Task Cards and A Sale

I have a new product up in time for the cyber sale on Teachers Pay Teachers. Help your 5th graders practice and review adding decimals with these task cards.

There is a sale going on at Teachers Pay Teachers, so be sure to hit it up!

Thanksgiving
We went up to Idaho for Thanksgiving and my grandpa's birthday. We had a great time! I'd post pictures, but my family may one day see this blog and it will be a nightmare if I post a picture that one of my siblings doesn't like.
At Thanksgiving, we mainly just ate a bunch and then hung out at grandpa's. One of the cousins brought the best yams I've ever had. It tasted like I was eating candy.
My mom set up an activity where the great-grand-kids learned more about grandpa and the time when he was growing up. She even had a snippet from an old radio show called The Shadow. When she has a project, she really throws herself into it and comes up with some pretty cool things.

What's your favorite way to celebrate Thanksgiving?

Adding Within 100-First Grade Task Cards

New Product!
I've developed two more sets of task cards, this time focusing on 1.NBT4&5.  One set focuses on adding within 100 and mental math, while the other is just adding within 100.

                                

You can find them here and here.

Coming Soon!
Teachers Pay Teachers is going to have a site wide sale from the 28th-29th, but I'm starting mine 2 days earlier for the holidays. It will be 20% off of all products in my store!

Thanksgiving
We are heading to Idaho for Thanksgiving this year. What is your favorite part of the holiday?