TPT Flock 17 A Teachers Pay Teachers Meetup

TPT Flock 17 Learning, Collaborating and Networking 

What happens when you get 190 Educators from 28 States and 4 Canadian Provinces spending the weekend together?      Awesomeness! 

http://www.tptflock.com

Welcome to TPT Flock Western New York TPT Team Organizers of the NortheasternTeacher Pay Teachers Meetup April 8, 2017

This weekend we had a phenomenal time together getting to know each other better, sharing educational tips and social media tips as well as just plain enjoying each others' companies and taking some time for ourselves.

Your Planning Team

Sherri from Literary Sherri, Marybeth from Brain Waves Instruction, Rachael from The Classroom Nook, Selma from Selma Dawani , Erica from Miss Vs Kinder Kraziness, Stephanie from Double Dose Of Learning, Kelly from Double Dose Of Learning, Donna from Worth A Thousand Words Photosand Tricia from Tricia's Terrific Teaching Trinkets/Count On Tricia.

The Woodcliff Hotel and Spa

Woodcliff Hotel and Spa in Fairport, New York was a wonderful venue for us. It is a beautiful resort with a gorgeous ballroom, delicious food and a gracious staff.

Keynote Speaker

Our keynote address was by Jenny Knappenberger of Art with Jenny K. who specializes in art-infused learning resources and promoting the importance of creativity in the learning process. Jenny’s presentation was both inspirational and motivational, but best of all it was hands-on and interactive! Jenny led us in making a large mosaic piece of art boldly featuring TPT’s Amy, Adam, and Paul and which showcased the importance of us as individuals as well as demonstrating the great things that we can achieve collectively when we flock together.

Sessions

Yup...just like the TPT Annual Conference, we had sessions too! Our excited educators attended 2 panels and 4 different session ranging from Instagram Tips, Pinterest Tips, Cover Design, Blogging, Project Nucleus, SmartPhone Marketing, Organizing Time and Being Productive.

Many thanks to all of the presenters including Greg, Nancy, Tabitha and Jodi and so many more

Teachers Pay Teachers

The TPT Staff that attended our event were so incredibly gracious and kind.  We are forever grateful. We especially enjoyed their yummy breakfast. Thank you TPT!

We love Amy the "Director of Seller's Happiness"

Dr. Robyn McMaster

We honored our friend Robyn who joined us and help planned our first three meet-ups, worked with Dr. Ellen Weber of Brain-Based Tasks for Growth Mindset and was passionate about using brain based approaches to engage students' individual interests and abilities.  We raised funds to establish the Dr. Robyn McMaster Scholarship to keep Robyn's work alive at the Mita International Brain Center

Giveaways

We had so many incredible sponsors and donors for this TPT Flock Event.  These generous contributions made it possible for the day to take place. 

Every attendee received adorable file folders from Oriental Trading

More Generous Gifts that our attendees.
Especially loved the ring of clipart gift cards. Thanks you Sherri and Donna for putting this together.
Huge Shoutout to Teachers Pay Teachers Astrobrights, Skinny Pop Popcorn,  Erin Condren Tieks Miss Squirrels Shop

So many new and old friends

We had the greatest time celebrating education, making a difference in children's lives, friendship and creativity.
What was your favorite part of the Flock? Would you like to join us for Flock 2018?

Easy & Effective Ways to Communicate with Parents and Families

Parents and families are our best allies. But finding time to communicate with them can be timely and redundant. Yet we all know that communicating with parents and families can set the tone for your entire school year. So how can you personalize your communication while making it quick and easy? I've got you covered with these easy and effective ways to communicate with parents and families. 

Newsletters

I know what you’re thinking…. “ain’t nobody got time for that!”  I get it….but they don’t have to be fancy. Make them bulleted. Keep it short and sweet. Remember - you aren’t submitting lesson plans, you are just giving them a general idea of what you are doing each week or bi-weekly in your classroom.


You can even take it a step further and include regular communication about student growth and needs. Send a quick note home about needing work on basic addition facts, make a phone call saying little Sue rocked her spelling test, or communicate with these pre-made Kindergarten communication sheets. 

Reading Conferences 

Reading one to one with a student or even in a small group can be a great opportunity to collect important documentation and data that can later be shared with parents and families.  

When I was teaching First and Second Grade, I would conference with my students individually. During this reading conference, I would write as fast as I could on my notepad to gather notes for parent teacher conferences, RTI data and report card assessments.  When I was done, I could hardly read my own disorganized writing.  There had to be a better way I thought. So I created an organized easy to read checklist listing all of our reading strategies. 

This invaluable resource I cannot live without during conference time.  It is such a quick and easy way to communicate with families. As I read with students, I just highlight and/or comment what strategies readers need to practice at home. Then when I sit down with parents I am well prepared to discuss students’ strengths and weaknesses.  Additionally, I can then also take those same notes and use them in reporting out on report cards. Now if a parent ever questioned a mark or comment their child was given I have the data to back it up.

Math Data

Having a clear and concise assessment form for mathematics is just as valuable as having the same data available to parents for reading. When parents are readily informed, they can support you and their child’s progress both in and out of the classroom. 

Parent Communication Bundle

A quick and easy assessment form that will consistently allow me to document data across trimesters in an efficient way that is not incredibly time intensive to prep has been a lifesaver! The Math Assessment Communication Resource updates parents with a documentable checklist for first and second grade math standards.  I just love the ease of use of a checklist! 

  

Test Taking 

Unfortunately we do quite a bit of testing on the computer in the early elementary grades of first, second, third and fourth grade.  Taking an important test can be hard for the kiddos so I teach my students strategies on how to take a test. 

Implementing strategies during test taking can help students break the test into smaller, more manageable parts and help students be more successful rather than randomly guessing at answers. Having a toolbox of strategies at hand can really help those who struggle with testing anxiety. 

Just before testing time, I send home the Test Taking Strategies Parent Communication Forms. I have found that parents really want to help support their children through testing time but really don’t know what they can do beyond a healthy breakfast and a good night’s sleep. By letting parents know the language we are using in class that I have reviewed with their child they can continue that conversation at home and support their child and also help to relieve any anxiety their child may have.

Volunteering

Invite parents into the classroom so they can see what your classroom is all about. Once a month you can plan a themed activity day where parents can sign up (I highly recommend signup.com) and run a center or themed station.  Reading to students is another invaluable use of time. You can keep a binder on hand with student names and have parents check off names, the date, and title read.  This is a great way to fit in reading with as many kiddos as you can in a day! 

Instagram or Other Technologies

A picture is worth a thousand words. You can set up a class account and take photos of what you are doing and parents can get a peak into your classroom. Make sure to have them fill out a permission slip if you plan to do so and decide whether you want to include student faces or not. You can easily accomplish this without faces and just picture projects, bulletin boards, writing samples, and more!

It is possible to find easy and effective ways to communicate with parents and families. You have to determine which type of communication fit best with your teaching style and school guidelines or rules. Experiment with a few different methods, try my various communication resources, and go with it! You may change things up year to year, but that's totally ok. 

What effective ways to communicate with parents do you use? Let us know in the comments! 

Low Tech Assistive Technology Tools

Not only am I a 23 year educator (wow...has it been that long?), I am a mother of 3 young (energetic) boys.   My sons, although adorable loving and gifted in their own ways, each struggle in school...and each in a different way.  All 3 boys are on IEPs to help accommodate their needs and support their learning success.  My oldest son has ADHD.  Focusing, organizing, and comprehension can be a challenge at times.  My second son has cerebral palsy.  He has a whole team of specialists in and outside of the school setting to help support him physically, academically and socially. As far as the youngest...well the verdict is still out on him.

So...what does my background have to do with teaching...everything!  My eyes have opened and I finally "get it". My boys have not only shaped me into being a mother who advocates for them but their challenges have really changed who I have become as an educator in the classroom.  I have great understanding now of challenges that students have.  Helping ALL kids is on my radar all day... every day.

I recently attended a low tech assistive technology conference and found some easy inexpensive tools that I can bring into my classroom to help and support my students for success.

So let's start out with "What is Assistive Technology (AT)"?
AT is something that is used to increase a student's capabilities, participation and independence in the classroom.  Assistive Technology can be a range of things...electronic spelling dictionaries, weighted vest, lap pads, slant boards, iPads, fidgets, adaptive paper and the list goes on.  When my son with CP was struggling to keep up with writing his work because of his left-sided weakness, he received an iPad from our AT Department.  An iPad because of its cost would be considered high tech but this was my first experience hearing about the possibilities of assistive technology.
Take a look at a few of my favorite low tech tools...

Fidgets

I love them!  My boys love them!  My students love them!  I have tons of them...no joke.  When I see a student picking at their fingers or tapping loudly to stimulate themselves, I hand them a bucket of fidgets to choose one from.  The fidgets seem to help my students with calming and focus.  My fidgets come in all shapes, sizes, textures and colors.  I believe that movement (even in small amounts), kinesthetic learning and sensory input are very important for many learners' success.

Quiet Kit

A Quiet Kit can be full of anything!  This one in the picture has putty, fidgets, mini plastic puzzle pieces (love these...remind me of Legos which my boys adore), bendy animals and sensory balls. This concept was something new for me.  I love organizing and putting things in darling containers but although obvious, I haven't thought of putting together a small tub of sensory kinesthetic tools.  Brilliant!  A student is having difficulty focusing on your lesson....no worries... go sit at the Quiet Kit desk and fidget while you listen. Thumbs up for this trick!

Adaptive Scissors

There are tons of different types of scissors.  Left handed scissors , right handed scissors, scissors that slide, scissors with different grips, scissors with magnets and scissors with springs.  Here are a few that we have used in classroom.

Visual Timers

I have used hour glasses and Time Timers but the timer on the right side is my favorite.  It is magnetic and is perfect on a white board!

Bumpy Seats and Flexible Seating

I love bumpy seats. The red bumpy seat to the left is the typical one we have in our school.  The green bumpy seat is actually one that was purchased at IKEA.  It is more of a foam cushion rather than the typical inflated ones but definitely a cost saver.

So where can you purchase Low Tech AT tools at a reasonable price?
All over really.
Michael's and Joannes, LakeShore Learning and the Therapy Shoppe (if you do not know this website, it is beyond amazing!)

I love incorporating low tech AT in my classroom.  I think it can be very helpful for some students.
What do you think?
What special things do you use in the classroom or at home to help kids?
I'd love to hear your success story below in the comments :)

Martin Luther King, Jr. FREEBIES, Books, and Resources

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is right around the corner, and that means we need to be prepared! This man deserves our honor and respect, so what better way to celebrate him than with Martin Luther King, Jr. FREEBIES, books, and resources?!
And of course we can't forget about Black History Month as a whole!

First up, let me share that I love tying books into our math learning whenever I can. I always start by seeing what I have in my classroom library, then I visit the school library, and finally I visit our public library. Thankfully the books at our public library are often new to my students - so I normally cash in there! This month I will be integrating Black History Month and Martin Luther King with practicing fact power.

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement.

Here are a few of the books I intend to use:

• Jackie Robinson
• I am Jackie Robinson
• Sojourner Truth
• My Uncle Martin's Big Heart
• Martin Luther King, Jr.

These books pair very well with my Martin Luther King Jr Multiplication Math resource. Talk about how math ties into everyday life, determine how far Martin Luther walked during some of his protests, or simply let students do the facts and color while you read. This works well for your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom or homeschool students.

If you teach the younger 1st or 2nd grade students, then you'll want to check out this Subtraction Color by Code Martin Luther King, Jr. resource. Another option is to let your K-2 students enjoy this Doubles Addition resource. Or - again for the older students - see the Multiplication Color By Code resource.  

You can see all the Martin Luther King, Jr. resources by clicking on this link to visit my TpT store. 

I promised you some Martin Luther King, Jr. FREEBIES, so let's get on with the show!!

Today I've got three freebies for you. Again, they're all math - so you can tie them into your Black History Month or Martin Luther King, Jr. learning for the entire month of January! 

Choose the printable worksheets that best fit your students' needs. There are three different options, so teachers from grades K-5 can choose!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Tic Tac Toe Addition Freebie

Martin Luther King, Jr. Multiplication Search Freebie

Black History Month Multiplication True or False Cut & Paste Freebie

Click on the links above to grab the Martin Luther King, Jr. freebies that will work best in your classroom or homeschool. 

Thank you for stopping by to check out these great Martin Luther King, Jr. FREEBIES, books, and resources. I know your students are going to love them!!

Winter Math Fact Resources for the Elementary Classroom with a Freebie

These winter math fact resources are an engaging, hands-on way to get your students working on their addition or multiplication facts while having fun.

First up is the winter addition color by number. What child doesn't love to color? (Heck, what adult doesn't?!?) So let them! And you won't have to worry about your administrator walking into the room and saying you're not doing something "academic" - because you are!)

Let's Explore!

Are you looking for a great way to keep your students engaged this winter season? Then you're going to love these easy to use, print and go math materials! 

Quickly print out the sheet or sheets you want to use. This great Color By Number Winter Addition Packet comes with a journal cover, so you can actually make each child their own workbook to use!

With twelve pages, your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classroom or homeschool students will be able to practice adding numbers 2-10 PLUS their doubles!

Whoa, wait! Your students have already mastered their addition facts? No worries!

Luckily for you, we have a similar winter math fact resource ready for your upper elementary students too! It's our Color by Number Winter Multiplication Packet! This 12 page resource has your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students practice facts 2-10. 

Regardless of which winter math fact resource you choose, your elementary students will gain valuable math fact fluency and knowledge! You can use these easy print-and-go resources for math centers or stations, buddy activities, early or fast finishers, peer tutoring, small group lessons, homework, and more! 

The winter months of December, January, and February don't have to be boring and ho-hum anymore! Click through to see how these two great resources can make your winter math fact learning come to life. Grab yours today!

Color By Number Winter Addition Packet

Color by Number Winter Multiplication Packet

I promised a freebie, but how about two?! 

Whether your students need additional addition fact fluency practice or multiplication math fact practice, you can click on those links earlier in this sentence OR on the respective pictures below to get your FREE download. 

Thank you for stopping by to check out these winter math fact resources! 

We know your students are going to love them!!

3 Cool Ways to Teach Coins (Literature, Anchor Charts, & More!)

Three cool ways to teach coins! What fun!  My First Graders and I are in the middle of a telling time and money unit.  We are almost at mastery! Yippee!  Here are 3 cool ways I get my students excited to learn coins!

This post contains affiliate links. You can learn more by reading my disclosure statement. 

Literature 

You can tell I was once a First and Second Grade Classroom Teacher!  I love incorporating literature into many of my math units.  Here are a few of my favorite books I personally own that my first graders have made a connection with.

Let's Find Out Money
Dollars
Dimes
Nickels

Don't have books?  Have you ever gone to your public library to search for math non-fiction titles?  My library is chock full of amazing newer titles.  I like searching the J 332 and J513 sections.  I can be seen checking out endless baskets of books from these sections!

I begin each lesson with a short read aloud and then place the books in our math literature tub.  If students finish early, they love choosing a book to enjoy on the carpet. Books are one of my favorite ways to teach coins!

Anchor Charts

Hairy Money is a huge hit for my visual learners.  Thanks Courtney Bartlett

I rely on Anchor Charts daily.  I love referring to these visuals!  I mean...Love Love Love!

Here is the short story what introduced me to my LOVE of anchor charts.  A few years ago, I had a principal that pushed me to meet everyone of my student's individual needs.  It was the year I had 13 students enter our Second Grade classroom significantly below grade level.

I created 13 RTIs filled with data, goals, individual strategies, accommodations and modifications.  In my numerous evaluations meetings, my principal would ask me to reflect on how I was meeting that student's individual needs. She would ask...What type of learner are they? What am I doing to support THAT student's learning style. What extra supports did I put in place in my classroom to help support each student's individual learning style.   As she was speaking to me in my head I was thinking , "What? Type of learner? What is she talking about? How will I find out how each of my 26 students learn best?  I don't even know how I learn best?" 

I started researching learning styles in particular visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning. I also began to reflect on my own experience as a student in French class. The entire class was auditory. The teacher never wrote anything down. She just spoke in French to us.  It was very difficult for me to remember how to say these new words without seeing them in front of me.  After class, I would quickly scribble down all the words I could remember in a phonetic spelling so I could practice them by reading them over and over again. Bingo!  There it was!  I needed visuals to help support my learning.  I just never realized that before my learning style conversations with my principal.

After I began to understand that each student learns differently. I filled the classroom with tons of visuals and anchor charts for students like me.  I incorporated more songs and chants into our lessons, began using Beanie Babies for Math, Reading and Writing strategies for my visual and kinesthetic learners and also began Whole Brain Teaching.  (That is a blog post in itself)

Hands-On Manipulatives, Games, and Practice 

My student love all of my different coin manipulatives. Little coins, plastic coins, real coins, and especially my GIANT laminated coins (their favorite). We use these giant coins during calendar time to display the date using coins. This is probably one of my students favorite ways to learn coins.

Money Bundle Tricia's Terrific Teaching Trinkets

I created 3 separate money journals for my students.  Each journal page is an extension of a lesson and increases in difficulty.  (Pennies and Nickels, Dimes and Quarters)  The children love coloring coins, cutting coins, drawing coins and counting with coins to help them understand the concepts.

Students love to play Coin Tic Tac Toe, Coin Top-It and True and False.

Lastly, my absolute favorite hands-on practice is our Time and Money Lapbook created by Undercover Classroom.  It is cute, colorful and practical to use.  This ongoing activity is an amazing reference for the students.  We put the lap books together through a series of mini lessons.

Each morning the students would walk in asking if today was the day that we would add more to the lap book.  Each lap book has a wallet full of paper coins and dollar bills.  While the students were cutting our their bills and coins they would squeal with delight how "rich" they were.  I couldn't help laughing out loud about their enthusiasm and sheer "cuteness".

Sometimes on "Fun Friday", I will ask students to open their lapbook as a reference and I will run a mini gameshow with questions matching the information in their lapbook. They love my buzzers, spinners and sound effects during the gameshow and the excitement is off the charts during this practice!

There's my favorite three ways to teach coins. What are yours?

Martin Luther King Math Fun (Great for 1st-5th Grade Students!)

My class is getting ready to celebrate the great Martin Luther King Jr.  Our shelves are full of great literature. Discussions are beginning. How else can we bring Martin Luther into the classroom? With Martin Luther King Math, of course!

Math? Hmmm? Math, you say? Why not?

Here are a few new Martin Luther King Products I just created. Check them out.  
I think you will like them.

Doubles Packet

My First Graders are already loving our new DOUBLES PACKET - Number Searches, Tic Tac Toe Doubles, Fact Power Games, True or False Sort, and Color by Number!! 
What more could you want?  This packet has 9 activities to practice addition doubles.  Here are just a few...

Doubles Sum Find

Here is a Fact Power Game called Doubles Sum Find. All you need is this game, dice and 2 crayons.  Roll and Add.  Did you roll a missing doubles addend?  Color it in.  Four squares in a row wins!

Martin Luther King Jr. Doubles Fun Packet

Doubles Color by Number

My kiddos love every color by number practice fun sheet I create!

Doubles Number Puzzle

This practice page is just like a word search except the kiddos are searching for doubles facts.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Martin-Luther-King-Day-2282642

Martin Luther King Jr. Multiplication Color by Number

I also created a Martin Luther King Multiplication Color by Number Packet.  It is a huge hit as usual because my kiddos love coloring and practicing their facts for fact power.

Here is one of my kiddos. She is so proud of her work.  Sshh, don't tell her she just practiced multiplication facts.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Martin-Luther-King-2280828

Want even more Martin Luther King Math resources, book ideas, and FREEBIES? Check out this blog post!

I hope you have a wonderful Martin Luther King Day and enjoy the Martin Luther King Math Fun!