A Technology Blog Hop

Spring into Technology with Classroom Freebies!

Several phenomenal teachers, Technology Tailgate Coaches and bloggers are joining forces for an amazing classroom technology blog hop!  As you hop from blog to blog, you will visit some of your favorite blogs and discover a few new blogs too!  Each with a fabulous freebie just for you!

Thank you for hopping over!

Hi!  I'm Nikki at Uncommon to the Core and I'm thrilled to be a part of this blog hop!  Special thanks to Leah over at Learn with Leah for inviting me to join in...it's a ton of fun!

I'm a firm believer in "teaching a man to fish" versus "giving a man a fish."  I'm sure you don't have to think too hard on that one!

Anywho...I always love a great Smartboard resource, and my students have always really gotten into the "hide and reveal" files that I've created.  Just copy as many pages as you need or want and then go CRAZY!  Just thought I'd throw a couple that I've created out there for this AMAZING blog hop:

I'm also putting a basic division with remainders activity up as well.  It definitely helped to bridge the instruction that takes place between basic facts and long division with fourth graders.  Look in the attachments in the Notebook file and you'll find a sheet to go along with this.  Nothing fancy...but my kids liked the interactivity:

Just click on these pictures to download these!

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting!  If you are new to my blog and liked what you see, don't forget to follow me!  The next stop on the path is Karla at The Connected Teacher

In case you didn't start from the beginning, here is an ordered list of all participating blogs!

The Technology Tailgate

Kate from EduKate and Inspire

Kristen from iTeach 1:1

Heidi from Rakis Rad Resources

Leah from Learn With Leah

Amanda and Aylin from Learning to the Core

Nikki from An Uncommon to the Core Teacher

Karla at The Connected Teacher

Shana at Enchanted with Technology

Kristin at Teacher Playground

Jen at Tech with Jen

Kay at A Little Tech

Melanie at I Luv Twek

Carrie and Caitlin at Table Talk with C & C

Lauren at iWonder

Jan at The Science Vault

A special thank you to Jen at Tech with Jen for designing the blog hop button!

Interested in joining our next blog hop?  Join here! 

Fourth Grade Common Core Workbook

Happy Friday All!  

I don't know about all of you, but I've been busily learning as much as I can about the CCSS and finding great ways to infuse my teaching with these standards.  The more I research, the more I find that I am accomplishing this by great teaching, but implementing these to the point of having them truly embedded in everything I do with my fourthies is still very much a work in progress.

I'm all about resources, and I'm thrilled when I can get my hands on tangible materials that are sure to help me better help my students while allowing me to grow as a teacher.  Enter the Fourth Grade Common Core Workbook.  This document is JAM PACKED with teaching ideas, lessons, centers and posters that are guaranteed to inspire and give a clearer picture of what this could look like in your amazing classrooms!  

850 pages of CCSS inspiration is certain to build your confidence in better understanding the CCSS.

What are you waiting for?  Check this one out!

Let me know what you think!

Nikki  :) 

Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party

Did you ever have one of those Mondays where every second actually feels like a Monday?  I'm not kidding...today was that sort of Monday.  I need to work my way out of funk that can be brought on only by extremely wet rainy weather and a "Monday that feels like a Monday."  YUCK!

I'm not usually into Linky Parties, but every once in a while something catches my eye, so I jump in and link up.  Today I'm joining Latoya over at Flying into First Grade for a fun Linky Party "Gettin' to Know Ya" sort of party.

She has a fun topic this week:  The Skittles Game!  (Added plus here:  It's colorful and bright...exactly the opposite of a dull, rainy, dreary Monday that feels like a Monday!)  Here's how you play...

TOPIC - Skittles Game

 

Here is the code:

Red- Favorite Ice Cream Flavor

Orange- Favorite Memory from College

Yellow- Favorite Sports Team

Green- Favorite Fast Food Place

Purple- Wild Card(Tell anything about yourself)

So here goes...let the party begin:

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:  Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby, of course!  Who can resist the combination of peanut butter, chocolate AND pretzels?

Favorite College Memory:  Going on "flamingo hunts" with my college roomie and a carload of crazies.  We'd drive around Oshkosh, Wisconsin just looking for plastic lawn flamingos.  On a good night, we could "bag" about 8!  Our dorm room always looked so festive and tropical with the birds sticking out of every possible nook and cranny!  (Note:  This was a college memory I felt I could share.  Some of my best memories were with my boyfriend...now my husband!  Those are ours and I'm a hoarder.)

Favorite Sports Team:  Green Bay Packers!  I'm a Cheesehead living in Wisconsin!

Favorite Fast Food Place: Rocky Rococo's Pizza!  Best square slice ever!

Wild Card:  My hubby just finished his doctoral program and he defended his dissertation beautifully!  I'm so proud of him!

So, what are you waiting for?  Jump in and link up!

Nikki

Math Mentor Text...Linking Up With the Collaboration Cuties

Howdy!  Today I'm linking up with Amanda and Stacia over at Collaboration Cuties as they focus on math mentor texts.  How fun is that?

If you have a favorite book that you love sharing with your students, why not head on over and link up?

One of my personal faves is Rod Clement's Counting on Frank.

I absolutely adore EVERYTHING about this book!  Frank, the slobbery and wonderful dog in the story is just fun...as is every illustration...FUN!

It's the content that is so amusing.  "My dad says if you've got a brain, then use it!"

Counting on Frank is full of great thought-provoking ponderings about a vast array of subject matter:  jelly beans, ball point pens, and dinnertime woes.  Kids will love the endless problem solving possibilities!

I enjoy dinner, not because of the delicious chops Mom cooks EVERY night or the thrilling conversation.

It's the peas.

If I had accidentally knocked fifteen peas off my plate every night for the last eight years, they would now be level with the table top.  

Maybe then Mom would understand that her son does not like peas.

I use Counting on Frank with my students to introduce daily problem solving activities.

If you've never checked out Counting on Frank...you've got to today!  Every minute that you spend away from this book equals lost time in mesmerizing your students!

Have fun and read on!

Nikki

Made It Monday: QR Code Fractions Jenga, Green Eggs and SLAM! and Some Scrapbooking!

QR Code Fractions Jenga, Green Eggs and SLAM! and Some Scrapbooking (or So Glad It's April!)

It's the second Monday of the month...and I'm so glad to be linking back up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics!  I always feel like I'm missing something if I don't link up!

It's been wild and crazy around here...my Destination Imagination team hatched new teams...so now we have FIVE TEAMS going on to State on April 13th.  Not only am I coaching my son's team, but I'm also helping out 4 new sets of coaches, 32 nervous kids and 30 sets of parents and getting them prepared for this weekend...YIKES!  Wish us luck!

Anywho...this has left me with little time to do much of anything else.  I did, however get to spend a little bit of time putting together a couple of Common Core Stations for math.

Here's what I put together:

QR Code Fractions Jenga!  OMG!  This is really a ton of fun!  I picked this up from the wonderful Tabitha over at Flapjack Educational Resources!  You've probably seen her work in her TPT store, and her QR Code activities and SmartBoard Resources are the BOMB DIGGITY!  Seriously great stuff that I'd pay much more than her fabulously reasonable and very generous prices!  I've got lots of linking to do in this one paragraph, but when ya' gotta gush, ya' gotta gush!

You can find her QR Code Fractions Jenga for free, yes FREE, by clicking HERE!

A view from the top of the Jenga cylinder...

BTW...I used clear sticker sheets and they worked great!

I used these today in my Math ala Carte stations and the kids LOVED them!

Green Eggs and SLAM!

I put this little honey together by myself.  With a nod towards Math 24, I designed this for my students who need to manipulate the numbers.  The cards don't really allow you to do this...

Anywho...here's what I came up with:

Please excuse the quality of these pix...I took them with my phone.

The kids tried this out today during Math ala Carte and they really enjoyed playing this with each other.  You can find the link to my instructions here:  Green Eggs and SLAM!

You might want to tweak this a tad...but it really was fun and a great way to use up some of those leftover Easter eggs!

Book Shopping Day Lists

I also put up a classroom management tool:  Book Shopping Bags!  These bags each have a "Shopping List" attached that includes the names of the students assigned to "shop" for books on the day the bag represents.  This keeps my classroom library time a bit less congested!  I was having tons of issues with my kiddos fighting, so being able to keep browsing numbers small and on a "once a week" schedule has helped bunches.

This is what my display looks like:

AND...

Scrapbookin' Love

I had a SUPERFANTASTIC BUBBLEPLASTIC time over Spring Break, working in my studio and catching up on some much needed scrapbooking time!  My studio has plenty of spaces for friends to come and craft, soooooo...where were you?  I'm always looking for friends to "come over and play!"

I have to admit...I have a really handsome eleven-year-old to photograph.  He's getting to the point where he won't pose anymore.  Even calls me the "Mom Parazzi!"  But I do have some killer pix of him and so I took time to have fun!  The best part about scrapbooking is being able to celebrate the people you love!  It's such a positive creative outlet!  

Here's some of what I accomplished over break:

I spent a lot of time trying to use up some of my stash!  I even made a layout with over 100 brads!  My phone is being pretty poopy, so I won't load anything else tonight...maybe for another post!

I can't wait to see what you created!  Happy creating all!

Nikki