CCSS- Kindergarten Math Edition

The title sounds more serious that this really is,  but actually, I did have some thoughts for the CCSS people that could help out Kindergarten teachers quite a bit.  Maybe a letter to parents asking for some help at home.  No- not even help like, "Please remember that Doritos and Diet Coke do not constitute a 'healthy lunch' for your five year old. "  Not even that.  But some vocabulary help for math, to start.

A while ago, when I made my Tangram shape sort, I suggested that we change some words to help  children remember to say 'rhombus' instead of 'diamond.'

I thought maybe phrases like, "A rhombus is a girl's best friend," might need to happen.  Amanda, from Teacher at the Wheel, and I had lots of fun and couldn't stop coming up with ideas.  Her husband helped out with 'Neil Rhombus,' and the quote that "Pressure makes rhombi."  (He was serious about this- even going with the plural! He is a rhombus in the rough, that one! )

Here are a few other ideas for shape names that  I had for families  'people bonds' at home to try... just my suggestions...

My daughter works at an ice cream shop in the summers.  From now on I am going to instruct her to say, "How many spheres of ice cream would you like on  your cone?"  The kids are GREAT with cone and cube- thanks to ice- so why not expand it out to the scoop?

Spaghetti and meatspheres would be another obvious choice.

How about a snowsphere fight? 

Or tossing around the basesphere (at the basesphere rhombus.)

How about getting a tissue from the tissue-rectangular prism or maybe the tissue cuboid ...

or putting away the cereal cuboid?

No?  Probably not.  I can't even really bring myself to say "cuboid."

Maybe "Could you pick me up six cylinders of soda?"

Or maybe, "I could sure go for a  cylinder of chicken noodle soup!" could work.

Anyway, thank you, ice cube and ice cream cone for your help.  I guess we're on our own with the rest of the 3D shape gang. 

My Kindergarten Common Core Math Prezi Bundle is on sale at my TPT store this week.

 It includes 4 separate Prezis: Counting and Cardinality/Base 10; Measurement and Data; Geometry; Operations and Algebraic Thinking. I  found the best interactive activities, links, anchor charts, and videos to teach and/or reinforce each of the 22 Common Core Standards for Kindergarten Math. Each Standard is separated so that you can zoom in on the one you are working on, and all of your links are right there for you, ready to use for whole group instruction, small groups, RTI, math centers, or even for the extra few minutes you may have throughout the day. I have been using  them a lot for small groups or whole group review.  Here is my sample Prezi which includes 2 of the standards: K.NBT.1 and K.OA.2, so that you can get an idea of the set up of the Prezis to see if you could use them.




I bet I will go all week long and never use the word "cuboid" the entire week in normal conversation.  Anyone want to take that bet?  Have a wonderful week!

Monday Made It

I am linking up with 4th Grade Frolics  for Made it Monday!

I actually made some things today! NO- not a really healthy dinner for my family, not money, not a clean house... hmmmm...     BUT I did make some other simple treasures! 


First, I will start with the treasure!    I added to my stash for next year.  The children LOVE this gold.  Last year, I even had a 4th grader come back to ask for a piece because he had seen one of my kids on his bus with a piece and he remembered it and loved it. :)

Here is the recipe  :)

Start with this.

Spray with this. Shhhhh. Do NOT tell anybody that it is NOT real gold.   Let dry. Turn.  Spray again.

 

TA DA!

So easy and fun!

 

 

This was another simple thing I made today. I am taking it to school tomorrow with a bunch of stuff to send get laminated. I used the large sheets of construction paper, so they are bigger than they look in the picture.   I am going to use these sorting mats with my tangrams as an independent math center at the beginning of the year.

 

Our 3rd and 4th grade teachers asked us to teach 'rhombus' to the children instead of  'diamond,' because the children need to know 'rhombus' in the intermediate grades, so they thought they should just begin calling it a rhombus from the start. 

 

So NOW we have to change everything:

 

A diamond   A rhombus is a girl's best friend. 

He's playing down at the baseball diamond rhombus.

I have an ace of spades and a Jack of diamonds rhombi. (I looked it up- it can be 'rhombi' or 'rhombuses'!)

 

Gee, thanks, Common Core.  HA HA! :)

 

 

The last thing I made is to send home at our  Kindergarten Picnic, which we have one evening the week before school starts so the children and parents can come see the room and meet the teacher.  I am going to have these out with some other things at each child's seat.  I figure if even ONE child starts working on writing his/her name at home, it's worth it!  :)  The names are written on cardstock which I am also sending to be laminated.  The sponges I got 10 for a dollar at the dollar store- and cut in half- so they were cheap- and they work great as erasers  for dry erase markers on laminated paper. 

 (Numbers are on the back- in case someone wants bonus points!!! :)

 I just put everything in a Ziplock bag because I had lots of them.

 

That was my Monday Made It!  Now I have to make the bed cause the sheets just dried!  No picture of that, though.  ;)
Thank you for stopping by!

Carolyn

 

 

 

Favorite Pins Friday!

I am linking up with Cara for Favorite Pins Friday!

 

There are SO many favorites- I am going to start with school pins- and choose  pins that I am actually going to make this summer and try right away at school.

First, I like this permanent graph idea.  My kids are usually great at more than and less than- it is the
"How many more?" that is tricky. 

Mrs. Attaya's First Grade

  

I also like this "Take Turns Bucket."  I use the cup in a cup idea, which works well, but how easy would these clothespins be? 

                                                           Peace, Love, and First Grade

This is what I have been using which has also worked well.

While I am on a clothespin kick, these sight word clips from Our Kinder Journey looked cute and easy to do for an independent center!

I am making these shapes for my tanagram shape sort right now so I can get them laminated. This will be a great independent math center for the beginning of school!

                                                          A Place Called Kindergarten


  I also love these number anchor charts from The Kinder Cupboard.

OK Now for some things I just love:

I love that Robyn Bomar did 38 Random Acts of Kindness on her 38th birthday.

 

I thought this was a great idea for medicine-especially for kids!

I KNOW these are fabulous! My mom has made these since I was little. Yum.

This may explain the reason for the following pin...

 

I want this to work before my daughter's wedding on July 13th.  Hmmmm.  I'm thinking that's not happening. 

 

 These "Nailed It" pins make me laugh every time.

 

 

 

 

And finally, just some love...

 

Have a wonderful weekend!  :)
Carolyn