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ClassDojo helps teachers, parents, and students build amazing classroom communities.

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Take it beyond 1, 2, 3 Eyes on Me!

You know that point in the day when the volume starts amping up? Bring down the noise level and help your students focus with these call-and-response routines. For each routine, we tell you what the teacher should say and how students should respond. Kids love them, and these classroom attention-getters really work!

We've shared 9 of our favorite attention-getters below, but there are 14 more in our printable version. Just submit your email here to get the printable version, and feel free to share it with a teacher friend!

1. Teacher asks: "Ready to listen?"
Students respond: "Ready to learn!"

2. Teacher asks: "All set?" (Clap, clap, clap)
Students respond: "You bet!" (Clap, clap, clap)

3. Teacher says: "Quiet on the set."
Students respond: "Action!"

4. Teacher says: "Surf's up!"
Students respond: "Shhhh!"

5. Teacher asks: "Ready to rock?"
Students respond: "Ready to roll!"

6. Teacher says: "Hands on top."
Students respond: "That means stop!"

7. Teachers asks: "Ready, set?"
Students respond: "You bet!"

8. Teacher says: "Chicka, chicka."
Students respond: "Boom, boom!"

9. Teacher says: "When I say PEACE, you say QUIET. Peace..."
Students respond: "...Quiet!"

Yes! I Want the 24 Attention-Getters Printable

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Free Printable: 25 Attention-Getters for The Classroom

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Take it beyond 1, 2, 3 Eyes on Me! You know that point in the day when the volume starts amping up? Bring down the noise level and help your students focus with these call-and-response routines. For each routine, we tell you what the teacher should say and how students should respond.

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Make math learning fun and effective with Prodigy Math Game. Free for students, parents and educators. Sign up today!

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"The Math Curse" by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

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"The Math Curse" by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

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"How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin" by Maragret McNamara & G. Brian Karas

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"How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin" by Maragret McNamara & G. Brian Karas

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How many seeds in a pumpkin? - Read Along

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You can read this to your students when introducing fractions. This book is about halves.

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"The action of Subtraction" by Brian P. Cleary

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"The action of Subtraction" by Brian P. Cleary

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The Action of Subtraction by Brain Cleary

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You Can Do It!!

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Education World asked the "sophomores" who faced -- and survived -- that dreaded first year to reflect on their successes and failures. First-year teachers, here is their best advice for getting through it.

There's no doubt about it. Beginning the school year in a strange environment filled with new faces, unfamiliar procedures, and unknown pitfalls can be a scary prospect. You're the teacher, however, and you can "never let 'em see you sweat."

To help you stay cool and dry in the coming year, Education World asked the "sophomores" who faced -- and survived -- that dreaded first year last year to reflect on their successes and failures. They offered their best advice for getting through it.

What advice did those teachers offer? From North Carolina to Arizona, from Mississippi to Wisconsin, the "grizzled veterans" agreed on several essential points:

Take charge. Wisconsin teacher Dawn Schurman recommended "having a clear discipline plan set up, with both rewards and consequences. Explain it to the kids on day 1 and review throughout the first week. In addition, I'm very glad that I sent home a copy of the discipline plan. I asked parents to read it with their child and for parents and children to sign and return a contract stating that they agreed to the rules. This has come in handy a few times."

Keep students busy and engaged. First-year teacher Jean Federico said "I have one big piece of advice for first-year teachers: Before the first day of school, have plenty of activities prepared for emergency use. I learned the hard way that kids will misbehave if they have nothing to do. A class full of bored kids won't all sit quietly for ten minutes waiting for you to figure out what is next."

Get peer support. Retta Threet, a teacher in Sumter, South Carolina, admitted "My biggest mistake was not insisting on a mentor, or at least a peer teacher. If I had it to do again, I would make a good friend whom I could go to for advice."

Get parental support. North Carolina teacher Jana Lippe suggested "Use your parents as much as you can. Every time I needed supplies for a celebration, I just sent a note home asking for donations. Every time, the parents came through."

Organize yourself. Arizona English teacher Alana Morales advised "Find an organization system that you can live and work with and stick with it. With 120-plus students, it's crucial that you stay organized!"

Organize your students. Said Mississippi teacher Lisa Packard "Don't assume they know how to organize themselves, because they don't. Show them how to organize their notebooks and folders. Show them exactly what you want on their papers and homework."

Write and reflect. Teacher Mike Powell advised "Start keeping a professional journal. After the course of the year, this journal will allow you to reflect on your professional practices and to witness what is probably going to be enormous personal growth."

Have fun. "Do your best and have fun doing it. Once I finally relaxed, I had a great time," said teacher Tracy Keirns.

So, with thanks to Dawn, Jean, Retta, Jana, Alana, Lisa, Tracy, Lew, Mike, and all the other teachers who responded to our request, Education World compiled a list of the 26 top tips for surviving the first year. We call them

THE ABCs FOR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS

Admit your mistakes -- and learn from them.

Be firm but flexible.

Communicate with parents.

Develop a homework policy -- and stick to it.

Empower your students; don't just lecture to them.

Find time to attend after-school events.

Get to know all the teachers in your school and make friends with the cooks, custodians, aides, and secretaries.

Have the courage to try something else if what you're doing isn't working.

Institute a clear discipline policy -- and enforce it consistently.

Just listen -- both to what the kids are saying and to what they're not saying.

Keep a journal.

Learn your school's policies and procedures.

Model desired attitudes and behavior.

Non carborundum ignorami. (Don't let the imbeciles wear you down.)

Overplan.

Prepare interesting lessons.

Quit worrying and just do your best.

Remember that you teach students first, then you teach whatever academic discipline you learned.

Stay alert.

Take pictures.

Understand that the learning process involves everyone -- teachers, students, colleagues, and parents -- and get everyone involved.

Volunteer to share projects and ideas, and don't be afraid to ask others to share their ideas with you.

Work within your limits.

Xpect the unexpected -- and plan for it!

Yell if you need support.

Zero in on your strengths, not your weaknesses. (Remember -- nobody's perfect!)

Finally, keep in mind the words of Philadelphia teacher Lew Clark: "Have a blast! You are about to begin a remarkable adventure."

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR FIRST-YEAR TEACHERS

Check out some of the sites below for more advice and activities for beginning teachers.

Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2002, 2015 Education World

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Advice for First-Year Teachers | Education World

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Education World asked the "sophomores" who faced -- and survived -- that dreaded first year to reflect on their successes and failures. First-year teachers, here is their best advice for getting through it. There's no doubt about it. Beginning the school year in a strange environment filled with new faces, unfamiliar procedures, and unknown pitfalls can be a scary prospect.

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I recommend using this helpful website for lesson ideas, centers ideas, worksheets, etc.

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World's most popular online marketplace for original educational resources with more than four million resources available for use today.

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Another amazing websites for worksheets and lesson ideas for your students.

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Educational Games, Worksheets, and More for Kids

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Download, print, or work on activities interactively today!

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This is a great field trip to take your students on. The students learn about the parts of the kalo and even play a game to reflect on what they learn. Then the real fun begins when the students go on a tour in the valley of Manoa, full of cool trees, interesting facts, and cool weather.

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Field Trip to Honolulu Theatre for Youth!

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Field Trip to Honolulu Theatre for Youth!

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These actors and actresses portray a variety of plays for students of all ages. Their unique plays are engaging for the students and even teach a lesson within the plays.

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This week, the resident company bravely explored the theme of "Fear" for The HI Way's 3rd episode. The new normal brings with it a host of new emotions including fear. The artists reached out to kids in Hawaii to see how they were feeling. The HTY team continues to collaborate, film, and edit remotely from their homes.

The HI Way is produced in association with NMG Network and Hawaii News Now.

The program will be broadcast locally on:

K5 (Spectrum 22 or 1022, Hawaiian Tel 13 or 1013, Over the air 13)
* 4/14 Tues 5-6pm (2 episodes - #1 and #3 back to back)
* 4/16 Thurs 9-10am (2 episodes - #2 and #3 back to back)

KHNL (Spectrum/Hawaiian Tel 8 or 1008)
* 4/19 Sun at 4pm #3

HTY is closely monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As the situation continues to change rapidly, our top priority remains the health, safety, and well-being of company members, staff, and the community. We are working, filming and editing from the safety of our homes and will continue to take appropriate measures to protect the health of our community.

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This week, the resident company bravely explored the theme of "Fear" for The HI Way's 3rd episode. The new normal brings with it a host of new emotions including fear. The artists reached out to kids in Hawaii to see how they were feeling.

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This game is awesome. My third graders absolutely love this math game. It's a game where students are asked a math question in order to level up. If the student gets the answer right the first time then it's a direct hit against an opponent, if the answer is wrong the question will give the students hints on how to solve the problem. Students can challenge students in the same classroom or computers, and they can even play it at home!

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Amazing pets, epic battles and math practice. Prodigy, the no-cost math game where kids can earn prizes, go on quests and play with friends all while learning math.

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Silent signals for students to use in the classroom. 

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Silent signals for students to use in the classroom. 

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My mentors use this strategy for the students to quietly, without disrupting other students, show the signal for the teacher to see and excuse the student.

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This is helpful for the students to build routines. Teacher should have these helpful charts up for the students to refer to when it's time for centers.

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This website is also helpful when you need help with creating some DIY centers or charts or to get some inspiration.

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For all your students interesting questions and curious minds.

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For all your students interesting questions and curious minds.

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Students ask some pretty random questions, so this websites maybe the ticket to getting the answer they are looking for.

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Have you ever tasted an Arab taco?

When was the Arab taco invented?

What is shawarma?

Find it out

How are currency exchange rates determined?

What was the gold standard?

Which type of currency exchange rate system does the U.S. use?

Find it out
Which of the following is usually NOT a factor in determining currency exchange rates?

Test your knowledge

How can I use Wonderopolis?

What are the parts of a Wonder?

How do writers make a Wonder?

Find it out
Based on information from the Wonder, what was Lou Castro known for when he was alive?

Test your knowledge

What is an okapi?

Where do okapis live?

What do okapis eat?

Find it out

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Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease | Wonderopolis

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Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease

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I've used some of these centers with my third graders, and they have so much fun all while applying math skills they have learned.

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Multiplication is a basic skill students need to master before they can move on to more advanced math. Memorizing multiplication tables is one option, but it's important for kids to understand exactly what it means to multiply. This list of fun and engaging ways to teach multiplication has so many options. You're sure to find a way to resonate with every one of your students!

1. Play a game of Scoot

This is a fun way to break up the routine of worksheets. One at a time, you will post one of the multiplication task cards and your students will work to find the answer. After a set amount of time (up to you), say "Scoot." Students will leave their answer sheet on their desk and move one seat to their left. Post another task card. Again, say "Scoot" and have students rotate.

2. Practice skip-counting with a song

For many of us, setting information to music helps us memorize it. This series of videos from HeavenSentHorse features common tunes that your students will quickly catch on to like Jingle Bells, This Old Man and more.

3. Solve multiplication puzzles

Puzzles are a great way to engage students and build their problem-solving skills. These puzzles help students put together the pieces to get the whole picture and really understand how to solve a multiplication problem.

4. Play Four in a Row

This fun game challenges kids to practice their math facts. Partners will take turns choosing a circle and solving the math fact. If they get it right, they place a marker over it (here, a penguin stamp). The first player to connect four wins.

5. Solve Mystery Pictures

Students will solve the one-digit multiplication problems, then use the key to color in the boxes and create the mystery picture.

6. Play multiplication tic-tac-toe

Playing with partners, each player chooses a multiplication problem to solve. If they get it right, they mark it with their dot marker. If not, it's the next person's turn. Play goes back and forth until someone gets three in a row.

7. Build multiplication skills with Minecraft

Your kids will flip for this fun version of Minecraft multiplication. Download the game and instructions for free!

8. Deal a hand of Spiral

Players take turns rolling the dice and moving around the game board with this fun multiplication card game.

9. Sweeten up multiplication practice

Write multiplication problems on the bottom of small cupcake paper liners. On the inside, write the product. Two players take turns picking a liner, finding the answer, and flipping it over to check.

10. Take a whirl at fidget spinner math

The object of the game is simple: Spin the spinner and complete as many problems as possible.

11. Make multiplication pool noodles

Pick up some pool noodles and use our easy tutorial to turn them into the ultimate multiplication manipulatives! This is such a unique way for kids to practice their math facts.

12. Match wits at Array Capture

You can use dice-in-dice or just a regular pair of dice for this game. Players roll the dice and use the numbers to block off space on the grid, writing in the math sentence too. At the end of the game, the player with the most spaces colored in wins.

13. Punch holes to make arrays

Arrays introduce multiplication in a way that kids can easily understand. This activity is great for active learners who will love punching holes as they create multiplication arrays for basic facts.

14. Fold a multiplication cootie catcher

We love finding new and clever ways to practice math facts! Get these free printables, then let kids color and fold them up. Now they've got self-checking practice at their fingertips.

15. Visit the Multiplication Shop

How fun is this? Set up a "store" with small items for sale. Kids choose a number of items from each section to "buy" and write out the multiplication sentences as their receipt!

16. Ask a partner, "Do You Have ...?"

Got an old "Guess Who?" game lying around? Turn it into a multiplication game instead!

17. Pull out the base-10 blocks

Base-10 blocks are one of our favorite manipulatives, and they're a terrific tool to help you teach multiplication. Build arrays with them to let kids visualize the problems and their answers.

18. Color in Emoji Mystery pages

Here's a twist on color-by-number. First, kids have to answer the multiplication problems in each square. Then they get to color! Get a free set of these pages at Artsy Fartsy Mama.

19. Multiply with dice-in-dice

Something about dice-in-dice just makes learning more fun! If you don't have a set, you can use a pair of regular dice for this activity. Mix things up with polyhedral dice with higher numbers too.

20. Pick sticks to play Kaboom!

So easy and so fun! Write multiplication facts at the end of a variety of wood craft sticks. On a few, write "Kaboom!" instead. To play, kids draw sticks from a cup and answer the problem. If they get it right, they can keep pulling sticks. But if they get a Kaboom! stick, they have to put their whole collection back!

21. Match Multiplication memory cards

Practice facts with a memory game. Make your own cards by writing facts and answers, then lay them all face down. Turn over a card and try to find its matching answer or problem. Your turn continues as long as you're able to make matches.

22. Find it first

Write a series of products on the whiteboard, and mix in a few random numbers too. Send two students up to the board and call out a multiplication problem. The first one to find and point to the correct answer wins a point.

23. Draw Waldorf multiplication flowers

This is a creative way to teach multiplication facts. Draw a flower with 12 petals and a circle in the center. In the circle, write the multiplicand; on the petals, the numbers 1 to 12. Now, draw larger petals outside, and fill in the product of each fact. Add some color to make fun classroom decorations!

24. Play multiplication war

All you need for this is a deck of cards, plus paper and a pencil for each player. Split the deck between the players. Each player flips two cards, then writes out the multiplication sentence and the answer. The player with the higher product takes all the cards. Play until the deck is gone. The player with the most cards wins!

25. Compete at multiplication bingo

Grab these free printable bingo cards at the link and provide one to each student along with some chips or beans to use as counters. Call out multiplication facts and have students cover the answers if they have them. When they get five in a row, it's a bingo!

26. Put a twist on Rock, Paper, Scissors

Chances are your students already know how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. This is similar, but instead, each player holds out a random number of fingers. The first one to correctly multiply them together and call out the answer wins a point. Play to 5, 10, or any number you choose.

27. Do some egg carton multiplication

Number the cups of an egg carton from 1 to 12. Drop in two marbles or beans, then close the carton and shake it up. Open it up and have students write out the multiplication number sentence based on where the marbles landed. This is an easy tool parents can make for kids at home too.

28. Try interactive flash cards

These aren't your ordinary flash cards! These free printables are a cool way to teach multiplication since the answer side includes a dot array to help kids visualize the solution. You can use sticky-note flags to cover the answers while kids use the arrays for help too.

29. Teach multiplication facts with a paper plate wheel

All it takes is paper plates, glue, and a marker to help your students learn their multiplication tables. Let kids have fun decorating their plates, and this doubles as a math craft!

30. Practice with fact family triangles

Tie together multiplication and division facts with triangle flash cards. Learn how to use them and buy a printable set at Primary Flourish. You can also have kids make their own.

31. Make LEGO arrays

LEGO bricks are one of our favorite ways to teach math! You can use multiple bricks to make arrays or just look at the bumps on the top of a single brick as an array in itself.

32. Try the finger trick

This cute craft also teaches kids a clever multiplication trick that can help them if they're stuck with multiplication "times nine." Learn the easy trick at 5-Minute Crafts.

33. Use the Force to teach multiplication

Sometimes learning multiplication facts just takes practice. Worksheets may not be very exciting, but adding a theme that kids are interested in may motivate your students. This free download from Royal Baloo features homework sheets and practice papers with graphs, mazes, puzzles, and more, all with a Star Wars theme.

34. Watch a multiplication video

From Schoolhouse Rock to Animaniacs and beyond, there are lots of fun videos to help you teach multiplication. Find our big list here.

35. Play multiplication checkers

Turn a thrift store checkerboard into a multiplication game with some stickers and a marker. The play is similar to traditional checkers, but you have to solve the problem before you can leave your checker on a new space.

36. Toss a multiplication soccer ball

What better way to appeal to students than to combine math with one of their favorite activities? These fun balls can be used in so many ways to support learning.

37. Flip bottle caps

Here's a cool alternative to flash cards. You can use metal bottle caps or plastic bottle lids, along with round stickers that fit the caps. It's a great way to go green while you teach multiplication!

38. Batter up to learn multiplication

Sports-loving kids will love this one! Get the free printables and use them along with a 10-sided die to get some multiplication facts practice.

39. Line up dominoes

Single dominoes turned sideways become multiplication number sentences! Grab a handful and have kids write out the sentences and their answers.

40. Roll to win

This works a bit like Yahtzee. Roll a die, then choose a number from 1 to 6 to multiply it by. Each number can only be used once, so choose carefully to rack up the most points. If you have polyhedral dice, you can play with higher numbers too.

41. Sculpt play dough arrays

What kid doesn't love the chance to play with play dough? Use this activity for math centers, and kids will really enjoy practicing their multiplication facts.

42. Connect the dots with Multiplication Squares

This is a math spin on the old Dots and Boxes game. Kids roll two dice and multiply the numbers together. Then they find the answer on the board and connect two dots next to it. The goal is to complete a box, coloring it in with your own color marker. When the board is full, count the squares to see who wins.

43. Cut out and assemble array cities

Here's another colorful math craft: multiplication array cities. Most high-rises have their windows arranged to make perfect arrays. Have kids make their own city skylines with buildings showing various multiplication arrays.

44. Stack math power towers

There's a universal appeal about making stacks of cups, so don't be surprised if kids clamor to play this game over and over again. Pull a cup, answer correctly, and stack. See who can get a stack of 10 first, or who can build the highest tower in 2 minutes, and so on.

45. Change your students' names (temporarily)

Grab some name tags and write multiplication equations on each. Give a tag to each of your students. For the remainder of the day, everyone will refer to each other by the answer to the equation on their tag (e.g., the student with the name tag that says 7 x 6 would be referred to as "42").

46. Take multiplication to the gridiron

All you need is poster board, 12-sided dice, and a couple of game pieces to teach multiplication using football. Students move their game piece up the field by rolling the dice and multiplying the two numbers that face up. They get four chances to score a touchdown.

47. Roll and Bump!

Print the free game boards, each with a multiplier in the heading. Roll two dice, add them together, then multiply by the multiplier. Then place your game piece over that answer. If another player also comes up with the same product, they can "bump" your game piece off and replace it with their own. The player with the most markers on the board at the end of the game wins.

48. Weave multiplication patterns

Skip-counting provides an introduction to multiplication. We love this hands-on activity where kids skip-count and weave yarn into pretty patterns.

49. Challenge kids with Multiplication Jenga

Grab an old Jenga game at the thrift store (or pick up the generic version at the dollar store). Write multiplication problems on each block, then stack 'em up. Player one pulls a block and tries to answer the problem. If they get it right, they keep the block. If they miss, their partner gets a chance. But if no one can answer it, the block gets stacked up on top. Keep playing until the tower collapses!

50. Twist and learn

Your students will love this twisted version of an old favorite! The original Math Twister was designed for addition, but it works for multiplication too. Simply write products on sticky notes and add them to circles. Then call out math problems like "Left foot, 4 x 5!" The player must put their left foot on the number 20-if they can!

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50 Fun Hands-On Ways To Teach Multiplication

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Looking for unique ways to teach multiplication so kids will really understand? Try these games, activities, and other engaging ideas!

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Some strategies to help both the teacher with teaching the strategies and the students learning the strategies.

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1st Grade

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Telling Time - Basics of the Clock 1st Grade

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Hip-Hop Around the Clock | Learn How to Tell Time | Jack Hartmann

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I think the very first thing you should do is have each student make their own clock.

Besides the fact that it is super fun, hands-on, and will get them excited about telling time, it will also help them focus on how a clock looks and works... where the numbers are and what order they go in. They may have looked at a clock a thousand times but not really thought about what direction the hands move. Something about holding the numbers in their hand and putting them in order themselves builds that conceptual understanding. Plus they'll get to feel ownership over their own clock and have one at their seats to manipulate when doing time worksheets and activities.

This is a simple cut and paste and everything is there for you on one page. First, they color their clocks and numbers, cut out and glue the numbers in the correct spot, and cut out their hour and minute hands. Then, you use a brass fastener to punch through the black dots on each hand and the black dot on the clock. They can do it themselves but I reeeeally recommend doing it for them so there isn't a big hole that will soon rip and ruin their clock. It's a lot easier to just do it for them than to have them destroy their clock/pieces right then & there OR, even worse, later when you're in the middle of teaching and hear, "*GASP* MY CLOCK BROKE!!!" and have to run to the rescue. For that reason, though, I made a page of extra pieces so that if/when any clocks break or pieces go missing, you'll already have an extra pieces page printed and ready to go and not have to copy extra clock pages for little Billy who spun his clock too roughly or Anna who didn't put enough glue on her number 4 and it's forever disappeared into the classroom floor abyss.

For telling time, I think the best thing to do is just practice, practice, practice telling time.

These little clock kids are a fun, simple center. Pick a card, write the time the kid is holding next to the right letter, done.

For small groups practice, laminate a clock mat for each student at your table. Give them a time (or have them pull time strips from a baggie) and draw it on their clock and also write it below. It's a super simple activity but great practice! I included hour, half hour, and written versions of each so you could make a baggie of just hour times, just half-hour, just written version (three o'clock), or mix them up for a challenge. This could easily be a center as well.

If you want to win the best teacher ever award, you could not only let them use the coveted dry erase markers but also use fun colorful dough to build their time on the mat! Have students roll their dough into a ball then rub their palms together to make "snakes" that become their hour and minute hands that they move to show the time. I recommend a different color for each. Like I said, this is how you earn best teacher ever points during small group.

You can also use the dough to play Race to Noon.

This is a great game to practice telling time to the hour and practicing how the clock moves and vocabulary like midnight/noon.

Have students play in partners, each with their own clock mat and color of dough. They both start at "midnight" with their dough hands pointing at the 12 on their mat. They take turns rolling the dice that have them go forward 1 or 2 hours, back 1 hour, all the way back to midnight, etc. The first person to get their dough hand all the way around the clock and back to the 12 (noon) wins!

Practice, practice, practice! Here's a quick center I also love. Match the Time!

Yes, that's glitter. Don't judge me. :)

I made a full set of just telling time to the hour and a full set of telling time to the half-hour. So you can use the hour ones while you teach only to the hour then switch them out for the half-hour clocks when you move into half-hour THEN do a mixed version for a review center later. So you get 3 centers out of the one center :)

If you know me, you know I like to differentiate everything.

Besides getting to choose the hour set, the half-hour set, or a more challenging mix, the recording sheets are also differentiated as you can see above. For students who really struggle, maybe have them do the one with the 4 clocks at your small group table with you so they don't get overwhelmed. You can also copy the 4 clock sheet back to back so it's technically 8 clocks that they do but they don't have to see them all staring them in the face the whole time. There's also a 6 clock (or 12 back to back) and 12 clock (or 24 back to back) version of the recording sheet. So you have a lot of options! For your super high fly-to-get-everything-done-in-2-seconds-teacher-teacher-I'm-done type kids.. give them the hour AND half hour clocks and copy that 12 clock bad boy double sided. :)

I didn't laminate mine. Sorry not sorry :) They held up just fine!

So speaking of differentiation (are you sick of that word yet?), if you use my First Grade Math Units, you know that I always provide differentiated worksheets for each concept.

Here are some of the different levels of telling time worksheets. You can always see the level (A, B, or C) in the upper right hand corner inside the star for easy reference. I typically try to make each level conceptually harder/easier but for straightforward telling time, I just included more clocks/less clocks.

So one thing I think is so important as you teach time is to teach the CONCEPT OF TIME.

Just like a lot of students come to you with little number sense, a lot of students come with a really skewed concept of time.

It makes a lot of sense though. How many times have you said or heard someone else say, "Hold on a second" to a child trying to get your attention when you really are asking them to hold on for 5-10 minutes or more? Or any similar situation where the unit of time you say doesn't match how long it takes. If you listen to adults speak to children, it happens A LOT. I've definitely done it! Since children don't really know how long a minute is or how long an hour is, they learn it from experiencing how long those times are when you say them so it's important to be cognizant of using units of time vocabulary incorrectly when speaking to students.

In order to practice vocabulary for units of time, I created the "How Long Does It Take?" center using common activities that children do or see others doing and sorting them by how long they take.

As you can see, students sort the activity by how long they think it usually takes. This is one of my favorite centers because you can make it an awesome whole group lesson, especially if you have a large pocket chart.

Bring your pocket chart to the front of your students, preferably with them sitting on the carpet or close to you and set out the 3 mats across the top of the pocket chart. Pick 2 or 3 cards to act out as examples and don't be afraid to be a little silly! :) So let's say you grab the card "Brush teeth" - show the class the picture and say, "Hmm how long does it take to brush your teeth?" and let them shout out some guesses. "Does it take a second?" and pretend to brush your teeth really, really fast in one second so they say, "Nooo!"... "Does it take one HOUR?" and brush your teeth super depressingly slow and keep looking at your watch until they stop you with "Nooooo!"s.. "or does it take about a minute?" which hopefully you'll get yes's. Call a kid up to "high five" you in a second (normal high five). Then act out high-five-ing with the student for a minute. Just keep your hands up in the air in a frozen high five with the student - they'll giggle and get it. :) Just try to do a few silly examples like that so they get the idea and then sort the cards together. They can also sort them on their own as a center and write what they sorted on their recording sheet.

If they are sorting themselves as a center, it might be better to have them only sort between 2 extremes (minute/hour or second/hour) at first.

Another fun whole group lesson you can do to illustrate units of time is just a simple brainstorming of things you can do in a second/minute/hour/etc. You'll be surprised what they come up with! Again, I only recommend doing 1 or 2 at a time.

In order to see if they got it, you can have them do a simple worksheet of how long things take.

Another concept of time that is important for students to understand is chronological order and how time progresses throughout a day in order to understand schedules.

I was trying to think of a fun way for students to practice schedules without using a school schedule. I wanted something exciting so I thought it'd be fun to practice the daily schedule of a zookeeper!

I made 12 schedule cards that show what the zookeeper is doing at certain times of the day. As you can see, each card has the time, the activity, and a picture of the activity.

To start out, have your students put the schedule cards IN ORDER. You might be surprised how challenging this can be! I recommend letting them know that "8:00 The zoo opens" is the first card. Since they're so used to 8 being bigger than 1, it might be hard to convince them that 8:00 A.M. is before 1:00 P.M. at first. That's why practice is key! This center is a hands-on way to help them make those connections and understandings. You can also have them use the clock they made to show each time as they set a card down so they can see what time comes next so when they get to noon, they keep going around to the 1. You may even want to try this in small groups first but I think it's really, really important for them to be able to do it on their own too.

You can differentiate by only giving them 6 cards to put in order first. Then, once they get that, add the other 6.

After they sort the cards, have them copy their zookeeper schedule onto the recording sheet (you can see in the top left corner of the picture above). Copy it back to back so it has all 12 times for them to copy, or only make it 1 sided for students only doing 6 times. The recording sheet has them draw the time on the clock, write the time, and then write the activity next to them so it is a lot of great practice in one fun little activity!

I also made a little book that students can make to show their schedule. Students color the pictures, write the time they do each activity, and draw the time on the clock. For example, they'd find the card with the girl and the giraffe on it that matches the one in their book and write "8:30 A.M." on the line. Then, they'd draw 8:30 on the clock in the bottom right and color their picture. This book is sooo fun to make! I was tempted to make one myself :)

I also made a sheet for fast finishers to do after they complete all of the zookeeper activities for a bit of a challenge. You can also use it as a quick cheat sheet of the schedule for students who didn't finish their books (the slooooow colorers) to use to finish their books or send it home as homework.

All of the zookeeper fun ended up being my favorite part of our time unit. It was just so much fun!

You may have noticed the usage of A.M. and P.M. in the activity above... I think it's important for students to understand that there are two 8 o'clocks in a day, the clock hands land there twice a day and one is called A.M. and one is called P.M.

To help illustrate this (I love using pictures for everything!), I created a simple A.M. vs. P.M. sorting activity.

For this activity, students sort when these activities are usually done. Having them connect A.M. and P.M. with things they actually experience (waking up for school, eating dinner, etc.) will help them understand.

A couple more fun activities I want to share are...

Roll 'n Spin / Spinnin' Time

This game is a lot of fun! Students spin the spinner to get the hour and roll the dice to get the minutes! I just included :00 and :30 for the minutes since this unit is all about hour and half-hour. So if they spin a 4 and roll a :30, they made 4:30! So they find 4:30 on their game mat and color it in.

You can play this several ways:

- Independently: Student plays by themselves until they've colored all of the numbers or until math stations time is over.

- With a partner: Partners share a football game mat and each have a different color crayon/colored pencil. They take turn spinning/rolling and color in the football in their color. If that time is already taken, they don't color in anything. When all the footballs are colored, the person with the most footballs wins!

This is one of those fun games that students can play over and over for a whole lot of practice and won't get sick of!

I also made a telling time to the hour only version of this game called "Spinnin' Time" where you don't use the :00/:30 dice. Students simply spin the spinner to find the hour and color in the correct football. All the footballs only have times to the hour (3:00, 4:00, etc.).

And this wouldn't be one of my units without some cut and paste fun!!

I want to show you more from this pack but this blog post is already so long!!!

But I hope you enjoyed all of the activities I shared and can use some of them!

All of these activities are in my

I'd love to hear from you in the comments!!

Also - don't forget to join Miss Giraffe's Class so you never miss out on fun ideas and exclusive free stuff from me only for subscribers!

I made a collage of some of the ideas from this post for you to pin to save this post to read later - feel free to pin it or any other image on this post! :)

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I think the very first thing you should do is have each student make their own clock. Besides the fact that it is super fun, hands-on, and will get them excited about telling time, it will also help them focus on how a clock looks and works...

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Always a helpful anchor chart to have in your classroom.

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"A Remainder of One" by Elinor J. Pinczes

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"A Remainder of One" by Elinor J. Pinczes

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Division:  A Remainder of One interactive read aloud

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After the students complete all assignments this is a fun activity where the students find the quotient and then match it with the color and color it in.

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Students will explore biology, geology, and the ecosystems of the wetlands. Students will also explore and may find some endangered waterbirds.

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Because it's the beginning of the year, I'm all about creating math games that can be used to reinforce place value and operations skills. My two most recent games on this blog, Place Value Top Up and Place Value Yahtzee, have already been extremely popular with teachers. If you haven't checked them out for your math centers, be sure to do so after reading this post!

The free place value game that I have for you today focuses on rounding. Once again, I've included game boards for three different versions (rounding 3-digit numbers to tens, rounding 5-digit numbers to thousands, and rounding 3-digit decimals to hundredths) so that you can choose the level that works best for your classroom.
Materials needed:

Roll It! Rounding Game Boards (see below)

Dice (the number of dice needed depends on the game level being used)

Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Ten = 3 dice

Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Thousand = 5 dice

Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Hundredth = 3 dice

Cup for holding the dice

Small counters or beads

Personally, I use the cheap "glass" beads that you can buy at the Dollar Store.

Setting up the game:
1. Download the Roll It! Rounding Game Boards here: Roll It! Rounding Game Boards

Choose the game board that's best for your class!
2. Determine which level you'd like your students to play. Each page in the download is a different level. There are two of the same game board on each page.

3. Print the game board page. You'll need one game board (1/2 page) for each 2-player game. I recommend that you laminate the game board so that you can use it over and over again.

4. Grab the correct number of dice for the level your students will play (see "Materials needed" above).

5. Grab some small counters for each player. Each player needs a different color.
Playing the game:
Object of the game: To be the first player to make a line of four in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) on the game board.

Number of players: 2

1. To decide who goes first, each player rolls one of the dice. The player with the highest roll goes first.

2. On your turn, roll all of the dice. I like to have my students roll the dice into a small plastic container so that the dice don't roll onto the floor.

3. Use all of the dice that you just rolled to create a number. You may place the dice in any order to create the number. For example, if you rolled 4, 1, and 6, you may create 416, 461, 146, 164, 614, or 641.

If playing "Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Ten," you'll create a 3-digit number.

If playing "Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Thousand," you'll create a 5-digit number.

If playing "Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Hundredth," you'll create a 3-digit decimal by placing a decimal point in front of all 3 digits (i.e. no whole numbers).

4. Depending on the game that you are playing, round the number that you created to the nearest ten/thousand/hundredth. Then, place one of your counters on top of that number on the game board. If your opponent's counter is already on that number, you may not place your counter on the game board.
Some examples:
5. Players continue taking turns until one player creates a line of 4 in a row of his/her own counters on the game board.

Did your students enjoy playing this game? We'd LOVE it if you'd share one of these images on social or leave a comment in the space below!

Looking for other fun ways to practice rounding in your math centers? Check out these and other fun rounding games and activities in our store.

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Because it's the beginning of the year, I'm all about creating math games that can be used to reinforce place value and operations skills. My two most recent games on this blog, Place Value Top Up and Place Value Yahtzee , have already been extremely popular with teachers.

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This is both science and math. Students studying about the weather, learn about cloud names, why the clouds rain, and so on. Students will get a chance to create their own cloud in a jar or cup. Students need to make guesses or an estimate of how many drops they think it will take before the experiment, count and tally the correct number of drops it took till the cloud started to "rain" and record it. It's a fun hands-on experiment.

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{this post contains affiliate links.}

This one was on taps last year, but my baby decided to get Croup....*major frowny face* and I just never did get a chance to add it back into the plans! But on the plus side, I didn't even have to make copies of the lab handout this year because I had saved it from last year! I LOVE it when that happens!!

Let's back up for a sec.... earlier in the week we've been learning about the water cycle and charting our learning about clouds {condensation} and rain and snow {precipitation}.

One thing I love about the weather unit is that instead of one or two bigger projects for the unit, we have at least one project or experiment planned each week. The kids are *SO* engaged during these science based units. Here are the materials:
* shaving cream
* clear jar or cup (I'd suggest these plastic cups)...2 for each group, 1 for rainwater, and one for the cloud
* food coloring
* droppers ...these can be tricky to find locally, but you can grab them here easily!

First, I told them what we would do and they predicted how many drops it would take before the cloud would rain. And despite my referring to what we learned earlier in the week about it taking millions of drops of rain before a cloud gets heavy enough to rain, I still had predictions of 14 drops to rain, 6 drops to rain, and...2 drops.... Gotta love it! After our predictions, I had them record them on their paper and then they worked as a group to get their materials. I had died the rainwater cups before hand, but they were in charge of filling the other cup 2/3 full, getting a dropper, and carrying their rainwater cup to their table.

Yes, I did the shaving cream myself once they had their materials ready. Easiest decision of the day! LOL!!

One of my precious teammates let me use her left over shaving cream from last year to save me a trip to the store...and this is how my first cloud turned out...

Not exactly Hollywood worthy, huh??

It didn't feel like it was terribly empty, so I just thought maybe it was lame-o because it was a year old. But when I finally decided to use the second, unopened can, BAM! A puffy cloud! Just the puffy cloud alone got some pretty amazing "Oooohs" and "Ahhhhhs" from my firsties.

After all the clouds were formed sprayed on, they started dropping rain drop by drop. They used tally marks to record how many drops of rain they had in their results box of the lab sheet.

....and at least 38 drops later...

This is honestly one of the most engaging labs I've done in a long time. They were absolutely glued to their cloud and very particular in making sure everyone had the same size drops. And the stretching of the heads to see underneath the clouds was hilarious!

Once everyone had rain, they drew, colored and labeled their observations and then we recorded our learning together.

This lab along with several other weather labs are included in my Weather Unit...

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this post contains affiliate links.} This one was on taps last year, but my baby decided to get Croup....*major frowny face* and I just never did get a chance to add it back into the plans! But on the plus side, I didn't even have to make copies of the lab handout this year because I had saved it from last year!