The Destitute Teacher

Today I am sharing a quick little math group warm up with you. I love using playing cards, and so do my students. This pack is a set from a 500 game... the numbered cards go from 2-13 and Ace becomes one. To keep them tidy and organised, I like using one of the tiniest Sistema containers I can possibly get. A little bit more expensive than other storage systems, but they seem to be practically indestructible, come in great colours and when on sale they are way more affordable: Sitting in a semi circle, I go round the circle giving the students cards, and they need to answer as quickly as they can. The questions vary: * What is your number (you can give them two cards to make a two digit number etc) *What comes before your number *What comes after your number Once they have a set (maybe 5-ish cards)... *Put your cards in order from smallest to biggest *Put your cards in order from biggest to smallest Swap sets between the children so they have a different set to work with. Next we swi

Went for a trawl through the local dollar store on the weekend and found some goooorgeous ice-cream shaped bowls so simply just HAD to buy them.I scored these ones ages ago: from an op shop and they got an absolute thrashing. We use them with pom poms or plastic beans (JELLYbeans so I am told), and create number problems involving ice-cream sundaes with sprinkles on top. However I only had four, and this seriously limits my group sizes for using this equipment. We want the children to be engaged, and using the manipulatives themselves right? So I bought three sets of these bad boys... ...and we can now all have a go at using the bowls! Much excitement!

Time to get back into this little project of mine, and I am kicking off by creating a Facebook page. Facebook is so much a part of my life now, I think it will be easier to put little snapshots etc up there. So try searching for The Destitute Teacher on Facebook, or follow this link . Wish me luck!

We have been working hard on improving our recognition of numbers on tens frames recently. It seems that sometimes we know it... and sometimes we don't! I put together some resources and activities to help to develop instant recognition. These include... * Good, old fashioned flashcards. In a group we play tens frames speed (flip a card over, first to read it correctly gets it and the winner is the person with the most at the end). Handy hint... enlarge the tens frames, laminate and attach a magnet on the back for whole class work on the whiteboard. * Roll and Cover Tens Frames games. I made two versions of this game (apologies as I made the clipart, it could do with some refinement). One version is for a 1-6 die, the other is for a 10 sided die (if your die has a '0', use a fine permanent marker to turn it into a ten). Just click here to go to my GoogleDrive and download the PDF file. * Tens frames timed powerpoint. My children love this one. I made a powerpoint presenta