Fact Family Cups

One of my particular missions when teaching 5th/6th grade math is to get every child (unrealistic but I set my aim high!) to know his or her multiplication facts through 12. When I was in elementary school, we had to do this, but I have a feeling that most lower grades teachers are not focusing on memorization of math facts because about 10% of my students know their facts when I get them. Now, some might question the importance of memorizing math facts in today's calculator age, and perhaps they are right. However, I am less concerned with rote memorization than I am with overall number sense, and the facts can be taught in multiple ways. The old-fashioned method is good ole "memorize this" with a lot of repetition, and that is what fact family cups are designed for. However, the progressive method is to teach patterns and shortcuts (such as x3 is the same as doubles plus one. Ex: 3x8 = 2x8+8). Studies (or I guess I should say study because I only read one on this particular topic) show that a combination of both methods is most effective. Thus, I have stumbled across a way of modernizing flash cards and turning practicing the facts into a competitive game.

The bottom of the cup gets the multiplication fact. The inside of the cup gets the answer. (I had written it on the bottom, but you could see through a little bit.) I just used those little rinse-your-mouth-out cups. They are flimsy, and I worry about their durability. I am field testing two sets first, and if they get worn out too quickly I will make some more using sturdier plastic cups.




I decided I wanted to differentiate between fact families so that kids could pull the ones they needed to work on quickly and easily. So, I used more of my fancy paper to cover the cups.

Materials: scissors, paper, cups, Xacto knife, tape, markers, and glue

Make a stencil out of one of the cups. I stacked 3 sheets of paper and cut. Be sure to cut out a little extra on one end so that it overlaps slightly when you tape.

After I cut out the paper, I applied glue to it. I wrapped it around and finish it off by taping up the seam. I didn't feel like glue alone would hold it, but I bet if I had used tacky glue and not a regular glue stick the tape wouldn't have been necessary.

How to Play:
There are two ways to play, and probably more that the kids will come up with.
Single Player: Choose the facts you need to practice. Mix the cups and place them face down. As you pick up each cup, say the fact out loud along with the answer (multi-modal practice is more effective, which is why the student reads the fact AND says it out loud.) Check the answer. If you were correct, you start building a pyramid. Keep going, but only add the ones you got correct to the pyramid. Try to make the tallest pyramid you can!
Two Player: Take turns reading and answering you cups. The player with the tallest pyramid wins.

Depending on the number of cups, you could start stacking them top/bottom and then bottom/top. You could also try to make the longest wall, or any other structure. I hope the kids like this!








And, for storage, I will be keeping each set in a tennis ball canister. (Last year, I got enough tennis balls to cover the legs of all of my tables and chairs through the awesome website donorschoose.org. This left me with 100+ empty cans that I couldn't throw away. I have found a lot of uses for them so far, and I will create a separate post with these ideas at some point in the future.)


I saw this online with sight words as well (I guess you put a picture inside so that the kids could self-check?) I am thinking you could also make some of these for definitions, or any other time you make flash cards. Little cups are cheaper than index cards, and I have a feeling the novelty will make them more user-friendly.

Bulletin Boards

The last mini-project I have going is is fixing all of my wall hangings and bulletin boards. I went to Joann Fabrics the other day, and lo and behold, they were also having a huge sale! Most of the fabric was 50% or even 75% off. I don't know how it is that I have now hit Michael's when I needed paper, and there was a 60% off paper sale, and then Joann's when I needed fabric, and there was a huge fabric sale. Plus, both stores offer a teacher discount. Michael's accepted my pocket teaching license, but Joann's requested an actual school-issued teacher ID. Since mine was at school, I downloaded their Android ap and still got 15% off because of the current electronic coupon.

Anyhow, I covered each board in black fabric and hung one of my framed pictures on a board using T-pins. I simply drew a line with a pencil along the bottom edge of the frame. Then, I pushed the pins in every 2-3 inches. I rested the frame on top of this row of T-pins and pushed more pins along the side and top. I turned the pins so the the T part was perpendicular to the frame, keeping to flat against the bulletin board.

I will write my "I can" statements on the whiteboard to the right of the frame. I will also put the unit objectives (which I didn't post last year and which caused my to get a 4 instead of a 5 on one of my evaluation categories) to the left of this frame. The bottom half of the board will have an area to post sentence stems.

The T-pins are silver, which means you don't really notice them until you get up close.

I used heavy-duty Velcro to attach the other frames to the board and walls. I have found that the Velcro is great because we have cinder block walls, so you can't use nails, and if you apply the Velcro correctly, it will hold very heavy objects up. (Correct application means you have to stick the Velcro to the wall and the object and leave them unattached for at least 24 hours before you hang it.) Here are my homework and daily schedules of my whiteboard. (Sorry about the bad lighting.)

I have been thinking and thinking about how to line my boards, and nothing has been working out. To maintain my black and silver theme, I thought that buying 2"-3" wide silver ribbon would be perfect. Cheap, easy, and with a nice, shiny look. What's the problem? I can't find any suitable silver ribbon at any store I have been in (Target, Wal-Mart, JoAnn's, Michael's, etc.) Every other color has plenty of options, but the silver is all either covered in glitter, sequins, or sheer. I need solid silver ribbon 2 inches wide- not happening.

Which lead me to a google search and this website:

http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/classmanagement/bb/borders.htm

This teacher has lots of great ideas. I had previously settled on painting my old borders silver. However, with all of the painting I've been doing lately, I was reluctant. Funnily enough, I have actually decided on another idea that will require painting, but the effect is going to be super neat so I am actually excited about it.

I am going to go buy some old puzzles at thrift stores, get some of my old border (the ones that a teacher gave me once that I never use because they are animal patterns from the 80s), and glue puzzle pieces at random to cover it. Then, I will spray it all silver. (Still painting, but with a much cooler end result than plain silver paper border.) I am still considering two other options I read about, and perhaps I will try all three and pick my favorite.

Option 2: When I trim the black and silver fabric that I purchased for covering my bookshelves, I should have some strips that are about two inches wide. The above teacher mentioned laminating the fabric strips, and this could turn out to look really neat.

Option 3: Use aluminum foil. I am not quite sure about the logistics of this one because foil tears easily, and it might just look a little trashy. Like I had too many leftovers at school and just stuck the foil up on the board. However, it might look really awesome. The good news about this option is foil is inexpensive, so I can try it out and if I hate it, I can just take it down. (And wrap up any leftovers in the general vicinity.)

Glass Magnets

I have also been working hard on a few side projects for the room.

Glass Gem Magnets
These are floating around on the Internet, and I decided to make some to use on my whiteboards and various other magnetic surfaces. I found last year that magnets were great for everything, from displaying student work or no-name papers to posting center directions or word problems around the room. If I had more money at my disposal, I would probably paint every possible surface with magnetic paint and just us magnets for everything. Kids can't use magnets (well, not these magnets, anyway) as weapons as easily as they can pushpins and staples. Plus, magnets don't put holes in your documents.

How to Make Fancy Magnets:

I bought some black circle magnets (about $2.50 for a pack of eight) and a bag of those clear glass gems that you often see on the bottom of vases or some fish tanks. Then, I used my Xacto blade to cut out circles from my fancy paper. If I had one of those hole punchers I have seen, this project would have been much faster and looked a little better, but I'm still happy with how they turned out. After I cut out my paper, I put a dab of tacky glue on the magnets, laid on the paper, but one more little dab of tacky glue, and smushed on the glass gems. I tried to use the larger, more circular ones. I let them dry overnight, and now they will go one the board. (I am fortunate to have a magnetic whiteboard instead of the cheap imitation "shower board" they sell at Home Depot. Cheep shower board is great, however, if you want to make a class set of little whiteboards. It's about $8 for a large sheet and I even got them to cut it down for me for free!)

I'm done painting! (my walls)

This post comes a few days late, but this past Tuesday I finally completed the painting of the walls! It was some furious throwing on of the paint towards the end because I had a 2:30 deadline (we were to leave for Atlanta at 4:00 and I needed to shower and pack.) I didn't get started until a little after 10:00 on Tuesday, and I needed to finish taping the two purple walls as well as scrape hot glue (I'm not going to get started on the hot glue right now, but suffice it to say that it is one of my all-time biggest pet peeves and I pretty much despise having to scrape the indestructible and often times un-attachable globs off of the walls.)

These two walls also presented a unique challenge because of the floor-to-almost-ceiling cabinets. I ended up climbing on a chair to a desk to the top of my filing cabinet in order to reach the foot and half of wall behind the giant cabinets. I also had to clean the tops of those guys, which were absolutely covered in dust and grime. Due to the dusty/dirty nature of the typical middle school classroom, I was not surprised. Objects get coated in dust in a week's time, and no doubt these hadn't been cleaned in years. Actually, they might have been cleaned a month ago and I don't think it would have mattered. This school seems to spew dust out of every possible crack and crevice, not to mention the AC units, where they change the filters ONCE A YEAR. That's it- we get clean air for a few weeks once a year.

So, even though you can't see it, the cabinet tops are now sparkling like new! (As sparkling as unfinished wood is going to get with Windex and paper towels.) The school is not open today or over the weekend, which means I will be going up early Monday morning to pull off the blue tape and finally see the room in all of its purple and green glory. Then, it is time to get the shelves and extra desks painted. After that, I can finally start unpacking and organized the room! Until then, here are a few before and after shots.  

 There is the yellow paint scraper I borrowed from Dr. Fuller- Thanks!

One coat down... second coat to go!

Check out the right side of the picture- that is the filing cabinet I had to perch on top of to reach the wall above the cabinets.

Making Progress

Today, I worked on painting the frames I already purchased as well as some storage bins I use for my math journals.

Painting Frames
First, I pulled out the insides. This took a minute, as one of the frames had paper stapled around the back. I sanded them all down a bit and wiped them with a cloth to get the dust off. Then, I sprayed them all. (I am not very good at spray painting- I always get drips from spraying too closely or too heavily. I need to learn some patience!) Below are my tools and pictures. The silver is looking very nice! I managed to get only one cut, and it wasn't even from the Xacto knife. I was careless while handling the glass and sliced the side of my finger.

The sanding sponge (not an official term) is one of the best purchases I made. It is much, much easier to handle than sheets of sandpaper and is durable. This one is a few years old.

I wonder which hotel this came from...

I thought I would need this to cut away the edges.

However, because these had been in my car for a week, the glue was loose and it peeled right off.

I even got around to making my homework board. I plan on getting very strong magnets and sticking it up on the whiteboard. Then, I can write out the assignments to the left or right of the frame. Which do you like better- the cursive version or the print version?

The matting came with this particular frame. I painted it green and then went over the cut-out edges with a black marker to make it pop. I'm so pleased with all of my papers, I had a difficult time choosing which to use!

I wrote on the glass instead of on the paper. It looks neat, and it wipes away easily with nail polish remover.  Hand sanitizer also removes permanent marker from glass, which is more likely to be at school than nail polish remover.

Painting Plastic Organizers

So this next project probably won't be as successful as my frames because I am attempting to spray paint plastic with plain old Dollar Store spray paint. I know, they make spray paints specifically for plastic these days. However, I am on a budget, and I am not too concerned if the paint peels off of these.

I have five of them, and they stack up to the same height as my bookcases, which is great. The downside is they are white, and they get extra grimy very quickly. I inherited them from a teacher who was moving up in the world (to an Assistant Principal), and they fit between 25 and 30 notebooks each.   (25 spirals or about 30 composition books. I prefer composition books, but some kids don't buy them.) This makes them an ideal spot for my three class periods' math journals, plus one bin for social studies and one bin for advisory period. More photos to come when I am done with the painting. I ran out of black paint today. Plus, it was really hot outside and I was ready to get back in the AC.

My plans

I have been looking around the interent for ideas on how to best decorate and organize my room. So far, I have a made a few decisions.

1) I am painting the room purple and green: either all purple with a green border a few feet down from the ceiling all the way around OR two walls purple and two walls green. I have one can of each color. Based on the darkness of the purple, I am leaning towards painting the front and back walls green and the other two purple. (That way the window wall would be darker and the main board wall brighter.) Suggestions are welcome.

2) I am painting all of my furniture black. (Bookshelves, my "Quiet Corner" desk, and my little by-the-door desk that houses my pencil sharpener, daily handouts, etc.)

3) I am covering my bulletin boards with black fabric. Depending on what I find (on sale), I might try to get black with silver accents, like stars or swirls. I will line them with silver boarders and use bright color mattes to make the material on the boards really pop. I have also purchased T-pins this year so that I can  create a nice 3-D effect by pulling some of the items forward away from the wall.

4) I am going to try to frame all of the posters and wall hangings. I already purchased multiple picture frames at a thrift store for a few dollars each. I prepared one already to test it out- I will spray paint the frames silver.

The glass can be written on with a dry erase marker.

There was this huge sale at Michael's the other day, and I bought hundreds of sheets of fancy paper for 50% to 75% off. I think these will turn out really well! Since there are so many things I have to write daily or weekly, I am going to make a lot of frames like this with a heading and space to write. I am also going to use small frames to just make headings (like homework and daily schedule) to hang directly on the whiteboard. 

5) I am going to make my own number line. I have all of that fancy paper, so I am going to cut out the numbers and laminate them. I haven't tested this one out yet, but I am considering using a big, black sharpie to outline block letters and give them a 3-D look. That way, they will all be the same, but with different papers in the background.

That's all for now- I'm also getting into Pinterest, so hopefully I will find some more awesome ideas to use.

A new beginning

So, here we go again. I'm actually going to keep up with this thing this year, and we'll begin with my new room. I'm moving from sixth to fifth grade, and before the year ended I had my students help bring everything upstairs. Since I don't have to stress about moving, I can spend my free time painting, organizing, and planning awesome lessons! Here are the before photos.

My U-shaped table will go in front of this board.

You can see the colors I have chosen: purple and green! 

This is the front board. Notice the speakers up by the projector!

I had better windows in my last room, but at least the kids won't be distracted this year. There isn't much to see from these.

This will be the teacher corner- I am re-arranging my desk.

That doorway in the middle leads to a "storage" area that I am not supposed to use. It's pretty gross in there, but it does have roof access... I wonder if I can climb up there and not get in trouble...