Spinning Place Value -- Place Value Freebie

Here's another quick place value activity for a math station.

You need a numbered spinner, place value blocks, paper, and pencil.

Students spin the spinner three times to make a number. They use the place value blocks to model the number. Once they have made a model of the number, they draw it in a graphic organizer and add the standard, word, and expanded forms of the number. You can use the example I included or let students come up with their own way to record the info. This would also be a good activity to show understanding of different ways of representing numbers in a math journal.

Just click on the pic above to download the activity.

Bundle It Up! -- Place Value Freebie

Common Core requires second graders to realize that ten bundles of ten make one hundred. This is going to be an activity in one of my place value math stations next week. Gather up lots of popsicle sticks and rubber bands, a die, and print off the number cards. Students draw a card to determine the target number. They take turns rolling the die and draw that many sticks. When they get ten sticks, they use a rubber band to bundle them. The first person to reach the target number wins the game.

It's a quick game that you can also play with tables or small groups competing against each other.

Just click on the pic above to get the directions and cards. 

Amazing Giveaway!

Are you ready for an amazing giveaway? And by amazing giveaway, I mean a year's subscription to the website Amazing Classroom?

Since I am about to 800 followers and Amazing Classroom provided me with a membership to their site to review all their resources, I thought this would be a great time to pass along their offer of a free membership to you!

At first, I was attracted to the site because of their math fluency tests. Common Core requires my second graders to be fluent with addition and subtraction facts within twenty, so that feature caught my eye.

But then I started clicking around on their site and found sooooooo much more!

It's relatively easy to find resources on blogs and on the internet for Smart Boards, but my system purchased Promethean Boards and I haven't found that many for our boards. I have a set of ActivExpressions that my students love to accompany the board. I was BEYOND happy to get access to all the great ActivInspire flipcharts for Promethean boards that are available on their site. (If you are a Smart Board user, they have resources for you, too!)

PLUS......there are station activities, worksheets, assessments, and more for you to print out....even newsletter generators.

If you want to win your own year's subscription, enter my giveaway below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Expanding Sentences - Freebie

My students are still working on creating simple sentences and aren't ready yet to add words to expand them. I think I'm going to use these cards to bridge the way to sentences with more descriptive words. 

To get your copy, just click on the pic above.

Fishing for Sentences - Freebie

It's a Staff Development Day today for teachers, no classes for students, and then we have our Fall Break for a week! Shelbyville is home to the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and we get out of school for the week of the horse show. It's an early Fall Break, but we are ready! 

Use this activity in a small group or a literacy station to help students distinguish between fragments and simple sentences. Once they understand what makes a sentence, they begin to add words to expand them.

Just click on the pic above to download the activity.

Representing Numbers - Freebie

Here is a whole group activity to practice representing numbers in different ways. Students match up four different ways of representing numbers. As an extension, let all the students with expanded form line up in ascending order, all the students with place value models line up, etc.

Just click on the pic above to download the file.

Last Man Standing - Freebie

Need a fun review for place value? My kids love, love, love playing this game.

Hand out the number cards to each child. Give clues based on place value. If the number doesn't match the clue, the child must sit down. The last one standing is the winner. It's great practice for interpreting place value and is even better when the kids are ready to give the clues!

Just click on the pic above to download the doc!

ABC Order and Guide Words - Freebie

One of our skills for this week is learning to use a dictionary to determine word meaning. My kiddos have to learn to use alphabetical order before they can look up a word, so I made this activity to use in a small/whole group. I'll probably put it in a literacy station next week.

Give each group of students a set of word cards that all start with the same letter. I printed each set in a different color of card stock so it would be easier to manage when I'm handing out the materials. The groups work to put the words in alphabetical order. I have eight words in each group. Each group can be broken down into two different groups. Once the students have put the words in alphabetical order, they have to determine which set of guide words will contain each group of words. But be careful! They may not all fit!

Multiple Meaning Snacks - Freebie

Two of our second grade ELA skills for this week are multiple meaning words and context clues. 
Students play this game with a partner. After determining the correct meaning of a word in a sentence, students collect snack cards to win the game.

Click on the pic above to get the game.
Happy snacking!
(Please leave a comment and let me know what you do for multiple meaning words and context clues.)

Compound Word Hunt -- Freebie

My kids need a little more practice using compound words in sentences before they take our common assessment. In this scavenger hunt, they will find compound words in different places and use them in sentences.

If you'd like a copy, click on the pic above to download the doc.

Sneaky E - Freebie

Need more practice on long and short vowels?  Draw an e on the end of a large popsicle stick and hold it next to these cards to change short vowel words to long vowel words. 

Just click on the pic above to download the activity for a little Common Core practice for second grade!

Long and Short Vowel Sort - Freebie - Winner Announced!

My team is giving a common assessment on the Common Core Standard  of distinguishing between long and short vowel sounds in one syllable words this Friday. (We were a little ambitious since this is just our first week of school!) This long and short vowel sorting activity should give my kids some extra practice. Students read the words on the cards and sort them according to the vowel sound. This can be done in either a literacy station, in small groups, or even handed out and used as a whole group activity.

Just click on the pic above to get the sorting activity!

And the winner of my Blogaversary Giveaway is.....

I'll get with you a little later today to work out the details of getting you all your fabulous prizes!

Formal and Informal Language

Second Grade ELA Common Core standards for Speaking require students to distinguish between formal and informal language. Start off by having students give you examples of both formal and informal language. Compile the examples in a T Chart. Discuss situations when each type of language is appropriate.

When you feel that your students know the differences, give each group of students one of the examples from the activity below. Ask them to act out a situation where that type of language is appropriate. The entire activity can be placed in a literacy station for extra practice.

There is a sample assessment at the end of the document that includes a rubric for scoring.

Click on the pic above to download the activity.

Can you use both formal and informal language in a comment? :)

Don't forget to enter my One Year Blogaversary giveaway! It's your last day! Click on the pic below to enter.

New Year, New Look!

It's a new school year and a new year of blogging! To celebrate, I treated myself to a makeover! What do you think?

If you are considering a change, too, be sure to go to

The Honey Bunch Blog Design and check out their work!

 To make it even more tempting, they are having a giveaway at their site now! Just click on their cute button below for details.

HBBD made the whole design process easy peasy! They are fun to work with and very responsive to your requests. If you go by, please tell them I sent you. I want them to know how appreciative I am of all they did for my make-over!

Speaking of giveaways, you have two days left to enter my One Year Blogaversary giveaway! There are some super prizes that my bloggy friends have contributed that you will absolutely drool over!

Home Visits Today!

We do our home visits today so I get to meet my new group of kiddos! 

While I'm out visiting, don't forget to enter my Blogaversary giveaway for some great prizes from some fellow bloggers!

Click on the pic below to enter!

I'm a Writing Super Hero Writing Notebook - Freebie

My last batch of kids L. O. V. E. D. to write! Loved it! I hope this next bunch is as motivated as they were! To encourage them a little, I made a cover and pages for a writing notebook with a super hero theme. Our entire school uses an "office in a folder" type resource that I'll fit into the inside pocket of the binders. I'll use page protectors to hold drafts, copies of rubrics, and other materials the kids need to keep track of.

To get your copy of the notebook materials, just click on the pic above.

If you use Writing notebooks for students to help them organize their work or are going to this year, please leave me a comment with suggestions of what to include. I can always go back and update the document if enough people want the same thing! I'm already thinking I might add a copy of the Common Core standards that apply.

Happy Blogaversary!!

It's been a little over a year since I first started blogging. I think I have learned more from the blogging world than I have from almost anything I have ever done in my professional life!  Sharing ideas....asking for help with specific problems...finding that perfect organizational tip...I've benefitted in all these ways since I started blogging! I have many, many friends I have never met in person that I communicate with regularly via blogging. I've loved making free activities to share with you all just as much as I've loved getting all those great freebies I found as I'm blog-stalking.

To celebrate both my "First Blogaversary" and Back-to-School, I have teamed up with some of my blogging friends to offer you the chance to win some FAN-TAS-TIC prizes!

To enter, you must be a follower of my blog. You also get other chances by visiting my friends and following their blogs, too!

Here's what you could win:

a $25.00 gift card from me!

Leslie at Kindergarten Works' KinderTrio Kindergarten Common Core Assessment Bundle 

Kim at Finding Joy in 6th Grade's surprise gift

Stephanie at Teaching in Room 6's Reading Response Skills Mat Comprehension Pack

Kathy at First Grade a la Carte's surprise gift

Angelia at Extra Special Teaching's Magic E Game

Any item from Brenda at Primary Inspired's shop

Any item from Andrea at Stepping Into First's shop

Any item from Sue at SOS Supply's shop

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