Words We Know, Words to Grow!

I've been thinking of a new way to present information on my word walls. I really want my word walls to be interactive, a place where students can visit and actively learn important terms and meanings. So, I tried "Words We Know, Words To Grow." When I introduce new terms to my students, I give them sticky notes and ask them to list the words they know on one sticky note and words they need to learn (words to grow) on the other sticky note. Then, they post them on the word wall. This allows me to focus on the words to grow as we implement the lesson. As students learn the words, they can return to the word wall and move their sticky notes. It has worked so far; I'm hoping to incorporate more interactive word wall ideas soon! 

Last-Minute Lessons: Halloween Math with Napkins

This is how the napkin looks folded open.

This week, many kids (and a lot of adults) are excited about Halloween. Since many schools do not allow candy in the classrooms, I had to modify lessons I use with certain foods. Thankfully, my local dollar store always provides inspiration. I picked up a couple sets of Halloween-themed napkins for $1.00. Each package has 18 napkins. Even for a buck, the quality of the napkins is excellent.



Quick Lesson for Middle Grades

Ratios for 6th grade.

For my 6th grade classes, I’ve been on a mission to reduce the paper load, so we complete many activities in spirals. For our lessons on ratios, I asked the kids to find the ratio of candy corn to pumpkins. They wrote the ratios in three different ways in their notebooks. I also asked them to make a prediction about the number of pieces of candy corn in the full package. I would ask Pre-AP classes to graph their predictions.

Pre-K, K, and First




Kids can circle and count.

 Of course, using Halloween-themed napkins for lessons is not limited to middle grades. For Pre-K, K, and 1st grade, kids can circle the ghosts, spiders, or other figures and then count them. Then, they can write a statement about their findings. 

Second Grade – Fifth Grade

Consider using note cards for a quick check or exit ticket.

Second - fifth-grade students can complete a quick multiplication problem by counting the number of a certain figure and multiplying by the number of napkins in a package. Second and third graders may want to focus on objects in the single digits for their multiplication problems. Extend the lesson by partnering or grouping students. They can make predictions about the number of certain objects on their napkins and determine if their predictions are true by counting the objects on the napkins.

These napkins meet my standards for quick lessons that can be fun, relevant, and engaging. Plus, they only cost $1.00!