Free Printable 'EGG'stra Special Tag for Treats

Sending some sunshine with an "EGG"stra special treat......Spring time is a great time to let someone know you are thinking about them.  Maybe you want to  let your students know you are thinking about them. Maybe you have a co-worker that needs a 'pick me up' treat. Maybe you want to let your child's teacher know you appreciate him/her.  Whatever the situation is, this original artwork (yes, I created every little part of this tag... even the swirls on the eggs.... just a little doodle, but it turned out cute) gift tag is sure to pep up a friend's  day when you attach it to some chocolate eggs. Rarely can you go wrong with chocolate!! This printable "EGG"stra special tag is a freebie gift from me and it can be printed out by clicking the link below. They print 4 to a sheet.  Enjoy! 
Click HERE to print "EGG"stra Special Tags

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Expanded Form Activity

Fun Expanded Form Activity

Expanded form, also known as expanded notation, is one way students need to be able understand and write numbers.  The other forms being standard form and word form. When teaching place value, students must be able to see and understand the value of each individual digit in a number, which of course would be expanded form.  For some kids, this concept can be a bit difficult to fully understand.

A few years back, I picked up a student calculator ... you know, the ones that we all have sets of,  but they get stashed in the back of the closet or workroom because we often times don't see them as a tool for helping kids understand. Trust me, I have seen many dusty calculators :-)    I think mine is designed for the 3-5 classroom. It looks like this:

Anyway, when I picked it up and I started punching in some numbers to add, it dawned on me that it was bumping the addition problem to the top of the screen, basically showing the values I was keying in.  I had this 'ah-ha' moment that this would be a great tool to use to help kids see the values of digits when working with expanded form.  At the time, I actually had a small group struggling with expanded form, so I tried it out with that group the next day.  

The first thing I did was give them an addition problem (basically just an expanded form problem), such as 5,000+600+50+9, but I didn't tell them what it equaled.  I had them write the problem out horizontally and vertically, so they could see that it was basically just an addition problem like they were accustomed to adding.  I then had them key the addition problem into the calculator, and they could see their problem across the top of the screen as they entered each number, which was pretty much seeing the expanded form or values of the digits in the numbers.  I then had them hit the equal button to get the standard form of the number.   Once they had the answer, or standard form, of the number, we looked at the number on their calculator screen, which of course was 5,659.  We compared it to the addition problem on their paper and discussed that what they had done was given each digit in the number a value and that is what they added up to find the total value of the number.  We continued this process several times to gain understanding.  

Then I transitioned to giving them the standard form number first, such as saying," If I gave you the number 9,876, what values would you give each number (starting with the 9) that you could then key into the calculator as an addition problem that would get you an answer of 9,876?"  They would then start by saying, "Well, I think we would enter 9,000 for the 9." So, I would tell them to hit a 9,000 and then the plus sign.  Then they would say, "Next I think we would add 800 for the value of the 8." They would key that in.  Remember, all along the addition problem they are typing will be popping up at the top of their calculator screen.  ...... They would continue with the process until they key in all of the values.  At the end, when they hit the equals sign, it's like magic to them because if they did it right, they will end up with the number I told them to start with.  Sometimes they will give me a little , "YEAH!" when it is right.... they came up with that part on their own. (Don't you just love it when they do that!)

By the way, the calculator on my computer will represent expanded form too.  I used it to type some pictures out to show you the process used in the problem mentioned above. 

Click on the image to enlarge. .... not on the 'p' that will pop up. :-)

For the last few years I have incorporated this expanded form activity into my teachings of expanded form and place value.  The kids LOVE using the calculators!  I hope you will have fun trying out this bright idea in your classroom.

Free Printable St. Patrick's Day Subway Art

Valentine's Day has come and gone, and now it's time to add a hint of green instead of red.  Rainbows and gold.... that sounds like happiness to me!  :-)  I made this cute St. Patrick's Day subway art, placed it in a black frame and Voila!... It turned out so cute!  Feel free to print yourself out one, as I am offering it for free.  Simply place it in an 8.5x11 frame and it will look so cute and colorful on your desk in your classroom or on display in your home.  Mine is actually on a table in a hallway off  my den.  Enjoy!   Just click the link below to print. FREE Subway Art for St. Patrick's Day
Check out my teacher themed subway art here.

Hover over image to pin.

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For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

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God Loves You Valentine's Day Cards

Free Valentine Cards

My son attends the church preschool, so for a change, I can actually mention God on classroom materials. Imagine that!  I made these for him to deliver to his three year old class friends for Valentine's Day.  They would work for any age. Just print and sign a name. I stapled a heart sucker to each one. They are free to print, so I hope you can enjoy on a e future Valentine's Day. Click the link below.
God Loves You Valentine Cards

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Text Annotation Codes

The big push in the classroom is to get kids thinking about their reading.  They should be digging for deeper meaning. A basic yellow highlighter just doesn't do the job.  After all, most kids use a highlighter as a coloring tool, more like a paint brush in art class, rather than a tool to look for important information. Plus, kids should really be doing more than just shading over important points.  They need to be interacting with the text. They need to "read with a pencil". What better way to do that than to give them some codes to use while reading.  Interacting with text by using annotating codes can help the teacher monitor comprehension.  Codes can also help the reader stay focused and engaged; whether it be looking for important points, connecting the text to their life, asking questions, or just being aware of the 'ah ha!' moments.   In order to teach your students how to annotate while reading, you might like to use this code sheet.  I am offering it as a FREEBIE.  There is one for upper and lower elementary. Enjoy! Click the link below. Text Annotation Codes

For all other FREE READING POSTERS, click HERE.

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.