CAMT Reflections -- Day 1

It has been a whirlwind of a few weeks, y'all! From Vegas, back to Houston for a few days, to now being in Ft. Worth for #CAMT14, it's beginning to all catch up to me. In addition to attending this conference as a classroom teacher, I have joined forces with 9 other math teachers to sell a bundle of resources at a deeply discounted price. This bundle is exclusive to conference attendees and is such a great value, so if you are here, be sure to snatch one up! 

We also set up a blog, Math Teachers of TPT, and each one of us introduces ourselves a bit. You can my post here: http://mathteachersoftpt.com/2014/07/meet-danielle-from-live-love-math.html

One of the teachers featured in the bundle is MissMathDork! I was so excited to finally meet her in person this morning and take a picture.

She is SO sweet and just genuinely a nice person. 

My friend Melanie and I are here together and set off for our first session. It was presented by Glenna Tabor. I hadn't ever heard of her, but she was a featured speaker so we thought we would go for it and check it out. I'm sure it was beneficial for some, but it was a little disappointing that she never actually told us how she made stations work in middle school. She showed some videos from her website and kept directing us to that. Needless to say, we didn't get anything out of it. Oh well, live and learn. I hate to say it, people that are out of the classroom for 20+ years have a hard time relating back to teachers still in the classroom (don't yell at me...just my perspective!)

I did like one quote that she shared and was able to snap a pic really quickly:

It is hard to see since I was sitting in the back, but it says "A person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it." That really resonated with me.

Anyhow, my friend, Jennifer from 4mulafun, had two sessions in which she was presenting and asked me to help her out a little since she just had surgery last week. Can you believe that? Surgery five days ago and she is presenting to over 100 people each session? I would totally be taking advantage of the obligatory netflix watching and ice cream eating that follows surgery. 

Her session was about interactive notebooks and raising achievement. 

Some of you may have noticed I am name-dropping. I am not even going to try to hide it! I'm a name dropper!

In the afternoon, I met another fellow blogger whom I have followed for quite some time. After following  her, I realized that she followed my blog, too! It was like a celebrity sighting :) So, we took a picture!

If I learned anything at CAMT today, it is that I am short. Not just kinda short. Insanely short. I need to grow.

I forgot to mention that my sister (who teaches elementary) is here as well this week. I had dinner with her and some friends mentioned above and had to take a picture to make me feel better about my height! She and I are about two inches apart :)

Stay tuned for more updates tomorrow!

P.S. My links don't work since I am on my iPad...sorry!

Order of Operations Challenge Tasks

I don't know why I haven't blogged about these before, but they are a little known gem in my TPT store that have been available for about a year now. What are they?

These are 3 different puzzles/tasks that will keep your kids engaged for a while! In each puzzle, there are 4 order of operations problems with 9 numbers missing. Students can use the numbers 0-9 using each one only once to fill the 9 spots. There will be one number left over. Included in the file are the number squares should you want to have something tactile to use, or you can just have them make their own numbers on notebook paper. You can also choose to give them the number that is left over and will not be used, or you can have them figure that out. There is more than one solution, but I have included one in the answer key for you.

I originally made these to use in my 6th grade class. Last year I taught 8th grade, and thought I would give it to them when they finished an assignment. They really are rigorous for several grade levels. Let me tell you, my 8th graders STRUGGLED with this. But, they LOVED it and refused to take any hints. They were so proud when they were able to get the first one that they practically ripped #2 from my hands!

Don't you just love days like that where the kids are so engaged that they don't even want you to help them?

This was one solution that a group of girls came up with. The group of boys next to them came up with a different solution that was still correct. 

Once they come up with a solution, I have them write in their answers and turn it in. Easy breezy!

Have any of you used something like this in your classroom? What did you think? I'd love to hear from you!

July Special in my TPT store!

Can you believe it is pretty much July? I have had 3 glorious weeks of summer and I am still cringing at the thought of moving classrooms in August. Some of you may remember that I moved campuses (my choice) in August of last year, and now I am changing rooms on that same campus. I didn't realize I was changing rooms until after I had packed away every. single. thing. into the cabinets in my old classroom. Oh well. Such is life!

I know that some schools go back as early as mid-July, so I wanted to do something special for the month of July ONLY! Remember when I put a bundle on Teachers Pay Teachers last summer that gave you access to every item in my store including future updates? Well, if you purchased each individual item from my store, it would total over $320!

For the next 31 days, it will be on sale for $99! After that, it will no longer be available for sale. I will convert it to a bundle that will not include future updates for free, and all future products for the 2014-2015 school year that I create will be available in a new bundle. Take advantage of this unique opportunity for the month of July ONLY!

Just click the image above to go straight to the product listing. 

Feel free to ask me any questions before purchasing, and happy shopping!

Throwdown Thursday--3 days late...

Yes, I have a calendar. I know what day it is. I apparently am busier during winter break than I am during the school year since I have had a post-it on my monitor that says "Throwdown Thursday -- 1/2/14." For those of you who are unaware, a post-it makes the event permanent. Set in stone. As in, I MUST follow through! So, without further ado, I am linking up with Erin from Lovin' Lit for her monthly link-up!

One of the things that I use in my classroom to make learning more interactive is to assign random seats. I know what you are thinking, that is not interactive! But, it can be! The first thing that I do at the beginning of the school year, and then again at the beginning of each semester, is put vinyl stickers on my seats/desks that number the desks 1-30 (or however large my biggest class is!) Then, on the day that I want to switch seats for whatever reason (usually because they have become too comfortable in said seats and need to sit by someone less familiar--please tell me I am not alone...) I will stand at the door and hand each student a card. Or, when I am feeling especially lazy, I will place them in a basket by the door with instructions on the board. And, then there is usually a student who yells at all of the boys who don't pay attention. I teach 8th grade, ya know.

Anyhow, I know you are DYING to know what is on these cards. Big shock--math problems! Each card has a math problem that they need to solve in order to find their seats. They are usually problems that are relative to the content that we are studying at the time. The best part is when two kids try to sit in the same seat, or when someone says their seat isn't there. There is sometimes that one kid who just waits at the back until there is a seat left and sits there. BUT, I always go around and check to make sure they are in the right seats. The first time we do this, it can take 10-15 minutes and in a middle school class of only 50 minutes, that is a good chunk of time. HOWEVER, I think it is time well spent because of the error analysis.

Click the picture to view the product on TPT!

I do have 4 sets of these available in my store individually, as well as in a bundle for 25% off! If you buy the bundle, you will get any future sets of seating cards that I add to it for free just by re-downloading! I would love to know if there are other types of sets you would like to see, so feel free to email me or leave it in the comments. Thanks!

Last Day for Some Back to School SAVINGS!

I am on vacation this week...but wanted to let my loyal followers know about a few deals going on today in my store!

First, all 3 of my Back to School Math Activity Packs are on sale for $6 today only! Grab them while you can...this is cheaper than they will EVER be during a TPT sale...so scoop 'em up if they are on your wishlist!

Click the images to be taken to the product page on TPT:

And, lastly, today is the LAST day that you will be able to BUY MY STORE for under $120. Tomorrow, the price goes up, and it will continue to go up as I add new products. Click the image below for more details!

Have a great week! I have a few scheduled posts to go out this week...and I'll be back this weekend!

Maybe I should get some guest bloggers for the next time I leave town?? Any takers?!

My Entire TPT Store Available in ONE BUNDLE!

This is just a quick post for anyone who is interested in purchasing a license for my entire store at an extreme discount through the end of July! If you bought every item (not including the bundles) in my TPT store, you would spend a little over $240. It will always be discounted 50% off, but for the rest of July, it will be available for a LOW price of $75!

Click here to find out more information! If you have already purchased any of my products, e-mail me for a discounted rate!

This includes everything in my store. All future products that I post in my store you will have access to download for FREE! How great is that? As I add more products, this price will go up, but you will never pay another cent once you have the license. Remember, this is for use in ONE classroom only, so if you have friends that you team teach with, direct them to my store before July 31 to lock-in this GREAT deal!

STAAR Prep Task Cards

I know it is July and the STAAR Test (for those of you in TX) isn't until April, but I wanted to get a head start on my kiddos being prepared next year. I decided task cards would be the lowest prep for a stressed out teacher come review time, so off I went. I started with 6th grade because that is the grade I have taught the longest before I make them for 5th, 7th and 8th grades. There are 4 questions per standard and each standard is right on the card!

The sets are sold by reporting category, or you can save money buy purchasing the bundle for $10! That is a savings of 40%.

BUT, for my loyal blog followers, I am going to have these on sale for only $6 for today only! This offer expires tonight, so get in on it now!

It will never be this cheap again, so if you are eyeing it, go for it!

This is also included in my Complete Bundle of Task Cards that can be found here. The value of that bundle is over $60, and the regular price is $35...a great deal already! BUT, today only, you can get it for $25!

This is cheaper than when I put my store on sale...so grab this great deal!

Remember, the Complete Bundle includes every task card set that I create: past present, and future! SO--if you know you want the other sets of the STAAR prep task cards, you may want to buy it now before the price goes up! Just a thought--I'm a bargain shopper.

If you have any questions, please leave those in the comments :)

Happy Shopping!

Word Wall for the Middle School Math Classroom

Just a quick post today to introduce my newest product, a BUNDLE of 349 math vocabulary words separated into 6 strands of mathematics:

The Number System
Expressions and Equations
Ratios and Proportions
Geometry
Measurement
Data and Statistics

These are perfect for any 5th-8th grade math classroom and can either be purchased by strand, or you can save over 40% and buy the bundle for only $10!

This is What Happens When I Get Bored in the Summer...

I know, I know...it's summer! How could I possibly get bored? Well, we've spent the better part of the last week lounging around not doing a whole lot. I did get several new products uploaded to my TpT Store that I am rather excited about and presented at our district's technology conference so I guess I didn't completely waste away the week!

But, this brings me to my new "obsession"...creating fonts! I have always been in awe of people who create their own fonts that look so professional. I love several sellers' fonts on TpT (Cara Carroll, Kimberly Geswein just to name a few!) and I have often wondered "how the heck do they do that!?"

So, I sat down this afternoon while the hubs set off to read take a nap to do some research on how to exactly create a font. Sure, I knew how to do it online at sites like this one, where you print off the template and create each letter with black pen or marker, scan it back onto your computer and upload the file to the site. From there, your font is converted into your very own TTF--ready to be installed on your computer! Super cool, right? Only I knew there HAD to be an easier way that didn't require all of those extra steps...I know, first world problems, right??

Enter this app for iPad:

Yes, the iFontmaker app. DREAM COME TRUE!

So, while catching up on my favorite TV shows this afternoon, I knocked out these seven bad boys and put them up for sale on TpT:

Not only did I post them here on TpT, but I made them available as a LIFETIME LICENSE bundle with no additional license necessary to use for either personal or commercial use! In addition, no credit is required when selling products that you create with these fonts! 

There are currently 7 fonts in the bundle priced at a LOW $1.50, but as I add more fonts, the price will go up. If you jump on this deal NOW, you will be able to download all additional fonts FREE OF CHARGE!

Feel free to ask me any questions before you purchase, either in the comments below, or on TpT. 

Happy Saturday!

The End is Near!

Well, ladies and gents, the last week of school has arrived! I am trying to push on the brakes, but this last month has definitely FLOWN by! I have been at my current school since my teaching career started (7 years ago) and this is my last week there. I am excited for the new opportunities that my new campus will bring, but NOTHING can replace the great friendships I have made over these last few years. Did I mention I met my husband while teaching here?? As you can see...lots of memories that I will never forget!

Don't get me wrong, it is my choice to leave. I am looking forward to teaching 8th grade next year (right now I teach 6th and 7th) and instead of working with a team, I will be on my own since 8th graders either take 8th grade math (with me) or Algebra with the teacher next door. It definitely will be interesting!

The past week or so, there has been a fundraiser for the teachers affected by the Moore, Oklahoma tornado that destroyed the town on May 20. I am grateful to have been able to donate one of my popular products to the cause, and with the sales of the 4 bundles, TPT has raised over $25,000! That is amazing! There is still one more day to purchase these bundles here.

In other news, I have added some new task cards to my TpT store, including this FREE set! Grab it and let me know what you think :).

For those of you who are out of school...enjoy the summer! And for those of you still in school, don't worry--the end is near!

Happy Sunday,
Danielle

Bring on the Task Cards!

Well, we made it through STAAR testing at our school and we should hopefully get our scores in a few weeks. This is the first year that it "counts," so fingers crossed (and toes, eyes, etc!)

I had some time to create some new products after school this week and I wanted to share them with you. I really have been into creating task cards lately. After purchasing a few sets on Teachers Pay Teachers, I realized how much I enjoyed using them in my classroom. Plus, like most of you, things are so much more fun to complete in COLOR! I think my students feel the same way, because they have been diving right in to solve these problems. I have been piloting them in my 7th grade class particularly because it is just one class of 28, so if it doesn't work right, I don't have to worry about scrounging for another lesson the rest of the day. However, I haven't run into that problem yet :-)

Variables and Expressions Task Cards (4 of 20)

Check out some of my most recent sets on TpT and let me know what you think!

Volume of Prisms and Cylinders Task Cards
Variables and Expressions Task Cards
Sales Tax, Tip, and Discount Task Cards
Ratios and Proportions Task Cards
Pythagorean Theorem Task Cards
Probability of Compound Events Task Cards

Take a look at all the sets I have posted on TpT and the first 3 people to leave a comment can have the set of their choosing! You must sign up to follow my blog :-)

Also if you have a set of task cards that you would like to see created, let me know in the comments section and I can get to work on those!

Happy Sunday,
Danielle