technology Archives - Glitter in Third https://glitterinthird.com/tag/technology A Teaching Blog by Kelly Chapman Wed, 25 Sep 2024 19:03:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://glitterinthird.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Favicon-1a.png technology Archives - Glitter in Third https://glitterinthird.com/tag/technology 32 32 How to Make Teaching Grammar FUN https://glitterinthird.com/2021/05/how-to-make-teaching-grammar-fun.html Sun, 09 May 2021 20:23:01 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3668 How to Make Teaching Grammar Fun Looking for fun ways to teach grammar?! I think teaching grammar used to be my most favorite thing to do when I was in the classroom! Yes, it can be a little bland and isn’t necessarily a subject kids are super excited about. But, the key is to teach […]

The post How to Make Teaching Grammar FUN appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
How to Make Teaching Grammar Fun

fun ways teach grammar

Looking for fun ways to teach grammar?!

I think teaching grammar used to be my most favorite thing to do when I was in the classroom!

Yes, it can be a little bland and isn’t necessarily a subject kids are super excited about.

But, the key is to teach with activities and resources that are fun and get the students excited to come to your classroom!

When they have a positive attitude about what they’re learning and are excited for the lesson to come, that’s where the magic happens.

I have a couple of grammar bundles to share with you, as well as several activity ideas to make teaching grammar your favorite thing to do, too! 😉

Fun Ways to Teach Grammar

Digital Grammar Bundle for Google Classroom

Raise your hand if you’re tired of constantly looking for activities to teach parts of speech. 

My hand was always raised!

I’m a grammar fiend, but I was always searching for new ways to teach my students.

This bundle is loaded with all the parts of speech – adjectives, adverbs, articles, nouns, conjunctions, prepositions, pronouns, and verbs!

It also includes abbreviations, common and proper nouns, contractions, singular and plural nouns, subject and predicate, types of sentences, as well as an activity specifically for statements and questions!

fun ways teach grammar

Each resource is loaded with different questions that incorporate sorting out specific parts of speech and working with definitions of their purpose, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer.

The parts of speech resources really focus on using the questions that some parts of speech ask, in order to identify what they are in a sentence.

For example, adverbs ask, “How? When? Where?” and adjectives ask, “What kind? Which one? How many?” As students go through a sentence, they’re able to find the words that are answering these questions, as well as the words they are referring to.

I love the variety of activities within all of these topics!

I have also included editable versions of the resources so you can edit them yourself and use them over and over with new questions of your own!

I definitely recommend previewing each resource so you can see what each one offers a little more in detail! 🙂 There are 16!!

You can find them all in the bundle here!

Digital Grammar Pixels Bundle

There are 15 resources in this bundle also focusing on abbreviations, adjectives, adverbs, articles, nouns (common, proper, singular, plural, and possessive), conjunctions, contractions, prepositions, pronouns, verbs, subject and predicate, and types of sentences.

Each topic includes anywhere from 4-6 different pixels.

As the student correctly answers the question, the correct coloring appears. If they answer incorrectly, incorrect coloring appears.

These pixels do come with an answer key, but are also self-checking for the students so they can tell if their picture is accurate or not!

What I love about these is that they aren’t all your standard multiple choice or yes/no questions!

For example, the contractions resource will have the students take contractions apart to show the 2 words it creates, as well as putting the 2 words together and correctly spelling the contraction.

The pixels will have your students reading sentences and using their skills to identify the parts of speech or area of grammar you’re focusing on! 

All of the content differs from that in the Google Classroom bundle.

The Google Classroom bundle is perfect for laying a foundation of grammar, while the pixels will help build upon their understanding and can even serve as short, formative assessments!

No prep or grading required? That’s my favorite kind of assessment! 😉

Just as the Google Classroom resource, I definitely suggest taking a look at the pixels included. You can find them all here!

Not sure if a digital mystery pixel is for you? Make sure to sign up below to get a FREE reading comprehension digital mystery pixel sent right to your inbox!

Google Docs Parts of Speech Color Coding

If you’re a Google fan and already use Google Classroom, I totally recommend doing a parts of speech color coding activity!

All you have to do is create a Google doc and list the sentences you’d like to have them label.

Around 5 sentences might be a good amount to begin with if your students haven’t had much practice using text features!

Before you assign the document, you’ll need to give each part of speech its own color.

Nouns could be blue, verbs are red, prepositions be yellow, etc. The idea then is to completely label each word by its part of speech by changing the text color.

For example: Articles are green, and adjectives are pink! Street would be the object of the preposition, which you could definitely label as a different color.

But if you haven’t gotten that far in your unit, you can keep it labeled as a noun or pronoun. 🙂 

Keyboarding skills are so important to work on at this age, and understanding Google Docs is a great skill to have!

You can incorporate technology even more into this lesson by talking about more features in the doc like highlighting or even underlining.

Make this activity more challenging by having them underline the subject, and leave the predicate part of the sentence blank!

I also recommend showing your students how to make their own copy of the main page of sentences before every student starts color-coding the master document!

They can then submit their own individual document into Google Classroom!

(Looking for more ELA activities? Make sure to check out my post here on virtual ELA activities!).

 

Bingo, Jeopardy, and Read Alouds

fun ways teach grammar

You know I love good DIY games and read alouds! 🙂

Never underestimate a good Bingo game… or Jeopardy! There are so many free online Bingo card generators. fun ways teach grammar

To practice parts of speech, just come up with sentences for the caller, and have a specific word highlighted so the caller knows which word to have the students identify.

For example: 

The dog chased the squirrel at the park. – What part of speech is the word “at” in this sentence? 

You can always write the sentences and/or questions in a table, print them, and then display each individual sentence/question card under a document camera so your students can see.

Or just show them your table! Then your students will mark off the part of speech they have on their Bingo card. 

There are also tons of free Jeopardy game generators out there to plug your questions and answers into. This is a great way to have students review in small groups!

Never be afraid to supplement your lesson with a read aloud that has to do with what you’re teaching. You’d be surprised at how many children’s stories there are out there about contractions, parts of speech, abbreviations, literally any grammar topic!

They’re a fun way to introduce your lesson and give your students examples.

Some of my favorite grammar read-alouds include (the following are Amazon Affiliate links):

Think about the games that you like to play, and see how you can incorporate grammar into them.

It can really be that simple to find fun ways to teach grammar! 🙂

 

Pin for later

The post How to Make Teaching Grammar FUN appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Fun Reading Comprehension Activities for Your Classroom https://glitterinthird.com/2021/02/fun-reading-comprehension-activities-digital.html Sat, 27 Feb 2021 19:56:36 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3423 Looking for FUN reading comprehension activities? Looking for FUN reading comprehension activities? I got you covered! I’m going to tell you all about my Reading Digital Mystery Pixels that will change the way that you assign reading passages and assess student understanding of reading strategies in your classroom. There’s also a freebie at the end […]

The post Fun Reading Comprehension Activities for Your Classroom appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Looking for FUN reading comprehension activities?

Looking for FUN reading comprehension activities?

I got you covered!

I’m going to tell you all about my Reading Digital Mystery Pixels that will change the way that you assign reading passages and assess student understanding of reading strategies in your classroom.

There’s also a freebie at the end of the post for a Digital Mystery Pixel if you have not tried them out before!

How do I find fun reading comprehension activities for my students?

Let’s be honest – it’s tough.

Reading comprehension can be:

  • challenging to find materials
  • a struggle to implement
  • plain boring for kids with little engagement

So how do we fix these problems for such a vital reading component?

Please meet Reading Comprehension Digital Mystery Pixels!

How do I use the Digital Mystery Pixels?

digital fun reading comprehension activities

digital fun reading comprehension activities

Step 1: Assign the Digital Mystery Pixels to students

You can use these no matter what educational platform that your students use.

It could be Google Classroom, Edmodo, Canvas, Teams, etc.!

Not sure how to upload these to your educational platform? Check out the post here to learn how!

Step 2: Students will read the passage.

Each passage is two paragraphs long.

It won’t take your students all class period simply to read one passage, they are quick and to the point.

Step 3: Students will answer the questions.

Students will answer reading comprehension questions based on the passages!

Each passage has 4 questions, and is multiple-choice.

Students type A, B, C, or D into the answer spot depending on what they choose as their answer.

How are these digital mystery pixels self-checking?

If students get the correct answer, part of the mystery picture is revealed, as shown below.

Incorrect answer? Part of the picture turns black, as shown below.

Students automatically know if they should go back and check their work!

Why does each passage have only 4 questions?

I love using reading passages and questions for students.

However,  I often used passages that are simply too long, or have too many questions.

If I didn’t like how long they were… why did I use them? Honestly, nothing else was available. There are only so many hours in the day to search for the “‘perfect” reading passage.

But what used to drive me up a wall was when publishers’ work has reading passages that were 5 paragraphs long with 30 questions.

What 3rd-grader wants to answer 30 questions about a single passage?! Not me… and I am wayyyy older than a 3rd-grader

It truly causes a student to stop and slooooowwwwww doooowwwwnnnnn their reading.

Teachers can actually assess a specific skill, and they don’t take up an entire class period to do it.

Where can I snag these?

These goodies are available at Glitter in Third on TPT – click here to check out the bundle and save 20%!

They are available in a bundle of all the reading strategies, or you can buy them each individually below!

New to digital mystery pixels?

Oh my gosh – you will LOVE these.

I have a FREEBIE for you as well, a reading comprehension digital mystery pixel sample. Fill out the information below to download.

 

This freebie will give you a better idea of what a digital mystery pixel is and how it works!

Pin for later

The post Fun Reading Comprehension Activities for Your Classroom appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
The BEST Geometry Test Prep Activities https://glitterinthird.com/2021/02/geometry-test-prep-activities.html Thu, 18 Feb 2021 15:21:55 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3388 Prepare Your Students for Math Assessments: Geometry Test Prep Activities Looking for geometry test prep activities? It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Standardized testing! Or maybe I should say, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year (when it’s over!).” All jokes aside, I know you’ve probably been thinking about those last few […]

The post The BEST Geometry Test Prep Activities appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Prepare Your Students for Math Assessments: Geometry Test Prep Activities

geometry test prep activities

Looking for geometry test prep activities?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Standardized testing!

Or maybe I should say, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year (when it’s over!).”

All jokes aside, I know you’ve probably been thinking about those last few topic areas that will be seen on this year’s math assessments that you haven’t been able to cover yet.

Is, by chance, a geometry unit one of those areas? Don’t worry – You’re not alone, my friend!

Geometry is definitely one of those units that can be intimidating to students.

It’s a unit that involves so many different learning points – shapes, angle measurement, symmetry, area measurement – and we’re getting to a point in the school year where it can be tricky to keep our students involved, motivated, and enthusiastic about learning. 

To keep things fun and interactive in your classroom as you prepare for your math assessments, I’d love to share with you a few geometry resources and activities that will make teaching (and learning) so much more enjoyable!

Activities and learning that I know your students will retain and will help them ace those math assessments later this spring!

Geometry Test Prep Activities

Common Core Geometry Bundle

For all of your partitioning, polygon, and quadrilateral needs! 🙂 

You will LOVE this virtual bundle – click here to check it out.

When teaching equal parts, this Partitioning Shapes product works with halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, and sixths.

Students will work with different shapes to determine if they are partitioned into equal parts, as well as identifying how many parts are present.

It also allows students to partition shapes themselves by using the digital tools associated with the product.

geometry test prep activities

The Google Classroom Polygon resource includes a variety of questions involving sorting, matching, identification, and even drawing!

It really focuses on building a solid foundation of naming shapes and identifying the differences between 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes. 

The Quadrilateral resource helps students focus on shapes that are categorized as quadrilaterals and ones that are not, identifying the names of shapes that are, as well as working with parallel lines and different angles.

I love this resource because it utilizes other learning manipulatives as well such as digital tangrams and geoboards.

geometry test prep activities

Geometry Interactive Notebook Bundle

There are 5 products included in this interactive notebook bundle focusing on congruency, lines, polygons, angles, and quadrilateralsa total of 31 activities!

My students had a tendency of getting lines, line segments, and rays confused when adding a discussion involving different types of angles.

There are a lot of areas of discussion when it comes to geometry and my favorite part about this bundle is how deep each interactive notebook digs into each area, allowing your students to get the most out of each topic!

geometry test prep activities

Check out the whole bundle here!

Geometry Read-Alouds

I have a whole list of awesome geometry read-alouds that I know your students will LOVE.

Using read-alouds is so much fun in math, and can be unexpected with students!

Some of my favorites include (Amazon Affiliate links below)

Check out the whole list here.

 

Solid Sort`

I love this geometry center for test prep because of the real-world examples that are pulled in and how it requires students to become familiar with the characteristics of shapes.

Just click on the link to snag 

Solid Sort comes with 80 different cards for students to categorize shapes with real-life objects. For example, a globe would be categorized as a sphere. A soda can would be a cylinder.

These life connections help make geometry a little more relatable when preparing for math assessments!

 

Color Collage

One of my favorite ways to incorporate art into geometry is to create color collages on a piece of construction paper.

Have each student begin with a white piece of construction paper and multiple pieces of long, narrow paper.

These pieces of pre-cut paper need to be long enough that when placed across the white piece of construction paper, they are overlapping on either side.

For example, if your white construction paper is a standard 12×18 size, I would recommend using strands of paper that are roughly 1-inch wide, and 2-3 inches longer than the diagonal of the construction paper. It doesn’t matter what color they are.

Each student will begin by placing the strands of paper over the top of their white piece of construction paper. Each piece of paper they lay over the top needs to overlap on either side of their background so that each end can be taped down to their working area. This way the pieces of paper will be set, but won’t have to be taped to the large construction paper and ruin the background! Encourage them to place the strands at different angles, as well as some going vertical and horizontal. 

Once the students have finished placing all the pieces of paper over the top (there really isn’t a set limit of pieces for this – but the more, the better!), they can start tracing around the edges of their pieces laid across the large piece of construction paper.

When finished tracing, remove all the taped pieces of paper. Each student will be left with a collage of different shapes, lines, and angles! I encourage you to discuss with your students if they notice any parallel or perpendicular lines, shapes that were created (by total accident!), as well as measuring a few of the angles together! 

Color each area of the construction paper a different color or theme to create the end collage. 🙂 This is a perfect activity to incorporate a little creativity while still gearing up for math assessments!

 

Virtual Manipulatives for geometry test prep activities

Of course if you’ve been following me for a while, you know my love for all things digital. 

Didax is an awesome website that gives you access to free virtual manipulatives to supplement your geometry activities. You can find virtual pattern blocks here, as well as virtual geoboards!

 

I hope these resources and activities are helpful to you and take some of the burdens off of finding engaging and interactive geometry lessons for your test prep! Your students are going to crush their math assessments! 🙂

Pin for later

 

The post The BEST Geometry Test Prep Activities appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Teaching Engineering with Electricity Activities https://glitterinthird.com/2021/02/teaching-engineering-with-electricity-activities.html Mon, 15 Feb 2021 16:35:24 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3368 Engineering in the Elementary Classroom with Electricity and Magnetism Need electricity activities? I’m so fascinated by all of the ongoing changes and additions to our science standards. We’re teaching our students how to analyze and interpret data, investigate, participate in formal arguments, create models of their thinking, and just so many other areas that focus […]

The post Teaching Engineering with Electricity Activities appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Engineering in the Elementary Classroom with Electricity and Magnetism

electricity activities

Need electricity activities? I’m so fascinated by all of the ongoing changes and additions to our science standards.

We’re teaching our students how to analyze and interpret data, investigate, participate in formal arguments, create models of their thinking, and just so many other areas that focus on developing critical thinking skills.

It’s amazing!

While our standards are definitely forward-thinking and incorporate so many areas of life skills, as the teacher, it can be challenging to create lessons and activities that always provide real-world experiences and scenarios for our students.

Electricity and magnetism is definitely one of those areas that really require real-world connections in order to make sense to our students. 

I’ve created some simple resources I’d love to share with you that will provide those real-world experiences and will help build the foundation for a classroom full of engineers! 🙂

Electricity Activities

Google Classroom Electricity and Magnetism Bundle

This bundle includes 5 different products to help you teach your electricity unit!

Some of the topics included are insulators and conductors, circuits, magnets and electromagnets, energy transformations, parallel and series circuits, as well as static electricity!

Students are given multiple different questions and activities such as drag-and-drop, short answer, vocabulary practice, and drawing different types of circuits.

The questions really concentrate on tying the learned information to real-world connections. 

For example, an area of the Electrical Energy Transformation resource focuses on students identifying the energy transformation between an electrical outlet and a lamp or a stove.

One area of the Electromagnets and Magnets resource focuses on comparing and contrasting the two, as well as identifying different objects around the house that are magnetic or not magnetic.

These topics can be tricky, but when we apply the information to relatable ideas and experiences, it’s so much easier for our students to make connections!

Check it out here!

Interactive Electricity Notebook Bundle

5 more products coming at you in this bundle! 🙂

These interactive notebooks also include the topics of circuits, conductors and insulators, electrical energy, magnets and electromagnets, as well as static electricity.

Similar topics as the Google Classroom bundle, but all completely different activities to add to your Electricity and Magnetism unit. Don’t forget these can be converted into digital activities, as well!

One of my favorite resources in this bundle is the Conductors and Insulators Notebook. I feel like this topic can be a challenging one for students to understand the difference between the two. This notebook gives examples and explanations for each meaning, brainstorming opportunities, as well as short answer questions for students to elaborate on their own thinking.

electricity activities

You can also conduct a short experiment with your students using this specific activity by building a circuit with a lightbulb, battery, and three pieces of wire.

This experiment will help with identifying the difference between an insulator and a conductor!

These interactive notebooks all come with answer keys, as well as differentiated options to best fit every students’ ability level.

Check it out here!

Pipe Cleaner Circuits

One of my favorite electricity experiments that also incorporates STEAM learning is creating pipe cleaner circuits!

All you need is pipe cleaners (at least 2 per student), a small coin battery, 1 LED light, and a little duct tape for each student! Prior to this activity, be sure you’ve discussed with your students what a circuit is, as well as the difference between insulators and conductors

 

Students will first need to remove some of the “fuzzy layering” from the pipe cleaner to expose the wires underneath. There will have to be enough exposed to be tied around the LED light.

 

Next, allow the students to create whatever shape or design they prefer. Maybe they can bend their pipe cleaners to resemble a flower, shamrock, or even an Easter egg! 

 

Next, take the positive lead of your LED (it’s the longer lead of the two), and twist it around the end of one pipe cleaner. The other end of the pipe cleaner will be attached to the positive side of the battery. You can attach it with your duct tape! Following this, the other pipe cleaner will need to be attached to the negative lead of the LED on one end, and the other end will go on the negative side of the coin battery.

 

Your LED should be lit now! If it’s not, be sure to check all of your connections and ensure that the positive LED lead is connected to the pipe cleaner whose end is connected to the positive side of the coin battery, and vice versa with the negatives. You can make this activity more challenging by adding in more pipe cleaners to the design. Have a group discussion on what you would need to do in order to keep the circuit complete after adding multiple pipe cleaners!

They’ll be true engineers by the end of your activity and discussion. 🙂

 

Magic Dollar

Although it’s not an experiment to really study how electricity and magnetism occur, it’s an awesome way to tie magnetism into social studies!

Did you know dollar bills were magnetic? All you need for this experiment is a dollar bill and a magnet

 

Fold a dollar bill in half and place it on a flat surface. Place your magnet right next to the ink on the bill, slowly pulling the bill up. This is a great way to get your students thinking about why having magnetized ink on money is a good thing (i.e. reducing counterfeiting). 

 

Electricity and Magnetism Read Alouds to go with electricity activities

When teaching a challenging topic, sometimes the best thing you can do for your students is to give them a read aloud on the topic – Something light, fun, and relatable to help introduce or supplement your instruction.

Don’t ever discredit the power of a good read-aloud.

Here are a few of my favorites (Amazon Affiliate links):

  1. What Makes a Magnet? by Franklyn M. Branley
  2. Magnets Push, Magnets Pull by David A. Adler
  3. You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Electricity! by Ian Graham
  4. 25 Uses of Electricity (4th Grade) by Baby Professor
  5. Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World by Elizabeth Rusch

 

I know teaching electricity and magnetism in engaging ways can be tricky. Sometimes it can take a lot of supplies and expenses! But I hope these resources help you plan an affordable, interactive, and engineer-building lesson! Enjoy! 🙂

 

Looking for a science freebie?

Looking for a freebie for your science block? 

Don’t forget to download my Reason for the Seasons activity!

Leave your deets below to get it sent immediately to your inbox!

Pin for later

electricity activities

The post Teaching Engineering with Electricity Activities appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Ideas for Earth rotation and revolution activities https://glitterinthird.com/2021/01/earth-rotation-revolution-activity.html Wed, 20 Jan 2021 15:32:11 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3321 Earth rotation and revolution activity ideas Struggling to find Earth rotation and revolution activities? I have to be honest, teaching Earth Science used to stress me out a little. My goal was to always plan extravagant lessons that were interactive, yet ones that my students could truly learn from. As kids we always remember the […]

The post Ideas for Earth rotation and revolution activities appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Earth rotation and revolution activity ideas

Struggling to find Earth rotation and revolution activities?

I have to be honest, teaching Earth Science used to stress me out a little.

My goal was to always plan extravagant lessons that were interactive, yet ones that my students could truly learn from. As kids we always remember the fancy foaming volcanoes and the field trips for learning about ecosystems, right? 

While those lessons are fun and so memorable, I was finding that sometimes the more “interactive” activities were in the classroom, the messier and more expensive it was, which then sometimes led to minor chaos, extra clean-up time, and not always a clear learning objective. Can you relate?

Even though it stressed me out a little, I loved teaching Earth Cycles. When the stars aligned and my students were completing hands-on projects and could tell me what they were learning, I was left feeling so fulfilled!

I do believe that teaching Earth Cycles requires a lot of hands-on engagement in order to make learning more meaningful and relatable.

We remember the foaming volcanoes, but we also remember the awful lectures that drug on and on during Geology while studying rocks. Do you remember that? I sure do! Basically torture! 😉

My reason behind all of my reminiscing is to help you create balance in your classroom as you plan your lessons for Earth Science. I’ve created some super simple activities for you that are affordable (some even totally free!), mess-free, and completely hands-on!

PSST- want a FREE Earth’s rotation craft?

Fill out the information below to get this FREEBIE sent immediately to your inbox!

Rotation and revolution activities

Google Classroom Rotation and Revolution

Teaching Earth’s rotations and revolutions is tricky in the classroom face-to-face, let alone if you’re trying to teach virtually!

If you’re in the middle of online learning right now, but needing something interactive for a rotation and revolution lesson, I’ve got you covered!

This Google Classroom activity is a combination of drag-and-drop and short answer questions. It touches on vocabulary such as axis, orbit, cycle, and the difference between rotation and revolution. By the end of this activity, students will be able to explain how day and night happen, as well as why seasons occur!

If you’re back in the classroom this semester doing face-to-face learning, of course this is a great option, as well. No clean-up, no prep, and an answer key is provided!

Check it out here!

 

Earth’s Rotation and Revolution Interactive Notebook

Here’s another option for both face-to-face and virtual classrooms!

This rotation and revolution interactive notebook includes a comparison chart, skills practice identifying daytime or nighttime in certain countries, as well as a rotation vs. revolution venn diagram.

Your students will be such pros at understanding the differences by the end of this. 🙂

You have the option to cut and paste into a notebook to make it more hands-on, but it can also be converted into a digital PDF if you’re in need of more online resources!

Click here to check it out!

Body Modeling

You can totally teach rotation and revolution by getting up and moving!

No materials required, and the students may enjoy getting outside for this!

Pair your students up and let them decide who is going to be the Earth and who is going to be the Sun.

Begin by explaining that a revolution is 365 days, or one year, and a rotation is 24 hours, or one day.

The partner who is the sun needs to stand in the center, and the other partner needs to stay a couple arm lengths away and picture an imaginary circle going all around the sun.

You could even draw a circle on the ground around the student who is the sun to give a better representation for the “Earth” student.

The “Earth” will need to take one small step to start the circle to model a rotation. To model a revolution, that student would need to take 365 steps around the circle to completely orbit the “Sun.”

This is a super simple way to explain the difference between rotation and revolution.

You can always add your own twist to better explain how daytime and nighttime occur, as well!

 

Moon Phases

Your students will love this, and I think you might toograb a box for you to enjoy after the activity! 😉

 

This moon phase activity uses Oreo cookies to help explain the phases of the moon. You’ll also need paper plates! All instructions and pieces are included and you have the option to print in black and white or color!

 

The Earth will go in the middle of each student’s plate, and the sun will be near the edge of the plate to better simulate what the moon looks like when closer or further from the sun.

 

Start with New Moon closest to the sun and the Full Moon goes on the opposite side. The moon takes about a month to completely orbit Earth, so you can explain that’s why a New Moon and Full Moon only happy once per month!

 

Learn more at the blog post here!

 

Did I mention this activity is totally free? 🙂 Snag it here

 

Reason for the Seasons

Lastly, I’d love to share with you this Reason for the Seasons freebie! Check out the blog post all about it here.

This activity is extremely helpful when teaching about the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and provides a visual representation for why we experience different temperatures throughout the seasons. 

Have the students place their sun in the center of their paper plate or whatever workspace they’re using. As you place the pictures of the 4 Earths north, south, east, and west of the sun, be sure to keep them tilted in the same direction. This will provide a clearer visual for why and when our hemispheres experience different temperatures! And don’t forget… free! 🙂

Fill out the information below to get this FREEBIE sent immediately to your inbox!

 

I want to help make your Science class memorable for your students, without all the mess that comes along with conducting those fun experiments. 😉

I hope these Earth rotation revolution activity ideas bring you and your students great discussion, interaction, and take the stress out of planning for you!

 

Pin for later

The post Ideas for Earth rotation and revolution activities appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Digital Activities for Comparing Fractions https://glitterinthird.com/2020/12/digital-comparing-fractions-activities.html Thu, 31 Dec 2020 19:44:48 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3243 Digital Activities for Comparing Fractions Looking for digital activities for comparing fractions? Ahhhh, fractions. You can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them, right? I’m sure your students mostly agree you can’t live with them. 🙂 But that’s why I’m here to share some super fun digital activities for learning how to compare […]

The post Digital Activities for Comparing Fractions appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Digital Activities for Comparing Fractions

Looking for digital activities for comparing fractions?

Ahhhh, fractions. You can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them, right? I’m sure your students mostly agree you can’t live with them. 🙂

But that’s why I’m here to share some super fun digital activities for learning how to compare and order fractions!

Activities that I know your students will love and will also make the burden of working with fractions so much more bearable!

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out my other most recent blog post7 Hands-On Activities for Teaching Equivalent Fractions.

You’ll find multiple hands-on activities, both digital and paper, along with some free digital manipulatives to supplement your equivalent fraction unit.

But today, I can’t wait to share these digital learning activities for comparing and ordering fractions.

If there’s one thing I always stress when it comes to ordering fractions, it’s definitely to provide visual representations.

A larger number doesn’t always mean a bigger fraction and that right there is what can be the most challenging concept to understand as a 3rd grader. The more your students can physically see the difference among fractions, the easier it’s going to be for them to compare.

Let’s get started!

Digital comparing fractions activities

Google Classroom Comparing Fractions Bundle

This bundle includes 3 different digital products – Comparing fractions with the same denominator, comparing with unlike denominators, and comparing with the same numerator!

If you’d like to snag all 3 of these activities, you can find them here and save 20%.

Let’s take a look at what some of these activities entail:

Comparing Fractions: Unlike Denominators

This resource includes short-answer explanations and drag & drop questions.

Your students will be required to use critical thinking skills and explain their reasoning behind their choices.

The image related to the fractions presented could be a pizza, cookie, or even a chocolate bar – definitely something they will be interested in! 🙂

For example, one explanation question might require the student to choose which portion of the pizza is larger, ⅖ or ½ , and why they know that. 

Other activities will include dragging and dropping fractions to represent their size.

For example, students will have to determine if the given fraction is less than, equal to, or more than ½ by dragging and dropping the according fraction. 

This is a super way to present visual representations to your students.

It’s also incredibly helpful to you as the teacher to see the thinking behind their choices!

 

Comparing Fractions: Like Denominators

This is another awesome resource I’m excited to show you that’s included in the Comparing Fractions Bundle!

Very similar to the Google Classroom resource with unlike denominators – short answer explanations and drag & drop questions included. 

I think this is a great resource to utilize in the beginning stages of your comparing and ordering fractions unit.

It will give your students a solid foundation for understanding the sizes of fractions by seeing numerous visual representations.

 

Comparing Fractions: Like Numerators

The final resource included in the Comparing Fractions Bundle!

Your students will be used to this format of Google Classroom activities by now. 🙂

Comparing and ordering fractions with like numerators can be tricky – that’s why I’ve included a number line on many of the Google Slides to visually represent fraction sizes.

I can understand the frustration your students may feel when they’re learning that ¼ is actually larger than ⅛. “But 8 is bigger than 4! That doesn’t make sense!!”

This is when that digital number line will definitely come in handy for both you and your students.

 

Comparing Fractions: Same Denominator – Interactive Notebook

Although it’s not very typical to think “digital” when you see an interactive notebook, don’t forget TPT now allows you to convert PDFs to digital interactive activities!

This product is another great one to focus on visual representations and critical thinking skills.

Students will look at 2 different pictures, identify the given fractions, compare, and then provide reasoning for their choice. 

They’ll also have the opportunity to create their own fractions to make comparison statements true.

For example, students will fill in portions and use comparison statements such as “greater than, less than, and equal to.”

I’ve also included a sequence activity for your students to work on ordering fractions from least to greatest!

Click here to check it out!

Comparing Fractions: Same Numerator – Interactive Notebook

And another interactive notebook option for you that you can make digital. 🙂

Similar activities included, now just working with same numerators!

I’m so happy teachers have the opportunity to convert PDFs to digital resources during this time many schools are faced with distance learning!

Let me know if you have any questions about getting your resources converted!

 

Common Core Fractions Bundle: 3rd Grade

If you’re ready to just go all in with your digital experience, I’ve attached my Common Core Fractions Bundle here for 3rd grade!

Included you will find 6 different products to use during your fractions unit – Equivalent Fractions, Equivalent Fractions on a Number Line, Fractions on a Number Line, an Intro to Fractions, Comparing Fractions with Like Denominators, and Comparing Fractions with Like Numerators. 

Your unit will be set… for sure!!

Check it out here!

Comparing fractions picture books

I also want to share with you a few short stories you can include into your lesson plans as a read aloud.

It may be difficult to win your students over in math, especially when it comes to fractions, but they’ll never turn down a good picture book!

Here are a few titles they will love listening to (you can check out more in my post here):

  1. If You Were a Fraction by Trisha Speed Shaskan
  2. Give Me Half! by Stuart J. Murphy
  3. A Fraction’s Goal – Parts of a Whole by Brian P. Cleary
  4. Fraction Fun by David Adler
  5. Fractions in Disguise by Edward Einhorn

Need a free fractions activity?

Make sure to snag my equivalent fractions color-by-number.

Click here to read about it!

You can also sign up below to get it immediately in your inbox:

<script async data-uid=”0bf9e029e1″ src=”https://glitter-in-third.ck.page/0bf9e029e1/index.js”></script>

 

I know any lesson with fractions can be very challenging for both teacher and student. I hope these digital resources make your experience so much more fun and engaging!

Need more fractions ideas? Make sure to check out my post on hands-on activities for equivalent fractions. You can read it here.

Do you have any good tips for comparing and ordering fractions? Please feel free to share with us in the comments below!

 

The post Digital Activities for Comparing Fractions appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
7 Hands-On Activities for Teaching Equivalent Fractions https://glitterinthird.com/2020/12/teaching-equivalent-fractions-activities.html Thu, 31 Dec 2020 16:36:35 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3224 Equivalent Fractions Activities How many of you can say you instantly see the panic in your students’ eyes when you say something along the lines of, “I’m going to be teaching equivalent fractions today!” or, “Who’s ready to practice some equivalent fractions?” Your kids hear “fractions” and get nervous, then you put some big, scary […]

The post 7 Hands-On Activities for Teaching Equivalent Fractions appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Equivalent Fractions Activities

How many of you can say you instantly see the panic in your students’ eyes when you say something along the lines of, “I’m going to be teaching equivalent fractions today!” or, “Who’s ready to practice some equivalent fractions?”

Your kids hear “fractions” and get nervous, then you put some big, scary word like “equivalent” that they can hardly pronounce in front of it and you’ve officially lost them.

Been there. Done that. You’re not alone!

The key to teaching equivalent fractions is to utilize methods and activities that are not only fun for your students, but are actually fun for you to teach, as well.

You may not realize it, but when your students see you having fun with what you’re teaching, yes, even if it’s teaching equivalent fractions, that enthusiasm is sure to be carried over to their learning.

This can be a tough topic to get your students excited about, but I have 7 super fun and engaging activity ideas for teaching equivalent fractions that I know everyone will love!

Come along!

By the way, make sure to grab my FREE equivalent fractions color by number to use during your math block.

Leave your email below to get it sent right to your inbox!

Equivalent Fractions for Google Classroom

This product includes 8 different activities that are compatible with Google Classroom.

Students will practice matching or identifying fractions equal to 1, ½, ⅓, and ¼ by completing short answer and drag-and-drop questions!

The fun part for you about teaching equivalent fractions with this resource?

No prep, paper-less, and an answer key is included.

Now that’s fun in my book! 🙂

In all seriousness, your students will love the digital aspect of these activities, using comparison pictures of pizzas, cookies, and all the interactive features. 

You can learn more about the resource here!

FREE Equivalent Fractions Color-by-Number

Do you know about my FREE equivalent fractions color-by-number (if not, you can read the post here!)

Fill out the form below to get them sent immediately to your inbox!

These equivalent fraction color-by-numbers will be PERFECT in your classroom.

Students color equivalent fractions in specific colors on a number key, and a mystery picture is revealed when they finish!

Who knew that equivalent fractions could be FUN?! (And super cute!).

Equivalent Fractions on a Number Line

Another Google Classroom resource I have for teaching equivalent fractions is this digital interactive number line product!

I love the visual concept this resource utilizes.

Displaying 2 different number lines at the same time, along with different fractions, allows your students to grasp the concept of what’s equivalent and what’s not simply by the positioning on the number lines.

I also love using number lines for teaching equivalent fractions because it’s a super helpful tool students can use to better understand the sizing of fractions.

For example, although 3/6 may seem larger than ½, it’s the same! Or, 1/10 may seem larger than ⅕ to them.

And of course, this product is already prepped for you along with an answer key! Yay!

Check it out at my TPT store here.

Interactive Notebooks

Sometimes it’s refreshing to take a step back from technology while still being able to incorporate some hands-on learning.

There are multiple activities within the notebook, including identifying if certain fractions are equivalent or not, coloring and utilizing fraction bars, as well as brainstorming fractions that are equal to a certain whole number.

You could always incorporate these activities into small group or whole group settings, or make them a part of morning work!

My favorite thing about this product is that it comes differentiated to meet the needs of all your learners.

There are different options for students to take notes themselves, fill in blanks, or can be provided with the information before starting.

1 piece of paper for these activities can be used for 2 students, saving you much time at the copy machine! Win! 🙂

Check it out here!

Interactive Notebook/Number Line

If you want to go ahead and mesh the 2 prior resources I just mentioned together… here’s your product!

This interactive notebook material comes with 6 different activities that focus on plotting a specific fraction on a number line, and then creating equivalent fractions using a specific denominator.

This resource also comes differentiated as described previously, making it a great fit for all your individual learners!

Check it out here!

Equivalent Fractions Bingo

Bingo – a free option for teaching equivalent fractions!

There are so many free Bingo card generators out there.

Create your own calling cards with multiple different fractions – I recommend making a table in Excel or Google Doc to keep them organized!

Following this, create multiple Bingo cards by inputting fractions into your generator.

I recommend going through your calling card fractions and creating 2-3 equivalent fraction options for each calling card fraction.

For example, if your calling card is ½, create at least 2-3 equivalent fractions for that specific card – 3/6, 5/10, 10/20, etc.

This will make the cards a bit more challenging for the students, instead of there just being one equivalent fraction answer.

However, feel free to adjust the game to meet your students’ needs. 🙂

Bingo is always a favorite!

Virtual Fraction Tiles & Pattern Blocks

I love these free virtual fraction tiles for teaching equivalent fractions from Didax – a great option to still make learning interactive if you are faced with distance learning this semester!

You can utilize this manipulative as individuals, in small groups, or even as a whole group.

Name a fraction and have your students create an equivalent fraction by using the virtual fraction tiles. This free resource gives you 1 whole, ½, ¼, ⅓, ⅕, ⅙, ⅛, 1/10, 1/12, and 1/16.

I recommend having them build your starting fraction, and then creating any equivalent fraction with the tiles.

Bonus: This is a great method for working on adding fractions, too!

You can also try out these virtual pattern blocks from Didax, as well!

Just as you can use the fraction tiles, give your students an equivalent fraction to build.

For example, by using the pattern blocks, build an equivalent fraction for ¾.

This would be a great opportunity to show the difference between numerators and denominators while teaching equivalent fractions!

Memory Matching & Card Games

An oldie… but a goodie for teaching equivalent fractions. 🙂

Create your own version of memory by using index cards with different equivalent fractions written on each.

You can make the game as small or as large as you’d like, but I would typically recommend starting with a list of 10 fractions and then creating 1 equivalent fraction for each.

This allows each small group of students to create a 4×5 array of the cards.

Adjust your amount of cards depending on the learning needs of your students.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to laminate!

You can always use this deck for a small game of “Go, Fish!” too! I would definitely suggest creating more cards for the deck if you’d like to go that route!

Another suggestion would be to add “KABOOM” cards to the deck for students to play Kaboom!

As students draw a fraction card from the deck, have them name an equivalent fraction to that card. If they get it correct, they keep the card. If they draw a “KABOOM” card, they must put all their cards back in the deck.

 

I hope you can find a bright spot in teaching equivalent fractions by using some of these hands-on activities! 

Don’t forget to read my blog post all about the best fraction picture books – available here!

I know teaching this concept can be difficult for students to catch on to, but don’t forget, they will have as much fun as you do, so have tons! 🙂

 

Which activities are you excited to try for teaching equivalent fractions? Share below!

The post 7 Hands-On Activities for Teaching Equivalent Fractions appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Christmas Virtual Learning Activities You’ll LOVE! https://glitterinthird.com/2020/12/christmas-virtual-learning-activities.html https://glitterinthird.com/2020/12/christmas-virtual-learning-activities.html#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2020 03:39:16 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3198 Free Virtual Learning Activities for the December Holidays It’s the most wonderful time of the year… time for Christmas virtual learning activities! Although this year has been like no other, I know it’s still a favorite for both teachers and students. Sure, it’s always a little chaotic. Then go ahead and sprinkle a little 2020 […]

The post Christmas Virtual Learning Activities You’ll LOVE! appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Free Virtual Learning Activities for the December Holidays

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… time for Christmas virtual learning activities!

Although this year has been like no other, I know it’s still a favorite for both teachers and students.

Sure, it’s always a little chaotic. Then go ahead and sprinkle a little 2020 on the month of December and, “Ta-da!” You’ve got a little more chaos coming at you. 🙂

All joking aside, I want you to enjoy this time of year and all the magic it brings, no matter what that looks like this year.

Despite being in the midst of a pandemic, it’s still the holiday season and your students will absolutely remember this time spent with you.

Since it’s the season of giving, I’ve brought you a list of free virtual learning activities for the month of December that I know your students will enjoy.

You can totally use these activities as assignments, time fillers, or even extra credit practice your students may need over the holiday break.

Here we go!

Christmas virtual learning activities

Digital Mystery Pixels

Free! Free! Free! – Now that I have your attention… it’s true! 🙂

I want to share with you these 2 free virtual learning multiplication activities that your students can enjoy while practicing their facts!

This Winter Digital Mystery Pixel reveals a snowflake, and this freebie is a Christmas Digital Pixel.

You can read more about the Christmas digital pixel here.

If you’re new to digital mystery pixels, I seriously think they’re the best thing since sliced bread!

All you have to do is add it to your Google Drive and then upload it to your Google Classroom.

As your students complete and correctly answer multiplication facts, a mystery picture appears.

Already prepped for you, all self-checking, and your students won’t even realize they’re practicing their fact fluency during these virtual learning activities!

Winter Color By Number Activities

Another freebie coming at you!

I know when you think of the typical color by number activities, virtual learning doesn’t really come to mind.

However, did you know you can actually convert these PDF resources into editable digital activities? 

Go ahead and download these Winter Color By Number Multiplication Activities, click on Open TpT Digital Activity, and there you’ll find a quick 2-minute video tutorial on how to convert your resources to virtual learning activities in Google Classroom! 

This feature does require a Google Classroom account, but don’t worry. If you don’t utilize Google Classroom, PDF resources can easily be uploaded to Seesaw (or another virtual learning platform you’re using) and students can color in their answers there! Your students will have so much fun with this and who doesn’t love an activity that’s paper-free during this month?!

Once you learn how to convert your PDFs to digital resources, you’ll be obsessed. 🙂

So here’s another free Christmas Color By Number Multiplication Activity you’ll have fun with! 

Digital Editing Practice

If you’re needing some ELA virtual learning activities, I have a super simple idea for you!

Have your students brush up on their editing skills by creating simple sentences with grammatical errors in a Google Doc.

All they have to do is rewrite (okay, technically type) the sentence correctly.

Don’t forget to put in the directions to make a copy themselves!

I’ll save you the burden of having to come up with some sentences off the top of your head! Feel free to use mine below and tweak them to better fit you. 🙂

Your sentences can be as complex or as simple as you’d like them to be, and you can incorporate the different areas of Grammar and ELA that you’ve covered so far to make this virtual learning activity more review-based, i.e. specific parts of speech, homophones, punctuation, etc.

  1. the leafs slowly started losing there color and i new then that winter was coming
  2. santa claus is coming to town is my favorite christmas song
  3. my dog max loves to play in the snow
  4. did you know elves are working hard to make all of you’re toys
  5. its so fun to decorate the tree said mom

Need more virtual ELA activities? Check them out here!

“Guess the Name” Emoji Writing

Get creative with this one!

Create a Google Doc of different winter or Christmas themed phrases out of purely Emojis.

Students will have to guess the phrase based on the clues the Emojis give! You can make it easier for your students by inserting the correct amount of blanks for the phrase. 

For example,  ?? _____ _____ could be Jingle Bells! You could always add Emojis and a short hint for each question to make it simpler.

To add Emojis by keyboard in a Google Doc, click on > Insert > Special Characters > Emoji. Or, create the Google Doc on your iPhone and add your text Emojis that way! Your students will love the silliness of this virtual learning activity!

Mad Libs

A classic… Mad Libs! You can actually create your own Mad Libs story by using Google Forms and Autocrat.  There are so many video tutorials out there! Or, there are also tons of free options to download if you’re looking for a story already made.

If you’re looking for a happy medium, you can always create your own spin of, “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Or, to make it a little simpler, use a classic Christmas song and edit what parts of speech they will add themselves. For example, “Jingle (plural noun), jingle (plural noun), jingle all the way!”

To add a little more fun, you could give your students the option to create a short video of themselves reading their Mad Libs story, or even singing their newly created Christmas carol.

They will have a blast with either option!

I hope you find value in these free virtual learning activities and have the best time incorporating them into your classroom this holiday season.

Don’t forget to take a deep breath, embrace the time you have left in 2020 (which is rather exciting it’s almost over!), and enjoy your students during this holiday month!

Did you like these Christmas virtual learning activities?

What are you looking forward to most in your classroom this month of December? 🙂 Share in the comments below!

The post Christmas Virtual Learning Activities You’ll LOVE! appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
https://glitterinthird.com/2020/12/christmas-virtual-learning-activities.html/feed 2
Need a FREE Digital Christmas Multiplication Activity? https://glitterinthird.com/2020/11/digital-christmas-multiplication-activities.html Sat, 28 Nov 2020 20:35:41 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3184 Are you looking for a digital Christmas multiplication activity? You’ve come to the right place! I am super excited about these FREE digital Christmas multiplication activities. Fill out below to get it sent immediately to your inbox! How does a digital Christmas multiplication pixel work? Students answer a multiplication question. As the multiplication questions are […]

The post Need a FREE Digital Christmas Multiplication Activity? appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>

Are you looking for a digital Christmas multiplication activity?

You’ve come to the right place!

I am super excited about these FREE digital Christmas multiplication activities.

Fill out below to get it sent immediately to your inbox!

How does a digital Christmas multiplication pixel work?

Students answer a multiplication question. As the multiplication questions are answered, a “mystery picture” starts to be revealed with each correct answer.

If a student answers incorrectly, the box turns red and part of the picture doesn’t appear.

If a student answers correctly, the box turns green, and the mystery picture surfaces!

How cool is that?!

What educational platform do I use a digital Christmas multiplication activity on?

These goodies work great on Google Classroom using Google Sheets.

However, you can also download it as an Excel Spreadsheet and then assign it to Microsoft Teams, Canvas, etc.

You can read the post here!

Looking for more virtual Christmas activities?

Make sure to read my blog post on virtual Christmas activities in the classroom – you can read it here!

Want more digital pixels?

I have lots more digital pixels available at my store on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Click here to check them out!

Pin for later

The post Need a FREE Digital Christmas Multiplication Activity? appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
5 ELA Activities for Your Virtual Classroom https://glitterinthird.com/2020/11/ela-activities-virtual-classroom.html Sat, 28 Nov 2020 20:20:35 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3170 No matter where you’re at in the world right now, you’ve probably experienced face-to-face, hybrid, or distance learning at some point so far this school year… or maybe all 3! As a former teacher, I commend you and I see you. I know you’re doing your best and you’re doing a superb job at that! […]

The post 5 ELA Activities for Your Virtual Classroom appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>

No matter where you’re at in the world right now, you’ve probably experienced face-to-face, hybrid, or distance learning at some point so far this school year… or maybe all 3!

As a former teacher, I commend you and I see you. I know you’re doing your best and you’re doing a superb job at that!

It can be challenging to create interactive Grammar and ELA activities in the physical classroom, let alone a virtual classroom.

But… I’m here to help. 🙂

I want to share with you a few different ELA activities that you can start using in your virtual classroom now, as well as a couple of ideas I think you’ll love to start planning for next semester!

Are you ready? Here they come!

Digital Mystery Pixels

If you’ve already checked out my previous blog about digital fact fluency activities, you know all about my love for these digital mystery pixels!

I have even more options for your ELA virtual classroom!

If you haven’t checked out my previous post on fact fluency (you really should by the way ;)), these digital mystery pixels can be used in your Google Classroom and Google Drive or as an Excel spreadsheet on other platforms  (check out how to upload to any educational platform here).

As students correctly answer questions, a mystery picture appears!

They’re such a fun and engaging activity for your students that require little to no prep on your part and is also self-checking. WIN!

This Subject and Predicate Digital Mystery Pixel comes with 5 different pixels.

And… I’ve just created 4 more digital mystery pixels that you can use for teaching other parts of speech!

I know teaching parts of speech is a daunting task, and I can imagine it’s even more daunting teaching them virtually.

You can grab my nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs digital mystery pixels here – they too come with 5 pixels each and are ready for your virtual classroom!

 

Not sure if a digital mystery pixel is for you? Make sure to sign up below to get a FREE reading comprehension digital mystery pixel sent right to your inbox!

Google Classroom Grammar Bundle

This comprehensive Grammar for Google Classroom is probably my favorite ELA virtual resource to share with you all!

It includes 16 different topic areas including multiple parts of speech, contractions, types of sentences, and even abbreviations.

It has over 100 activities!

Each topic area comes with multiple different digital activities such as matching definitions, sorting, rewriting sentences and identifying specific parts of speech.

All prepped and ready to go for you – all you have to do is assign it! 🙂

Google Doc Color Coding

It’s important to keep looking for the positives during this trying time.

One positive of distance learning is that students are getting more and more exposed to technology and can work on improving their typing skills and getting comfortable with different tools and features.

A super simple activity that utilizes Google Docs and the many tools it has to offer is color coding sentences.

You can make this activity as extensive or as limited as you’d like!

As the teacher, create a Google Doc of sentences that you want your students to color code.

Share this Doc in Google Classroom and have each student make their own copy of it (this step is super important to emphasize or you’ll have students editing your mastery copy!). 

In the Doc that you create, provide instructions for what should be color-coded, italicized, highlighted, or even underlined.

For example, let’s say you’re working on parts of speech. In the instructions, have students make the text color of nouns blue, verbs can be red, adjectives may be yellow, etc.

You could also have them underline prepositional phrases, highlight the subject portion of the sentence green and the predicate portion pink.

There are so many options you can decide on, and this is a great way for students to practice using writing tools in your virtual classroom!

Project-Based ELA Activities

Project-based learning takes more preparation on your part, but I do think it’s worth it in the end!

If you’re feeling repetitive with what you’ve done this past semester in your virtual classroom, now may be the time to have your students start project-based learning!

There can be a lot of research involved for your kids, but what better time to use the world wide web, than now? 🙂

Not everyone thinks of ELA & Grammar when you start a project, but there are tons of ways to incorporate these skills!

For example, you don’t have to have your students physically build something (although if they have supplies already at home, this is a great option!).

Their end project could be as simple as a video of them presenting their research or even making a song about it.

Public speaking skills and the preparation of writing descriptive sentences for the presentation are key areas to emphasize!

Flipgrid is a great resource for utilizing video in your virtual classroom, and allows students to watch and comment on each other’s videos as well. 

You could focus on one main topic as a class, or allow students to choose their topic of interest (you could always have a mixture and provide boundaries to their choices, too!).

During the project, you could conduct virtual interviews or have your students create Google surveys for a specific audience. 

The options are endless and I love the flexibility of project-based learning!

Tweak it all to make it work for your virtual classroom!

Keep a Journal

My last ELA activity idea for your virtual classroom is super simple – have your students keep a journal.

While this may seem obvious, or maybe instead you’ve completely gotten rid of journaling since starting distance learning, it can be a great relationship and connection piece for you and your students.

I would recommend having each student keep a running Google Doc of their journal.

You can talk about headings and using dates as each daily heading.

I would encourage you to share with your students the idea that this journal is like any written journal – a place for them to share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. 

It can be hard to build and maintain relationships when you’re in a virtual classroom.

If your students’ journal in a Google Doc, you can leave comments in their document to respond to their journal entries.

It’s a great way to check-in with each individual student, incorporate social/emotional skills, and of course, work on typing complete sentences.

Do you have other ELA activities for your virtual classroom?

What’s your biggest struggle with going digital during ELA?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

I hope you find these 5 ELA activities useful for your virtual classroom! Happy learning! 🙂

Pin for later?

The post 5 ELA Activities for Your Virtual Classroom appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
5 Activities to Practice Fact Fluency In Distance Learning https://glitterinthird.com/2020/11/fact-fluency-during-distance-learning.html Sat, 28 Nov 2020 16:31:20 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3127 5 Activities to Practice Fact Fluency During Distance Learning Raise your hand if your life as a teacher is so much easier when your students are proficient in multiplication fact fluency… Hello, no-brainer! But fact fluency…. in distance learning?! It’s like once students find their confidence in their facts, working through larger problems becomes so […]

The post 5 Activities to Practice Fact Fluency In Distance Learning appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
5 Activities to Practice Fact Fluency During Distance Learning

Raise your hand if your life as a teacher is so much easier when your students are proficient in multiplication fact fluencyHello, no-brainer! But fact fluency…. in distance learning?!

It’s like once students find their confidence in their facts, working through larger problems becomes so much more satisfying!

The process of getting your students to a high level of proficiency in their multiplication facts is so rewarding, but it can be tough to make the process enjoyable and engaging.

I know it makes a teacher’s heart oh, so happy when you have an abundance of ideas at your fingertips to practice fact fluency.

Finding those ideas that cater to distance learning, hybrid teaching, and even for those who are still face-to-face, can be super challenging.

I mean, we’re talking about activities that have to literally work from anywhere, not just in your classroom. 

I know you’ve probably gotten some of the, “Well how hard can it be?” type questions over the course of this semester (aren’t those lovely by the way?).

But trust me, I get it. I’m here to help! 

I’d love to share with you a few activities that can be used to help your students practice multiplication fact fluency, and take some of the pressure off of you to find new ideas!

Digital Mystery Pixel Picture

I can’t contain my excitement! I have to share this digital fact fluency activity with you first!

This Digital Mystery Pixel Picture is super fun and an engaging way for students to practice multiplication facts 0-10.

The screen displays several facts at once, and as students correctly answer, a mystery picture is revealed!

You don’t have to worry about it becoming repetitive or students “memorizing” the pictures.

This product comes with 10 different multiplication pixels, all self-checking, and of course no prep required by you!

The mystery pixels coordinate with Google Classroom, Google Drive, Excel, and many other platforms! (Not sure how to do this? Make sure to read my post on how to upload Google Slides to ANY educational platform!)

You can click here to learn more about this Digital Mystery Pixel Picture and even watch a short video on how it works.I think this is the perfect fact fluency activity for 3rd and 4th graders, and could even be used as an intervention activity for 5th grade!

Google Classroom Multiplication Fact Fluency

Here’s another digital activity I’m thrilled to share to help you prep for more distance learning!

This Google Classroom Fact Fluency comes with 8 different ways to get your students digitally practicing their multiplication facts.

Some of the activities include identifying missing factors and also drag & drop activities that focus on specific number ranges at a time.

I love the effectiveness of this resource because it allows your students to practice fact fluency by more than simply answering questions in a times table format.

It allows them to understand each fact a little more deeply by requiring them to sort through products, figure out what is required, or if the product is even or odd.

I also have a blog post on how to create the perfect distance learning lesson using these resources – you can read it here!

You can get a preview of this Google Classroom Fact Fluency resource here!

Color-By-Number

One of the simplest and most enjoyed fact fluency activities – color-by-number!

As winter break approaches and you’re searching for more low key activities that are still educational, yet not super structured, I’d love to give you my free winter Multiplication Color-By-Number!

I share this because it can definitely work for your distance learning students, as well!

You can save the color-by-number as a PDF and upload it to Google Classroom, Seesaw, or whatever platform you use!

For your in-class students, I do always recommend creating an answer key and making several copies for your students to check themselves before they start coloring.

Have each student complete the page with pencil first, then conduct a self-check and make corrections, and finally start coloring!

For your distance students, you can upload a colored copy of the answer key at a later date, so they are still able to self-check as well.

 It’s a simple way for them to be held accountable for the fun activity and get the most out of fact fluency practice!

Arrays, Groups, Addition, & Number Lines

I have one more fact fluency product I’m super eager to share with you!

This Google Classroom Bundle of Activities for Distance Learning is aside from the basic fact fluency practice methods and utilizes arrays, equal groups, repeated addition, and number lines!

I would definitely incorporate these activities toward the beginning of your multiplication unit, as each exercise really makes a connection to previous knowledge (repeated addition) and shows students multiple ways to find their answer by using arrays, grouping, and number lines.

Clockwork

Lastly, Clockwork is one of my favorite, most basic games to practice fact fluency.

It does focus on accuracy, but really emphasizes speed as well, so I would recommend using this game when your students are at a more confident level in their fact fluency!

For students in the classroom, separate everyone into small groups (4-5 students). Draw a circle on your whiteboard with 1-12 labeled on the inside area of the circle, resembling a clock. Each student needs their own dry erase marker, and each group stands in a line in front of their “clock.” As the teacher, choose a factor to multiply by. When time begins, students choose a multiplication fact on the clock to answer one-by-one and they write the answer on the outside of the circle, next to the number on the clock. 

For example, if the factor is 6, one student would write 6 on the outside of the circle next to the 1, because 1×6=6. The next student can pick any fact left on the “clock.” They may pick 7 next. They would write 42 on the outside of the circle next to 7 because 7×6=42. The group who finishes first, wins! Students get so excited about the competition, I love that it’s a team effort, and it’s a perfect way to make practicing fact fluency engaging!

To incorporate your distance students, they could virtually be a part of a group and shout out an answer to be written on the board when it becomes their turn.

Or, you can create a different timed activity for them to complete on their own.

What did you think of these fact fluency in distance learning activities?

I can imagine how tough teaching and understanding new information totally online can be for you and your students.

My hope is that you can find much guidance in these multiplication activities as you continue to navigate through distance learning and fact fluency practice!

What are you most excited about using?! 🙂 Share in the comments below!

Pin for later?

The post 5 Activities to Practice Fact Fluency In Distance Learning appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Need a FREE Digital Thanksgiving Multiplication Activity? https://glitterinthird.com/2020/11/digital-thanksgiving-multiplication-activity.html Wed, 11 Nov 2020 00:53:06 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3094 Are you looking for a digital Thanksgiving multiplication activity? You’ve come to the right place! I am super excited about these FREE digital Thanksgiving multiplication activities. Fill out below to get it sent immediately to your inbox! How does a digital Thanksgiving multiplication pixel work? Students answer a multiplication question. As the multiplication questions are […]

The post Need a FREE Digital Thanksgiving Multiplication Activity? appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>

Are you looking for a digital Thanksgiving multiplication activity?

You’ve come to the right place!

I am super excited about these FREE digital Thanksgiving multiplication activities.

Fill out below to get it sent immediately to your inbox!

How does a digital Thanksgiving multiplication pixel work?

Students answer a multiplication question. As the multiplication questions are answered, a “mystery picture” starts to be revealed with each correct answer.

If a student answers incorrectly, the box turns red and part of the picture doesn’t appear.

If a student answers correctly, the box turns green, and the mystery picture surfaces!

How cool is that?!

What educational platform do I use a digital Thanksgiving multiplication activity on?

These goodies work great on Google Classroom using Google Sheets.

However, you can also download as an Excel Spreadsheet and then assign to Microsoft Teams, Canvas, etc.

You can read the post here!

Looking for more virtual Thanksgiving activities?

Make sure to read my blog post on virtual Thanksgiving activities in the classroom – you can read it here!

The post has information on creating a Thanksgiving thankful book, Thanksgiving read-aloud ideas, and multiplication activities.

Want more digital pixels?

I have lots more digital pixels available at my store on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Click here to check them out!

Pin for later

 

The post Need a FREE Digital Thanksgiving Multiplication Activity? appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Virtual Thanksgiving Activities You’ll LOVE https://glitterinthird.com/2020/11/virtual-thanksgiving-activities.html Tue, 03 Nov 2020 02:38:42 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3065 Virtual Thanksgiving Activities Are you a 3rd-grade teacher looking for virtual Thanksgiving activities? I got you covered! You may be teaching virtually, but that does not mean that you can’t share some Thanksgiving fun with your kiddos. With everything going on right now, bring some familiarity and comfort in with Thanksgiving-related festivities. Some of these […]

The post Virtual Thanksgiving Activities You’ll LOVE appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Virtual Thanksgiving Activities

Are you a 3rd-grade teacher looking for virtual Thanksgiving activities?

I got you covered!

You may be teaching virtually, but that does not mean that you can’t share some Thanksgiving fun with your kiddos.

With everything going on right now, bring some familiarity and comfort in with Thanksgiving-related festivities.

Some of these ideas are academic-related – others are just plain fun that are perfect to build and foster your classroom community.

Don’t forget to download my FREE digital Thanksgiving multiplication activityfill out below to get it sent right to your inbox!

Alright – time to learn more about some virtual Thanksgiving activities!

Virtual Thanksgiving Activities

Digital Thanksgiving multiplication digital mystery pixel

virtual thanksgiving activities

Have you done a digital mystery pixel with your student yet?

Trust me – this is a MUST DO.

And guess what?

I have a FREE Thanksgiving digital mystery pixel!

Make sure to fill out below to get it sent immediately to your inbox!

<script async data-uid=”75e56d1ec8″ src=”https://glitter-in-third.ck.page/75e56d1ec8/index.js”></script>

How do they work?

Students answer a multiplication question.

As the multiplication questions are answered, a “mystery picture” starts to be revealed with each correct answer.

How cool is that?!

Want to know how it works?

If a student answers incorrectly, the box turns red and part of the picture doesn’t appear.

If a student answers correctly, the box turns green, and the mystery picture surfaces!

These goodies work great on Google Classroom using Google Sheets.

Thanksgiving multiplication color-by-number

Thanksgiving virtual activities

I also have a free multiplication color-by-number that you can send to kids to print (click here to download!).

This one also works if you are doing a hybrid model and are teaching in the classroom.

Make a class “Thankful” book

digital thanksgiving activities

This is a great one to help foster a sense of classroom community!

Now, this is not a physical book.

Each student will create an “I am thankful” page, then contribute to a class “book.”

Make an example page first so that students get a better idea of what they are creating!

You could write, “I am thankful for my talented and smart students.” 

Then, add illustrations through Google Image Search or uploading your own pictures.

Ask students to send their page to you.

You will insert all the slides into one slideshow, and make a cute “book cover” that says “Our Class is Thankful.” 

Then, assign the book back to students!

Students will LOVE flipping through the “book” and see what their classmates are thankful for.

If you want to make this interactive, make the “book” editable to all students, and students can write notes on the side to their classmates.

Virtual Thanksgiving read-alouds

Y’all there are so dang many great Thanksgiving books.

Teaching over a computer does not mean that you can’t do a read-aloud!

This is a great way to start every morning leading up to Thanksgiving to help get the kids feeling some comfort.

Their Thanksgiving may look very different this year, give them familiarity with books that they may already know and enjoy.

Some of my FAVORITES (these are Amazon Affiliate links):

If you want to make the read-alouds more interactive, have kids compare and contrast two of the books that you read!

What other ideas do you have?

Do you have other digital Thanksgiving activities that you’ll be doing this year with your students?

Let me know in the comments below, or email me at [email protected]!

Pin for later?

 

The post Virtual Thanksgiving Activities You’ll LOVE appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Need a FREE Digital Christmas Math Activity? https://glitterinthird.com/2020/10/digital-christmas-multiplication-activity-2.html Fri, 16 Oct 2020 01:00:40 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=3132 Need a FREE Digital Christmas Math Activity? Are you looking for a digital Christmas math activity? You’ve come to the right place! I am super excited about these FREE digital Christmas multiplication activities. They are fun, engaging, and motivating to students (which is hard to say when it comes to practicing multiplication facts). Fill out […]

The post Need a FREE Digital Christmas Math Activity? appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Need a FREE Digital Christmas Math Activity?

Free digital Christmas math activity multiplication

Are you looking for a digital Christmas math activity?

You’ve come to the right place!

I am super excited about these FREE digital Christmas multiplication activities.

They are fun, engaging, and motivating to students (which is hard to say when it comes to practicing multiplication facts).

Fill out below to get it sent immediately to your inbox!

How does a digital Christmas multiplication pixel work?

Students answer a multiplication question.

As the multiplication questions are answered, a “mystery picture” starts to be revealed with each correct answer.

If a student answers incorrectly, the box turns red and part of the picture doesn’t appear.

If a student answers correctly, the box turns green, and the mystery picture surfaces!

How cool is that?!

What educational platform do I use a digital Christmas multiplication activity on?

These goodies work great on Google Classroom using Google Sheets.

However, you can also download it as an Excel Spreadsheet and then assign it to Microsoft Teams, Canvas, etc.

You can read how to do this in the post here!

Need MORE Christmas worksheets?

Okay, I have two Christmas/winter holiday resources that you are going to go BANANAS for.

Both resources are reading passages & questions to assess student comprehension skills.

However, both are in the holiday spirit!

First students read a passage.

Then, they answer comprehension questions.

Each question has a color next to it.

Finally, they color the mystery picture!

Students seriously LOVE these (and will ask you for more!).

Learn more about each in the links below:

Free digital Christmas multiplication activity

Want more digital pixels?

I have another FREE digital mystery pixel for winter at my TPT storesnag it here!

Also, make sure to check out my other digital mystery pixels! Click here!

The post Need a FREE Digital Christmas Math Activity? appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Virtual Halloween Activities You’ll LOVE https://glitterinthird.com/2020/09/virtual-halloween-activities.html Mon, 28 Sep 2020 00:45:44 +0000 https://kelly.pitchclips.dev/?p=2808 Virtual Halloween Activities Are you a 3rd grade teacher looking for virtual Halloween activities? I got you covered! You may be teaching virtually, but that does not mean that you can’t share some Halloween fun with your kiddos. Since many kids may not be trick-or-treating this year, this is even more reason to try to […]

The post Virtual Halloween Activities You’ll LOVE appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>
Virtual Halloween Activities

Are you a 3rd grade teacher looking for virtual Halloween activities?

I got you covered!

You may be teaching virtually, but that does not mean that you can’t share some Halloween fun with your kiddos.

Since many kids may not be trick-or-treating this year, this is even more reason to try to bring a little bit of festivities into learning.

Some of these ideas are academic related – others are just plain fun that are perfect to build and foster your classroom community.

Don’t forget to download my FREE digital Halloween multiplication activityclick here to get it sent right to your inbox!

Alright – time to learn more about some spooookkyyy virtual Halloween activities!

Virtual Halloween Activities

Digital Halloween multiplication

virtual halloween activity
I am super excited about these FREE digital Halloween multiplication activities.

Make sure to click here to download!

How do they work?

Students answer a multiplication question. As the multiplication questions are answered, a “mystery picture” starts to be revealed with each correct answer.

How cool is that?!

Want to know how it works? If a student answers incorrectly, the box turns red and part of the picture doesn’t appear. If a students answers correctly, the box turns green and the mystery picture surfaces!

These goodies work great on Google Classroom using Google Sheets.

Halloween multiplication color-by-number

I also have a free multiplication color-by-number that you can send to kids to print (click here to download!). This one also works if you are doing a hybrid model and are teaching in the classroom. Read about ideas for use here!

Halloween costume or book character “parade”

Halloween is one of the favorite holidays a year for kids.

Trick-or-treating?! Costumes?! Candy?! Yes, please.

But with a pandemic going around? Hmmmm… not so much.

Every year kids are busting at the seams to talk about their Halloween costume or show it off to others.

Since many kids will not have the opportunity to trick-or-treat this year, make a costume “parade” to show off their costumes!

It’s easy, simply do a virtual meeting where kids can dress up and talk about their costumes.

You could create breakout rooms for discussion, or simply give each student one minute to talk about their costume or what they are excited about for Halloween.

You could also do a “book character” parade, where students dress as a book character. This way, the costumes can be super simple or elaborate, simply depending on what the students chooses!

Spooky stories

First do a spooky virtual read-aloud… or two… or three. Some of my FAVORITES (these are Amazon Affiliate links):

Tell kids that they will be writing their OWN spooky stories!

You can have kids use Google Docs to write their stories. Students can also read their stories aloud to the class!

Pin for later?

The post Virtual Halloween Activities You’ll LOVE appeared first on Glitter in Third.

]]>