THERE'S NO CRYING IN BOOT CAMP!

February.

Despite being the shortest month, it always seems to drag on!

There are more indoor recess days than any sane teacher can handle.  Students start slacking. You are literally counting down the days until spring break!

What better way to break routine and whip your students back into shape than BOOT CAMP!

It all started when I saw an army helmet at the dollar store and my mind started racing with all of the possibilities! I decided it would be best to incorporate reading, language arts, and math so the boot camp could be a full day adventure! I ended up continuing boot camp for 2 full days and very easily could have done a third! There are so many possibilities!

I purchased anything and everything camouflage I could find from Amazon, Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, and Party City and went to work decorating my classroom! Not going to lie... You could have put a camo umbrella in front of me and I would have bought it!

The camouflage helmets and aviator sunglasses both came from Dollar Tree (I may or may not have visited Dollar Tree stores over 100 miles away to get enough for all my students!) The dog tags, pencils, and table cloths all came from Party City and the canvas bags are available on Amazon.

The camouflage netting and inflatable tires all came from Amazon (thank you Amazon Prime for offering two day shipping!) If you can borrow an air pump from your P.E. teachers, I highly suggest it! Nothing makes you feel out of shape quite like blowing up 8 inflatable tires!

I hate to admit it but dressing like a Drill Sergeant was the most comfortable decision I have ever made! I snagged the green pants super cheap from J Crew (you can't beat $70 pants for $6!) They might have been in the men's department but I'm just going to pretend they were put away in the wrong area.

Anyone can put on a costume but getting into character is an entirely different story. I cannot stress the importance enough! Your kiddos will eat it up! Although my throat is a little rough after yelling "ATTENTION!" for 2 days straight!

Of course I had background music playing throughout the day! Here is one of the links I used:

Now let's talk CONTENT! Enhancing the atmosphere is one thing but teaching rigorous content is what matters! I decided to focus on the skills that my students have been struggling with since the beginning of the school year. They are tired of reviewing them so this was the perfect opportunity to engage them to the max!

For math, we focused on the dreaded WORD PROBLEMS. My kiddos normally cringe when I mention them! But I must say... I didn't hear an ounce of negativity about word problems the entire time! Although I did tell them there's no crying in boot camp so they may have been intimidated!

I used my Word Problem Survival Guide to well, guide my math instruction for the 2 days! This flip book includes examples, guided practice, independent practice, task card practice, and more! Not to mention it can be created with only 3 pieces of paper and no trimming!

My 75 minute math block normally consists of 30 minutes of whole group and 45 minutes of math groups/stations. I have 4 math stations that my students visit (you can see how I organize my math groups here) and my students completed the "DRILLS" and "OBSTACLE COURSE" for 2 of those stations.

I decided to use these binoculars from Hobby Lobby with the task cards so students could focus on taking a "closer look" at each problem. Some times you just need simple props to convince students that the activity is fun (even though they are still doing work!)

For reading, we focused on MAIN IDEA/author's central message/central theme/whatever else you want to call it. This is that one skill that we just can't nail down. So a little extra practice never hurts!

For the first day, I decided to incorporate some hands on practice. I started by showing a Flocabulary video on main idea and then completed a mystery bag activity to help students understand the difference between the subject, details, and main idea. I filled the canvas bags I purchased from Amazon with various items that were all related in some way. Students worked in groups to go through the items in each bag and decide the subject and write a main idea statement about the items.

Here were the items I stuffed my bags with:

BAG 1: Up DVD, Frozen DVD, microwave popcorn, M&M's, Mountain Dew bottle, and remote

BAG 2: scarf, glove, ear muffs, snowboarding goggles, and fuzzy socks

BAG 3: bag of coffee, powdered creamer, sugar packets, coffee mug, and coffee filters

BAG 4: plastic cups, plastic spoon, bottle of water, plastic ice cubes, lemonade packets, and sugar

BAG 5: chocolate chips, cinnamon, measuring cups, measuring spoons, beater, and wisk

We went through one of the bags together as a class as an example (bag 5). We decided the subject was baking, the details were the individual items in the bag, and the main idea was that you need both ingredients and tools to bake.

For the second day, we reviewed the mystery bags from the first day and listed all the main idea statements that students came up with. Then students were given an article on President's Day (hooray for cross curricular!) and worked in partners to write the important parts of the passage on index cards (mostly details). Students "packed" the index cards in a "duffle bag" (AKA a manila envelope... come on people, keep it simple!) Then students were told that their duffle bags were too heavy and they had to unload them! They were only allowed to take the most important index card... the main idea! This activity really helped students differentiate between the details and the main idea! I was so caught up in this activity I forgot to take pictures... oops! #reallife

For language arts, we focused on CAPITALIZATION! Goodness knows we are still struggling to use capital letters correctly in our writing.

Again, I used a Flocabulary video to review what my students already know about capitalization (they know a lot... they just struggle to implement it!) Then of course we needed a cadence to match to since was boot camp after all! I wrote this cadence to identify the main uses of capitalization. If we can remember the lyrics to the whip and nae nae, we should be able to remember the words to this as well! I'm inserting a JPEG that you can use in your own classroom!

Then I broke students into 2 groups for a mini obstacle course relay! I gave each student a sentence with magnets on the back that either had correct or incorrect capitalization. Each team got into a line and had to jump through the inflatable tires one at a time to put their sentence on the board under the correct category (correct or incorrect). Then we reviewed each sentence as a class and identified the capitalization rules!

For the second day, we trained to become Army medics that needed to tend to "wounded soldiers"! Our wounded soldiers were paragraphs that had numerous capitalization mistakes! Students worked in partners to repair the mistakes with bandages and write the capital letter on top. This activity was a BIG hit!

I found a box of 60 bandages at Target for less than $2! Each group of students needed 8 bandages so I used 2 boxes. Super easy!

If you are interested in my Word Problem Boot Camp product, you can click the image below! The product contains the flip book and task cards featured in this blog post along with a pre-assessment, post-assessment, and more!

Here are all the links to the items I used for decorations and the prices!
Canvas bags (6 pack) - $16
Inflatable tires (8 pack) - $37
Camouflage netting (6'x8') - $12
Camouflage table cover - $3.50 each
Dog tags (12 pack) - $6
Pencils (12 pack) - $3
Binoculars (2 pack) - $3
Army helmets - $1 each
Aviator sunglasses - $1

I could not have had more fun with this transformation! My students all learned a TON and had fun while doing it! Best of both worlds! If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will be happy to answer them!

Carnival Themed Math Centers

Happy Fri-YAY!! As tired as I am, I can honestly say that I have had an amazing first two weeks of school! I have an amazing group of 23 students who are so kind, helpful, and ENGAGED! Can I get an amen?!

I am so thankful to have such a well behaved group... it makes it that much easier to do fun and interactive activities! Because let's face it, no kid wants to complete worksheets all day (and I don't want to grade them!) especially in math!

Last year I tried math groups for the first time and it was a complete and utter WRECK! My students were constantly arguing with their peers, goofing off, and just not engaged in any way, shape, or form!  I took a step back this year and realized my mess that I called math groups last year were disorganized and unstructured! No wonder my kids couldn't get the hang of it!

I decided this year to rejuvenate my math groups and try something completely different!

I now use the acronym MATH for my math groups and it has saved my sanity! Each letter allows my students to practice important math skills while still interactive with peers in a controlled manner.

Here's the breakdown:

M - Math facts

A - At your seat

T - Teacher time

H - Hands on

I have 75 minutes of math daily.  I use about 5 minutes for a math meeting and 30 minutes for whole group instruction.  Math groups lasts about 40 minutes daily.  This means each "center" lasts about 10 minutes.

Here's what I display with my projector during math groups to guide students to the correct center.

Each student is assigned to a color group: blue, orange, green, or pink.  Students will change color groups depending on their ability level for each skill.  The four "rotations," each lasting about 10 minutes, are shown at the top of the table.  Students are able to quickly find their color and figure out which center they should visit during that rotation: M (math facts), A (at your seat), T (teacher time), or H (hands on). 

Here is a brief overview of each of the centers.

M - MATH FACTS

I have this basket full of different math flashcards, mostly addition and subtraction. I do have some money and time flashcards that my students may use during those units.  Students visiting the M (math facts) center will either work independently or with a partner with these flash cards.  All students visiting the M center must stay in the library area of my classroom! I like them to all be in one area and obviously the library is the most comfy place to practice math facts!

A - AT YOUR SEAT

During this time, students work independently at their desks on some kind of worksheet or project.  If students are completing a worksheet, I try to make it a cut and paste activity so students are more involved and aren't just filling in the blanks!

T - TEACHER TIME

Students will meet me on my front carpet with a dry erase board and marker.  Typically during my math group time, I have a paraprofessional in my classroom meeting with a small group at my back table.  Otherwise I would have my students meet there for teacher time (although they do love sitting on the carpet and I love being able to sit right on their level!)  During this time we practice problems or skills that those particular students need extra help on.  With my above level group, I use this time for enrichment and challenge them with 3rd, 4th, and even 5th grade skills!

H - HANDS ON

For the hands on activity, students meet in the back corner of my classroom where there is some open floor space.  Students each grab a carpet square (which I store back in the corner for easy access) and get to work! THIS IS MY STUDENT'S FAVORITE CENTER! I always make the activity very hands on (duh!) and engaging for my students that need to physically manipulate something to learn best!

Here is an example of at your seat and hands on activities that I am using next week!

I like to keep a centralized theme for these activities for the entire week. The theme will either be related to something we are reading, an upcoming holiday, or something along those lines.
For next week, I chose a carnival theme. What says the end of summer better than a carnival?!  I picked up a bunch of items from the dollar store that I thought I could easily turn into activities and went to work creating! I made sure that the "at your seat" activity mirrored the hands on activity so students were better able to make connections between the two.

MONDAY - Hotdog Doubles

Hands on: For the hands on activity, I was inspired by one of my favorite things... FOOD! Students have to match the doubles fact to the correct answer using the tongs to pick up and move the hotdogs. As students match the hotdogs, they will record the doubles fact and answer on their recording sheet.

To create a "grill," I bought an aluminum baking dish and a pack of 2 cooling racks from the dollar store. I put one of the cooling racks in the aluminum baking dish and the other I left on the side.  The tongs also came from the dollar store! Easy peasy!

At your seat: This cut and paste activity mirrors the hotdog doubles. Students have to cut out the hotdogs and glue them on top of the boy's hands that is wearing the shirt with the correct answer.

TUESDAY - Fish Bowl Near Doubles

Hands on: What's better than winning a fish at the carnival?! For this activity, students will match the fish bowls (with near doubles facts on them) to the fish with the correct answer. As students match them, they will record the near doubles facts and answers on the recording sheet. I used glass fish bowls and colorful stones from the dollar store to hold the cards.

At your seat: Students will cut out the fish and glue them in the fish bowl with the correct near doubles fact. Three of the fish will not be used so they have to be careful!

WEDNESDAY - Even and Odd Popcorn Pieces

Hands on: Students will determine if the numbers on the popcorn pieces are even or odd and put them in the correct popcorn container. I have a set of 2 digit numbers and 3 digit numbers to differentiate for my different groups.  As students place the popcorn pieces in the correct popcorn container, they must write the number on their recording sheet. These popcorn containers were found at the dollar store as well! I taped on the even and odd labels.

At your seat: Students will cut out the popcorn pieces and glue them on top of the correct popcorn container! I have two different versions of this worksheet - one with 2 digit numbers and one with 3 digit numbers depending on the student's ability.

THURSDAY - Make a Ten Tickets

Hands on: Students will search through the bowl of tickets to find the large golden tickets, each with a number on it.  Students will then match the tickets that make a ten.  Students will record the number sentence for each way to make a ten and use two different colors to represent the number sentence on the ten frame. I bought a set of raffle tickets at the dollar store and added them to the bowl to make it harder for students to search.

At your seat: Students will cut out the tickets and glue them under the correct ticket booth to make a ten.

FRIDAY - Cotton Candy Comparing Numbers

Hands on: Students will look at each 2 digit number, decide if it is greater than or less than 50, and place the cotton candy on top of the correct boy. I have a set of 3 digit numbers (and boys with greater than and less than 500) for differentiation as well.  As students move the cotton candy pieces, they will record the numbers on the recording sheet.  The cotton candy numbers will be stored in a small cotton candy tub that I got at the dollar store as well.

At your seat: Students will cut out the cotton candy pieces and glue them on top of the correct stick.

So that is what a week of math groups looks like in my classroom! It takes a lot of preparation but in the end it's worth it seeing the kiddos entirely engaged in their work!

If you are interested in these math centers, you can find them in my TpT store here:

I hope you have a great weekend! Happy teaching!