Rounding Numbers to the Nearest 10 and 100 for Mastery and Fun

Rounding to the Nearest 10 and 100  is one of the most basic skills presented to students-honestly, kinda boring too!  What if I presented to you the idea that it can be a lot of fun and kids can master it too!  No, really, it can be FUN and mastery can be done in just one week!  

How to Make it FUN!  

Find a good theme and go with it!  Seriously, rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 needs a theme!  That's how you make it FUN!  Luckily, a theme has been made!  May I present to you...Knights of the Rounding Table!

This fun rounding unit is set to the idea that the King needs help-and the queen steps in to save the day with an idea-an idea that defeats the Digits Dragon!!  So fun, right!  

How to Make it MORE Fun!

When I do this Rounding to the Nearest 10 and 100 unit, I accompany it with some fun information about knights and dragons!  Read a great book about Medieval times (I have an oldie but a goodie that is so old, I can't even find it on Amazon to show you the book!)  Or, even better, about King Arthur!  Or Saint George and the Dragon which is an amazing knight story!  (Grab this freebie from Scholastic!) 

This literature tie in makes it even more fun because students can dive into the topic in a different way-tying in this new information to apply to the math concept!  It builds a fun new experience all around!  Plus, you could even have them create a fun Digits Dragon on their own!  This adorable craft would make a great tie in to this unit!  

What about the Rounding?

Students get the opportunity to learn rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 from simple steps to the practice of mental math!  Students start with learning the Rounding Poem.  This poem helps them to remember the concept of rounding down for under 4 and rounding up for 5 and over.  Plus, the posters have clues to help them remember too!

Students will first practice rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 by identifying the ten or hundred before and after the original number.  Then, students must decide, based on the rounding rules, which number it is rounding to.  This allows students to build the foundations of the mental math to come.  Next, student step into the mental math realm to round to the nearest number.  Both rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 is taught on separate pages.  

Once the skills are mastered individually, then students are presented with rounding to the nearest 10 OR 100 on one page!  This way, students can practice this skill in tandem with one another, switching their brains back and forth!  Plus, they can play a fun game! 

 This super fun game presents the students with the opportunity to defeat the Digits Dragon!  And, then, students can prove their mastery with a quiz!  

Best of all, then they are KNIGHTED!  Imagine their excitement to receive their official Knighthood after learning both rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 AND Medieval Knights!  It is just so exciting to them!  

So, as you can see, rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 can be both a learning opportunity and fun!  And, everything you need can be found in this product!  Your students will love it and so will you!  I'd love to hear what you have to say or your ideas about rounding to the nearest 10 and 100! And, if you would like to learn more about what I do in my classroom, I'd love for you to join me on my Instagram journey and over at Facebook too!  


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How to have a TWEET First Day of School! And Beyond!

Tweet, tweet!  The school year is about to start and you are wondering what to do to 1. Teach your students about your classroom and 2. Not bore them to death doing it!  Why not TWEET Your First Day of School!  Let's take a look! 

Teach Your Classroom

Students love getting up and moving the first day of school.  Plus, to be honest, they are just tired and need to move!  So, this fun little booklet gets the job done!  

There is some prep for you with this First Day of School activity.  Of course, printing the materials before the first day and assembling the booklets is key!  

You also need to have students access some materials around your classroom.  For instance, I always have them "discover" the dictionaries, as these are going to be key in our learning.  Another great thing about this activity is that your students dive into the classroom library! During this time, I ask the kids to pick out four great books they find that they would like to read.  This preps the possibility of students being able to read later in the day when everyone needs a break! 

Another thing this booklet does is gives the students an opportunity to talk to each other!  We tend to want to avoid this on the first day, BUT isn't that how we create community!  They need to get to know each other, even if some of them have been friends for years.  They still need to know what it is like in our classrooms.  Parameters can be established within this simple activity.  An example of this is how we talk to each other and how long within the classroom setting.  This activity will do that!  

Plus, it gives you the chance to expose other areas of your classroom to the students.  I always have the students find the clipboards, because this is a key tool in our classroom.  I list the clipboard rules out and have them available for students to view when this activity is going on.   This way, students are able to know their location and know the rules that go with them.  

The Secret is in the Tweets!  

You may have been reading this wondering how students know where to go!  Well, the secret to getting the students to the right location on the first day of school is to TWEET them!  

Simply by putting up these cute tweet signs, students have a marker for where they are to go.  They also move around to find these tweets at different rates, so you won't have kids gathering in huge groups.  If you do, this is your opportunity to step in and express the need for them to move about and not be social, but to concentrate on completing the activity.  To be honest, this is the first step in developing your expectations in a way that is facilitative and allows them the opportunity to grow in success through redirection!  

What Else is There?

Every year I have tried to accomplish this entire product on the first day of school, but, well, I've failed!  So, there is MORE that can be done, even past the first day of school!  Here's what you get!  

Tweet Tweet our Class is so Sweet Little Book helps your students understand rules and procedures!  Students get to reflect on what they are learning by writing it in their own words!  This can also double as a direction following activity, giving you an idea of what students are capable of doing with directions.  

My Tweet Friend allows students the chance to work with a friend discovering things about each other by using letters in their names!  The kids LOVE this activity because it gives them a chance to interact with a friend and discover similarities about themselves!  For you, it can guide you in understanding how well kids can use and interpret Venn Diagrams from their past experiences and how their handwriting is in an open ended activity.  

As you can see, there is so much packed into these first day of school activities that you can fill your lesson plans with them so quickly and easily!  Students just love them, and so will you!  Let me know what you think!  I'd love for a comment below about your first day of school activities!  Or, follow me on Facebook or Instagram to keep up with all the action!  

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Love the Bird Theme? Check out My Watercolor Bird Theme Decor and More!  

5 Patriotic Products to Make Any Elementary Student Celebrate!

As we approach any American Patriotic holiday, we want to bring that celebration into our classroom!  Whether it is during President's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or even Labor Day, we are proud of our American Heritage!  Here are 5 Patriotic Products that will make any elementary student celebrate-or teacher too!  

Patriotic Product #1: Patriotic Scoot - Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping

This product has kids up and moving while checking out patriotic pictures!  Kids just LOVE to play SCOOT!  There is a pre-made work page, so students can SCOOT with ease!  And, this is 3 digit by 3 digit problems, so late 2nd graders all the way up to 5th graders can benefit from this continued practice!  That's one way to make kids happy on a holiday and still get a skill practiced in math!  

Patriotic Product #2:  Primary and Secondary Source Superstars

Students will just LOVE this exploration of George Washington through Primary and Secondary Sources!  Students will take a virtual field trip and discover what Primary and Secondary Sources are through infographics! There is a leveled reading passage as well!  This is just a great way to celebrate America and learn at the same time! 

Patriotic Product #3:  Parade of States Project

Read more about this activity here!  

Who doesn't LOVE a parade!  Especially when the floats are created by your students!  This project is a great way for students to gain knowledge about our great 50 states and have a fun parade to teach others too!  Students research a state, create a float and research project, and, then, parade their state for all to see in a school-wide parade!  And, if states aren't your thing, you can always be patriotic with the National Park Float Parade!  

Patriotic Product #4:  Colonial STEM

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Our Colonial STEM projects came out awesome. Adapted tag to find a corn husk, Teepee Knock Down, an extremely interesting corn husk/ marble/ block a rock/ playing card game, a corn husk doll, and an interesting four corner / block with a rock in a row game! These ideas were great!! Watch for this STEM in my TpT sometime next week!! Putting the finishing touches on it!! #iteachstem #coloniallearning #teachersofinsta #iteachsocialstudies #iteachsecond #thirdgradehallway #secondgradetribe #teachersofinsta #teachersofinstagram #teachersofthegram #teachersfollowingteachers

A post shared by Julie from The Best Days (@thebestdaysclassroom) on Nov 16, 2018 at 8:32am PST

Take a trip back to when America was just starting out!  Colonial America was an exciting time to be in America!  And, children had so many choices in toys-or, at least, to the toys that their imagination created!  And that's the basis of this STEM!  Students will use the "technology" of the time to create games or toys that students in Colonial America could play!  That means NO COPY CATS of toys of today!  Get your student's creative juices flowing with American pride through this STEM project!  

Patriotic Product #5:  Yeah and Nah Voting Sticks Freebie

Students everywhere will LOVE voting just like our legislatures do!  And, even better, they can fly their Yeah or Nah high in the air with this freebie!  Simple to print and hot glue to tongue depressors!  Then, just pass out and vote away!  So much fun and FREE too!  

There you have it!  Five Patriotic Products to make any elementary student celebrate and learn in your classroom- for a holiday or any day!  Just let me know in the comments what you think or a great patriotic holiday idea you have!  And, jump on over to Facebook and Instagram to follow along with my journey through posts and product updates!  I'd love for you to join me! 

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