5 "T"'s for Teaching Probability

Do you want to teach probability to your students, but are you running out of ideas? Use these tips to help your students learn and remember probability in a way that's meaningful to them.

Fun with Math Probability

1. Treat probability as a "treat." By this time of year you're tired. Your students are tired. Everybody wants a little reward for all their hard work leading up to testing, so why not treat your students to a little sweetness during your math block? I used Starburst candies for this example, but you could also use different flavors of lollipops or other individually wrapped candies.

Use Various Flavors of Candy as a Treat

Start with a paper bag and the wrapped candy pieces. Show the class the various flavors of candy, and count the number of each one as you place them in the paper bag. Write the flavors and totals on the board for the class to see, along with the total number of candy pieces in the bag. Ask for a volunteer to come up and choose a flavor from the bag, without looking. Once a volunteer is chosen, ask him/her what flavor they like the best from the flavors in the bag, then ask the class what the probability is that he/she will get what he/she wants when they choose one (without looking) from the bag. Make sure you have enough of the candy to share with every child in the class when you are finished with the lesson!

2. Technology: use computers to make probability fun. As part of your math centers, have students use this free online game to practice their probability-using skills. Make sure to include the link to the game on your weekly newsletter for students to play at home. 

Play Probability Fair on the Computers

Another use of technology is to turn on the Brainpop clip. Kids love Brainpop, and they love animation. This cute clip helps students understand the basics when probability is involved. 

Turn on Brainpop Probability

3. Try tales, dog tales, that is! The first tale involves a lovable pooch named Penny, from It's Probably Penny and what probably could or could not happen this weekend. This is an adorable picture book to use during reading time with your class, so that you can activate your students' prior knowledge about things that often happen in their own lives, or that probably could happen, as well as things that could not happen.

Activate Prior Knowledge with Probability Books

The second tale is called The Runaway Puppy, and it's about another puppy named Brada. When Brada escapes, the children race to help find her. First, however, they have to think about the most likely places the missing pooch would have gone. This is a terrific book to include in your classroom library, and will easily become a favorite for your students.

What's the Probability She Ran Here, or There?

4. Tune it up! Use music to engage your musical learners. Then use dance moves to involve your kinesthetic students! Use your school's search engine to locate a probability song or video and get your kids singing and dancing their way to learning about probability! Here's a sample from YouTube to get you started.

5. Try task cards during math centers. They are terrific for hands-on learners and colorful enough for visual learners. The best ones are differentiated so that students can work at their own levels. This set has three different levels for each probability task, and 36 task cards in all. It even includes answer keys, so students can check their own work, if desired.

Probability Task Cards

I hope you have some new ideas for teaching probability to your students. Whether you treat it as a treat, use technology, try some dog tales, tune it up, or try some task cards, there no limit to what you can do to make these last weeks of math instruction interesting and fun! Have a fabulous rest of your year!

"See you" next time!

Currently at Carol's Teaching Garden!

Okay, so I'm more than a week late, but I promise I have a worthy excuse. However, I'll get to that later.

First of all, I'm listening to our next-door neighbor mow his lawn. Since every property here is at least one "Green Acre," he's been busy for awhile. That means it's officially SPRING!!! as the grass doesn't grow much in the winter.

Do You Remember Green Acres?

Loving - my classroom has a chalkboard theme, and I have purchased several resources from other sellers to match it. However, every week I have been typing up plain old boring "I Can . . ." statements on white paper and posting them on my whiteboard. The principals around here require that these be large enough for the students to see and read from across the room, so that was a LOT of boring on my boards. However, I have been creating new, colorful "I Can . . . " statements with a chalkboards brights theme to match the rest of my classroom environment, and I'm really happy with the results. They're in my TpT store under "I Can Statements for Tennessee," but they'll work for any fourth grade classroom using the Common Core, since they are exactly the same thing. These ones are for math, but I have all the core subjects covered in my store.

"I Can Statements for 4th Grade Geometry

Thinking - about a lovely message I received from a chairperson for a Reading Conference in a nearby state. She sent a message through FB that she knew some teachers who followed my TpT store, and that she was inviting me to apply to present at the reading conference next fall! Now, I know that doesn't mean I would automatically get the gig, but it was so sweet to be asked to apply, and to know that there are teachers who recommended me! Sometimes this whole social media thing gets me down. It seems so impersonal, but this was a welcome friendly surprise!

What I Imagine It Would Be Like . . . Right?!

Wanting - my own lightbox to take better pictures of my products. I feel like I pretty much know what I'm doing when it comes to creating products, but since Pinterest changed its algorithms my advertising skills STINK!!! I have been following several other teacher-sellers as they discuss the lightbox set-ups they use, and I want to jump in and get started. Here's  a link to Tabitha Carrro's SmartPhone Marketing School's post where she talks about how she set up hers.

Needing - This is where I could easily break down and cry. Our beloved kitty Boots, a.k.a. "Mr. Fluffykins" has been extremely ill with pancreatitis. On one of his many trips to the vet this past two weeks, I honestly thought it would be our last day with him. He's had so many shots, pills, and force-feedings that I wondered if he would make it through. Just in the past couple days he has returned to eating and drinking on his own (a restricted veterinary diet, though), purring, and acting like himself again. He goes back to the vet again tomorrow, and I am praying he makes a complete recovery.

"Mr. Fluffykins" on the Mend

EGGS-plain my store name - It's pretty simple really. My first name is Carol. I love to garden and I think of my plants as my "babies" to nurture to their full potential. I think of teaching children in the same way. Each student is different and beautiful in their own way, and I can either help or hinder their growth based on my actions. So, I'd better learn everything I can in order to help them grow up to be their best.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my Currently! Please leave a comment! (I LOVE reading comments! It makes me feel like I'm not alone in the blogging world!)

Then head over to Farley's post and join in the fun!

OH Boy It's Farley

"See you" next time!

Movie Monday: Graphing for Elementary Students!

Today I'm linking up with Techie Turtle Teacher to bring you this fun video to help you teach graphing. Anything that can make graphing more interesting or fun for my students gets a thumbs-up from me!

Movie Clip Monday Linky

Here's the quote from PBS to introduce the video: "In this video segment from Cyberchase, Harry and Bianca have new jobs at a movie theater concession stand. They compete with each other to see who can sell the most snacks, and they report their sales using bar graphs. When their graphs are compared, it appears that Harry has sold more, but Bianca is not so sure, so she takes a closer look at the scale of each graph."

Cyberchase Clip: Click the Photo to go to the PBS Website to watch it!

I also found a cool, free, online tool to help students construct graphs of their own!

Put this Internet tool at a computer station for hands-on practice without frustration!

You can find more resources on my Pinterest board here!

I hope you've enjoyed reading my post! Now head over to the linky for more helpful videos!

"See" you next time!

Wondering What to Do for Thanksgiving?

It seems like the sugar high that comes with Halloween has barely worn off, and now we're talking about Thanksgiving. Should we go here, or should we go there? Have people over, or contribute to someone else's big day? Ham or turkey? Totally from scratch side dishes, or partially homemade?

Last time on this blog, I shared my favorite pumpkin spice bread recipe. If you missed it, you can check it out here. I'm not sure if I'll make that, or pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream. Yum!

Everything's Better with Whipped Cream

Of course, it would be easier to get everything ready if I could just make some of the items a day or so ahead of time. There's just one (or should I say two!) problem(s) with that! You see, I have teenagers at home. Well, actually I have one teenage girl, and an almost teenage boy, but since the boy eats as much as a grown construction worker (or a black hole!), I count them both as teenagers. ;)

My Son Eats Like One of These!

Those of you with teenage boys in the house know... it's nearly impossible to keep delicious food in the kitchen. It tends to disappear within hours, if not minutes! Even the plain stuff goes missing. The other night I was going to make tacos, but all the tortillas were gone. When I confronted my son, he admitted he had eaten them, because they were "delicious." Mind you, we have plenty of bread in the house, but I guess it's easier to sneak a bag of tortillas than it is to hide a loaf of bread!

Luckily, I do have a couple of Thanksgiving items ready for my classroom, and these are things my son can't "disappear!"

Fun With Math 2-3 Digit 

Multiplication Center task Cards

The first includes this set of 2-3 Digit Multiplication Math Center Task Cards. They will provide my students with the multiplication practice they need, but allow them to do so independently. They also have adorable Fall and Thanksgiving graphics, which helps keep my students interested.

I also have a new Common Core inspired ELA and Math Print and Go Pack to keep my kiddos busy on standards-based, yet fun classwork. Since about 1/3 of my students will be gone that week, I don't want to introduce new material, but I need to have them practice the material I've already taught. I also need work to send with students who will be absent that week.

ELA and Math Print and Go Pack Thanksgiving and Fall Theme

Since this pack includes enough selections for Reading Comprehension (which I'll also use to have them develop Fluency), Writing, Vocabulary, and Math to last an entire week, the only things I'll have to plan will be when to pull my small groups. The pack even includes some fun puzzles for early finishers, as well as a Fraction Bingo Game for the whole class to play. (Can you say, "Parent Volunteer" anyone?)

I might even have time to catch up on some administrative tasks (a.k.a. paperwork), so that I don't have to take anything home over the break.

Finally, when I think they just need to get out of their seats for awhile and work off some of that pre-holiday energy, I'll use this set of Thanksgiving-Themed Class-Building Cards.

Thanksgiving Class-Building Cards

Students love these, and they help build classroom rapport. Kids get to talk to one another about their Thanksgiving traditions, which builds cultural sensitivity and awareness. Full directions are included.

Of course, after Thanksgiving comes Christmas, and then New Year's. Are you ready?

I would LOVE to hear about some of your plans!

Until next time!