Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Magical Product Swap - Round 4!

I am so excited to be participating in Jessica Stanford's 4th Magical Product Swap.  I always look forward to participating in this blogging event because it gives me the chance to peek into someone else's store, and try out some great, new teaching materials with my students.

So, happily enough, I was paired again with my "Swap Friends" Katie and Lisen from Second Grade Smartypants.  You might remember that last time,  I had the pleasure of reviewing their Fourteen Common Core Math Games for Second Grade. (Loved it!) Well, these ladies could not be any sweeter, and every time I go back to their store, they have even more wonderful items, especially if you are looking for things aligned to the Common Core.  They also have a great blog for you to follow. 

This time, I chose to review their Common Core Second Grade Language Arts and Math Homework-4th Quarter Bundle, and I have to say that I love this bundle! Here's why:



First of all, this set contains 10 weeks of Common Core Language Arts and Math work that can be used for homework or morning work. (I choose to use this as daily classwork because our homework routine is pretty much set.)  Each week contains 4 days of work. There is a half sheet of math, and a half sheet of Language Arts work for each day.  But, get this, my kids loved it so much that they demanded a full sheet after Day 1!  So, to please them, and to make sure we got the full flavor of the activities within this bundle, I copied a full sheet of math on one side,and a full side of Language Arts on other. 



We normally did the Language Arts in the morning after our SIPPS Rotations.  Some of the activities included editing sentences, looking at spelling patterns, alphabetical order, synonyms, antonyms, author's purpose...and my favorite, and the most timely, inferring practice!  This really could not have worked out better if I had created this product myself.  Katie and Lisen included some short, scenarios/stories with lots of great text clues. The stories were designed carefully, so that they included common/familiar topics, allowing kids to really use their schema to make their inference.  You can see that my students highlighted the text clues in each story, as well.  My students felt super successful with this new skill using Katie and Lisen's product.  Yay!



After lunch, the kids and I would work on the math side of the sheet.  Math topics for this bundle included fractions, graphing, multiplication, measurement, and division.  Once again, impeccable timing as we prepare for our state assessment in about a week!  EEK!  

I loved that the graphing sheets used phrasing that my students will see on the test like, "How many more..."  Oh, that one can get so tricky!  I also appreciated that not only do the sheets provide great practice, but especially in the case of the multiplication and division sheets, really focused on revealing students' conceptual understanding.  LOVE!



I know you will appreciate their attention to detail, as they have provided a list of the Common Core Standards addressed for each day, Answer Keys for each sheet, and covers for a common core language arts homework book or morning work book. I already have my next week's packets ready to go for Monday!



This is a very practical and easy to use product.  Better yet, Katie and Lisen have the same bundle available for the other three quarters, too.  You can find them in their TPT store, HERE.  

If you are a new visitor to my blog, I hope you will consider following me.  You can also stay connected by liking my Facebook page, HERE!

Ok, I am stepping down now.  Don't forget to stop by their blog, and check out their review of my Multiplication - Circles and "Spring Things" Practice Book. You can click on the product cover below to check it out!




Click on the button below to check out some other great product reviews.

MrsStanfordsClass


Happy Saturday!

4 comments:

  1. Sorry, this is an unrelated post...but I had to stop by and tell you that I just figured out that your back to school packet was my FIRST tpt purchase ever! Back when I bought it, I had no idea the connection would come back again. Cool! P.S. I LOVED the pack!

    Alyssha
    Teaching and Tapas: 2nd Grade in Spain

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    Replies
    1. Alyssha,

      Really?!!!! Thanks Alyssha, for sharing that little tidbit. Smiling from ear to ear today. Absolutely love your store and blog, BTW.

      Nicole :)

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  2. Nicole, Thank you for sharing this great product! Anything CC aligned that makes my job easier is awesome! I am thrilled to find another second grade teacher from California. I am happy to be a new follower.
    -Jaime
    Bright Concepts 4 Teachers

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    Replies
    1. You are so welcome, Jaime. I am so happy to have you as a part of our blog family. Just wondering, how far along is your district with the Common Core? We are just starting next year with ELA. I feel like California is so behind.

      Nicole

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