Math Shutterfolds

Today was pretty awesome. I felt a little like a Jedi master at one point. I started to realize that I was talking louder and louder because the kids were talking louder and louder. All my years of wisdom and experience had kind of abandoned me for some reason over the past week and all of my little tricks were just not coming to me. Instead I found myself using this crazy loud voice to get their attention. Today I came to my senses and got a grip. I started to talk much softer and much slower and make them respond to me, instead of me responding to their noise level by raising mine. It's something I've done in the past, nothing earth shattering, but it totally works. The softer I talked, the quieter they were. Gotta remember to slow my roll with this group.

Yesterday we did this quickie little math project just to be sure they understood all the different ways to represent a number. It was just a little shutterfold activity and they got pretty creative with them.

That was yesterday morning. Then first thing today two of my super cuties ran over to me to show me what they did yesterday after school. How cute is this?! They remembered how to fold the paper, they cut it and everything and made their own version!

Yeah, big fans of The Biebs. Not only is this cute as can be but it's also a pretty darn good activity to do with the whole class to generate writing ideas! I'm actually going to use this as a center activity next week. The girls are just over the moon that "their" idea is going to be used by the whole class! The fact that they remembered the activity and then applied it on their own at home seriously just made my day. Moments like those are what keeps you going sometimes.

For some other great foldable ideas, check out this linky at Laura Candler's Corkboard Connections!