My Newly Designed Sports-Themed Classroom

This year I totally revamped my classroom (at the last minute, as I sometimes do). We had a fabulous start to the new year and the students were thrilled with the new classroom vibe. 

Some of the things I did to make it special:

First, I created a whole vibe with different sports ball paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I purchased a soccer field rug to place under my table. I got a basketball hoop that I mounted to my whiteboard. It will be perfect for games. 

At open house, I passed out our team playbook. This was definitely a labor of love and completely matched our theme. The students and families each got one of these to take home. It told all about the classroom and me as their coach (teacher). It told about some of the special ways we will celebrate together. 

For a welcome back, I gave each student a little soccer pouch that was filled with snacks. I placed a World Cup Little Debbie snack cake inside as well as a bag of Pirate's Booty.  These were so fun and the class loved them. On a side note, my dad went to school with the real Little Debbie...Debbie McKey. So fun!

For birthdays, I have tall plastic soccer cups with straws that I will pass out. inside each one will be a soccer ring pop as well as a sports pencil and eraser. They are super cute. This coming week I will be giving these out to all of my summer birthdays. Can't wait to see their reaction to that. 

We are using a mini-economy, so even the classroom money has a sports theme. We are using "All Star Dollars." Each money amount has a different sports featured with an equal amount of female and male athletes. 

It's going to be a great year! I hope your year is just as great.

Math Game Monday: Place Value I-Spy

I am back again to introduce you to another place value game for Math Game Monday. I LOVE this one. It gets the energy flowing with my students and gets them excited. Place Value I-Spy is a fun and easy way to practice those place value skills of the three different number forms: standard, expanded, and word. 

Students start by putting the large board together to form a rectangle. They each choose some sort of colored counter, different from the other players, to mark their spaces on the board. Then they shuffle the deck of cards and place it upside down. The students will then take turns flipping one card at a time and trying to be the first to spy the answer on the board. Whoever finds it first will place one of their counters on that space on the board. 

Students continue flipping cards one at a time and finding the matching answer on the board. Whoever finds the most answers wins the game. 

This is such a fun game that can be played with one partner or even a small group. 

Be sure to snag this one right away for the school year. Your students will enjoy it so much!

You can find it right here.

How I Teach Multi-Grades: Tips & Tricks

The other day, a teacher acquaintance on Instagram mentioned that she was going to be teaching in a multi-grade classroom this year. I reached out to encourage her and tell her that it is not as hard as it might seem and that I have taught in multi-grade for 27 of my 29 years. She asked me a little bit about it and I was able to give her some advice. So then I thought maybe this would be a great thing to share here on my blog. 

A Little Background on my Experience Growing Up

When I went to school, it was at a small two-room school that included all grades from 1-9. I went there for all nine years before moving to a more traditional classroom. The class sizes were generally small and it was a nice "family" atmosphere in the school. Everyone knew everyone. The teacher would rotate us through our lessons one grade at a time. It was great for kids who were ahead, like me because my first year I was able to do reading class with the second grade class since I was not a beginner like most. Kids who needed extra reinforcement could also get help by doing class with the younger kids. It just seemed normal to me. 

 College Life

In college, I began my studies as an elementary education major. It was assumed that when I graduated, I would get a job for the same private school system I had gone to since first grade through college. This system is the largest parochial system (next to the Catholics) and has schools world-wide. Most schools are small one or two teacher schools with a few larger schools in big cities. 

My First Teaching Placement 

I began my teaching career at a small three teacher school in Delaware. That year I started with seven students (which grew to nine second semester). I taught first-third grades. I also had fourth grade for a couple of classes. My multi-grade teaching experience started right out of the gate and continued for most of my teaching career. There have been just two years that I have taught one grade level...second grade. 

How do you Teach Multi-Grade?

If you are not used to it, this can sound like a super complex and even foreign concept. The secret is there are many schools that purposely use this model, including pricy Montessori, private schools, and even some public schools. So it is definitely NOT unheard of. 

I currently teach a combo class of third-fifth grades and quite a bit about those levels goes together nicely. 

First, there's the math. In my grade levels the curriculum basically follows the same plan. Students begin with place value & rounding, move to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Then they go on to fractions, area/perimeter/volume, measurements and conversions, geometry, etc. The great thing is that I can teach the same topics for each grade level and just go a little deeper and deeper as the levels go up. Many classrooms use the structure of small groups and in multi-grade teaching that is a MUST. I give each math class about 20-30 minutes with me and then they move into independent work. That also means that I must have math centers that they can work at when they are not with me, or when they are done with their work or are waiting for their class. I have a whole post about math centers over here.

I do the same for reading. In a regular single-grade classroom, students do not read on the same level and so that is where reading groups come into play. Students are grouped according to level and taught for 15-20 minutes at a time while the rest of the class practices through the use of centers. The same is in play in a multi-grade classroom. It is great that advanced students can be bumped up to more challenging groups and students who are struggling can be placed in groups for remediation. It just works. 

In writing, I teach one writing class, but differentiate the expectations for third, fourth, and fifth grade levels. I do not expect the same quality of writing out of a third grader that I would from a fifth grader. Spelling and handwriting activities are done generally independently. Third grade starts handwriting with me since they are learning cursive, but as the year progresses, it moves to a more independent activity. 

For the rest of the classes, we do a rotation. One year students do 3rd grade Bible, social studies, and science. The next year they do the 4th grade and the final year in my room they do the 5th grade. The topics are similar enough that even if they do not finish in our system, they continue to circle back to many of the same topics year after year, and it is not a huge deal.  

That's how it works. Not too bad. It is very similar to a regular classroom with just a few adjustments. 

Benefits of a Multi-Grade Classroom

It is crazy to me how some people view multi-grade classrooms as somehow less than. It is completely a myth. There are actually many proven benefits to this system. 

• Peer-to-Peer learning: Younger students learn more by listening to older students and older students are reinforced in their learning by listening to the younger students.
• Flexible Pacing: Students do not have to be held strictly to grade-level content. They can bump up if they are ready or get extra time if needed.
• Pre-Teaching and Re-Teaching: Students in these classrooms get continuous exposure to upcoming and past topics. This helps to build stronger comprehension.
• Strong Leadership: Older students mentor the younger ones. This boosts their confidence and sense of responsibility. 
• Better Social Skills: In a mixed-age classroom, competitive pressure is reduced. There is a sense of family, and it is more cooperative.
• Reduced Anxiety: Students feel less pressure which can lead to a healthier emotional well-being. It can reduce behavior issues. 
• Extended Relationships: Students and families get to work with the same teachers for multiple years enhancing the student/teacher/parent relationships and allowing a deeper understanding of how each child learns and what he/she needs.
• Real-World Environment: Classrooms mirror the real-world. Just as future jobs will have many people of different ages, students in multi-age classrooms have the opportunity to learn to work with other children of differing ages.   

Math Game Monday: Place Value to the Thousands Place

I am always surprised each year at just how difficult students find place value to be. To me, it seems straight forward, but to them, well...they just struggle. That's why I LOVE to use learning games to get students engaged and practicing these important place value skills. This game is quick and easy, can be played multiple ways, and is very low prep. 

One way you can play this is as a scoot game. Place one card on each desk. If you do not have enough desks, you can place the rest around the room wherever you choose. Give each student a recording sheet. They will be given 30 seconds to 1 minute at each of the spots. As they rotate, they take their scoot sheet with them and record each answer on the matching spot. When the students have visited each spot, they are done. 

Another way that I love to play this is with whiteboards. I give each student a whiteboard, read the clues aloud, and have them try to figure out my mystery number. I love involving the whole class in this activity. It is fun and easy. 

You could also do this around the room (tape them to the walls and allow students to walk around answering and writing down their answers. You could have students work on these in centers or even small groups as well. There are so many ways you can use them.

This game comes with 24 mystery number cards. Students simply follow the clues, writing down one digit at a time until they have written the entire number. 

I love simple games that involve my entire class. This is one of those games. What are you waiting for? Give it a try this year. You can find it right here. 

Math Game Monday: Multiplication I-Spy

Need a fast-paced, competitive math game for your students to practice their multiplication facts? This I-Spy game is all of that! Your students will be racing to be the first to find the products to the equations on the card. Fact fluency is simple and fun with this easy to prep game. 

How to Play Multiplication I-Spy

Start by printing out the boards and cards. Arrange the boards to make a large rectangle. Shuffle and place the cards upside down. Take turns flipping a card for all to see. Everyone will race to be the first to find the product on the spy-themed board. When someone finds it, they will cover it with a counter. Each player will have a different color of counter. Students can play this with a partner or a small group. 

Continue taking turns flipping cards and covering products until all the cards are gone or time is out. Each player should count their counters. The winner is whoever has the most. It's as simple as that!

Where I can Find Multiplication I-Spy

If you would like to purchase this game for your own class, check it out at this link. This game comes in full color or blackline to save ink. 

3 Things I Wish I Knew my First Year of Teaching

If I were to become a time traveler and travel back to my first year of teaching 1998-1999, I would tell that bright-eyed, dream-filled young teacher a few things. Here's what I would share. 

1. Spend a Lot of Time Teaching, Practicing, and Reinforcing Rules, Routines, and Procedures 

For a smooth year, you will need to keep a tight control on these. Set them up during the first week of school. Practice and practice some more until your students can do what you need them to do correctly. Practice again after every break, especially after long ones. You will be surprised at what students forget.

2. Once expectations are set, DO NOT let things slide. If you do, you will lose credibility and before you know it, you will be putting out behavior and procedure fires all day. For procedures, if your students do not do something in the way they were taught, stop and have them practice. If a rule is broken, start your consequences. Here's a look at mine.

First Offence: Stop Card - this is like a warning, only better because students must walk to my board and physically take a card back to their desk, placing it on top. This is a visual reminder for them to change their behavior.

Second Offense: Sideline - Students take a break at a designated spot in the classroom. They get themselves together and may rejoin the class by raising their hand when they feel ready. I generally allow them to choose their time to return unless they raise their hand right away or if they are visually not ready (still having a meltdown or upset looking). When they have their hand raised I will quietly allow them to return to their seat when I agree that they are ready.

Third Offense: Think Time - My students must fill out a behavior sheet to think about what they are doing and what they should be doing. They document what they will do when they return. I usually have them go out of my room and into another class (I have made arrangements with that teacher ahead of time) to fill out the form. 

Fourth Offense: Note Home - If students need a fourth reminder, they will receive a note home to explain that they are needing extra support to meet the behavior standards of the class. 

3. Third, I wish I knew that no matter what you do, how hard you work, the hours you spend, or any other variable, some parents will still be upset. It seems every year the class loves you, and occasionally one parent seems to be on a completely different page. Their expectations are sky-high, above and beyond the limits that a teacher should or could meet. You will have some of those parents over the course of your career. It feels like it derails you, but don't let it get to you. Shake it off and remember, you can please most people most of the time, but you will never please every person all of the time. It's not you...it's them. Don't let it get to you and make you feel like an inadequate teacher because that is far from the truth. 

I hope you keep these in mind, even if you are not a new teacher. Sometimes a few reminders can help all of us, myself included. 

 

Math Game Monday: Nacho Math-o

Are you struggling to get your students to master their multiplication facts? Try out this super fun, fact fluency game with your class. The colorful vibe and engaging theme help get students excited about learning. 

This is quick and easy to set up. Just print, cut out the boards, and you are ready to go. I would suggest laminating if you plan to use this from year-to-year. Once students are ready to play, they will each choose a board. Each board features one multiplication fact set. Students will spin the spinner, multiply by the number in the center of the board and place a counter on the board over the number that shows the product (I used these super cute taco erasers). Students will continue to take turns until one player fills up their entire board. Whoever fills their board first wins the game. 

Nacho Math-o is a fun game that can be played with partners or small groups. This makes them the perfect game to play for centers. While you, the teacher, works in a small group, keep your students learning with exciting games to hone their skills. 

Be sure to pick up your own copy of this game. You can find the link right here. 

Purchases I Made for my Classroom & Professional Development this Summer

If you're anything like me, your wheels are always spinning and the teacher in you never shuts off. That's why every summer I find myself getting inspiration and collecting things from the places I've been and things I've seen. Here's a look at things I have purchased over the past few weeks of summer for my class or for myself (I love teacher books). 

First up is this super cute calculator. I love the colors. I love the tall oversized buttons. And this will eliminate my problem of leaving my calculator at home or at school when I need it most. Now I can leave my old one in one place and my new one in another. And yes, I know my phone can also be a calculator, but I am usually using another screen with a video or music and do not like going back and forth...or my screen turns off causing me to have to log in again, so no, I am not going to use my phone calculator on a regular basis for grading. This ne is just the perfect one for me. 

This summer we traveled to Buffalo Bill's mansion and gravesite. I picked up these arrowheads because I know that we will be learning Native American history and I thought this would get my class excited about their learning. I purchased enough for each child to have one.

At another historic spot, I purchased a little container of fool's gold. This will be great to give out when we learn about the gold rush in social studies. Again, instant buy in. 

Teacher PD books are my downfall. I wanted to learn more about the science of reading. I did a bit of research and found these three books on Amazon. 

A lot of these have been on my wish list and they can be pricy. However, this summer when I dropped my daughter off for college, a bookstore nearby had all of these. Most of them were 75 cents. But a couple were more expensive. None was more than $3.

These are some chapter books I found. We LOVE Andrew Clements and his books. And these were two that I was thinking we did not have. I also picked up this graphic novel to read and see if it was good for my class (it isn't). They LOVE graphic novels. And I picked up the other one to broaden my religious book section (since I teach in a Christian school). 

 

Last year, I started collecting books, for my math center, that featured different math standards. I found these books at the used bookstore for mostly less than $1.50 each. These will be a great addition. 

I am a paper planner girlie and this one was calling my name. I love the clipboard, the pattern, and inside there is space for 3 daily to-dos and a water drinking tracker, which I am all about right now. 

That's my summer haul so far. I have a few more items on my list for decor, so stay tuned to see my new classroom theme. 
 

Math Game Monday: Rounding Round Up

Rounding is a vital skill to math success. Beginning in third grade, students start to learn the ins and outs of rounding to the 10s and 100s places. One great way to get students excited to learn and keep them practicing and honing their skills is through games. Rounding games perfect for doing all of this. 

Rounding Games for Third Grade

Every time I have a challenging math skill, I love to create activities that bring it to life, make it hands-on, and help students enjoy learning. One of my favorite ways to do this is by creating math center games for different required math standards. 

In this set of math games, students will practice rounding to the nearest ten and hundred. This set of games has a cohesive theme (western/rodeo) making them fun to play. There are 5 different games to help students solidify this important skill. I find that even students in higher grades can benefit from this game. Rounding is a challenge for most students and that can happen in any level. 

Setting Up Place Value Games

You will need to print and cut out the games. I always suggest laminating because it can significantly grow a games' lifespan from just one or two years to many, many years. While this is not a requirement, and adds prep time, in the long run it will save time because you can use this game for many years to come. 

What You Get in the Rounding Game bundle

You will get 5 games for just $5! That's $1.00 each, just a tiny investment with a huge payoff. 

 Here are the games you will receive.

•  Rounding Round UP
• Rounding Race
• Round 'em Up
• Round Up Four
• Rounding Rodeo: An I-Spy Game

For more information, and to get your students growing in their place value skills, follow the link here. 

How I Get my Students to Master their Multiplication Facts

Every single teacher in the upper elementary classroom has a common struggle, and that is getting students to memorize their multiplication facts. We KNOW the difference it will make in the long term, but lets face it, it is laborious and in many cases BORING for your students. 

Memorizing multiplication facts does matter in the long run. I know that some people are on team "just build understanding" and don't worry about team "memorize your facts". But...I am here to tell you that if your students memorize their facts, it will be a game changer for them in not only multiplication but also division, fractions, decimals, algebra, and more throughout their schooling. 

Here's what I like to do that builds success in my classroom. 

Build Understanding of What Multiplication is

If you have third graders, but this could also apply to any grade level with weak multiplication skills, you should definitely build an understanding of what multiplication is and how it works. Some great ways to do this are by using the following strategies:

• Arrays
• Equal groups
• Repeated addition
• Skip counting
• Number lines

Teach Multiplication Fact Families in a Strategic Order

One way you can do this is to begin with the simpler facts first. This is a good way to order the facts as your students memorize them. 

• x0
• x1
• x2
• x10
• x5
• x11
• x9
• x4
• x3
• x6
• x8
• x7
• x12

Zeros are the easiest because anything times zero is zero. After that, 1's are next because whenever you multiply by one, the answer is always the other factor in your equation. Most students who are coming into third grade already have some knowledge of counting by 2's, 10's and 5's, so that makes these facts easier to target near the beginning of the order. Then I slowly build. Another thing to point out here is that when your students are learning their facts, another way you can do it is to introduce the fact with the factors in both orders. For instance, if a student is learning their 2's facts, they can learn that 2x3=6 and that 3x2=6. This is an example of the communitive property and can lesson the amount of facts they have to learn when they get to the higher numbers, because they will have already memorized several just by focusing on the communitive property as they go along. 

Practice for a Short Amount of Time Each Day 

Here's what this can look like. 

• 1 minute fact sheet timing (most of my students really love these, but for those who do not, that is OK, because this is just one part of how we practice.) 
• Partner practice (I have my students practice a facts list aloud with a partner. They say the facts and answers in order as many times as they can in one minute. The partner acts as a checker and stops and corrects them as they go along. Then they switch.)
• Multiplication Games (During small groups, my students practice multiplication games with a partner or in small groups. They can practice while focusing on just one set of multiplication facts or as they build their skills, I have games that have a mixed group of facts.) 

The key is to be consistent in your routine. A consistent time each day can build skills faster and help students retain them as well. Be sure to revisit previously learned sets. A good way to do this would be to keep fact cards for each set that has been memorized in a file box or baggie for each student. Every day they can go through those quickly in 2-5 minutes and with an answer on the back of each card, they can self-check.

Focus on the Hard Facts

Students often struggle most with these facts:

• x6
• x7
• x8

A great way to motivate them to memorize their 6s and 7s is to use the current 6-7 trend. There's just something about that that just gets kids excited. You could challenge students to memorize those two sets in just 6-7 days. Have a fun little party at the end for those who make it. Here are some easy (and cheap) 6-7 party ideas.

• Get giant 6 and 7 balloons. Have students take their picture with the 6 and 7 for the 6-7 multiplication hall of fame. Be sure to post their pictures and send one home. 
• Serve Sixlets as a snack
• Make trail mix from 7 items
• Drink 7UP

To make the 8s facts easier, you can build on the previous knowledge. If they know their 4s times tables, they can simply double those answers. For instance 4x4=16. 8X4 =16 doubled, which is 32. 

Celebrate Growth Instead of Perfection

• Personal best charts
• Class goals
• Sticker rewards
• Mystery prizes
• Fact master certificates

Celebrate improvement, not just speed. Some of my students really struggle with speed and can get discouraged. So don't forget those who are improving. Maybe last time they solved 25 facts in the minute timing and this time they solved 30...that is worth celebrating!

The Resource that Saves Me Time

A few years ago, I sat down and created a system for teaching my students that included lots of different ways for them to practice. I kept the learning styles in mind when creating this and focused in on different styles for the different activities. I also wanted it to be a fun theme that students could really get excited about. So, I created a resource that is a Multiplication Spy School Challenge. Students work to master their facts, set-by-set, with a fun set of spy activities, earning badges along the way to solve a mystery. At the end we have Spy School graduation with certificates for all the multiplication spies. It truly is a lot of fun and it saves time in planning out the activities or having to create them. If you want to save yourself the time and trouble, check out the resources by clicking on the links below. 

Multiplication Spy Academy Learning System - 

Comes with a free multiplication center game (Find Five)

I-Spy Multiplication Game

Math Game Monday: Multiplication Draw and Trace

Welcome to Math Game Monday!

If you are anything like me, you realize that students learn best when they are actively engaged in their learning. That's the main reason why I am excited to introduce my Math Game Monday - a weekly series that will be filled up with fun, easy to prep math games for students in 3rd-5th grades. These games will help students practice and review important skills and they can actually start enjoying math.

Each Monday I will share a classroom-tested game that is perfect for not only math centers, but can be used in small groups, with a partner, or for early finishers. You will find out just how easy these games can be to set up, encourage meaningful math conversations along the way, and give students plenty of opportunities to build confidence in their math skills.

In whatever you are teaching, whether it is place value, multiplication, division, fractions, or decimals, my goal is to give you engaging activities that will save you time and keep your students excited about math. 

So, grab a drink, bookmark this series, and check back each and every Monday for a new game your students will ask to play again and again. Here's to making math the most anticipated part of the week!

This Week's Featured Math Game:

Multiplication Draw and Trace

This is a really simple game that is highly engaging and easy to differentiate. There are lots of options for this game. 

How to Play Multiplication Draw & Trace

Committing the multiplication facts to memory is so important for math. There are many ways you can play this game. The game comes with all the different multiplication sets form 1-12. Each board focuses on one set. 

1. Play Independently

This is a perfect game for students to play alone, making it great for early finishers. Students choose the set of multiplication facts they are currently working on memorizing, add a one minute timer (I like the little sand timer that I purchased in the Target Dollar Spot) and they are ready to go. The student will mix up the cards, flip their timer, and begin flipping cards one at a time. Each card has an equation and when flipped, the student should locate the product, to that equation, on their board. When found, they will use a whiteboard marker to trace over that product. The student will continue to flip and trace until the timer runs out, or they complete their entire board. If they can complete the whole board before the timer runs out, the student wins. 

2. Play with a Partner

When playing with a partner, it is easy to differentiate. Students can each choose the board of the multiplication fact set they are working on. The sets can be different, or they can even work on the same set if you print multiples of each set. Both students will mix their own stack of cards, placing them upside down. On "GO" students will begin flipping one card at a time, finding the product and tracing it. Students continue to flip and trace until one student completes their entire board. The student who completes their board first is the winner. 

3. Play with a Group

To play with a group, each student will choose their own board. Choose the multiplication set they ware currently working to learn. Different students can have different sets or the same (if you have multiples of each set). Each student will mix up their cards, placing them face down. On "GO" each student will flip their top card and work as quickly as possible to find the matching product, trace it, and continue flipping and tracing until one student finishes their board. That student is the winner.

4. Play with your Whole Class

This version is great as a review when students have a good understanding of the basic facts 1-12. Students will each be given a game set (board with matching cards) and a marker. The teacher will set a 1 minute timer. Students will mix their cards and on "GO" everyone will race to flip and trace the products on their board. The goal of this version is to finish before the timer runs out, so you can have multiple winners. If you choose, you could have students slide around the classroom from seat to seat playing multiple times with different fact sets. 

Why Multiplication Draw and Trace is a great classroom game

This game is super simple for students to learn. There are multiple ways to play. You can fully differentiate this game to meet the needs of your students, making it the perfect level for all. 

How to Prep the Game: Multiplication Draw and Trace

First, print out each board and set of cards. I made the cards in a grid, so they are quick and easy to cut apart. This saves time for busy teachers. I printed two sets of each so two students could work on the same set of multiples if needed. One tip I would give is to laminate if possible. This will allow your game to last for years, saving a lot of time in the long run. Place each game set in its own large one-gallon bag to keep them organized. I store mine in hanging folders in a crate for easy access. I sort my games by multiplication fact and store each fact set in a separate folder that is labeled with the fact number. 

To view a small video of this game or to purchase it, follow this link.

 

 

 

Score Big with Soccer-Themed Learning During the World Cup

Right now, FIFA (the World Cup) is creating a buzz across this country and around the world. Soccer fans are glued to TV sets or (the lucky ones) are visiting one of the many fields to catch a game in person. Even people who are not soccer fans, are stopping and taking notice of this global phenomenon. Soccer is shrinking the world by bringing us together. The World Cup is giving us images of incredible perseverance, teamwork, and of course bringing a spotlight to the different cultures around the world. 

I love to take something like this and harness the excitement by bringing it into my classroom for the engagement factor. My favorite Soccer-Themed book (that is PREFECT for the World Cup ...and beyond) is The Floating Field. 

1. Why The Floating Field is a perfect read aloud during the World Cup

The book, The Floating Field, is set in the country of Thailand. A group of boys are absolutely obsessed with soccer. But their problem is that they live in a floating village and so there is not enough room to play soccer. And so the boys work together to come up with a plan. They persevere through hardships to create an ideal field for their situation and form a soccer team of their own. 

This book is rich in culture. Students will learn about the Thai. Another important thing this book teaches is perseverance. When people in the village do not believe in the boys they continue to persevere until they make their dream a reality and even after, they still continue to persevere through building a team. There are also themes of community as well as creativity. I just cannot not say enough great things about this book. If you do not own this book and do not want to purchase be sure to check to see if your local library has it, or you could even pop up a read aloud version on YouTube. 

My students absolutely love this book for many reasons. Automatically they connect with it over the game of soccer. To see that it is a universal pastime and that children in other countries, that maybe students have never even heard of, are also engaging in this game bring a strong sense of cultural diversity and unity. Students connect with the fact that at the beginning the adults did not necessarily believe in them. And for anyone who has dreamed big you will always have doubters. Students connect with the feel-good ending...even if you do not win, you know the journey was worth it. The camaraderie, teamwork that is built along the way, and the community fill us with a sense of pride. 

2. Classroom Discussion Questions

Here are some great classroom discussion questions that you can use with The Floating Field.

Why was having a soccer field so important? 

What obstacles did the boys face?

How did teamwork solve problems? 

How did the setting affect the story?

What would you have done differently? 

How does this story connect to the World Cup? 

3. Cross Curricular Connections

This book is a great book to use and making connections across the curriculum. Here's some ideas for connecting this book to different subject areas. 

Reading- 

Focus in on the following during and after reading.

Character traits 

Main idea 

Setting 

Theme

Text evidence 

Character analysis: changes over time 

Read biographies about famous soccer players

Writing-

Create a soccer trading card about a famous player. 

Science-

Floating and sinking- 

I love to do an experiment with a floating and sinking egg. You start by putting an egg in plain water and notice that it sinks. And then you add salt to the water and that makes the egg float. Students can use this activity to practice the scientific method.

Density-

Another activity I like to do with this book is to create a floating rainbow density table. Basically you have different cups of water with different colors for the rainbow in each cup. Then you mix in differing amounts of sugar, in each cup, to create different densities. Then you pour the same amount of liquid from each cup into a graduated cylinder starting with the densest color first, red, and working your way up to the least dense color last. And then your students will be able to see a rainbow of color that is not mixing. It just blows their minds. Again, I use this to reinforce the scientific method

STEM-

This is a crowd favorite in my classroom. Students use recyclables to create their own miniature floating soccer field. We test the fields in a bucket of water and celebrate our wins.

Geography 

Map skills- 

Find Thailand on a map. Students can even create a map of this country and pinpoint the floating city on the map. 

Weather:

Compare and contrast the average tempreatures in Thailand to the temperatures in your own location. 

Learn about the culture of Thailand through videos, nonfiction books, as well as food or entertainment. 

Math

Graphing-

Students could graph the weather data that they learned in the geography section. 

Measurement-

Measure the weight each floating field in the STEM project can hold without sinking.

Compare the length and width of different soccer fields.

Have a soccer kickoff and measure the length of each student's kicks. 

Factors in Multiples-

Students could find all the possible arrangements for floating platforms of different sizes. 

Elapsed Time-

Students could find the elapsed time for various soccer matches. They could calculate arrival times based on the time that it takes to get to the game. They could calculate how long halftime is. 

Multiplication-

Students could build arrays based on number of players on a team. For a more advanced take, they could calculate the total number of bamboo poles or floating barrels are needed to build the field. Students could find the number of people in a stadium, given the seats in each section and the number of sections. You could give them some multiplication soccer-themed word problems or task cards. 

Fractions-

Students could figure out things like:

If 3/8 of the field is underwater, what fraction is playable?

What fraction of the spectators are cheering for each team?

Geometry-

Find right, acute, and obtuse angels in a soccer field diagram.

SEL-

Have students do some goal setting. This works especially well at the beginning of the year or in January.

Work on soft skills with your students like cooperation, problem solving, and determination. 

4. Extend the Learning with a Soccer Activity

After reading the book, it was a natural slide into activities with a soccer theme. My students were still all-in. 

The activities that I chose reinforced important grade-level skills. Not only that, but they are relatively easy to prep. And they are perfect for using during or after the World Cup. 

STEM Activity:

Reading comprehension, goal setting, & soccer player trading cards 

Floating Field STEM activity

Goal Setting

Soccer player trading cards

Floating and sinking experiment following the scientific process

Floating Rainbow activity following the scientific process

If you are looking for a companion activity guide to go with the book The Floating Field, look no further. This resource will save you the time and trouble of creating your own activities...and we all know how busy teachers are. You can pick this unit up right now by clicking here.