September's Character Trait is RESPONSIBILITY.

This month's trait focuses on helping students understand how to be responsible at school. Below you will find some quick and easy ways to integrate the trait into your everyday instruction.

Click here to view this month's trait poster. You will be receiving a color copy in your staff mailbox to display in your classroom also. Feel free to add this your classroom newsletter too!

These ideas come from the Courtney Flessner workshop on Number Sense & Equations. Most of these can be adapted for any grade level and are the perfect way to kick off daily math workshop. These games fit into the Number Work segment of a balanced math framework.

Provide students with a number and ask them to rename it in as many ways as possible, ie. 20 + 4, twenty-four, 12 x 2, 240/10, two dozen, 24 tally marks, three touchdowns plus 1 field goal, etc.

The teacher thinks of an equation. Kids give the teacher digits, and he/she inserts into the equation. Mark off numbers as they are used. (Like Hang-man, but with an equation.) Kids have to guess equation before getting 4 strikes.

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___ ___ + ___ ___ = ___ ___ ___

Provide a number line for the students. The teacher thinks of a number. Kids ask mathematical questions to narrow down the number. The teacher keeps a tally of how many guesses it takes. Cross out or eliminate answers on the number line.

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Example questions...Is it even or odd? Is it greater than 50? Are both digits even? Is it between ___ & ___?

Sentence stems to help students SHOW YOU THE EVIDENCE.

Click here to print a copy.

These would be great for an anchor chart and when you are modeling how to construct a response to text with your students.