Fraction Fun!

Hi All!  It's been super busy in first grade.  The year is winding down quickly (only 6 more days for us - crazy!), but I wanted to share a fun fraction activity that my students have LOVED!

To give a little background, we've been doing math stations along with guided math since March.  The first grade team was super lucky and, when our class sizes grew, two paraprofessionals were hired to support the four classrooms.  This means I got an extra teacher with me for half of the school day - yay!  Heather has been an incredible addition to my classroom and I'm so lucky to have her.  Having a second teacher in the classroom was a great way to get guided math and math stations going while ensuring every student participated in small group instruction every day.  The kids have enjoyed being able to work independently at fun math stations and it's been extremely helpful for differentiating math instruction.

We spent a few weeks in April and the beginning of May learning all about fractions.  We made fraction-pillars (thanks to a little inspiration from The First Grade Parade), divided shapes into fractions, and hunted for fractions in the world.  I wanted a fun fraction activity for the kids to be able to work on independently, so I created a game with a theme that everyone loves - pizza!

We introduced the "Spin-A-Pizza Fraction Game" to students during our small group instruction and the kids couldn't get enough of it.  They had fun using the spinners and adding fun toppings to their "pizzas."

 To play, the kids used a clear plastic spinner (or a pencil and paperclip would work) to spin a topping and a fraction.  Then, the kids put the toppings onto the correct pizza (halves, thirds, or fourths).  They recorded their results on the recording sheet.

I hope your students love this game too!

Enjoy the last few weeks of school.  I can't believe summer is almost here!

Let's Play!

Welcome to Our Primary Playground!  We are Carly and Jill, two primary grade teachers and sisters-in-law from Chicago.  After many months of joking about creating a blog together, we've finally taken the opportunity to get started over spring break (can we get a "what! what!" for spring break?!).  On Our Primary Playground, we hope to share some lesson ideas, activities, and just plain fun from our primary classrooms.  

Jill and Carly, sisters-in-law, teachers, and friends! :)

Here is a little bit about us:

Jill is in her ninth year of teaching.  She started out teaching fourth grade for a year and moved down to teach the little ones in kindergarten for two years.  She currently teaches first grade and has for the past six years.  She loves how much the kids learn and grow in first grade!

Carly is in her eighth year of teaching.  She started out teaching first grade for two years and has been teaching first/second multiage for the past six years.  She loves being able to get to know her little ones so well over two years!

To get this blog started off on the right foot, here's your first freebie from Jill. :)  Click on the image below to download a little silent e matching game from Jill's TPT store.  It's perfect for literacy centers!

If you're on spring break as well, we hope you have the opportunity to rest and relax with your loved ones.  We're looking forward to starting this journey together! :)