Extreme Calendar Math!

I've always loved calendar math.  It's always been a staple in my classroom.  At first, when I first started teaching it "back in the day,"  it was your basic month, date, day of the week and okay we're done.  But through the years my calendar math obsession has evolved.  I've been able to use it to focus on math skills that my students needed constant review on.  This year, I've taken it to the next level.

Enter Extreme Calendar Math.

I don't use my wipe-off board, so the entire thing is dedicated to calendar math.  Now, I know you're thinking, "That must take her FOREVER!"  But really, once the kids get the hang of it, it takes 10 minutes, tops.  In addition, I'm not doing ALL the skills every day.  Let me explain:

 To start off, you're going to need 1 inch binders for each of your students.  I usually add this to the supply list and the parents bring them in.  I give them the cover page and they can decorate however they want.

I also add zipper pouches to the supply list.  The pouches hold a sharpened pencil, a dry erase marker, and a mini eraser.  For the erasers I just use those flat, round nail polish remover pads.

Now keep in mind that even though all your friends have this little zipper pouch to hold all their essentials, there WILL be those few that NEVER put their items back and will leave them on the floor.  Rather than calling out "WHOSE IS THIIISSS????"  I have a hot pink bucket where I throw the extra supplies that have been left on the floor.  My friends have been trained that rather than screaming in the middle of the lesson "I DON'T HAVE A MARKER!!!!"  they just go to the hot pink bucket.  And if they DO scream, there are a few students that always get annoyed and say, "HELL-O!!  BUCKET!!"

This calendar I got from Micheals.  I doesn't match with the rest of the calendar pieces I made and it drives me crazy.  If you know where I can find a black calendar, please let me know!

 We have specials first thing in the morning and literally have 10-15 minutes between the time the kids come into the room to when they have to leave.  I don't want them just hanging out.  So I decided that was the perfect time to fill in the space with a quick calendar math activity.  They come to the floor with their notebooks and we talk about the date, the digital date, what today is, what yesterday was, what tomorrow will be and what time it is (I change the times every day).

This page will eventually turn into a wipe off board.  Continue reading to see what I mean :)

While we talk about all these things, my friends are copying it down in their notebooks.

Later in the day, we do a math warm up.  This occurs right before whole group instruction.  I used colored Scotch tape to divide my board into sections.  

The very first thing we do is add the new date to our calendar.  They can do this quickly because we had discussed this earlier in the day.  Also, many of my friends go ahead and fill it in while they are waiting on others to get their things and get ready to go.

Then, we use this little bundle of joy to get our digit of the day.  This is what we use to count down the days of school.

We put the digit of the day in a white circle labeled "Digit of the Day."  We use this one digit to do a variety of things.

First, we record it on our "how many days" chart and we add a tally.

Then, we build it.  This is also a great way to reinforce counting on every day.  After we had 10, I put all of them back in the little container and acted like I was putting them all together to pull out the group of 10.  (They thought I was magic.)

I ran them on cardstock and after laminating them I put an adhesive magnet on the back.

I keep them in this little magnetic pouch right beside the "Build It" section.  Now that my friends have gotten the hang of it, they just grab it and automatically show the class how to count on from 10.

Then, we add one more to our ten frames.

Once our ten frame is filled up, we moooove it over to the tens place.  Once again, my helper of the day knows the drill and fills it in and counts on from 10.  These ten frames were also printed on cardstock and laminated for dry erase.

And what are my friends doing while we are manipulating the number of the day???

They are keeping track in their notebooks!  I ran these pages on heavy cardstock and had my school laminate them.  Now, instead of having to put new papers on their binders every day, they just wipe and go.  On this page, once they have filled in a ten frame, they can wipe it off and move it into the tens section.  The same goes for the digit of the day and writing the word and building it.

So our "digit of the day" is a daily routine that we don't miss out on.  But other things we do only certain days of the week.  For instance:

Monday's is our fact family day.  I usually am the one that comes up with these numbers but my friends have to compose the equations.

I start with lower numbers in the beginning and once they build their knowledge of this skill, I'll use two-digit numbers.  Sorry about the glare!  But you get the point!

Tuesdays is True or False.

I'll give them two equations on a post it.  The helper of the day has to tell me which is true and which is false and tell me WHY.

In their notebooks, they follow along, recording the answers.

Wednesdays is "Show me the Number!"  We draw a number out of the bucket and we find all the ways to represent that digit.  It can be anything from equations, to tallies to circles.

Thursdays we do "Order Up!"

This little pouch holds numbers 1 - 100.  Early on in the year I only keep numbers 1-50.

Usually what I do is just take out four numbers and hang them up to save on time.  My helper of the day puts them in order from least to greatest or greatest to least.

And they record...

And then on Friday we choose another number from the bucket...

We write the number in the middle and decompose that number.

We also take another number out (or you can just use the same one), we put it in the middle where it says "numeral" and I ask, "What is two more than twenty?  What is two less than twenty?"  Some days I'll pick 5 more or 10 more.  Whatever they are ready for.

Whew!  So THAT is my Extreme Calendar Math!  I actually timed it the other day and it only took about 9 minutes.  And we are getting through the third week of school! 

How do you do calendar math?