Ep 3: 5 Amazon Must Haves for the Math Classroom!

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Hello and welcome to Making Number Sense Makes Sense, a podcast for elementary teachers,

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specifically early elementary teachers, looking to really make an impact in the number sense

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of their students. Before I jump into the wish list, I just want to give out this little

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disclaimer that I don't think in any way shape or form that you as a teacher should

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have to buy things for your classroom. I think that it's a problem in the system that teachers

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have to spend so much on their own classrooms, but I have had an increase in parents asking me

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if I have an Amazon wish list or PTAs wanting to collect teachers Amazon wish lists so that families

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who would like to contribute to the classroom know what the teacher actually wants and what may

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be useful for their students. There are times where you have a few extra dollars to spend or

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the PTA gave you like a hundred dollars spent in your classroom and you're thinking what do I get?

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Well I'm going to share with you five Amazon finds that are amazing for that exact purpose that can

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be used in lots and lots of different contexts. The first thing is numeral dice. Now I know that

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you probably use normal dice in your classroom all the time, but numeral dice are something that you

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should definitely consider. Now with numeral dice or dice with numbers on, they have sets that go up

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to 20. There's lots of different ranges so it can be used for so many different math stations or

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centers that you're doing or even language art centers if you just need a dice that has more

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options to it. A little tip when you're searching, I will link below some dice that I really like, but

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when you're searching you need to look for the Dungeons and Dragons style dice instead of the

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Education style dice for some reason. For some reason the Education dice are more expensive

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than the Dungeons and Dragons one and they have fun colors which your kids will really really enjoy.

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And along the same vein of dice, there are the 10 frame foam dice or 5 frame 10 frame and 20

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frame foam dice. Another great great resource for your students to use and they can be used in lots

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and lots of different contexts for lots and lots of different stations. One of my go-tos for using

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those kinds of dice are is simply a roll and write with a whiteboard or a dry erase sleeve. The kids

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absolutely love it. Bonus if you get to use a colorful marker just to add that engagement

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into what you're doing. Usually in my class I only let them use the black marker so if we're in a

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small group and they get to use the colorful ones they're into it. The next thing that you should

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consider getting is a spinner specifically those suction cup spinners that can be put onto anything

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and the reason why is because a lot of times if you don't have a dice that has exactly what you

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need on it you can create a spinner really really easily that you just print off and then use one

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of those spinners for for mass stations, language art stations. There are so so many choices you

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can make a number spinner if you need one you can put wrecking wrecks on there you can put shapes

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you can put letters there's so many different things you can put just on a spinner and use

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and then you have a little suction cup arrow spinner you can use it over and over again and

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your kids will love it. My students in the past have really enjoyed using spinners in any context.

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Next item I mentioned briefly is dry erase sleeves. What I like about dry erase sleeves is you can put

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anything into the sleeve and have it be something that the kids write on and then erase if they need

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to refer back to it. It has been here since I've been able to get a full class set of like many

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whiteboards so this is a great workaround that can be used for a whiteboard it can also be used

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when you're doing problem solving tasks especially if you're doing a building thinking classroom style

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problem and you don't have vertical whiteboards dry erase sleeves or something you can definitely

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use in that context. And the last thing is not specifically for math but it has been a time saver

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for me now I don't remember exactly who I saw it from but I definitely saw it on socials and it's

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this double-sided tape and this double-sided tape is amazing. You need the tiniest tiniest little bit

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and then stuff stays up all year like if there's something that you know that you're going to put

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up on your walls for the whole year that stuff will keep it up there all year long. Now a specific

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example we have I make name tags for my students specific name tags for my students and those

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they play with them all the time. Those things stay coming off and even if we put masking tape

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underneath and then cover it with packing tape it just didn't stay. It's pick at the corner pick at

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the corner pick at the corner and then all of a sudden we have to tape it and tape it and tape it.

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Since I started using double-sided tape again a teeny tiny square on each corner they haven't

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messed with them since like they have not come off since we put those little squares on. The one

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thing is since it's a little bit thicker it does give it a little bit of rise so stuff has the

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potential to get stuck under there like a double-sided counter but the kids usually find it easier and

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hey if I don't have to mess with name tags all the time it's a win. It's a win and it has saved me

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tons of time and headaches and reminders about not to play with the name tags. So again quick

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recap numeral dice get the Dungeons and Dragons version for cheaper. Ten frame dice spinners

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dry erase sleeves and double-sided tape. Those things are game changers things that you can use

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over and over again in tons of different contexts in your classroom and I do not think you will

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regret any of those purchases. So you have some ideas for what to add to your classroom wish list

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or if you have a little extra from somewhere here in there just to spend on amazon those are some

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great options. Everybody knows that teaching is not for the weak and sometimes you just need a

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little humor you need to laugh it off so I found a thread that definitely resonated with me and I'd

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like to share it with you. The theme of the thread is I'd happily go to staff meetings if

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here we go I'd happily go to staff meetings if there was a point I'd happily go to staff meetings

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if there were margaritas if there were no questions if it was differentiated to meet the needs of all

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teachers just like they like to preach about meeting the needs of all students if there was

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an open bar if I got the same amount of time off if it couldn't have been an email if there were no

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icebreakers if they offered massages slash manicures or pedicures if it actually helped me

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become a better teacher last but not least if the principal just went around and gave a shout out to

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every single staff member about what a great job they're doing so let me know which one resonated

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with you some of them definitely resonated with me and I hope that these amazon finds really help

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you and your students in the classroom.