Monday Made It January and Giveaways:)

I am linking up with my favorite gal, Tara, at 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It!  This is my all-time favorite linky and is really a great motivator:)

I spent quite a few days over my Christmas break working on four fraction centers for my 4th graders.  The Common Core stresses fractions heavily in 4th grade and they can definitely use more practice!  This product of 43 pages total and four centers are available at my TPT store.  I am so proud of this product and hope to find time soon to make more products to meet the new CCSS and supplement where my curriculum is lacking.

This is the "Freaky Equivalent Fractions" center I laminated where students make equivalent fractions by multiplying the numerator and denominator by a number.  I laminated the cards and students show their work with a dry erase marker at a center.

 I made two sets of the center complete with directions and an answer key.

This is the "Monster Half Smack" center where students play a game by identifying fractions as greater than, less than, or equal to 1/2.  When a card is flipped that is equal to 1/2, the first player to smack the card gets to keep it.  The other cards go on the game board.  There is a fraction bar diagram for students to check their answers at the center and directions that I laminated.  I made two sets for this center also, one set with a blue back and one set with a purple back.

To laminate the cards with a back, I first put tape on the back of each card before placing it on a piece of blue or purple paper.  

Next, I cut the cards out and laminated them.

I also made a new handout to keep track of my students' completion of Daily 5 centers (I use Daily 4).  My students fill out a chart like this when choosing their centers.  Get a modified version of this chart here.  I couldn't figure out how to get three on a page in google docs.

They write down the date, task, and rate "how they did" at the center (I use a 3 star rating system).  I have 24 students for ELA and allowing them to choose centers has been working for most but some students are avoiding certain activities.  I am having a difficult time giving up control because I want them to complete certain activities and be held accountable.  So, I gave them this handout (get it here from google docs) and they have to complete these activities within the quarter (some are already completed).  It was inspired from the amazing Tonya at Tonya's Treats for Teachers in her post here.

I hope that this will make them more accountable!  For the couple students that it may not work for, I will have to start choosing their centers for them.  I just don't know what else to do.  

I also found some great center activities that I printed, cut-out, and laminated.  That counts as a Made-It, right?  These "Winter Compound Sentences" and "Winter Wonderings Quotation Practice"(this one is FREE) are by 4th Grade Racers.

I downloaded and laminated this FREE Happy New Year math game board 

from Making Math More Fun.

These Fact or Opinion Task Cards are by Rachel Lynette and they are great for "bigger kids".  The facts and opinions are a little more difficult to determine.  It comes complete with an answer recording sheet, answer key, and 32 task cards.

I typed up these directions because my students started using this center last week and were writing on the task cards with markers.  I have them use this method for some centers but wanted them to use the answer sheet and turn it in for these task cards.  Then, some students finished and they wanted to go to a different center (even though we have talked about this over and over).  I have my students stay at a center and do more with the center until time is up.  I typed these directions to really spell it out for them:)  How am I supposed to do my writing conferences if I have have to constantly monitor center behavior?  Daily 5 is new to me this year and I think it has been an adjustment making it work for me.  I am getting there, slowly, but surely!

While I was at it, I typed up more specific directions for the Compound Sentences and Winter Quotation Practice.

These geometry cards are from Collaboration Cuties.  It is a jam packed Geometry Complete Unit of 75 pages.  This is a must-see for 4th grade teachers!

What have you made recently?  Link up with 4th Grade Frolics and go back and check out other blogger Monday Made Its!

Come back on Wednesday to enter my upcoming 300 Follower Giveaway that goes live Tuesday at midnight!  I am so grateful that many fellow bloggers have donated their products and I am offering two winners $20 to a store of their choice for educational resources.

In the meantime, check out these other giveaways happening right now!

 Diane at Fifth in the Middle is hosting a 100 follower giveaway.  I am giving away 2 items from my TPT store!

Jennifer at Elementary School Garden is hosting a 300 Follower giveaway!