Giveaway Update (it’s gotten better) and our money unit has begun…

O.M.G.!  I am so excited!  Blogging makes the most amazing things possible.


So, as some of you may have realized, Eric A. Kimmel has written some of my favorite classroom read alouds.  I’ve just finished creating a fun packed, literacy and math unit to accompany his book The Three Little Tamales.  I’m offering up that unit as a giveaway, but I thought it needed something more.  I couldn’t think what, since I haven’t made a lot of sellable materials yet, nor do I have a lot of money to offer towards a fun prize, nor are vendors asking me to have giveaways for them…


So I did what any poor desperate teacher would do, I emailed the publisher of the book.  I emailed yesterday afternoon, and I’ve heard back from Mr. Eric A. Kimmel’s Author Relations Manager – wow – double wow – can’t believe it -


She has generously offered to provide the two winners with a copy of The Three Little Tamales!  The two winners of my first giveaway will get a copy of my 70+page unit and a copy of the book mailed to them!  You won’t even have to go to the library…AMAZING!


Isn’t that exciting?  I would never have dreamed that a publisher would support my blog, but it’s happened!


If you haven’t followed the steps to be a part of my giveaway you can still do it!  The giveaway will close on Saturday night 12 a.m. C.S.T.  Click the image below to be taken to the original post and for your chance to win these two amazing resources!

On to other things…we’ve just started our money unit.  I’m sure this happens in your classrooms but I can’t believe the fact that some of my students can answer two-step word problems involving money and others, well here you go:

Me: “how much is a quarter worth?

Sample student: “penny?”

All of this to basically say that my curriculum just isn’t going to offer the degree of differentiation my kiddos need…which means I’ll be busy creating a bunch of money worksheets, activities, and stuff…


Here is what we did on day one just to see what kids could do and have a bit of last minute Easter fun.


Each student got a jellybean filled egg.  
We chose a value for each color of jellybean.  
Sorted them from largest values to smallest values.  
Wrote the value underneath and added it all up. 

The priciest egg was worth $5.50, mine was worth a measly $2.65.  The kids had a lot of fun and I was able to get a very good feel for what each student was able to do.


That’s it for now, go become a part of the giveaway – you really want to win!!!
Mrs. Castro