{Come find out about some back to school personal stuff, differentiation in math updates, blog posts you don't wanna miss, and more!}

Gosh, I am so happy to take some time to reflect on August today. It sure went by in a whirlwind for me #iseeyourhandsareuptoo :). Last week was my daughter's first week of school, and while getting into the swing of things was not a struggle at all, I dealt with a ton of emotions as I sent her off into someone else's care at her new school. I mean, really, it was like I had just dropped her off at kindergarten and it was a li'l embarrassing. But, as I talked to a few other moms this week, I was reminded that I wasn't as insane as I felt by being a hot mess of emotions as many of them could mirror my struggles. Fortunately, we have a 3 day weekend to just relax and enjoy some time together. And, I can get my big girl panties ready for next week! I know it will get easier as we get into the groove and she finds her place at her new school. And I'm looking forward to all that she and I get to celebrate this year with her learning, the new friends she will make, and the new experiences she will have.

In other news...if you sat down and had a conversation with me about all things teacher, I'd tell you how passionate I am about differentiation in math and how I'm focusing 90% of my energies on borderline obsessing about how teachers can best differentiate for their students in math. If you've been hanging out here with me for even the slightest bit of time, you know that I'm working on Differentiated Math Assessments #likeaboss. This month, I went ahead and posted the BUNDLE of all of the 4th grade Math Assessments so that if you fall in love with this approach to assessing students, you are able to grab all of the assessments at a 20% off discount. Currently, the Place Value/Addition and Subtraction set, Whole Number Multiplication, and Whole Number Division set are ready for you. Each one is nearly 100 pages worth of standards based assessments on very specific concepts so that you can assess your students and proceed to differentiate. The 4th Grade Fractions assessments are just about finished and will be uploaded this weekend.

Last weekend, I uploaded the Place Value/Addition and Subtraction set {Numbers and Operations in Base 10}. I also put together a freebie from the place value assessments that focuses on Generalizing Patterns in Place Value (4.NBT.1) so that you can get a taste of the differentiated assessments.

What Topics are included in the Place Value Set?

GENERALIZING PATTERNS IN PLACE VALUE

♦ Standard Expanded Form, Powers of 10 Expanded Form, Expressing the Value of the Digits in

SHORT WORD FORM, VALUE OF AN UNDERLINED DIGIT

♦ Writing Numbers with Values increasing in Powers of 10 (10, 100, 1000, 10,000 times greater)

♦ Increasing the Value of a Number in Powers of 10 (10, 100, 1000, 10,000 etc.)

DIFFERENT NUMBER FORMS AND COMPARISONS

♦ Writing Expanded Form, Powers of 10 Form, Word Form

♦ Identifying Place Values to Compare two Numbers

♦ Converting from Word Form to Standard Form

ROUNDING

ADDING AND SUBTRACTING WHOLE NUMBERS

♦ Computation

♦ {THEMED} Multi-Step Word Problems

♦ Building Blocks, Goals, and Stretching Beyond Summative Assessments

After I finalize the 4th Grade Fractions assessments, 5th Grade teachers GET READY because I'm working on Place Value and Fractions for 5th grade in September. {This is why the 4th Grade Bundle Timeline has a little break in it from September-December.}

If you are checking in to my August updates, I really hope you've already caught some of my blog posts, but just in case you missed something...This month, I was fortunate enough to guest blog at Tried and True Teaching Tools where I focused on Morning Meeting and the roadblocks teachers may face as they try to implement a morning meeting routine. (Of course, I offered helpful advice for these roadblocks because you know how much I love community meetings.) I wrote about my Back to School Schedule for the 1st Week of School. Even if you've already began your school year, you might find some helpful tips and freebies linked in this post!

I shared how I "trashed" reading logs last year and still had accountability for my students' independent reading at home. {If you read nothing else, I HIGHLY encourage you to go read this one! It was a #gamechanger for me last year!}

Was meal planning a real struggle for you last year? I want you to take care of yourself this year and nourish your body...YOU DESERVE it! So, don't miss my post about how I solved the "What's for Dinner" Overwhelm last year.

I hope you have a restful Labor Day weekend and that you are excited about September. I caught sight of a few leaves on the ground yesterday and if this North Carolina humidity ever breaks, I'm ready to bring out those skinny jeans and tall boots. Thanks for stopping by! I'll see you soon!