Carpet Graphing

I am a third grade teacher in Hope Mills, North Carolina. Many of my students are military affiliated. I have found that my children need help focusing on the tasks at hand, or they tend to think about dad/mom over seas. I try to have as many fun and exciting ways to learn concepts that will enable them to enhance their life long experiences of learning. I would rather teach the children in a way that they will enjoy and have fun rather than sitting in their seats DOING paper and pencil work. With the "No Child Left Behind" act, third grade is a Gateway year. They must pass the End Of Grade tests to be promoted to 4th grade. I would love to utilize the carpet from Lakeshore that is divided into five colored rows and six sections in each row. It is item number LA952 and costs $379.00. I would utilize this carpet in the area of Math with grid coordinates, bar graphs, line graphs, picture graphs and multiplication. These activities will be utilized for approximately 44 children. Many of my children have difficulty in graphing and using new math vocabulary correctly. Their morning activity will consist of children sitting in a square and completing various activities in math using their spelling words. For example - I may give a value of $12.00 to each vowel and $0.75 for each consonant. They must calculate the total. On the board will be a drawn grid of the carpet. The children will have to write their spelling word on the appropriate space, giving the total value of the word. I will call on them using their grid coordinates. For instance, I will say will the green third quadrilateral please explain your answer. The children have to relate the fact that they are sitting in the green row, third person in their quadrilateral. Through the year, their morning work will change to correlate math objectives we are presently working on. Bar graphs, line graphs and picture graphs will be taught with the children being the representation of the items on the carpet. After they get on the carpet, they will then transfer their learning onto paper. Once they experience the different types of graphs, they will be able to remember it. Multiplication will be shown in using arrays. The entire carpet will have five rows with six in each row. 5x6=30. The students will then use this concept in completing computation and word problems. In the area of Reading, the children will utilize this carpet for a place to read silently in their "defined space". This cuts down on fussing and allows more opportunities for engaged reading during the day. When students complete these activities, they will be sure not to forget the vast new concepts that they have to master in third grade! They will have fun learning and be able to transfer their learning to paper and pencil to pass the End Of Grade Tests.