Jennifer Van Blair is a current third grade teacher. She has taught 3 - 5 grade for 13 years, and has experience with combination based classrooms. She has a Master's in Educational Leadership and a background in natural sciences and outdoor education.
It's time to build with these hands-on area and perimeter activity mats. Your third and fourth graders will love using blocks to explore and compare area and perimeter in this construction-themed math center or classroom activity. Highly engaging, students will find the length and width of each shape using hands-on materials (one-inch math tiles, one-centimeter math cubes, or digital manipulatives) and compare the measurements. Print and have students tile the quadrilaterals using math man
Worksheets are boring...by themselves, but when you make them into a collaborative challenge, third graders LOVE them! This fall themed activity for solving word problems involving multiplication (single-digit) is engaging, creative, and just plain fun! Perfect for September, October, or November, this math escape room gives students an exciting way to practice solving multiplication situation word problems including arrays, multiplicative comparison problems, equal groups, and area situatio
Are you looking for a way to help your students practice multiplying a WHOLE NUMBER by a decimal number? Perfect for January or February or any time of the year, this Google Sheet Mystery Pixel reveal resource gives students an engaging way to practice multiplication with a WHOLE NUMBER by a decimal number in fourth fifth grade. Students will answer 12 multiplication questions and enter their answer (including a comma) into the answer box. If correct, these SELF-CORRECTING problems will rev
Struggling with differentiated math instruction in your third, fourth, or fifth grade classroom? Numberless word problems are the PERFECT way to reach ALL learners at the same time. Numberless word problems allow you and your students to focus on word problem structure and context rather than finding the solution to a SPECIFIC problem. You can focus on understanding the situation and context of a word problem, rather than the specifics of how to solve a word problem within a given skill. This G
Whether for distance learning due to school closures or creative digital learning opportunities for your students, these virtual field trips will take your students to the heart of the action of the American Revolution. This sample field trip takes you and your students to the site of the Boston Massacre. Interactive links allow your students to stand in front of the State House in Boston, immortalized by Henry Pelham's painting later turned political propaganda by Paul Revere. Your historians w
Looking for an engaging way to help your students practice word problems with fractions. This ADDITIVE COMPARISON winter themed edition of fractions with unlike denominators is a great way to practice. With 5 puzzles, as well as a sixth BONUS pixel art mystery picture in Google Sheets, your students will enjoy solving the problems and answering winter themed riddles. You can use the puzzles as individual assignme--nts, or bundle them up and create either an in class or DIGITAL escape room for yo
Giving your students practice in finding the perimeter of polygons using the metric system has never been easier with this print and digital task cards for use in Google Slides. Whether you limiting the use of paper in your classroom or promoting distance learning at home, you will find these task cards easy to use. Not only do the slides offer an opportunity for your students to self-grade their task cards, they have a variety of opportunities to record their answers with a traditional pape
Struggling with differentiated math instruction in your third, fourth, or fifth grade classroom? Numberless word problems are the PERFECT way to reach ALL learners at the same time. Numberless word problems allow you and your students to f ocus on word problem structure and context rather than finding the solution to a SPECIFIC problem. You can focus on understanding the situation and context of a word problem, rather than the specifics of how to solve a word problem within a given skill. The
This Google Sheets resource is the perfect resource for 4.NBT.5 (multi digit multiplication using 2 digit factors)! Assigned digitally in Google Classroom! The resource is a SELF CHECKING GAME in Google Sheets that can be played by students either sharing a device, or sharing the sheet. Digital Version Includes:10 problems in an easy-to-assign Google Sheet fileSelf-checking problems through color coded cells and mystery pixel picture revealYou will need:The file is in PDF format and includes a
It's CORN! This CORNY math activity pack is sure to get your THIRD GRADERS thinking conceptually about multiplication. These fall themed activities for multiplying single digit numbers using arrays and solving mixed multiplication word problems is engaging, creative, and just plain fun! Perfect for NOVEMBER, or the fall months, these math craftivities and activities give students exciting ways to practice building arrays for multiplication expressions, breaking apart arrays and writing matc
State testing is right around the corner. Give your third graders practice on third grade math standards from the first half of the year with these digital winter math review activities for Google Sheets. Your third graders will practice rounding two and three-digit numbers to the tens and hundreds, addition and subtraction with and without regrouping, multiplication with arrays, and division equations with these self-correcting and engaging Google Sheet activities. As your students answer que
Word problems are tricky, and they aren't all created equal. No, there are several types of word problems and familiarizing your students with each type, as well as their structure, is the only way to build their experience and confidence in solving them. That's why I created this bundle. Word problems don't have to be tricky, and I love tackling them with my own students. That's why I am constantly creating word problem resources for my own students. You can snag them all, including future wor
Getting to know your students is essential to building trust and connecting with them. Yes, you should cultivate those relationships and build that trust through meaningful discussions with your students that are genuine. However, in those first days of school, you can help yourself by getting to know them through a questionnaire that can facilitate discussions as the year goes on. What I like most about this questionnaire is using it to connect your students' interests and experiences in class
Struggling with differentiated math instruction in your third, fourth, or fifth grade classroom? Numberless word problems are the PERFECT way to reach ALL learners at the same time. Numberless word problems allows you and your students to f ocus on word problem structure and context rather than finding the solution to a SPECIFIC problem. You can focus on understanding the situation and context of a word problem, rather than the specifics of how to solve a word problem within a given skill. Th
This Google Slides resource is the perfect resource for 3 .NBF.1 (fractions as unit fractions - one part of a whole)! Assigned digitally in Google Classroom, this ENGAGING resource allows students to physically manipulate and build pizza slices for each unique customer order. Young mathematicians will reflect on how the size of the denominator impacts the size of the pieces that make up the whole. Digital Version Includes:7 problems in an easy-to-assign Google Slide fileBIG IDEA slice recognizin
As a fourth-grade teacher, you know your students need engaging ways to practice fourth-grade math standards all year long. You also don't want to be stuck under piles of paperwork. Your students don't want to complete the same old worksheets as everyone else. With this growing bundle of Google Sheets math games and activities, your students will get the fourth-grade math practice they need while engaging with dynamic resources that promote collaboration, creativity, and conceptual learning. Th
Intrigue your fourth and fifth grade students with this population data and activities for cities throughout California. Students will round city populations to the nearest million, hundred thousands, ten thousands, thousands, hundreds, and tens. They will compare city populations to one another, solve addition and subtraction problems, and order numbers. Includes:- 20 print or digital task cards - 4 print or digital activities Requires:- Google Drive - Google Classroom to assign - Power Poi
If your third graders are struggling with 3 digit addition and and subtraction, this small group intervention activity is for you. If your students are: 1.) Misaligning the digits when adding and subtracting 2.) Subtracting Up 3.) Not regrouping or ungrouping correctly then...they need to develop their conceptual understanding of PLACE VALUE (3.NBT.1A)This PRINT AND DIGITAL resource supports your students' development of place value, as you work in small group to count out enough ones to reach
Struggling with differentiated math instruction in your third, fourth, or fifth grade classroom? Numberless word problems are the PERFECT way to reach ALL learners at the same time. Numberless word problems allows you and your students to focus on word problem structure and context rather than finding the solution to a SPECIFIC problem. You can focus on understanding the situation and context of a word problem, rather than the specifics of how to solve a word problem within a given skill. These
Struggling with differentiated math instruction in your third, fourth, or fifth grade classroom? Numberless word problems are the PERFECT way to reach ALL learners at the same time. Numberless word problems allows you and your students to f ocus on word problem structure and context rather than finding the solution to a SPECIFIC problem. You can focus on understanding the situation and context of a word problem, rather than the specifics of how to solve a word problem within a given skill. Th
Jennifer Van Blair is a current third grade teacher. She has taught 3 - 5 grade for 13 years, and has experience with combination based classrooms. She has a Master's in Educational Leadership and a background in natural sciences and outdoor education.
Teaching style
She enjoys using hands-on learning with regular use of manipulatives, visual learning, models, and student-led exploration. She is inspired by the work of Peter Liljedahl, Jo Boaler, and Carol Dweck.
Awards & shining teacher moments
Contributor to Byrdseed TV creating lessons for GATE classrooms.
My own education history
UC Santa Cruz - Environmental Science and Education
San Jose State - Elementary Education Credential
Upper Iowa University - Masters in Teacher Leadership