2 For Tuesday

Happy TUESDAY everyone!

I am really excited to bring you two really great products for this week's Two For Tuesday!

One of today's products focuses on greater than and less than. Those sometimes dreaded symbols that students have difficulty distinguishing between. Although I have most recently been teaching Special Education, I have also taught general education for many years. Even in general education, the more than and less than skill has been a topic that can difficult for students to grasp. It often seems to require skills that their young brains aren't quite old enough to grasp just yet. However we are faced with teaching this skills to younger and younger students each year as the standards are amended and moved to a younger age. So what are some tricks and tips to help students with this skill? 

One of the difficulties in learning this skill is remembering which sign <, > is which. I know it took me awhile when I was in school. Anyone else have that difficulty? 

Everyone probably knows the cute alligator signs to help the kids remember which sign means less than and which is greater than. With the alligator signs, the larger number of course always go in the alligator's mouth

One thing I have done in the past to help students remember the difference between these two symbols is begin by giving them a manipulative they can actually use between two numbers when they are first learning the skill. 

In order to do this, I have made "alligator jaws" in many different ways. Here are some of the ways that have worked for me. 

1. One of the most successful and durable was using 2 popsicle sticks or tongue depressors. I would join the 2 sticks at one end with hot glue making certain the opposite end was open wide to symbolize the open mouth of the gator. Depending on the age of my students at the time, we would sometimes draw teeth on them or use a black marker to draw the signs on the sticks. 
2. On other occasions we gave the symbols names such as Greta Greater Than and Lucy Less Than.
3. As I moved up in grade levels, of course the alligator was looked on by some kids as childish so I would move directly to the symbols themselves. Colors often help jog memories about things so I assigned colors to the symbols - such as coloring greater than  green and less than was colored lavender. 

What ways have YOU used to help students with this skill? I would love to hear from you!

In honor of greater than and less than , one of my 2 for Tuesday giveaways today is a discounted game for practicing the skill. Be sure and check it out in my TPT  Terrific Tuesday Store or click the graphic below.

The other product that's on sale this week, continues from our last few weeks of practice activities for sight words. I have included another set of review sight word practice. These worksheets have multiple ways to practice sight words on each page. They range from tracing and reading,  to writing and also matching words written in different fonts.

 Check them out! They are discounted for just this week.

Be sure and share the blog so everyone can get in on the sale prices. 

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!