It makes us smile when we receive letters like the following: Dear Karyn, I am absolutely delighted with the outcome last night. You cannot believe the amount of positive feedback that has been coming my way. Each and every family left here last night with a huge smile on their face. To quote, “That was awesome Mom”. One teacher said and I am not kidding here – Dad’s were over the top happy with the event they were giving her…
I love doing this activity with kindergartners and first graders! Not only is it a great way for them to practice their addition facts but these little guys LOVE writing on their individual white board, so it’s a win/win! And it’s so simple. Here’s what you do: Without turning it on, put ONE domino on the overhead projector or doc camera. Tell students that you are going to flash a domino for a few seconds and their job is to…
Estimates help us predict the reasonableness of an answer. Having students make an estimate before they perform the calculation, and even writing the estimate next to the problem, can help them to focus on making the numbers (and the problem) make sense. Example: 3.2 x 9.8 = Students use benchmarks to determine that 3.2 is close to 3 and 9.8 is close to 10, therefore, a reasonable estimate would be 3 x 10 = 30. If students perform the actual…
Here’s a super simple activity that helps students to “see” multiplication facts. It’s also a great way for them to see the connection between addition and subtraction as they “use addition to find the total number of objects arranged in rectangular arrays” (CCSSM 2.OA.C.4) and to “interpret products of whole numbers” (CCSSM 3.OA.A.1). Using inch graph paper, have students make rectangular arrays and record the rows (horizontal) and columns (vertical) as multiplication equations. This is a good time to discuss…
I just finished reading the book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough. Here’s how I summarized it on my Family Math Night facebook page: “Kids succeed in a stress-free, nurturing environment where delayed gratification is encouraged and perseverance is developed through “managed” failure.” Instead of writing a long book review, I thought I’d simply list below all the sentences I highlighted while reading the book. It will give you a good idea…