I love the idea of having at least one What do you notice? posters at our Family Math Night events. I started it last year when I did an event at an IB school and the two teachers I was working with wanted to tie in some of the IB inquiry philosophy. It was really fun to watch the kids standing in front of the posters trying to ‘notice’ things. Besides, they got an extra Estimation Jar slip for…
We often spend a lot of time teaching fractions as pieces of a pie. And that’s one way to represent fractions. But they should also be represented on a number line and as parts of a set. This fun and easy fraction flip book is a great way for students to show these multiple representations of fractions. There is also a flap where students write the definition of a fraction including the denominator and numerator. In addition, they can show…
Fractions as a part of a set can be tricky for students. Especially when we spend a lot of time teaching fractions as a part of a whole (1 of the 6 equal pieces of pie) and the area model of fractions (1 of the 6 equal regions of the rectangle). When it comes to fractions as a part of a set, I start easy by asking students to count the number of people in class. If there is an…
There are a lot of commercially made pattern block task cards. For the primary grades, this is a great time saver. But what about getting our upper elementary students to make their own cards…ones that can be used with the entire class. Kids love it when they’re given opportunities to be creative. And since learning increases the more engaged students become in what they’re doing, it’s a win/win. Using pattern block triangle paper (link below), have students make a design…
Here’s a fun way to tie in some fraction work. Students will be making their own number trails using inch graph paper and then using them to develop their understanding of fractions. It’s nice to give them the ownership of making their trails any way they want. Just make sure all students have trails that are the same length in numbers. CCSSM: 3.NF.A.1; 3.NF.A.3a; 3.NF.A.3b; 3.NF.A.3c; 3.NF.A.3d; 4.NF.A.1; 4.NF.A.2; 4.NF.B.3b; 4.NF.B.3d