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Category: Mathematics -The Elementary Years

Really, Texas? No calculators?

Really, Texas? No calculators?

I just read that the Texas State Board of Education is getting rid of calcuators in the elementary grades. It’s a good thing, too, because I’ve no doubt that every kindergarten through fifth grade teacher hands their students calculators so that these teachers can get out of doing what they love doing…teaching. Honestly. Although not approved yet, it’s only a matter of time. Because, as we all know, politicians know best. And, yes board members, you are politicians. I remember…

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The Artistic Side of Math – Tessellations

The Artistic Side of Math – Tessellations

I love M.C. Escher! I have a whole book on his work and love to share it with my students when we’re studying angle measurement. That’s because we’re going to tie math and art together through modifying polygons similar to how M.C. Escher did it in some of his paintings. It’s all about tessellating shapes and angles. Using pattern blocks, I show students how shapes tessellate. See photo below. Then, I have students determine the angle measurement of each of…

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Math Around Us: Parallel Lines

Math Around Us: Parallel Lines

One of the best ways to teach students geometry vocabulary is to simply look around our environment. For example, if you want students to understand parallel lines, pair them up and hand them an individual white board and take a stroll around the school. Have them write down all the parallel lines they see. Here are two examples of parallel lines in our environment. Check out all the parallel lines in the door, the windows, the bookshelf, even the light…

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Plotting Ordered Pairs in First Grade!

Plotting Ordered Pairs in First Grade!

This is a super fun activity I did in first grade. I glued a magnet on to a plastic fly my kids had in their insect collection. Then I read the story The Fly on the Ceiling to a group of first graders. I used my plastic fly to plot the points on the grid as I read the story. But the best part was when I had students create points for each other to plot. They absolutely LOVED that!

Super Easy Way to Teach Long Division

Super Easy Way to Teach Long Division

Here’s a GREAT way to teach long division in a way that uses estimation skills and number sense. In addition, it helps solidify the relationship between multiplication and division. If we can provide our students with a variety of strategies to solve math problems, then math becomes accessible to more students. CCSS: 4.NBT.6; 5.NBT.6