Kids love hands-on activities. They also love working together. So as often as I can, I try to combine the two when creating new lessons that weave in solid math concepts. That’s the idea behind my K-2 and 3- 5 Equation Cards. The Common Core Standards in Mathematics has a heavy emphasis in the elementary grades on the concept of equality in equations. As we know, too many kids think the equal sign means and the answer is… So I…
A couple of years ago I created a Scavenger Hunt for families to do during a Family Math Night event. As participants entered the room, they were handed one of two “game boards” …the K-2 version or the 3-5 version. Kids and parents worked together finding the items. But it occurred to me recently that it would be a fun beginning-of-the-school-year activity. So I thought I’d share it with you as we begin this new year. The K-2 version is…
Our logos for our Family Math Night Take-Home kits are done! A little behind schedule but all good things are worth the wait! These Take-Home kits were designed to continue the learning at home! Here are the deets: Send your families home with games they can play over and over. Used to supplement a Family Math Night event or use separately, these Take Home kits are…
Last time in Part 1 of Rubber Stampin’ Math we talked about dusting off those rubber stamps and using them to create expressions, equations, and arrays. In Part 2, I’m going to share how I used them in second and third grade to introduce multiplication and how that translated to algebraic functions in fourth and fifth grade. Part 2: Multiplication and Functions For these next activities, the type of rubber stamps students use is very important. So let’s start with…
Mathematics is often described as the science of pattern. Through looking for, reasoning about, and describing numeric and geometric patterns, students come to realize that mathematics reflects order and predictability. This is a significant discovery because students who understand the power of patterns in math are more confident in their ability to do math. So when the Common Core State Standards first came out and I didn’t see a whole lot about pattern and patterning activities in the early years,…