What a treat it was for me to work with two second graders yesterday in Mrs. Durbin’s class. Mrs. Durbin created a fun project for these two high math students to provide them with extra challenge. I’m there to help facilitate them while she teaches the rest of the class. When I arrived for my first session with them last week, they had already collected their data. Their chosen topic was sports equipment in the primary grades. They wanted to…
Research indicates over and over the strong correlation between parent involvement and student achievement. One of my favorite books on the topic is Beyond the Bake Sale by Anne T. Henderson, Karen L. Mapp, Vivian R. Johnson, and Don Davies. It’s filled with anecdotes about what works and lots of strategies to begin building strong family-school partnerships. Of course, one way is to host a Family Math Night event. Family Math Night events are a great way to get parents…
This is my teacherspayteachers.com first FREEBIE! I chose this particular activity to make as my freebie because the video version has gotten over 4,000 views on YouTube! I figure that means teachers are looking for creative ways to teach multiplication and number theory (properties of number). To get the 5-page pdf, click here. Here’s the video version: .
Getting students to understand fractions begins with an understanding of the ‘whole’. Take a look at the three designs in the photo. Begin with the question, “What do you notice?” Students will say obvious things like, “There is one hexagon and two trapezoids in the first design”, or “The center design is the largest.” Accept and encourage all these responses as they will help students build confidence. If no-one offers the idea that each design is half red, prompt them…
Following recipes is a great way to sneak in some important work in fractions. Doubling or cutting in half a recipe gives kids an opportunity to understand fractions in the context of a real-world problem. The photo above shows a way to get kids to think about larger fractions/numbers being made up of unit fractions. You could also segue into a discussion on equivalent fractions and the multiplication of fractions. For example, 1/4 + 1/4 = 1/2 and 3 x…