Got lots of left-over greeting cards? Here’s one fun way I found to use them with kindergarten and first graders. I sort the cards into two categories and the students try and figure out my rule. In the example above, I sorted the cards into pumpkins and hearts. It was pretty easy for students to figure that one out. But, after that, they can get pretty tricky and student really need to look carefully for similarities within groups: cats vs…
Above are the two estimation jars we used at a recent family math night event. Below are the estimation slips students filled out. Click on the image to print a copy.
The station volunteers are recruited, the copies are made, the popcorn machine is on standby….now you just need to get the families to your Family Math Night event. There are a variety of ways to encourage your families to attend your event. This short video shares with you what has worked with other schools in the past…starting with the most popular tip…Tip #1… .
A great activity to include during a family math night event is the estimation jar. Kids love to make predictions and they get so excited in the hopeful anticipation of being the winner. Including an estimation jar is also a great marketing tool. Kids will want to come to the event so they have the opportunity to make a guess, so be sure to advertise it. I like to include a jar for K-2 and another one for 3-5/6. The…
Our most recent Family Math Night event was done at an International Baccalaureate (IB) elementary school. The two teachers I was working with to organize the event wanted to find a way to include an inquiry-based question for students to answer. Their students have had a lot of practice with inquiry-based curriculm, which is a heavy component in the IB program, so it would have been a missed opportunity had we not tied IB in with math night. We decided…