Hello everyone--and thanks for coming back for more fraction adventures! Today's post is really a combination of classroom "happenings"; I don't know if you've noticed, but sometimes something I plan as a quick warm up turns into something just a teeeeeny bit more involved! Fraction Number Lines That was the case with my warm up the other day. It seemed simple enough. Note: I purposely did NOT ... Read the Post
Sticky Note Assessment
Greetings everyone! Happy Wednesday to all of you! I am working on fractions days 11 and 12, but I wanted to share a quick tip with all of you today. I use a TON of exit and entrance slips in math to check student understanding and to help me decide who to pull for small groups and so on. Sometimes, though, I want an even QUICKER check--to kind of "take the temperature" of the ... Read the Post
Fractions Day 5: The “Whole” Story about Fractions
There is so much to talk about with respect to fractions! I hope you enjoy today's fraction lesson where we look for misconceptions and more! It was a FASCINATING discussion--try it with your students! Which is larger--1/2 of a grape or 1/2 of a strawberry? You should have HEARD the ideas they had! You should have heard the LOGIC they tried to flip out as "truth"! We had all sorts of ... Read the Post
Fractions Day 4: Example–Counterexample!
What's next with our fraction unit? Fraction Warm Up Problem Our "fractionfest" continued Friday by taking our investigations a little deeper. We started our day by checking our their homework--how they divided the 5 x 5 grid into halves. I asked students who thought they had interesting explanations to share on the document camera. We had all sorts of fun talking about ... Read the Post
Fraction Concepts Day 3: Holy “Critiquing Reasoning”, Batman!
Wow...not really sure how to start this blog entry! Seriously . . . I wish I had today's lesson on video tape! It would be so much easier (and cooler!) than trying to explain it with words. If this lesson intrigues you, it is one of the lesson in my fraction unit. If you were with me yesterday, you know I left off with a challenge to my students--they needed to commit to either a "yes" or "no" ... Read the Post
Math challenge problems–another tip!
One thing that I always want to have easily available to my students of all abilities is work for them to do if they finish early or have some "down time"...they know they can always read or write, but I like for them to have math options as well. My students have "Personal Challenge" folders that have a variety of problem solving activities in them...some of which are introduced whole class ... Read the Post
Math Manipulative Organization
It's time to talk math organization! I am a firm believer that students must be able to access manipulatives--whether they be counters, rulers, dice, or whatever--without an adult passing them out and saying "Today you will use these!". As mentioned in the Common Core, students need to be able to successfully "Use appropriate tools strategically", and helping them know how and when to select them ... Read the Post