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
Five on Friday! 5 great things to say to kids!
It's been a busy week...birthday excitement, finishing reading assessments, meetings. In honor of Friday, I am simply going to reflect on 5 great things to say to kids! I'd love to hear some of your favorite things...what makes a difference to your students? 1. "WOW! I am so amazed by your thinking! I never would have thought to do it that way..." 2. "I can see how ... Read the Post
Self Assess 4, 3, 2, 1! Assessment strategies to use any time, any place
Today in math we started to step up our problem solving and, especially, our EXPLAINING about our thinking...something I know I have not been modeling enough. I want to make sure we keep the climate open and honest, so today I introduced the self-assessment system we are going to use from this point forward. It is an easy system...kids can "flash" the correct number of fingers if you want to do a ... Read the Post
Inventive Strategies in Math
Problem solving is a such a critical part of math instruction in elementary grades. Have you considered how much time you spend letting students work collaboratively and share their math strategies? Check out this easy math lesson idea! A different approach to word problems This is not a new concept for people who are interested in constructivist thinking, but today's "opening ... Read the Post
“This isn’t math!” Engaging Math Problem Solving
That quote came out of "math" last Friday as I presented my students with a chance to practice some of the decimal skills we have been refining. Decimals are tricky little buggers for lots of kids...hard to "grasp" the idea that there are numbers between those simple counting numbers they have used their entire lives! One way that students do tend to begin making sense (cents?) ... Read the Post
Number Lines, Number Sense
Well...it's time to start thinking about upcoming units in my fourth grade studio--and I wanted to share with you something I have been doing more and more of this year with great results. I challenge you to think about how you can incorporate this simple strategy into your math instruction over the upcoming months. Number Sense and Number Lines As you all know, number sense is critical for ... Read the Post