I did it! I published it! 190 pages of fraction fun! I cannot begin to thank all of you for your kind words over the last few months . . . you have kept me going when it didn't seem worth the time and you have made me feel very appreciated! So . . . the unit is up and published. I feel so bad about how expensive it is . . . I asked several top sellers how much to sell it for, ... Read the Post
Problem Solving Rubric–Try out this math freebie!
I spent the day at a regional music competition watching my son and countless other students show off their hard work and practice. Some achieved their ultimate goal of qualifying for the state contest--others left disappointed. What struck me as I volunteered for the afternoon was the judging. After each student or group performed, the judge walked through their scoring sheet pointing out what ... Read the Post
Fractions Day 16: Word Problems and Critical Thinking
Well . . . I promised a little update on the problem solving from the other day, so here goes! What I often do toward the end of a unit is provide students with a class period or two to work collaboratively or on their own on an assortment of word problems. Some of the problems are right at the level I would expect them to be able to do and others "push" and help them work on their "problem ... Read the Post
Fractions Day 14: Composing and Decomposing
Today was a math rotations day in grade 4 . . . I started the day with a minilesson and then we broke up into three math groups to rotate around the following centers: --“teacher time” --problem solving --</>/= activity Today’s minilesson focused on “composing” and “decomposing” using unit fractions, and I was hopeful that it would go smoothly. I was fairly confident ... Read the Post
Fractions Day 11: Where’d You Get THAT Number Line?
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
Fractions Day 9: Comparing and Sequencing Fractions
Today was a "test" day in fourth grade--a test for me to see where my students are with fractions. I started by giving them an "entrance" slip that just asked them a few basics, and then asked them to respond to the following prompt in their math journals: "Can a fraction ever have more than one name? Explain your thinking." In my head, I needed the following activity to "take the temperature" ... 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