This is a quick post about my newly discovered versatile math manipulative, and how I have been using magnetic cubes for math instruction. I became a teacher in the nineties. I have been using plastic unifix cubes for a lot ...
Why is learning to use related facts and number relationships to solve single-digit problems so important? The short answer is it helps children develop necessary knowledge for mental math down the road. Thanks to Nelly Boyd from Counting With Kids ...
Learn Math Fast is a series of books I recently discovered through a discussion in a Right Start Math discussion group. While Right Start Math is an amazing homeschool curriculum for elementary and middle school students, the question was asked ...
Math Fact Lab is my absolute favorite website for fact practice. I love it for three main reasons: it is strategy based and uses a variety of visual representations it teaches division facts right alongside the related multiplication facts and ...
It’s kind of funny to me that I have had this site for over 4 years without ever writing a post about my math mantras. Recently a child said to me “You say that a lot” when I said “Math ...
Most of my resources on this site are for parents and teachers/tutors of elementary age kids, but we all know that building a strong foundation in math starts earlier! I was very excited to connect with Andrea Gibbs, a blog ...
Welcome to a look at how I go about tutoring multiplication and division! One of the things I love about working with kids outside of the public school system is being able to teach interrelated concepts together without worrying about ...
What is the area model for multiplication and why do schools now teach it before introducing the standard algorithm? This (and other similar questions) is one of the most common questions parents ask about “common core” or “new” math. The ...
I mentioned in a previous post that I had three favorite sessions when I attended the Conference for the Advancement of Math Teaching this summer. Two were sessions I went in to the conference excited about (Kim Sutton of Creative ...
Here are a few of my favorite math picture books / readalouds for place value, numbers, & operations. Most of my posts on teaching specific topics include relevant books but some teachers/parents have asked for recommended books to be listed ...
The Absolute Zero card game is a good quick game for middle school students to practice adding positive and negative integers. Game play is very simple. There is a deck of number cards, with both positive (black) and negative (red) ...
If you are looking for intervention help in teaching addition facts, I highly recommend Addition Facts That Stick. While I have developed a lot of strategies for multiplication fact fluency , I haven’t seen as many for addition fluency. However, ...
Introducing Rounding One of my favorite and most effective lessons I ever taught was when I came up with a spontaneous activity for teaching rounding for understanding to a group of third graders. We used the life size number line, ...
Proof is a simple and effective card game for developing mathematical thinking. It builds mental math skills, number sense, and fluency. You can use it to practice multiplication, division, addition, subtraction, and square roots. It can easily be very appropriate ...
One of the keys to increasing kids’ confidence and interest in math is helping them to see that math isn’t an isolated “school subject,” but something they already use every day. One of my lines in introducing division is “if ...
One of the most common problems I see in intervention with elementary math students is a lack of understanding of multi digit subtraction with regrouping. Traditionally students were taught the standard algorithm by memorizing steps, which they would often forget. ...
In my previous posts Teaching Fractions and Fractions On the Number Line I have discussed the statistics of how poorly most students understand fractions, and some of the ways we can teach for better understanding. In this post I want ...
If your students have a solid understanding of whole number place value being based on patterns of tens, and an understanding of fractions, learning decimal place value should be a natural progression. This post will mostly be on introducing decimals ...
In my previous articles I have written about The Importance of Place Value, how it is the foundation for all math, and specifically about resources, strategies and methods for teaching Beginning Place Value, working with ones and tens to one ...
As I wrote on the page “The Importance Of Place Value,” there is no concept more important in elementary math than that math is all about patterns, and the pattern we use for building all numbers is based on tens. ...
As a math teacher I had never given any thought to the concept of teaching digital root until I ran across Kim Sutton’s book Power of Digital Root: 10 Lessons For Understanding. Kim Sutton, if you are not familiar, runs ...
Math read alouds: geometry and measurement is a list of recommended picture books. Reading math literature is beneficial in many ways. These books can introduce new concepts, interest students and engage them in thinking about their learning. They encourage mathematical ...
In this post I want to give an example from an actual tutoring session of how hands on discovery learning works with an individual student. In particular, this is how a student developed his own understanding of finding volume by ...
Math picture books teach geometry & measurement in a fun, engaging and memorable way. They can introduce new concepts, interest students and engage them in thinking about their learning. They encourage mathematical discussion. And of course it is always great ...
Ever hear a teacher tell a child “addition makes numbers bigger and subtraction makes them smaller?” How about, “Put the bigger number on the top when you subtract?” I recently read an article called “12 Math Rules That Expire in ...
The resources in this post will cover: introducing and developing understanding of the relationship between improper fractions and mixed numbers, the 4th grade standard of adding and subtracting mixed numbers with like denominators, the 5th grade standards of adding and ...
Remember making angles with cardstock and brads to teach acute, obtuse and right angles? I did it with students just last year. Then I learned about AngLegs, adjustable angle manipulatives made from colored plastic that can snap together, extend and ...
Teaching volume of rectangular prisms typically begins in 5th grade, then extends in 6th to prisms with fractional edge lengths. I have included activities and lessons at both levels. All activities and printables listed are free except for the one ...
How Stuff Works has a fantastic article called Why Do We Get So Much Pleasure From Symmetry? As it says, “Most objects in the real world are symmetrical. This is particularly true of nature: the radial symmetry of starfish or ...
Geometry is one of my favorite things to teach in elementary. I always begin by teaching the kids how “geo” means earth and “metry” means to measure, so we are literally learning how to measure the earth! In this post ...
What are numberless word problems and why are they useful? If I had to identify one consistent area of concern for parents seeking help for their children, it would definitely be word problems. While sometimes it is an issue of ...
This has always been one of my favorite cartoons. As I wrote in my first article, it is really sad to me when very young kids have already got it in their heads that they are “bad at math.” Part ...
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash The first question teachers, tutors and homeschool parents should ask when planning an instructional program is, “what is most important for my student/child to learn?” While there are definitely key foundational concepts and skills ...
Fraction tiles, also called fraction bars or fraction strips, are the single most important manipulative you can have for teaching fractions. They are brightly colored plastic rectangles that represent a whole, halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, eighths, tenths, and twelfths. ...
Teaching measurement conversions does not need to be difficult if you use these high quality videos, books, lesson plans, activities, and printables. All activities listed are free and have been tested for quality. Introductory Activities for Units of Measurement Study ...
When I think of the best math literature, The Greedy Triangle is at the top of the list. This book is one of those rare books that combines a humorous and engaging story and solid math instruction. I use it to introduce ...
According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, placing fractions on a number line in the correct order in third grade is a more important predictor of fourth-grade math performance than calculation skills, working memory, or even the ability ...
Third and fourth grade teachers agree- teaching elapsed time can be difficult. However, there are strategies to ensure your students’ success. Can your students tell time? First, make sure your students know how to accurately tell time on an analog ...
Teaching area and perimeter can be fun and engaging with the ideas below. Our goal is full understanding and application of number sense and geometrical concepts. When students see how area connects to arrays, they will know why they multiply! ...
The Scientific American published an article called Fractions: Where It All Goes Wrong which gave a statistic saying that on standard fraction addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems 6th and 8th graders tend to answer correctly only about 50% of items. This once again ...
A question came to me from a parent: “My child understands the concepts of multiplication and division… but he just hasn’t gotten to the point where he has his fact fluency. Then he gets really anxious and disengages in class ...
Why is it important to teach subtraction as difference and not just take away? One of the most profound ways I have learned to improve my approach to math instruction is to always keep the longterm in mind. What concepts ...
Basics What is Most Important in Math? Building on Strengths in Teaching Math It All Comes Down to Place Value Math Rules Don’t Expire How to Teach Math Vocabulary Operations Subtraction as Difference Subtraction with Regrouping Multiplication Fact Fluency Area ...
After you have addressed a child’s belief in his own ability and desire to do math, where is the most important place to start instruction? Let’s start with three questions: What are the most important things a child needs to ...