Mathematics Enhancement Programme (MEP) offers a free full math curriculum for preschoolers up to 9th grade. MEP’s math curriculum is rather hands on, having children count real beads, for ex…
A blog about free resources for the secondary math classroom.
Combine music and math in a composing activity for kids.
tw When it comes to math, geometry seems to be in a whole different league. Some kids fall in love with it instantly, while it seems challenging for other kids. One of the great things about geometry is that there are so many hands-on activities we can provide for our students, which makes it lots of fun! Here are some of my favorite geometry activities: 1. Start With Shapes I like to have students start with shapes they've known since they were tiny, like triangles, squares, and circles. We draw these on whiteboards as a whole class. Next we draw the more advanced shapes like pentagons, hexagons, octagons, trapezoids, and even the rhombus! This brings us to a discussion of polygons and we can classify shapes that way. Besides whiteboards, there are lots of ways for kids to work with shapes, like Popsicle sticks (which are also great to use to illustrate lines like parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular), LEGOS, Geoboards, and even clothespins which can be clipped together. 2. Marshmallow Geometry I like this activity because any time you add food, kids are all in! Using marshmallows and toothpicks, kids can make simple 2-D shapes, and also 3-D shapes. Plus, this activity is the perfect place to emphasize vertices since each time you add a marshmallow, you place it at a corner. If you have food allergies or school regulations which prohibit food, you can substitute the marshmallows for Play-Doh. 3. Use an Anchor Chart Once students have had lots of exploration time with shapes, it's time to discuss their attributes. I like to actually make this anchor chart with the kids' help. I explain how it will be organized, from the smallest number of sides to the greatest. We also notice patterns of sides and vertices as we create it. I do ask kids for examples of shapes, and sometimes they get really creative with this! 4. Go on a Shape Scavenger Hunt This is an activity that is great to do with some parent helpers if you have any. I like to send iPad cameras with each group, clipboards and pencils, and a record sheet. Kids record the shape that was found, the type of object it was, and where it was found. It's really fun to see what shapes they're able to find while walking around the school campus! 5. Incorporate Some Art I am a huge art proponent so I add art wherever it fits in. Geometry is a great time to do either geometric animals, robots, or people. I usually choose one of those categories but really you could make it a wide open project too! I shared another fun geometric art activity on a blog post I wrote called Incorporating Art in the Classroom. This one is from Literacy Loves Company. As a follow up to geometric lessons on lines and angles, I cut polygons from white construction paper for each child. I have kids use rulers and sharpies and follow my step by step directions of drawing lines and then finding obtuse angles, right angles, perpendicular lines, and so on. After the lesson is done, kids add color to these, making it a really fun art piece. 6. Add Some Kinesthetic Learning Kids need movement and it's easy to add some movement with this unit. For this activity, students will be on the floor working with a partner to make different kinds of lines (parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular), shapes, and angles (right, acute, and obtuse) using their bodies. An alternative is to have kids stand up and use their arms to illustrate these geometric concepts. Another kinesthetic activity is to gather Chinese jump ropes or packages of sewing elastic. If you use elastic, one package is enough for one small group of 5 - 6 kids. The idea is to have students use the elastic as a group to make the shapes you call out (types of triangles are especially good) or types of angles. Different kinds of lines can also be made if two groups work together. 7. Add Some Task Cards and Games Task cards are one of my go-to tools! Kids love the game-like format and I know that they're getting really focused learning on whatever math concept we're working on. I have used them as centers/stations, for whole class math time, for one on one, and as exit slips. If you'd like some pre-made math task cards specifically for geometry, click here; 3rd Grade Geometry Bundle 4th Grade Geometry Bundle 5th Grade Geometry Bundle 8. Read Mentor Text I love it when I can tie reading into math too! The books above are some of my favorite mentor texts for geometry. I love all of the visual examples included. 9. Use Music I just found these songs by Numberock on YouTube and they are perfect for this unit! Really great pictures and catchy tunes: Parallel, Perpendicular and Intersecting Lines Angles Types of Triangles 10. Practice Angles Seriously, next to long division, measuring angles is probably the most difficult math skill students will face in the elementary years! It doesn't help too that it is introduced in fourth grade in common core and then not even mentioned in 5th grade standards. Oh well! One activity that helps is to have kids use graph paper and write their first name in all capital block letters. Students can measure any angles created by the intersection of the letter's lines. Another favorite activity for practicing angles is to take tape and make different lines, which create angles on a desk, table, or even on sheets of butcher paper. Kids use protractors to measure angles and then write with expos (or markers on the butcher paper) right on the desks/tables! Great way to add some fun to this difficult concept! Hope you've found at least a few ideas you can use for your geometry unit! I did want to let you know that I have Math Task Card Bundles for every grade from 3rd - 5th. Each bundle has 30 sets of 32 task cards that cover ALL STANDARDS (CCSS) for those grades. I love prepping them at the beginning of the year and then grabbing whatever concept we're working on for some added practice. If you'd like to take a look: 3rd Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 4th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 5th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle Thanks so much for stopping by! If you like this post, I would love it if you would pin it or share it with a teacher friend! For more ideas and strategies focused on Upper elementary, be sure to sign up for The Teacher Next Door's free email newsletter right HERE. I'd love to connect with you! Facebook Pinterest Instagram TpT Store
Table of Trigonometric Parent Functions Trig Functions in the Graphing Calculator Graphs of the Six Trigonometric Functions More Practice Note that […]
I have to share this rockin' activity inspired by an awesome math teacher and blogger, To The Square Inch. In fourth grade, we learn about tenths and hundredths. It's a hard one for kids to get! Once we understand these place values, we turn them into fractions and put tenths on numberlines.... It's a lot. For students AND teacher.... Anyway, I saw this activity a few years ago on Pinterest and tweeked it for my kiddos since it originally had the students working with percents and fractions. It's now our "Hundredths Design Square". First, the students color a square hundredths model using four different colors. Then they count the colored squares and record each color as a decimal. After that, they turn it into a fraction. The kids LOVE IT! And it sure is fun! Check out these awesome designs!
Explore learning the important geometry terms while working on this geometry map project that's hands-on, engaging, and integrates social studies!
Geometric Art
Although the original idea comes from Algebrainiac, my colleague, J.J. Martinez, first heard about Dance Dance Transversal when participating in a middle school math chat (#msmathchat) on Twitter. …
Today I'm sharing a variety of activities to help you get the most out of your unifix cubes. (This post contains affiliate links.) We have a small set of unifix cubes that we use for
I love teaching all algebra topics with tons of interactive and collaborative activities that get students thinking independently and working together. This way everyone gets the practice they need to feel confident in algebra. Here are a bunch of slope activities that you can assign to students working in group or even digitally. I have updated many of the activities to now include links to interactive digital slope activities in Google Slides and Google Forms for blended learning.
The end of the school year is the perfect time to incorporate real world math and engaging activities. I love using projects to keep students focused the last few weeks of school. Below are some o…
If you're looking into how to teach multiplication, you're definitely going to want to look into the secrets behind memorizing multiplication facts.
These 5 ways to teach geometry proofs are interactive and great for a variety of learning types! Click to see my top 5 ways to teach geometry proofs.
Learn how to make spirolaterals, fun math art projects for kids that helps them practice their multiplication and patterning skills.
You don’t need expensive curriculum to teach math. You can spend LOTS of money before you figure out what works for you. But you don’t have to.
I love these math games for middle and high school students! They are great for small groups or whole class activities.
These are my favorite songs to use in high school math classes. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and your students love them also!
Explore learning the important geometry terms while working on this geometry map project that's hands-on, engaging, and integrates social studies!
Looking for a homeschool math curriculum? Learn why this math teacher mom uses Singapore Math. Learn the benefits and drawbacks of this curriculum and how to get started.
We've been using Math-U-See from the very beginning, and I haven't regretted it once. It hasn't always been a bed of roses though. There have been some hiccups and tears along the way.
Questions about Saxon Math for homeschoolers? An 18-year veteran homeschooler offers advice on Saxon Math levels, placement tests, and more.
Your high schooler can learn consumer math for with this!
If your students need help with adding and subtracting integers, the manipulative in this post will help. I developed it as mart of my graduate thesis and it decreased student error on integer operations by 62%.
Yes! FREE homeschool math curriculum for K-8th grade does exist and it's wonderfully Charlotte Mason. Click, print, and done! Watch the video
Looking for math centers for your 1st Grade classroom? Grab some FREE 1st Grade Number centers here!
This math and art activity presents this would-be complex mathematical concept in an easy to understand, tangible way with Fibonacci art!
These top-rated supplies for building a thinking classroom will make it fun and engaging for your students.
Do you have students who struggle to "get it" in your algebra class? I've been there! The ideas and resources in this post work for special education algebra students and students who need some convincing that algebra is cool. The post includes links to a solving equations graphic organizer, quick check algebra templates, algebra pennants, math cheat sheets, partner math activities and an algebra 1 word wall. All of the algebra teaching ideas in this post are teacher tested and kid approved! I know they will work to reengage your students.
Wild Math First grade helps you teach grade level math outside in nature!
So you’ve read the book, Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl, and are wondering what’s next. It all makes sense and the educational system is definitely in need of a shake u…
What should we do on the first day of school? Teach? Get to know students? Go over procedures? Planning the first day can be stressful. I’ve always been told the first day sets the tone, so …
Real life math lessons are key to helping students see the connections between in class lessons and real life.
