Are you a new math coach? Check out these tips on how to approach your job!
Discover 3 effective number sense routines that you can use instantly in your classroom. These fun math games and activities are ideal for your math block.
Looking for a way to help your kiddos better understand cubic volume? Head over to my blog to read about a neat activity that really works and to grab your free sheets with volume models for practice. Math Coach’s Corner You Might Also Like:K/1 Measurement Lesson IdeaSpring Measurement Interactive Bulletin BoardMeasurement Activity: Are You A ... Read More about Volume Made Easy!
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!
Hey friends! I had roadmapping on my mind during vacation, and I came back and made an example of what a road map could look like for the Kindergarten common core math standards. Hop over to my blog to read more and grab your free copy. BTW, I'm working on 1st and 2nd and they'll be available soon! Math Coach's Corner
As an instructional coach, there are certain items that can make supporting teachers easier. Each of the items shared here are highly recommended by myself as a teacher leader working in multiple buildings across a large district. Grab a binder and fill it with essentials like your standards, pacing guide, and teacher performance rubrics. Below…
Today I will share with you how you can set up and organize a math workshop model that will help you reach every student!
Jo Boaler has started a math revolution that has likely already made its way into your classroom. The Stanford Professor of Mathematics and author of Mathematical Mindsets is the co-founder of YouCubed.org , an organization dedicated to inspiring, educating, and empowering math teachers with
Worksheets are a snoozefest...try this Super Fun Engaging Activity for ANY SUBJECT + a freebie!
WHAT IS SUBITIZING? Subitizing is not a term that we use often, but it is an important mathematical concept that can greatly benefit student
Sometimes it feels crazy overwhelming to keep assessing students and know exactly what they do/don’t understand. That’s where these quick and easy formative assessment ideas comes in! M…
So, I was lying in bed one night and my mind kept racing..."How could I make math test prep FUN?" "What could I do to replace the repetitive habit of assigning sampler after sampler for preparing for our state standardized tests?" Then it hit me! A MATH CARNIVAL!!! So, I decided that I would make this vision come to life. It took A LOT OF PLANNING. And that is the truth! I had no idea where to start. All I knew is how I wanted it to look. I wanted streamers, colors, food, and games. Not lame games. I wanted REAL CARNIVAL GAMES! I emailed my principal and told him that I wanted to have a carnival. I swear he probably thinks I am CRAY CRAY! I am haha. When I dream of something, I dream big and I make it happen... If you want to make your own carnival and save the time of planning, keep reading! It is a blast! Download my 11-page Math Carnival: Getting Started Guide to begin your journey! Here is your shopping list! There are ways around this though. My guide explains it all. You have to decide how many games you want and what skills will be assessed for each game. You can make signs like these below or get them with my bundle already made. Plus they are editable too! You also need task cards for each game. You can buy task cards, make up questions for each game, or find them online free. My bundle has all of the questions that you need for a 4th grade carnival. I used numbers to place on the games. Those numbers corresponded with the question asked or the amount of tickets won! Here are some of the games that I had at my carnival: Notice that I used table cloths for the tables. Also, I want to point out that at each game I placed a dry erase board, marker, and eraser so that the kids can work on the questions asked. Next, I want to show you the bags that I used. I made up bags with parent directions, task cards, an answer key, and a bag of tickets torn out already. The directions make it easy for parent volunteers to know how to run each station at the math carnival. The answers are included so that the parents don't have to think at all. I just want it to be enjoyable for everyone. Also, I had about 100 tickets in a small baggie. This is for the kids to win as they play the games. I also made groups up with about 2-3 students each and created a schedule for my kiddos to use on the day of the carnival so that they knew exactly what game they were supposed to be playing at designated times. The schedule and the group pages are included in my bundle, but you could make your own too if you want! Next, I made a map of my room. I decided where I wanted the games to be. I contacted selected a date before state testing and contacted my parents, asking for volunteers. I mentioned needing a popcorn machine and/or cotton candy maker. Of course, some people had them! EXCITING! The prize table was a bit tricky. I needed to decide how many tickets each prize would be. I also needed to get some prizes. I bought prizes, but you could make prizes. You could use homework passes or reward tickets, whatever you want! It doesn't have to cost a lot! So, I made ticket cards for the table. I had my students help me decide how many tickets each prize would be worth. It was pretty funny hearing them work as a class to decide! Then, they started to realize that if they made a prize that they wanted worth 1 ticket, they may not be able to win one because they would be gone quick! So smart! So, decide if you want to try this! You could make a reading carnival, science carnival, social studies carnival! Hopefully this guide helps you get started and helps you plan out a fun and exciting learning experience for your kids! If you want to save time and do not want to make the instructions, map, schedule, signs, ticket labels, task cards, or number templates, then click here to purchase my bundle.
Unpacking math standards is necessary to understand what students need to learn, how they will learn it, and to writing your daily lessons.
Ready to make math centers work in shorter middle school class periods? Get the details - structure, scheduling, activities, and more!
Simple and Straight-forward Tools for Teachers, Coaches, and Leaders.
Teach beginning-of-the-year gluing skills using this activity based on Too Much Glue. Grab a free download!
Come grab this free resource that is a collection of my favorite virtual math manipulatives!
So just in case my post from yesterday about all the math storage/set up ideas, weren't enough, I have even more for you. You're welcome :)...
8 ideas to keep students engaged and having fun with a simple worksheet
Save your sanity! Read to find no-prep centers for math ideas that will engage your students and give you back your time.
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…
Ready to make math centers work in shorter middle school class periods? Get the details - structure, scheduling, activities, and more!
One of the LONGEST days of the school year is Open House. School is from 7:05-2:25 and then Open House is from 5:30-7:45. The window b...
UPDATE, September 2017: This post was originally celebrating a special nearing-the-end-of-the-school-year event titled “Move with Math in May. The event featured four math-and-movement lesson…
There are many different versions of the Angry Birds Parabola Project. We compiled the best methods to use with your class. Transforming Parabolas.
When my math coach and I sat down to plan my algebra unit I had no idea how well my students would do and how far we would be able to go with it. There have been several teachable moments throughout this unit where we've been able to go above and beyond the ideas that I had planned to covered. This unit has been interrupted by so many things including Benchmark test. My mind reels with the thoughts of what we could have done had we not had all the interruptions. It has been a real confidence booster for so many of students who struggled through our last unit on fractions. My math coach gave me a huge box of materials to be used for Hands-On Equations when we started planning this unit. I have to admit that the box was so overwhelming that when she first gave it to me I wanted to ignore it. I didn't want to take the time to deal with it. I am so glad I decided to deal with that box. In a matter of thirty minutes or less my students were solving some pretty big equations yesterday. They immediately understand what a variable is and its role in equations. They understood that an equal sign doesn't mean solve this problem and find the answer. They were able to see the equal sign as the middle point on a scale where each side of it had to be balanced or equal. I was so incredibly proud of them, but even more important they were proud of themselves. They had been so scared of this unit just because it was called Algebra. But by the end of our time together yesterday they were all saying how easy algebra is. I was thrilled because algebra has always been my strong point in math, but I never really understood the why. I never saw the equal sign as the middle point of a scale. I was just able to regurgitate what my teacher was doing. Because of that teaching algebra has always been one of my low points. I didn't have the knowledge to explain it the way I need to. That changed yesterday. So what is Hands-On Math? We started class with some discussion about what an equal sign meant. I let them share their ideas and then I brought out my scale - though I use that term loosely because it is not an actually scale. It just looks like one. We started with a blue pawn representing X on one side of the scale and a cube representing 5 on the other side. Students were immediately able to see that in order for the scale to be balanced then x had to equal 5. From there I followed the book that comes with this kit. This little book made my job incredibly easy. According to this book, you can use this kit to teach students as low as 3rd grade how to solve algebraic equation. I might have rolled my eyes when I first read that, but after just one day I totally believe it. You can see from the picture above how we slowly stepped it up. Students were given their own scale and pieces so that they could manipulate the equations. Students were writing the equation and solving for X with ease. They were primarily using guess and check yesterday. I did show them how to solve without the scale or using guess and check at the end of class. Again they were scared when I told them what I wanted to show them, but as soon as I did it I heard lots of "Oh! That's easy!" They will begin practicing it on their own soon. I can't wait.
Practice finding the area of an object with this Minecraft Math activity. Kids can count blocks, use arrays, or use length x width to find the area.
2D Shape Activity. Quadrilateral and Geometry Lesson A fun craft math activity that students can use to learn about the features of quadrilateral / 2D shapes. They will make their own animal out of four sided shapes. There is a tally chart included to record results This pack includes: - Lesson Plan and Background Knowledge - Find the Shape - Tallly Sheet - Craft / Math Sheet Students will have a blast doing this and learn about 2D shape at the same time. If you like this you will also love these: Shape Posters(2D and 3D)
We asked a panel of experienced teachers what they know about teaching math that they wish they had known at the beginning of their career.
