Helping students who struggle with math is my passion. I became a math teacher not because of my love for mathematics, but because as a tutor I noticed math was the class that was keeping my historically underserved students from graduating from high school. And that passion still drives me in my client work as an independent math interventionist today. Read the post to discover 5 math strategies for students students.
Helping students who struggle with math is my passion. I became a math teacher not because of my love for mathematics, but because as a tutor I noticed math was the class that was keeping my historically underserved students from graduating from high school. And that passion still drives me in my client work as an independent math interventionist today. Read the post to discover 5 math strategies for students students.
Here are 8 math strategies for struggling students. There are lots of strategies that math teachers can use to support struggling students...
Mastering multiplication facts is such an important skill for 3rd grade students. As a former 4th grade teacher, I fully understand how crippling it can
Do your students struggle with their multiplication facts? Check out this post for the 6 multiplication strategies I teach (and free posters!)
In math, we allow and push students to represent their thinking in multiple ways. In 7th grade math, 8th grade math, and Algebra I, this strategy is very beneficial when exploring the relationship…
Grab 2 free sets of differentiated long division worksheets and dramatically boost students' understanding and your teaching success!
These long division activities give students strategies for long division. Learn how to use play money as manipulatives for hands on practice in small groups or with struggling students. Perfect for 4th grade.
Math intervention with your students can be an overwhelming task. Here's how to simplify the process and do it in a meaningful way.
Learn the best way to teach multi-digit multiplication and long division. This differentiated strategy helps 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and special education students.
Children hate word problems. There is a sense of fear associated with trying to decode math word problems. How this stigma started I have no idea, but as an educator I aim to put an
Today’s post is fairly simple, yet is written for a few very specific reasons. 1. To let you know that you are not alone! There will be days where you are seriously wondering if you should even be allowed to teach anymore. Or at least, I know I’ve been there! I’ve thought to myself, on many […]
Long division can be such an exhausting unit. We oftentimes use colors and single-step instruction to break down this important skill. Yet, students continue to struggle with remembering all steps. I've had countless students remember the first step and become at a loss for how to move forward. Listed below are three proven methods to help all students divide successfully. MNEMONIC DEVICES To help student proceed past the first division I have used mnemonic devices. These little phrases will help students get past that first step hurdle. A basic device will include the needed "Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bring Down". The "Rs" represent "remainder" or "repeat". The "C" is for "Check". To remember the steps for long division, there are countless choices: For Your Foodies Dirty Monkeys Steal Cheese Burgers Does McDonald's Sell Cheese Burgers Raw? For Your Horror Fans Dracula Must Suck Blood Dead Monkeys Smell Bad For Everyone Else Dad Mom Sister Brother Rover Depending on which steps you want to highlight in your mnemonic, you can choose one above or create your own! Research shows that mnemonic devices help us remember important facts and principles. They can help with large pieces of information by organizing steps, parts, phrases, and the like. Through repetitive guided practice, I reinforce the DMSCB until they remember the steps to complete a long division problem independently. Through the different practice problems, I provide opportunities for them to see how different outcomes can test their confidences. But as I have experienced myself, only practice will help students master this process. But there are always those students who struggle with multi-step anything. Sometimes different safety nets must be put in place or new tools added to their toolboxes. Again as all good teachers do - we turn to others for suggestions! BOX METHOD I went searching for another way to reach those students who couldn’t remember past the Divide, Multiply, and Subtract steps. The box method became my new favorite way to teach long division! The box method is another way to get the job done with less thinking about which different step is coming next. This method uses a box that organizes the place values of the dividend. The divisor divides into each place one at a time. Instead of checking and bringing down, the difference from the subtracting step gets brought up into the next place value digit. Then the student divides, multiplies, and subtracts again. This method takes a few steps out of the equation and allows long division to become less complicated. In my experience, this method allows most of the struggling students to be successful with long division. PARTIAL QUOTIENT Another way to teach long division is through partial quotient division. This method uses simple logic by allowing students to see the problem in a less abstract form. Partial quotient is also helpful for the students who haven’t mastered their facts. When the student divides into the dividend they can use easy multiples of the divisor. The student is able to break up the problem into manageable parts so that it can be easier to divide. The student then records the partial quotient in a “work” column to the right of the problem. The problem is complete when the student can add no more to the work column because the remainder is less than the divisor. Lastly the partial quotients are added to find the quotient. A teacher could search for hours trying to find new ways for every student to master a concept. But when it comes to long division - DMSCB and the box method are my top picks! Need some ideas for MULTIPLICATION? Click the link below to read about three successful strategies for teaching Double-digit Multiplication: Double-digit Multiplication Strategies
To master story problems, students need a clear strategy. The CUBES method offers a simple, step-by-step tool for solving word problems.
Many schools are implementing math intervention classes geared to help students master the math content. I am sharing my favorite math intervention schedule.
I love this math activity. It’s genius on so many levels! This would help students with addition and subtraction, but also to teach “the 9’s trick” with multiplication! It w…
My daughter has dyslexia. It took years for us to figure out why she struggled so much in reading and writing. It was so painful to watch her self-esteem deteriorate. This was especially disheartening to me since I was her teacher. In the last couple of years I have learned so much about students with
Learn how create questions that promote productive struggle during your math instruction. Creating complex tasks in math thru word problems builds conceptual understanding.
