One topic that I believe is too often rushed through, whether in pre-algebra or geometry, is the surface area of three dimensional objects. Because it is often seen as an "easy" topic where students are expected to simply "plug the numbers into the formula," it can be easy to say, "Here's the formula, GO." And while this may work for some students, especially students who have a strong foundation in geometry vocabulary and a strong understanding Keep Reading...
Simple Trick to End the Frustration With Subtraction Regrouping
One math concept that often stumps students is subtracting with borrowing (or regrouping-whatever you'd like to call it). There are lots of concrete and hands-on ways to teach this concept so that it makes sense to kids, rather than expecting them to memorize a procedure. In the past, I have used base ten blocks or dimes and pennies as a model, which worked well, and I highly recommend teaching this in a conceptual way when introducing it to Keep Reading...
Making Absolute Value Clear (With FREE Printables!)
One of the math concepts that I have seen students struggle with the most, and yet seems so simple at first glance, is absolute value. It often seems that the only thing students ever "get" from an absolute value lesson is this: absolute value = make it positive. That is NOT, however, the definition of absolute value, and therefore, becomes the cause of much confusion as students try to apply and use absolute value in more complicated problems. Keep Reading...
Increase “Math Talk” with Your Kids {It’s Not as Scary as it Sounds!}
If you have children, you likely spent much of their early years talking to them and reading to them. Encouraging language development comes so naturally to the new mom. We repeat words, point out words and pictures, try to get our kids to repeat words, etc. I (and possibly many of you) even taught my kids some basic sign language so that they could communicate before they were able to verbalize their needs. We seem to know, without question, Keep Reading...
Number Sentence Roll and Write {FREE!}
After spending a considerable amount of time on addition and number bonds, we're moving on to subtraction. The transition has been incredibly smooth, and I believe that is due in large part to our focus on number bonds and understanding the part-part-whole model. So rather than jumping into subtraction as a completely new concept (disconnected from anything we've previously done), we're simply rearranging our number bonds. While we started with Keep Reading...
Dear Mom Who Hates Math…
I know how you must feel when it’s time to pull out the math books and dig in with your kids. What a struggle it must be to not only help them with their work, but to also encourage them to work hard and do their best when really, it’s something you hate. Maybe it seems pointless to you. Maybe you don’t understand the way it’s being taught. Maybe it’s even harder for you to feel motivated to get it done than it is for your kids. As moms, we Keep Reading...
“Build a Turkey” Number Sense Activity {FREE Printable}
I recently shared this number sense activity from Creative Family Fun. I love this simple activity because it gets kids thinking outside the box, and forming connections between number representations, place value and more. As I thought about ways to do this with my kids, I thought it would be fun to do something similar with a "Thanksgiving" twist! This "Build a Turkey" number sense activity is great because it allows kids to be creative, and Keep Reading...
Number Bond Rainbows
As I mentioned earlier this week, number bonds are an invaluable tool in teaching early math and in building math fluency. And while using number bonds to memorize addition facts is a great way to organize them in a way that makes sense, sometimes it's helpful to have a visual model and reminder as well! And of course, it's always fun to combine math and art! To help demonstrate not only the different fact families, but also reinforce the Keep Reading...
Fall Addition Facts Practice! {FREE Printables!}
One of the earliest math concepts students learn is addition. This is an important concept for so many reasons! A strong foundation with addition and fact fluency will pave the way for students to understand subtraction, multiplication and more! And while there are many strategies for helping kids understand and learn addition facts, one that I have been spending a lot of time on with my daughter is number bonds. And although we have started to Keep Reading...
Solving Problems Using Guess and Check
Welcome to the last week in my series on problem solving strategies! There are so many different ways to approach math word problems, but it’s important that we share these various methods with kids so that they can be equipped to tackle them! This week I’m explaining a strategy that doesn’t sound overly mathematical, but can be extremely useful when done properly: solving problems using guess and check! As with the other strategies I’ve Keep Reading...
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