Want to encourage meaningful math talk and problem solving? Try these playful problem solving challenges based on the book The Grapes of Math by Greg Tang! One of my favorite books is the New York Times Bestseller, The Grapes Of Math by Greg Tang. This hilarious and interactive tale invites students to think outside the box to tackle wacky math riddles. Each challenge encourages new ways to see quantities and count objects. It invites kids to Keep Reading...
{FREE} Lemonade Stand Word Problems for Grades 2-4
Looking for more practice with math story problems? This set of problems uses the idea of creating a lemonade stand to sell lemonade as the basis for the problems. Understanding word problems (and understanding what the question is asking) and then knowing how to appropriately solve them is a challenge for many kids. Give them some extra practice with these Lemonade Stand Word Problems for grades 3-5! *Please note: This post includes Keep Reading...
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? Fall Estimation Fun!
Estimation is a tricky concept, and one that is often not covered at great length in school. And while I love teaching through the use of math story books, there are not a lot of resources that I've found that cover estimation. I do love, however, the book How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin, by Margaret McNamara. In this story, kids explore estimation as well as counting techniques, so I decided this was the perfect excuse for not only some pumpkin seed Keep Reading...
The Best Books to Teach Time Concepts
I can't believe this is the last post in my series on teaching math with children's literature. (Until, of course, I decide to add to it). There are so many great books out there that we can use to engage kids and have fun with math, but for now I'm going to end with the concept of time. This list includes books that teach a history of time and clocks through the ages, books that help kids understand the concept of passing time (how long is a Keep Reading...
The Best Books to Teach Place Value and Large Numbers
It's time for another post in my Teaching with Math Story Books series! While I love exploring math concepts through stories, finding just the right books to do that can be a challenge. I have already shared some ways that math books can be used to teach math, as well as my favorite books for teaching addition and subtraction. Today, I want to share resources for another important math concept: place value. As I've shared before, there may be Keep Reading...
The Best Books to Teach Addition and Subtraction
If you've followed my site for any length of time, you probably know about my love affair with math story books. Even though I'm a math teacher, I have always loved reading and spent my summers as a kid devouring book after book. So it only makes sense to me to combine math learning with great books! I'm beginning this series on math story books with the best books to teach addition and subtraction. I could start with something even more basic Keep Reading...
5 Simple Ways to Teach with Math Story Books
Making math fun and engaging doesn't need to be hard or scary. One of the best ways to draw kids in, get them engaged and excited and teach or reinforce concepts is to teach with math story books. Engaging stories can pique kids' interest, build on their prior knowledge and help them form meaningful connections. Starting next week, I will be sharing a series of book lists for teaching and exploring various math concepts. But before we get into Keep Reading...
Telling Time with The Grouchy Ladybug! {FREE!}
Last year about this time, my kids and I had a set of caterpillars that we watched form cocoons and transform into beautiful butterflies. During the process, we spent time learning about their life cycle, reading butterfly books and doing butterfly-themed math. This year, I plan to have a ladybug themed week, read more great books, and do lots of fun ladybug math! One book that is always a favorite is The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. This can Keep Reading...
{FREE} Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins Board Game!
As you may know, we love reading at our house, and I especially love using children's literature to teach math. There are so many great and engaging books out there, and while reading and discussing them is a great way to talk about math with your kids, I love taking the learning a step further! A book that we've had fun with lately as we prepare to go to the pumpkin patch is Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins by Dianne Ochiltree. This book is a great Keep Reading...
“2×2=BOO!” Hands-On Multiplication Fun!
Multiplication is an incredibly important math concept for young mathematicians. It can aid in counting and problem solving, as well as helping kids increase their number sense and pattern recognition. When you are trying to teach multiplication, however, there are about a million different ways to approach it. Rather than trying to find the best method, why not give kids all different kinds of opportunities to see and make sense of Keep Reading...
