April Calendar: Two Dimensional Attributes

The April Calendar features two dimensional shapes. 

 Each week a different shape is featured, but they look different. 

This difference leads to a discussion about what attributes make a particular shape.  

Here's another way to change up counting the days of school. 

 Each day is worth one penny.

 

Smiles,

Deborah

March Calendar Idea

I laminated this calendar so I could actually draw the weather pictures on each day.

Next, we took it a step further and predicted the weather for the next day. "Likely"... not  "What do you think the weather will be like tomorrow?"  Why? 
Likely is the correct terminology to use when discussing  probability.  Likely leads to 'most likely' and 'least likely," if you have a split K/1 or 1/2 class. 

How do you change your calendar discussions 

at this time of the year?

Smiles,
Deborah

Grade K or 1st: Fraction Pizza Center

Here is an idea for a quick math center. 

 How do you cut these pizzas to share them equally? 

They are fun to make out of play-dough also in a kitchen center.

My granddaughter had 2 friends over for a sleep-over and we made individual pizzas.  So each child cut their pizza with a fun pizza cutter utensil to show how they would share their pizza with 2, 3, and 4 friends.  

By the way, my granddaughters laugh when I ask them to do things like this because they know I love sharing math with them.

Smiles,

Deborah

ADD/HD Students: Strategy to Help Them Complete an Assigned Project

My last post discussed using numbered magnetic clips to help you organize models in a classroom setting.   Here, I used the numbered clip that corresponded to the number item on the worksheet, but I've used them in the past to help my ADD/ADHD students complete an assigned project.

ADD/ADHD students have a hard time breaking a task into parts, then working on one small step at a time...to complete an assigned project.  

So what I would do is: First, meet individually with ADD students and write down the steps they needed to do to complete the project... for example,  researching a topic.

Then, I would cut the steps into strips and clip them to the numbered magnetic clips that hung on the magnetic whiteboard near their desk.

As that student completed that step, he/she would turn over the strip and clip it back onto the clip.

This became a VISUAL picture of how he/she were progressing towards the completion of the project.It shows not only how much more he/she needed to do, but also how far they have come.
They could see their own progress!! 

 I can attest to the fact that many students found this helpful.  For ADD/HD students it's so hard to keep focused... they get overwhelmed and get lost and don't know what to do next.

This visual clue kept them on track, and answered that question of what they needed to do next, without me guiding their every move. They began taking responsibility for their own progress.

Smiles,

Deborah 

P.S.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed with life too, and I find myself writing down those small steps. I find it a great comfort for myself, and I LOVE checking off the steps as I complete them.

Identifying Angles of a Triangle: From Worksheet to Models

It all started with a worksheet like this one shown in the picture.  The students were to write in the name of the triangle based on its angles...

But, I changed up the lesson by creating large construction paper triangles that closely resembled each of the shown triangles on the worksheet.

These triangle could be measured, and the group passed each triangle around as we discussed the angles together.

Suddenly, the classification based on angles used in the triangles began to make sense to the dual language students in the small guided math group.  

   It took more work on my part to make the individual triangle models, but the students seemed to understand it more clearly and the discussion from the group was great!

 It was worth my effort.

Smiles,

Deborah 

Evaluating Student Knowledge About Lines and Angles with Art Project

If you teach math using guided math groups,

 here is way to quickly review what your students know about lines, and angles.

 

 An Art Project illustrating different types of lines and angle. This poster illustrates these Common Core Standards:

CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.1
Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.

CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.2
Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.

You can evaluate them as they work using this rubric:

 

Click Here for copy of my rubric.

If you teach a multi-grade class, two different art project posters could show different concepts that students are working on. For example, the 3rd Graders could be illustrating these Common Core Standards

 CCSS.Math.Content.3.G.A.1
Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories.

Have you ever used an art project to evaluate students in the area of mathematics?

Smiles,

Deborah

2016 PARCC Released Math Items: Typing in Your Answer/ No Choices Given

Did a quick review with my 4th Grader about how answers are entered into the PARCC Math Test when multiple choices of a possible answer are NOT GIVEN.

57 is a Composite Number

I've been working with a fourth grader on prime and composite numbers.  As soon as she walked into our session, she couldn't wait to tell me how she corrected the teacher in class.
"She thought 57 was a prime number.  I told her the factors for that number were 1, 57, 3, and 19 so it couldn't be a prime number... and EVEN her teacher's manual was WRONG!"


Can't you just image how wonderful it felt to be the 
Math Wizard
at that moment... 

Here are some resources that I used to work with her on understanding prime and composite numbers:
1. Learn Zillion   https://learnzillion.com/lesson_plans/2048-4-determine-prime-and-composite-numbers-c
 I just love this site and the easy to understand videos that they offer. When working with one child, you can pause the video and talk about the concept as they view the video. If you have parent volunteers for your class, this is a great way for them to interact with your students too. The lesson is all prepared, all they have to do is TALK to individual students and clear up any misconceptions. Follow up that talk with 4 or 5 math questions to double check understanding.  In MULTI_GRADE Classroom, use 2 different videos... to meet individual needs of the students.

Screen shot from  Learn Zillion

2. Cool Math Internet Site
Give all your students a 100 chart and as a whole group do this lesson with them, which allows them to find all the prime numbers through 100.

 http://www.coolmath.com/prealgebra/00-factors-primes/03-prime-composite-numbers-01

Screen shot from Cool Math

3.  Brain Pop 
If you have access to the internet site, Brain Pop, use this video and other materials that have been created for this lesson.

Screen shot from Brain Pop

Have you used any of these resources? Do you find them useful?
Are there other resources that you find useful.  Please leave a comment, as I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Smiles,
Deborah