Classifying 2D Figures and Creating a Hierarchy of Shapes
If you’re anything like I was when I first started teaching 5th grade math, then you probably aren’t too excited about those dreaded geometry standards. You know which ones I’m talking about… The standards that require students to classify two dimensional figures based on their properties and create a hierarchy of shapes. Let’s break down this standard so we understand the why behind this concept. I’ve got two activities for you to make these standards less painful, more meaningful, and a whole lot more fun for you and your students!
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Review Games Your Students Will Love
If you haven’t read about why I have a love-hate relationship with math review games, then you may want to read through that post real quick! I am very selective about math review games. I’ve got several math review games (although they really could be played in other content areas as well) that your students will LOVE!
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Why I Have a Love-Hate Relationship With Review Games in Math
I love competition… to the point that my husband is usually embarrassed when we have game nights with friends because I am so overly competitive. Of course, I love review games because the competition provides instant engagement and motivation (without sacrificing the purpose of the review game—learning). Unfortunately, not all review games are equal.
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Multiplying Fractions with Pattern Blocks
If your students are working on multiplying whole numbers and fractions, fractions and fractions, fractions and mixed numbers, OR mixed numbers and mixed numbers (so basically this applies to any and all of the fraction multiplication standards!), then I think you will love this activity!
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Using Open Questions to Differentiate Your Whole Group Math Instruction
One way to differentiate your whole group math instruction is to use open questions. Open questions are tasks that are open to multiple approaches and multiple solutions. With these types of questions, students are able to solve the problem at a level that is appropriate to them based on their own understanding of the concept. Students end up attacking the problem differently or entering the problem at varying levels because all students go into the problem with their unique understanding of the math concept at hand.
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Using Parallel Tasks to Differentiate Whole Group Math Instruction
Parallel tasks are a pair of questions that are very similar but a modification is made to one of the questions so that it is opened up to students at a variety of levels. Students have a choice as to which problem they solve allowing them to solve the problem that is most appropriate for their level of understanding. The two problems are similar enough that you can discuss the problems at the same time after students have had time to work on them.
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Using Number Choice to Differentiate Whole Group Math Instruction
I’m not sure what the official name is for this strategy, but one of my favorite ways to differentiate a problem in a whole group setting is to give students options for the numbers in the problems. It is quick, easy, and you can do this with any problem from any curriculum. I believe the first time I came across this strategy was in the CGI (Cognitively Guided Instruction) book…
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Four Ways to Differentiate Whole Group Math Instruction
I’ve recently wondered when whole group math instruction became the enemy. Somewhere along the line whole group instruction was deemed bad practice. Somehow the assumption was made that if you were teaching your students as a whole group, then you weren’t meeting the needs of all your students. I felt a lot of pressure as a young teacher (honestly, I’m not even sure who the pressure was coming from) to teach math using primarily small groups.
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3 Ways to Inspire a Love of Fractions
I don’t have to tell you about all the negative emotions surrounding fractions… Many students hate fractions. Some even FEAR fractions. And honestly? I know several teachers that dread any unit having to do with fractions too. Most of us weren’t taught fractions in a way that made sense or had any type of meaning. Some of our students were introduced to fractions in this same type of way as well. So how can we get students to love learning fractions?
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Why “I Do, We Do, You Do” Is NOT Always Best Practice for Teaching Math
Remember the gradual release model? The “I do, we do, you do” lesson plan template most of us were given at some point by professors in college or administrators during our first few years teaching? That is NOT always best practice for teaching students math.
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