Effective Questions in Math

Like in reading, we give parents comprehension stems to use while reading with their child. The following math stems will help parents facilitate math conversations at home. This was a great tool for me during conferences. There were a few stems that didn't apply, however seeing the stems helped the parents to understand what types of practices we use in the classroom. I gave them a copy to use at home. This handout would also work well with volunteers who are facilitating a small group.

Click HERE to download

Geometry Pinterest Board

Here's a quick link to the Geometry Board I created on Pinterest to inspire students to take a look around! Shapes are everywhere, including in nature! 

 Click HERE for the link!

Here's a fun story to launch your Geometry Unit! 

Fun Story by Marlyn Burns

In the story, the triangle gets tired of all his jobs and wants to be different.  So, he goes to the shape shifter and every time, he gets one more angle and one more side.  He ends up having so many sides and angles that he rolls down a hill and so he decides he wants to go back to being a triangle.  This book showed us all of the different polygons--quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons, nonagons and decagons--and in a really fun way!  Each polygon also talked about where it can be found in the real world.

Making polygons with string.

Making shapes using geoboards and then transferring our shapes to dotted paper and color coding them based on their attributes.  

Ideas from: http://braybrooksbunch.blogspot.com


This could be used as a Formative Assessment"
Naming Polygons Worksheet
Click HERE for file

Number Talks

Inside Mathematics is a fabulous resource for inspiration! There, you will find videos, lessons, activities, re-engaging lesson, problem of the month, and so much more! 

Click HERE to go straight to the link! 

Quick Diagnostic Tools

The files below are a quick way to capture a students understanding of the various strategies used in the Addition and Subtraction units. Each question within an activity is designed to progressively become more challenging, allowing you to quickly identify each student's instructional level. Answer sheets are provided, but are only possible approaches, there may be other ways to demonstrate understanding. 

Click HERE for link to the Packet

Addition and Subtraction Strategies

Mental Math

Addition and Subtraction

• • • • • • •

Strategies Common Core

This flyer can be used:

• during a parent-teacher conference 

• as a handout in small math groups  

• as a resource for an anchor chart blown up and used placed on a bulletin board 

• laminated and placed in a math center  

• as a handout for students to place in their math notebooks or journals  

• cut apart and used as flash cards

Click HERE to get the file.

Standards for Mathematical Practices

Standards for Mathematical Practices

Click HERE for direct link.

Click HERE for Mathematical Posters!

Quick Images and Talk Moves

Quick Images   Talk Moves    

The Teaching Channel

Click HERE for file

KWC

Click HERE for the file.

 More Coming SOON!

 

Math Progression Forms

The following forms can be helpful when tracking student progress.

Click HERE for the files

Using the Showme App to demonstrate understanding!

I have found it very useful to ask students to explain the process of solving an equation using the Showme app. First,  I tell them to imagine that we have a new student in our class and their job is to teach him/her how to solve equations with a missing addend using the Open Number Line.

I can use this as a diagnostic tool to help better understand each student's misconceptions or errors as well as their ability to use or not use mathematical language. For example, in Cassidy's explanatin, I might ask her to focus on keeping her digits in the correct columns when writing down vertical equations.  This activity is just one more way to get children talking about math which will help them to articulate their thoughts when they are asked to write their explanations. This is also a great tool to use during parent teacher conferences. The videos can also be emailed to parents. The children really enjoy this activity. To facilitate the process, I place a class roster next to the Word Problem and as each student finishes, they check their own name off and tap the next person on the shoulder. This goes on throughout the day using a single ipad.  Enjoy!

Helpful Video for Unknown Addends

Here's a video to help launch Unknown Addends.

Helpful Video for 3 Digit Subtraction

This video can be helpful for students and parents when introducing 3 Digit Subtraction.

Roll an Array!

Here's a fun game by G. Sims "Husker" in her review of Dice in Dice on Amazon. 

She calls it the Real Estate Game.

You will need Graph Paper and Colored Pencils.

1. Roll one dice in dice and use those numbers as the sides of the area of your land plot.
2. Draw the fence line around your plot. The fence line forms the perimeter of your plot.
3. Write the multiplication problem in your plot.
4. Color in your plot with a colored pencil. You will be coloring in the area of the plot.

This game is played in pairs. When there is no more room to place your next plot of land, the game is over. The player with the most land area is the winner.

You might also consider laminating a few grids and using dry erase markers instead of colored pencils and graph paper.