Decimals Hundredths Grid
Here are some great decimal grid activities by the Virgina Department of Education (see pages 44 – 52). I love decimal grids! Use them to teach adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals! Grids are great scaffolds for thinking.
Happy Mathing,
Dr. Nicki
Another Great Resource of Ideas about Teaching Multiplication and Division
Happy Mathing,
Dr. Nicki
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Russian Peasant Method of Doubling and Halving
Here is another strategy for multiplying double digit numbers .It is a method that you would teach at the abstract level. It uses the strategy of Doubling/Halving. It is often called the Russian Peasant Method. Here are some video examples.
Video 3
Video 4
Happy Mathing,
Dr. Nicki
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 3 so far )Great Place Value Packet Including Fractions and Decimals
This is a great packet to use for guided math lessons and math workstation activities!
Happy Mathing,
Dr. Nicki
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Math Power Towers: Great Guided Math and Math Center Activities
Math Power Towers are Great Fun! Power Towers are any type of cup that you write the equation on the inside and the answer on the outside (bottom) and then have students take the cups, look inside and solve, check outside and if correct they add the cup to a structure they are building. They can work alone, in partners, or in groups. It is super fun! Students are practicing all the different operations, depending on their grade level.
I just finished playing power towers this afternoon with a family friend, Stephanie. Stephanie is a funny, joyful, little soon to be first grader. It was very insightful for me because I got to watch and see how Stephanie figured out the problems.
Stephanie, who had just announced that she successfully passed kindergarten, was using a “counting all strategy.” As we played, I encouraged her to use a “counting on” strategy. She took to the idea. I could see where a few days of this type of practice and she would be easing into that strategy. As the teacher, you could do this in a guided math group and take notes on what different students are doing.
P.S. I love the many opportunities this game structure offers. Here are a few ideas. You could have the students reading numbers (inside a number and outside the word), working on particular types of facts (doubles, doubles +1, lucky 8&9) and working on place value ideas (expanded form on inside and short for or word form on outside).
Happy Mathing,
Dr. Nicki
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Place Value Unit
An out of this world place value unit by NASA!
Happy Mathing,
Dr. Nicki
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Place Value Vocabulary
Here are some place value word wall cards! Fantastic!
Here are some more place value word wall cards and more! Super Terrific!
Here is a comparing numbers template! Yahoo!
Happy Mathing,
Dr. Nicki
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Even More Place Value Guided Math and Math Center Ideas
Place Value is so important. All of our students need to understand place value. You should work on place value in both guided math groups and math centers. Place value has to do with students understanding position, value, and the system of base ten that we use. Here are some activity ideas for working with place value.
Bundling Sticks You should start with activities like these where students build their own bundles. This reinforces the conceptual understanding of regrouping. The research states that you should engage in activities like this before you introduce the actual base ten blocks. Base ten blocks are considered a secondary manipulative whereas these are considered a primary one.
Number Branching Examples Examples of this are in the CCSS Progressions. Your students should definitely know how to do this, starting at kindergarten.
Place Value Cards – This is also an example that is given in the CCSS Progressions. You should definitely be using cards like these in your classroom, starting at kindergarten level.
Flip Cards– Flip cards are great for individual pupil response. I would make these and definitely use them during guided math sessions. You ask students to show you a number and they use their flip cards to do it.
Base Ten Letters – This is just a great activity to do with students that is engaging, fun and educational.
Place Value Sliders – This is just another type of individual pupil response tool that students can use to make numbers.
Happy Mathing,
Dr. Nicki
More Place Value Ideas for Guided Math Groups
In your guided math groups, you want your students to be able to give individual pupil responses. Here are some ideas of ways for them to do just that!
Use paper cups to teach expanded form.
Use number fans to get students to give you individual responses when you ask them to show you a number. Say the number in different ways – name, word, base ten form, expanded form.
Give the students individual place value charts. You say a number, name, expanded form,, base ten form and they have to show it in their charts.
Here is an idea for place value folder charts.
Here is a place value game. Click on the picture to get the download.
Here is a sample journal page on place value (scroll down the page to see it).
Happy Mathing,
Dr. Nicki
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Division Strategies and Algorithms: Great Guided Math Lessons
Can you show your thinking about 250/50 in more than one way? What about your students? Can they discuss this problem with numbers, words and pictures?
Division with Virtual Manipulatives
More Division with Virtual Manipulatives (I would use real base ten blocks and then show the process with virtual manipulatives).
Short Division (Notice the use of her language? How could you help describe this process by using language that is descriptive of the actual place of the numbers?)
Be sure to look at all the Schultz videos on different strategies and algorithms for division (scroll all the way down). Also take a look at the other posts on strategies and algorithms in this series on operations. I always encourage teachers to do this type of work in small guided math groups so that students can get a chance to explain their thinking and listen to the ideas of others. Also remember that the new math common core is encouraging us to build a repertoire of strategies and algorithms for the basic operations. Of course, teach the traditional algorithm as well, but teach it with conceptual understanding as well as procedural fluency!
Happy Mathing,
Dr. Nicki
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