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Showing posts with label basic math skills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basic math skills. Show all posts

Ten Things for Students to Do While You're Teaching Math Groups

With the variety of skills students come to you with Mathematically, it's important to meet the needs of ALL students. Teaching Math in small groups is a great way to come closer to meeting their individual needs. The big question: 

What do the other students do while you're teaching math to small groups?

Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.
Here are some of the things that students can do when the teacher is busy with other students.

Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

1.Independent Practice

Do you have a math series with workbook pages or practice sheets? This is where they fit in... but only if the children can perform these tasks on their own. Some of your more challenged students may need to be practicing skills that are more appropriate for them. They all love this, and it's a great way to build that number sense. (and easy to differentiate!) 

Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

2. Working with a partner

Children are social beings and absolutely LOVE when they get to work together! For those children who are a little insecure in their skills, having a partner might help them build a little confidence. Plus, working with a partner leads to those rich conversations that help internalize learning.

Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

3. Playing math games

Children love games, and will play them over and over again! That means they'll be practicing the skills over and over! Try some of these popular Math games: 
or try this collection

Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

4. Writing math stories

Some children LOVE to write! Here's a chance to let them do what they love while practicing math. Once they've written the math stories, they can share them with classmates for solving! 


Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

5. Facts practice

If students spend 5 minutes a day practicing math facts, they will develop math fact fluency in no time at all. Here are a few posts that tell more about building math fact fluency.
Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

6. Explore math manipulatives

They do love those manipulatives, don't they? In order to learn with manipulatives, they need to KNOW the manipulatives. My favorites are pattern blocks and Cuisenaire Rods. Read about these here:

Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

7. Digital task cards

I'm a HUGE fan of Boom Learning Digital Task Cards, and so are the kiddos! Here are a few favorites:
Another option would be a digital math program. I've had much luck with Happy Numbers. It's a research-based individualized program that is easy to use and adapts to the mathematical needs of the students. Plus, teachers can see a record of how each child is doing! It's easy for the teachers and fun for the students. 
Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

8. Practice with a teacher assistant or a parent volunteer

Some students need the assistance of an adult. I often refer to these adults as a "guest teacher." Sometimes, These adults have specific directions for their time with the child, and I'll let the child choose. 

Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

9. Math puzzles and brain teasers

I'm sure you have plenty on hand, and the children love these! Here are some examples:
  • Tangrams
  • Sudoku
  • Magic Squares
  • Dominoes
Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

10. STEM activities 

Who doesn't love a good STEM activity? This is a good time for children to work on a STEM problem that's already been introduced and needs more time, or one with easy directions, since the teacher is unavailable during this time.
Looking for some ideas on organizing these math activities?
Try this link!
Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.


Looking for some similar ideas for reading groups? Try this link!
Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.

What do your students do while you're teaching math groups?

Ten Things for Students to do While You're Teaching Math Groups: It can be tricky to find activities for students to practice during math time that will keep them engaged and building skills. Here are some ideas.


5 Minutes a Day to Math Fact Fluency

After many years in the primary classroom, I've finally developed a sure proof system for math fact fluency. 

 

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!


Math fact fluency is all about memorization. 
Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!

Before this can happen, the children need to have a basic understanding of what it means. A child can't memorize 5+2=7 Unless they understand they are joining a set of 5 items to a set of 2 items and will end up with 7 items. Once they have that understanding, they can start the memorization process. Once the facts are fluent, the related math concepts will flow far more easily!

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!


Yes, rote memorization is NOT the most fun part of learning.

Yes, it takes work, and some students really struggle, but we know they're all different and can help them be successful at their own levels.

Here are some suggestions for math fact fluency!

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!

There are 200 Addition and Subtraction facts to be memorized. There are also 200 Multiplication and Division facts to be memorized. Children can be easily overwhelmed if given that many facts all at once! 

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!

Give them a pattern of facts to learn at a time. Research tells us children learn best by fact families. 

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!

Each child should have a group of facts they are working on, but also a group of facts they know, and don't want to forget! Make sure they spend time reviewing the old facts as well as learning the new bunch! 

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!

 

Be right up front with the students. Talk about what memorization is, and how they need to do the work to memorize the facts. Share the differences between automaticity and "counting on fingers," or "figuring it out in your head." (I don't believe counting on fingers or mental math to be bad, as they are part of the process! However, we hope to get the kiddos to full automaticity eventually!) 

Talk to them about what has helped you when you had to memorize something, and encourage them to share their own memorization experiences. We're all different, but sharing ideas will help everyone! (Isn't that our goal? Teaching children to help each other so we are all successful?)

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!



Or as I call it in my classroom, "out soft." That means, loud enough to hear yourself, but not loud enough to disturb your classmates. Verbalizing the whole equation, not just the answer, makes an enormous difference in the learning process!

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!
 

Practice with friends: children are social. Practicing with a classmate makes practice more fun. Some tend to be a little competitive: let that work for them, as long as everyone is happy about it. Plus, children learn little tricks from each other. (Yes, I've learned a lot of little tricks from listening to my students!)

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!

 Timed tests can be motivating for many, but there are others that "choke" with that stress. You know your students better than anyone. I give timed tests once a week, but if I see any signs of stress, I'll pull that child aside and work with them. I make it fun, but when one-on-one, I can clearly see if a child is counting on fingers, pausing to figure it out in their head, or truly has the facts memorized. No matter what, I make sure it is a positive experience with lots of praise for the things the child is doing correctly!

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!


When I feel a child is ready to move to the next level, before school starts, I'll put the next level of practice cards on their desk, to be cut out and sorted. You'd better believe there are shreiks of delight when they are found! I'm sure you know plenty of other ways to celebrate their successes as well!

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!


I spend time at the beginning of the school year setting routines. There are several ways the facts can be practiced: everyone practice on their own, practicing as part of math rotations, small group games, practicing on computers or devices, practicing with a teacher or adult helper, and so on! I usually teach the routines using "easy facts" before we get to the tougher ones. Once the routines are set, they're good to go!

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!


Once a student has proved mastery of all the levels, of addition and subtraction, I might have that child review all the levels again. Another option is to move onto multiplication and division. Although mastery of these facts isn't necessary for first or second graders, those students who master addition and subtraction quickly are usually quite ready for the upper levels. (Just make sure they understand what it all means!)

Another option: have them work with others. Perhaps it's because my dad was a football coach, but I've always felt it's our job to look out for the whole "team," and that concept is well instilled in my students. We have not succeeded until we have all succeeded!

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!


These are my foolproof systems for both levels. I swear by these materials! I've used them for years and found them to be successful (and loved) by both students and teachers. 

Addition and Subtraction Facts: 

Fact Fluency System for Addition and Subtraction: The Bundle 

Multiplication and Division Facts: 

Fact Fluency System for Multiplication and Division: The Bundle

or get them both in this bundle: 

 Math Fact Fluency System: the Bundle

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!

Try the first level of each system for free!


Math Fact Fluency Practice Activities and Assessments: Level One +1 Fact Families

Math Fact Fluency Practice Activities and Assessments: Level One X1 Fact Families

Math fact fluency is essential for success in math. This post gives several suggestions on making it part of the daily routine to make it stick!

3 Ways to Use Individual Whiteboards for Quick Practice

Individual Whiteboards are incredibly handy for many purposes! I find them very handy to practice a number of skills. 

3 Ways to Use Individual Whiteboards for Quick Practice: There are plenty of ways to use individual whiteboards in the classroom each day. Here are three ways I use them!

I have a good supply of individual whiteboards in my classroom, and the children have their own whiteboard markers. I have enough erasers so that each pair can share an eraser. 

I've also seen children bring an old sock to class to use as an eraser. They love to "wear" the sock on their non-writing hand, which makes it very quick and easy for erasing. These socks are also very handy for holding extra markers! 

One of my favorite thing about the individual white boards is that they are VERY forgiving! The children can practice a skill, get it wrong a few times, and no one will ever know! 

Another thing I like about them? The kids love using them! 

Here are a few ways I use whiteboards in my second grade classroom:


1. Practice spelling words - Often I'll have the kiddos warm up for their word work by practicing their words on the white boards. The kiddos love to use the boards, and end  up writing their words over and over again! Here's a tip: have the children say the letters aloud while they write - it helps the memory! Quite often, after a warm up, I'll have them put a star beside their best handwriting, or a heart beside their favorite word, or maybe an exclamation point next to the toughest word to remember.  All these strategies are great for getting the children to self-evaluate, which leads to more learning!


2. Practice sentences from dictation - Writing sentences from dictation is one step away from writing sentences the children create themselves. Dictation models good grammar, vocabulary, and spelling skills. The sentences themselves can be models for the children to use in their own writing. Dictation helps the children develop the ability to hold some words in their heads while writing words. It is practice with spelling, handwriting, punctuation, and memory. Plus, the whiteboards are very forgiving when they make a mistake!
 

3. Practicing important math skills - Some skills just need to be practiced over and over again, and white boards are the perfect place to do it! The picture above shows my students adding three digit numbers using a couple of different strategies. To make it a little more fun, we use dice to choose our numbers, and they earn tiles for accurate answers. (When we're done, I give them a couple of minutes to create a design with their tiles. All that hard work deserves a little fun, doesn't it?)

What skills do you practice on whiteboards?

How do you make this practice fun?

3 Ways to Use Individual Whiteboards for Quick Practice: There are plenty of ways to use individual whiteboards in the classroom each day. Here are three ways I use them!


Even or Odd? A Game for Two Students

I played a game with my students this week, since we were studying even and odd numbers. 


I remember doing this activity as a child.
I don't remember what we called it.

I don't remember much about it at all, so I shared with my students what I remembered, and made up the rest.
 
Even or Odd: A Game for two students.  This game requires nothing but fingers, but it's a great way to practice even and odd numbers.
 

It worked.

Here's how we did it.


1 .Children chose partners.
2. The partners decided who would represent even, and who would represent odd.
3. Players stood facing each other with one hand behind their back.
4. One partner said, "One, two, three, shoot!"
5. On "shoot," each player shoots out 0, 1, or 2 fingers. 
6. Both players determine if the total fingers is even or odd, and that player gets a point for that round.
7. Play continues until time runs out, with players keeping track of how many points for "even" or "odd."
A more advanced version: use up to 5 fingers for each draw.
Another way: use dice, add them, odd or even gets a point. They can keep tallies on a whiteboard to keep score.  Playing cards would work, too!

All my games end with a handshake and the words, "good game!"


I had all my students playing with partners at the same time. Of course, I had to join in the fun since I have an odd number of students. We now play this game often as part of our Morning Meeting or as a Math warm up!

Even or Odd: A Game for two students.  This game requires nothing but fingers, but it's a great way to practice even and odd numbers.

Number Sense with Cuisenaire Rods

Although I teach second grade, I still have some kids who really need some basic number sense! These are the kids who still don't automatically "count on" when adding two numbers together, or determining the sum of two dice. They still count the dots!

These kids need more "hands-on" opportunities to get to know these numbers inside out!

Many children need "Hands-on" in order to develop number sense. Here are a few ideas for developing this number sense, using Cuisenaire Rods.


I absolutely LOVE Cuisenaire Rods for helping children develop their number sense. I posted about them a while ago with THIS POST about using Cuisenaire Rods to practice math facts and fact families. I've got some kids who need to back up even further and really need to get to know the individual numbers by using these manipulatives.

It's a good idea to give the children a couple of sessions for free explorations with the Cuisenaire Rods. They'll catch on that the smallest cubes are always white, and that the longest ones are orange. Sooner or later, they'll figure out the "staircase". From the staircase, they'll figure out the value of each color, so it's a good idea to start them off by building a staircase from this point on.

I've put together a few exercises with the Cuisenaire Rods to help build number sense. Click HERE or click the image to the right for a sample on the number 5 (the yellow rod).

Explore this image for a link to this hands-on resource!


If you're interested in more activities for the other colored rods, see the image below or see the full set here: Number Sense With Cuisenaire Rods

Explore this image for a link to this hands-on resource!
 

I have also developed a resource for Cuisenaire Rods to help the little ones learn Math Facts with fact families.

Explore this image for a link to this hands-on resource!


And yes... there's another set. This is the most popular with the kiddos: Once they develop number sense and know fact families, they can build with the rods and practice adding multiple addends!  See it here: Cuisenaire Rods Build it and Add!

Explore this image for a link to this popular learning resource!


Looking for more hands-on resources for using Cuisenaire Rods? Try these:
If you don't already have a tub of Cuisenaire Rods sitting in the back of your closet, here are a couple of options: (These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I'll get a couple of cents if you buy them, but it won't cost you anything extra!)

But here's something exciting: although kids love the feel of the wooden or plastic rods, they also come in foam! That means they'll be QUIETER!

How do you use these popular manipulatives?


Many children need "Hands-on" in order to develop number sense. Here are a few ideas for developing this number sense, using Cuisenaire Rods.









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