Hey there! We began our unit on fractions this week! I'm feeling really behind, but hopefully we will get it all in, and if not, my hope is that my kiddos will at least know what I've taught them REALLY well! We shall see!! We started by reading the book Hershey Fractions and using Hershey bars to create equivalent fractions and parts of a set. You can read more about how I use this book HERE. Friday, we made our own fraction strips. We do have fraction bars as part of our manipulatives, but I do think it's helpful for students to make their own fraction strips. They are manually folding, cutting, and labeling them so they can hopefully SEE the parts and WHY it's 1/2 or 1/8. Of course, cutting in 5ths, 6ths, and 10ths isn't that easy, but they were great sports and we did quite a bit of problem solving to figure out how to fold and make them even. We put them in our math journals by sticking them in this pocket (free from Ashley Hughes!). Now, they have a resource they can use anytime plus they know how to make a fraction strip if they don't have my fraction bars right there or they need them on a standardized test! So, onto why we are here today! A math must read!! I'm sort of cheating this week because I am sharing a book that my good friend AMC at Looking From Third to Fourth shared several months back! The book is called Full House by Dayle Ann Dodds. Here is a synopsis from Amazon: "Miss Bloom runs the Strawberry Inn, and she loves visitors. All through the day she welcomes a cast of hilarious characters until all the rooms are taken. It’s a full house! But in the middle of the night, Miss Bloom senses that something is amiss — and sure enough, the guests are all downstairs eating dessert. Readers will be inspired to do the math and discover that one delicious cake divided by five hungry guests and one doting hostess equals a perfect midnight snack at the Strawberry Inn. Piece of cake!" This book is really cute! It rhymes and has some really silly characters, which students love. I wanted to do this activity and THEN post on it but we didn't get through as much as I had hoped this week, so I haven't done this lesson yet, but will this week. This book is really simple in regards to fractions, but it's so fun I had to think of a way to use it! We have to teach composing and decomposing fractions, so I thought I could use this book to jump off on composing and decomposing fractions. As each guest comes into Miss Bloom's house, we will compose our fractions (also basically adding fractions). Then, we'll use the book to pull apart the fractions as well (or decompose them). Also, all of the guests get a piece of Miss Bloom's cake and it's in the shape of a circle. I'm going to use this book in small group, and we are going to use the circle fraction pieces to make the cake. Then, we'll start with 6ths, since that's in the book, and compose and decompose the fractions. Then, we'll make "cakes" with the other fraction circles and practice composing and decomposing those as well! Hopefully that makes sense! I wish I could have pictures for you today, but I'll have to add them in this week! Also, here is a poster I found on Pinterest. It was a dead link, so I can't give credit unless you know who made this? I hate not giving credit because I love this poster! Here's another poster: Source I hope to remember to come back and add my pictures this week!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful week! Next week's linky- Science
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Looking for support with Illustrative Math to help & engage your first graders? Grab Unit 1 here: Unit 1 Grab Unit 2 here: Unit 2 Grab Unit 3 here: Unit 3 Grab Unit 4 here: Unit 4 Illustrative Math got you down? I'm here to help! This unit is for extra practice / homework and is carefully designed to be Illustrative Math friendly. There is one extra practice page to go with each lesson! This unit supports vocabulary and game-play, and extends lesson format. Send it home for homework or use it in class- you decide! You could also use these pages as a quiz! Everything is standards-based, so this unit can be used outside of IM! Will I bundle this product? Yes, but not until I've finished all the units, so enjoy them now "hot off the presses"! I will also be bringing you a post all about game play and what I have learned so far, abandoned so far, upgraded, and changed while teaching unit 1! Picture below shows me transitioning to the legit bad-ass-er-y system I have going now! We now have kid success, center neatness, and buy in! Posting more about games next week! Looking for more? Click Teachers Pay Teachers Icon Below to shop.
The most useful, all-inclusive set of curriculum checklists! For each anchor standard, you are receiving a set of teacher checklists to track when you teach, review, assess, and reteach a concept. You also receive I Can Statements for each standard AND a student friendly checklist for parents/stud...
Over the last four years, I have taught at two different schools, three buildings, and four classrooms. One of the rooms only had ONE bookcase and a rolling cart for storage (the desks didn’t have any storage either!)! I somehow got it to work. With all these changes, I have learned what I need and … Continue reading Top 7 Teacher Must Haves
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Students must first find the value of each shape before solving the addition problems at the bottom. Uses higher level thinking skills for challenging seat-work. ...
I teach 5th and 6th grade math to beginning English language learners. This post shares 3 critical strategies that support ELLs in the understanding of math concepts AND in the language of math. These are three "must haves" for any math classroom with ESL students, especially those with newcomers! "Math is a universal language." Have you heard this saying? I must admit, it's drives me a little crazy! Have you seen "standardized" testing? There is a LOT of language involved in math, and for students who are new to the country, this poses a lot of obstacles. Not only do we teach grade level math concepts to our students, but we also need to teach the language of math. So how can we best support our beginning ELLs in math? There is a reason I put vocabulary instruction at the top of the list. It simply cannot be ignored if we want our students to be successful. 1 - Vocabulary Instruction There are three types of vocabulary: tier 1 is basic vocabulary, tier 2 is grade level vocabulary (terms most native English speakers are familiar with), and tier 3 is low frequency content specific vocabulary. ALL students need explicit instruction in the third tier! Being aware of all 3 types is important, and knowing your students is key in deciding which words might need front-loading before a lesson. Ex. of Tier 1 Basic Vocabulary - tall, short, fast, long, more, less, far, close, heavy, light, around, cover, most, many, about, big, small, fill, full, empty, all, etc. Ex. of Tier 2 "Grade Level" Vocabulary (math language) - increase, decrease, greatest, least, altogether, replace, combine, random, weight, length, opposite, distance, etc. Ex. of Tier 3 Content Vocabulary - ratio, probability, quadrilaterals, polygons, equations, diameter, circumference, coefficient, variable, volume, capacity, scalene, kilometer, etc. In classrooms with beginning ELLs, vocabulary is one of the main focuses of instruction. Terms from all 3 levels need to be explicitly taught. Analyzing the math lesson during the planning phase and looking for terms that need front-loading is vital to providing comprehensible instruction. On days that I'm introducing a new concept, I KNOW that my primary focus is on vocabulary. ---- Vocabulary Building Activities ---- I use the KIM Strategy for direct vocabulary instruction. To read a post about this highly effective vocabulary strategy, click HERE. Key vocabulary is introduced, a simple kid friendly definition is produced and visual "memory clue" is illustrated. Make vocabulary fun:) Write terms on one set of cards and visuals or examples on another set, then pass out cards to students. As an "exit ticket" they must find their matching partner. The vocabulary terms on this day were "ascending" and "descending." My sixth graders used the KIM strategy in their notebooks at the beginning of class. We practiced putting numbers (fractions, decimals, percents) in ascending and descending order. At the end of class, I passed out index cards with percentages, and their "exit" task was to get into descending order. Then I mixed the cards up and asked them to get into ascending order. I always add an interactive notebook activity, or a foldable activity, to follow up. This resource provides students with a reference during their independent work time. These also are used as study tools before unit assessments. Quadrilaterals Interactive Notebook Activity Quadrilaterals Foldable Activity Numerical Patterns Interactive Notebook Activity Types of Lines Interactive Notebook Activity To find these math resources, click HERE. The direct vocabulary instruction always come first, then I find ways to get my students up and out of their seats for fun vocabulary building activities. This physical activity helps to solidify their understanding. An interactive notebook, or foldable, activity usually follows. Then we practice using the vocabulary throughout the unit with sentence frames to support their language acquisition. 2 - Visuals and Anchor Charts Beginning ELLs do the majority of their learning by watching. Meaningful visuals are key to their understanding. My lessons are loaded with visuals and I am constantly drawing pictures to show what something means. I really wish I could draw!! That hand has 6 fingers!!! Yikes! It's always a challenge, but my students get a kick out of my efforts. LOL! If only it could be this simple... It would be so much easier for me, and for them! :) Color coding is also an effective visual strategy. My students copied this capacity "diagram" in their math notebooks using 5 different colors. Add visuals to math notebooks for each lesson so that students have a reference. On the left hand page is a visual chart for the "Types of Lines" vocabulary. To be successful with independent activities, such as centers and homework, they have everything they need in their notebooks. Use images that relate math to the real world around them. I often use the "Essential Questions for 6th Grade Math" pages by The Illustrated Classroom. They've been a real life saver to me! The visuals are great and the text is simplified. I print them at 75%, cut the excess edges off, then have my students glue them into their notebooks. It works great! Create a visual math word wall. I use this word wall, also by The Illustrated Classroom. Another math reference tool with visuals, and a great place to introduce AND review content vocabulary. Math Videos - I absolutely love using short math videos in class, especially the ones on You Tube by NumbeRock!! NumbeRock videos are free on You Tube. He also has a ton of awesome math resources on TPT. The visuals are spot on, and each video is short, only about 2-3 minutes. My students love them and can see the math concepts in action. These videos are often a part of my introductory lessons. I also use Brain Pop Jr. videos. Brain Pop Jr. is a paid subscription. Even though the "Jr." version is for grades K-3, the focus is on vocabulary, and the language is simplified, so compared to the upper elementary BP version, I find that it's a better fit for my beginning 5th and 6th graders. Creating anchor charts is also invaluable. Pinterest is such a great place to find inspiration for math anchor charts! It's my go-to destination for ideas! As long as we are learning about a concept, the anchor chart stays up for viewing. When we go back to review at the end of the year for state assessments, or spiral back to a concept later, the anchor chart gets pulled out again. Some charts stay up all year! KIM Vocabulary Strategy Poster. Students regularly use this format in the back of their math notebooks. Inequalities anchor chart Order of Operations anchor chart The most important thing to remember about teaching beginning English language learners, IMO, is that you need to show the concept visually FIRST, along with explicit vocabulary instruction. Even with definitions, adding a visual can be "worth a thousand words." ;) When I am planning a math lesson, I think to myself, "How can I show this concept to my students?" And... "Where can I add meaningful visuals?" If I'm teaching fractions, I want to show them parts of a whole. Maybe that means breaking a Hershey's candy bar into pieces, or cutting a pan of brownies into equal parts. (I see a chocolate theme happening here!) If I am teaching probability, I want to show the concepts of certain, impossible, likely and unlikely. It's all about Visuals - Visuals - Visuals!! 3 - Hands On Activities Manipulative and hands-on activities are a great way for students to see "how" math works. Cubes, tiles, measuring tools, foldable activities, food, tangrams, fraction pieces, dice and games are just some ways we can get our students working on and practicing math skills. When students are using their hands, they are focused on "doing" something, compared to when they are note taking or using receptive skills to understand a lesson or new vocabulary. Here they get to practice and try out their math thinking. It's also a great way for ME to see what they understand, as well as what might need clarifying. When math is FUN, and students have had both vocabulary building and meaningful visuals beforehand, the hands-on activities are where they can dive in and practice what they've learned. ---- Hands-On Activities ---- Creating Math Foldables Forming Angles with Wixi Sticks Measuring circumference with round foods. Measuring that skittle was a challenge! FUN math games Measuring Around the Room Vocabulary, visuals and hands-on activities are the 3 must-have strategies for any math classroom with English language learners, especially beginners. Here's an example of all 3 in action. >>> Data and Statistics - Day 1 <<< Direct Vocabulary Instruction - term: "Data - a collection of information (facts, numbers, measurements)" Students copy this in their notebooks. Visuals - Bar Graph Anchor Chart: Question Posed- "Which color do you like best?" Collecting Data - Students come up and color in their favorite color choice. Then we analyze the the data. I ask questions like, Which color did most students like best? Which color did the least, or smallest, number of students like best? Which color did no students like the best? How many students chose the color red? How many students chose the color green? etc... This is a great time to build that tier 1 and 2 vocabulary. Next, I want to model how to take this data and show it in a different way using a circle graph. See pics below. >>> Data and Statistics - Day 2 <<< We review the data from the circle graph and then convert fractions to percents in a whole group setting. Hands-On Activity - My students gather data and use it to create their own circle graph. They will also convert fractions to percents. They each get a baggie of skittles and predict how many are inside. Then they take out the skittles and gather their data. They count and note the amount for each color. Next they write the fraction for each color and convert that number into a decimal. Last, they create the circle graph the same way I modeled with the colored strips the day before. (The M&M Lab Activity by Lisa Tilmon can be found here.) My students all had a firm understanding of data collection after these 2 days. My teacher heart was smiling:) ************************************************ Vocabulary -- Visuals -- Hands-On Activities -- Oh Yea!! ************************************************ I hope that you found some helpful tips in this post. I'd love to hear about a strategy that you find to be a "must-have" when working with beginning English language learners!
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Abacus Schulte Table - is a grid with randomly distributed numbers in abacus used for development of speed reading, peripheral vision, attention and visual perception and more useful for mental arithmetic or mental math lessons. Abacus Schulte table is completed by finding all the numbers with your...
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Looking for support with Illustrative Math to help & engage your first graders? Grab Unit 1 here: Unit 1 Grab Unit 2 here: Unit 2 Grab Unit 3 here: Unit 3 Grab Unit 4 here: Unit 4 Illustrative Math got you down? I'm here to help! This unit is for extra practice / homework and is carefully designed to be Illustrative Math friendly. There is one extra practice page to go with each lesson! This unit supports vocabulary and game-play, and extends lesson format. Send it home for homework or use it in class- you decide! You could also use these pages as a quiz! Everything is standards-based, so this unit can be used outside of IM! Will I bundle this product? Yes, but not until I've finished all the units, so enjoy them now "hot off the presses"! I will also be bringing you a post all about game play and what I have learned so far, abandoned so far, upgraded, and changed while teaching unit 1! Picture below shows me transitioning to the legit bad-ass-er-y system I have going now! We now have kid success, center neatness, and buy in! Posting more about games next week! Looking for more? Click Teachers Pay Teachers Icon Below to shop.
Oral and mental starters to get your class awake, switched on and ready to learn!
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Free Algebraic Expressions Worksheet where the students must solve problems that will help then work their way through a maze!
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I try to do at least two major projects each semester to challenge my students to apply the math they've learned to the "real world". The most common question comment I hear is "When am I ever going to use this?" That's why I love this project. It shows my students that no matter what career they choose, they'll need SOME type of math to get there. Usually it's a whole lot more than they've anticipated! Project Description: Career Project - "When I Grow Up" (grades 5 - 7) *Students will reflect and investigate the career path they are interested in and find what it takes to get there and make a sample monthly budget off their proposed monthly income and present their findings to the class. (PDF of project is available at the end of blog) Time: 3-4 weeks Purpose: To allow students to investigate what they want to be when they grow up and see that math is involved in every career path they choose at some level. Students will also get a better understanding as to "where the money goes" each month and hopefully have a better appreciation for what their parent's do. I really enjoy doing this project each year with my 6th graders. Especially when I had the same class for three years in a row. We did a 1950's project, then this, then a compound interest project. I dare say those kids are prepared for real life! Here's some pictures of my precious students in their presentations: PDF of Career Project: CLICK HERE!
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Math can be one of the most frustrating subjects to teach! Math is used everywhere in our lives. Here are 5 must-watch TED talks for kids that hate math.
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If your Primary Math Students Fear or Struggle With Algebra Then You Must Try Our Teaching Algebra Top 5 Tricks! Get Your FREE Printable From Our Website!
