love2learn2day

Math Monday Blog Hop #42 (January 30, 2012)

2012-01-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Happy New Year! (Dragons!)

2012-01-27T08:57:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Lunar New Year? This art project (and this!) provided us with great fun as we commemorate the Year of the Dragon. Here's our monster:

The dragon's scaly skin is formed by painting with bubble wrap. Fun medium!!

We've also been reading. Two of our favorite books this week...

The Knight and the Dragon (by a beloved author/illustrator, Tomie DePaola...this is also a great story to act out)
The Paper Dragon (with a beautiful moral...the strongest thing in the world is not dragons, but LOVE!)

I've also learned (by much trial and error) that the single most effective way to get children to draw is to sit down and draw with them. We got out the Prismacolor pencils yesterday. Here's a 9-year-old's dragon (right.)

I'm also thinking about a math lesson... How about a survey where students interview people of all ages to find out which animal under the Chinese calendar they were born? It'd be a great Facebook survey to do at home.

Happy New Year from someone born under the Chinese Calendar animal...

wait for it...

MONKEY! :)

(Photo taken at a garden in China.)

Linking up at stART.

Pinterest Site for Math Education (+Tessellations!)

2012-01-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

I've succumbed. Pinterest has grabbed me. Almost my entire Pinterest site is dedicated to math. Feel free to follow along. The goodie I found this morning? An unbelievable site showing origami masks and tessellations...incredible 3D artwork "sculptures" each entirely created from 1 piece of paper. It'd be great to show students as you explore tessellation lessons. The sample below comes from one of my lessons; I had each student in my class decorate a fish to make into a tessellated poster.

Math Monday Blog Hop #41 (January 23, 2012)

2012-01-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Part-Whole Math With a Plate!

2012-01-18T14:55:00.000-08:00

At a conference last fall, I heard Kim Sutton mention something about using Zoo Pal Paper Plates to show parts and whole in math. She briefly described putting the parts in the ears and then showing the whole in the larger plate area. I'm not exactly sure how she uses the plates. But I wanted to experiment with the idea...

I couldn't find the zoo plates locally (Amazon link is below), but decided to try it with a plastic plate from a local one buck store. (My plate is sorta like this divided plastic picnic plate.) I've used this a couple different ways to explore the part-whole relationship in addition with my 5yo...

With Dice:
He tossed one die into each of the smaller compartments and put that many items (I used centimeter cubes) in each dish. He wrote down the two dice numbers in an addition number sentence. So if he rolled "2" and "3," he put 2 cubes in one small slot, 3 in the other small slot and wrote "2 + 3." He then moved all the cubes to the bigger area (the whole) to count the total and finish the number sentence (= 5.)

With Pre-Written Number Sentences & Penguin Pieces:
I wrote several number sentences. (Photo above models 2+2.) If the sentence was 2 + 4, he counted out 2 marble penguins into the first small compartment and 4 marble penguins into the second small compartment. He then moved all the penguins into the larger compartment, counted the total and finished his number sentence.

This could easily be replicated at home or school. And could be used with subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals and more. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If you order from Amazon links on love2learn2day, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Math Monday Blog Hop #40 (January 16, 2012)

2012-01-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Monday Blog Hop #39 (January 9, 2012)

2012-01-09T06:20:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Cure for Bored Kids (Rube Goldberg-esque machine)

2012-01-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

Are your children bored? If you don't mind pin holes in your walls, challenge them with this video:

It reminds me of making marble rolls. And of our Frigits marble roll. But, Wow!

Math Monday Blog Hop #38 (January 2, 2012)

2012-01-03T06:23:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Teaching Dimensions - Great YouTube Movie

2012-01-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

My 3rd grader asked, "What's a dimension?" I think he was reflecting on the 3D shapes we've been considering in math. We had a brief conversation about it, but this movie really helped...and thoroughly intrigued both of us.

Happy New Year!!

One, Two, Skip a Few!

2011-12-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

Recently ran across a math-related book I've never read. (Crazy, I know!) :) One, Two, Skip a Few! contains number rhymes perfect for the preK-Kindergarten set. But I could also see it used as a model for writing math-related poetry in the upper grades.

It contains a few familiar poems such as "One, two, three, four, five, Once I caught a fish alive..." but it also includes many poems new to me. Some include vocabulary for ordinal numbers: first, second, third, etc. Others include examples of concepts like multiplication...

"Twice one are two,
Violets white and blue.
Twice two are four,
Sunflowers at the door."
(continues up to twice twelve...)

Great book to add to a math-related children's library! And inexpensively out-of-print, to boot! Looking for more math-related children's titles? The gigantic booklist has been updated!

Math Monday Blog Hop Break

2011-12-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

Let's take a week off from the Math Monday Blog Hop to enjoy restful time with friends and family. In the meantime, if you are antsy to think about math, visit the list of 100s of math-related children's books or enjoy some of the many marvelous lessons in Math Monday Blog Hops from this past year.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and have a great last couple days in 2011!!

Math Monday Blog Hop #37 (December 19, 2011)

2011-12-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Monday Blog Hop #36 (December 12, 2011)

2011-12-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math App...Improves Fraction Test Scores

2011-12-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

Last year I bought my first math app ever, Motion Math, and reviewed it in a blog entry. A friend just sent me an article, "Proof in Study: Math App Inproves Test Scores (And Engagement)", talking about an independent study in which Motion Math "showed that fifth graders' fractions test scores improved an average of over 15% after playing Motion Math for 20 minutes daily over a five-day period, a significant increase compared to the control group." It also showed an increase in their overall liking of fractions. Although I think my son does show a natural affinity toward fractions, we seem to be cruising through our fraction curriculum at breakneck speed... Maybe his exposure to Motion Math helped?

I find this all very interesting. I wonder where apps in education are headed...? Do you use math apps in the classroom or with your homeschool student?

(And I don't work for Motion Math or get any kickbacks, btw. I even had to plunk down the .99 for my own game! :)

The Rabbit Problem (linking math and lit)

2011-12-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

The Rabbit Problem is not a book about math. It says so on the cover. But you can't always judge a book by it's cover. ;)

According to the back cover, "This book is based on a problem that was solved in the 13th Century by the Mathematician Fibonacci, but it is NOT (I repeat NOT) a book about math. It is a book about rabbits... Lots of rabbits!"

And it's adorable. In a rabbit-infestation sort of way. Every 2-page section depicts a calendar spread from a month in the year. In January, we have one rabbit. On the calendar, you see an invitation "to be my friend." In February, rabbit has a friend rabbit and the population grows to 2 (one pair). By March, the population reaches 4 (two pairs) and the reader finds a rabbit baby book to flip through. Throughout the year, the population grows and grows. Pages often include flips and flaps for readers to open. Oh, and don't overlook the rabbit chew holes! Humorous notations are on many calendar dates. The final page pops-up to show rabbits galore. 288, perhaps? (And, no, I'm not counting them to check!)

Not about math. Yeah, right. ;)

Here's a bit more rabbit, Fibonacci-style, to chew on.

P.S. At the moment I wrote this blog entry, I noticed the book was advertised for a pretty good discount.

P.P.S. And check out the gargantuan book list for more math-lit connections!

Disclaimer: If you order from Amazon links on love2learn2day, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Fraction Visuals (...do you have fraction anxiety??)

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple visuals to share from our current unit on fractions. (Bridges, Grade 3) I love this stuff...and wish someone had taught me fractions this way. To this day, I still harbor feelings of anxiety about fractions due to the way I was taught. (Or NOT taught.) Do you have fraction anxiety? How do you teach fractions?

Sharing licorice with different numbers of friends...lots of fractions! During this lesson my student said, "This is easy! It's just like multiplication!"

We made quilt blocks and looked at many different fractions as we cut pieces and formed the squares.

Learning Basic Skills Through Music (preK/K hit!!)

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Although don't consider myself a preK/K specialist, lately I'm finding myself more and more immersed in that world as I teach a little co-op group. We are having such fun. Today I used a CD by Hap Palmer, Learning Basic Skills Through Music Vol. 2, that my kiddos couldn't get enough of!!

On the CD, Palmer asks kids to follow directions to learn a wide variety of basic skills. We did two songs today. The first song, "Parade of Colors," asks kids to march around, sit when the bell rings, and then stand/sit when a color is mentioned. Our mini-unit today was about "mittens" so I gave each child a paper mitten in a different color. They absolutely glowed when their color was called! They asked to do the song four times...wanted to do it a fifth, but I convinced them it was time to stop for snack. :)

The other song we tried, "Let's Dance," asked kids to move forward, backward, left and right. Since our theme was mittens, I had them all put a mitten on their right hand only...so we'd know which side was right. I planned to follow this with a reading of Tana Hoban's book, All About Where, but we ran short on time. Like most of Hoban's books, this one contains beautiful photographs and includes the words: above, on, behind, under, out, against, across, between, in, through, beside, among, below, over, around. Children can then discuss how the words apply to objects in the photos.

The CD I have contains several math-related songs to work on identifying shapes or numbers. Children move toward certain numbers or shapes or try to match one posted in the room.

Both resources are excellent in preK/K for any sort of a group, whether at home or at school. Wish I would have know about the CDs a long time ago. I'm eager to check out Volume 1 of the same set after reading the reviews on Amazon. (You can hear samples of Vol. 1 on the Amazon page...Vol. 1 is the black cover below...Vol. 2 that I own is the red cover.)

Disclaimer: If you order from Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Math Monday Blog Hop #35 (December 5, 2011)

2011-12-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Advent Calendars - new ones!

2011-12-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

The NRICH site has two new math calendars for this Advent season. You'll find a primary and secondary version containing math activities to do each day until Christmas Eve. Enjoy!

Game Review: Cartoon It!

2011-12-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

Cartoon It! is totally unlike any game we've ever played.

The game begins as each player is given 30 seconds to memorize the features of a cartoon character on a card. When time ends, the player turns the card over and uses the "Features Board" to assist him in recalling all the parts of the cartoon. He draws the cartoon with as much accuracy as possible. Points are awarded for number of correct features; a bonus point is given to the player who finishes first.

We played this for the first time over Thanksgiving break with a mixed group, ages 5-adult. One adult was always done first, so we quickly decided to forego giving a bonus point for finishing first. If we allowed players the time they needed, all players got full points every time. (It's slightly embarrassing to admit that the 5yo often remembered as well as the adults. I shouldn't be surprised considering the fact that my kids regularly beat me at Memory.) Since everyone was successful, it became less a competitive game and more of an opportunity to work on drawing and memorization. We experienced amusement, merriment, and occasional awe as we viewed all the drawings. When the rest of us quit, my almost-6yo kept drawing on his own, using the cards and the features board. I could see it inspiring some children to draw more often.

I think this is the perfect game for the right person/group. It's a great little tool for children to practice memorization and drawing skills. I like the visual/spatial qualities. I could see a group of slightly older children having an uproariously good time, comparing their cartoons to the originals. The game fills a unique niche in the market and could be a fun group activity for holiday play. It would also make a fun classroom game for early finishers...especially those who like to draw.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy and no other compensation. This is my personal opinion. If you order from Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Game Review: Speed! Multiplication/Skip Counting

2011-12-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

Speed! is a "two-person game that uses skip counting to teach multiplication." (from the game directions)

The game comes with 8 decks of cards for skip counting 2s-9s. The photo (above) is from the 2s deck which contains 4 sets of identical cards numbered: 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20. A visual representation of "beads" matches the card number.

To play, each person is given half the deck. Several cards are placed on the playing surface; each player then races to discard from a line-up of four cards in front of him/her. Players may lay cards one skip count higher or lower than the cards in the center. So, for example, you could lay either a 4 or an 8 on a 6. YouTube shows the game in play.

Game Strengths:
* My 9yo son enjoyed the game. (He does already know his times tables, but I think he would have enjoyed it equally, even if he didn't know them.) When I asked him for a comment on the game, he said, "It's FUN!" Why? "Because it's like multiplication!"
* I like the idea of practicing skip counting through a game. Skip counting is a foundational step toward developing understanding of multiplication. I think that alone makes it worthwhile.
* Sturdy box and colorful cards. Sturdy game boxes make me happy. :)

Additional Thoughts:
*Both my son and I felt like it was a little difficult to read the numbers on the card corners. While I was glad that a visual representation was included (beads), they were quite small and in the larger numbers got rather muddled as the beads spiraled due to the large number count.
*I think skip counting is a very important skill and foundational in learning multiplication (and this provides practice), but I'm not quite sold on the idea that this will "teach multiplication." The directions do suggest trying multiplication after the child is familiar with the increments in a deck by asking questions like, "What is the 1st (or 6th, etc.) number in Two Speed?" I suppose if you were really diligent about this, it could result in learning multiplication, but it's not how I'd approach it.
*We often finished the game in a tie because neither of us could lay the remaining few cards in our hand. While I don't think that all games need to end with one winner (probably best for those of us who have issues with competition!) I think it would be more fun to race to a certain conclusion. After we played awhile, we decided that the person with the least number of cards left was the winner. I'm tempted to alter our cards so that half of each deck is marked for one person and then play it more like one of our favorite games, Dutch Blitz. In that game, you play until the first person gets rid of his/her blitz pile of 10 cards...and the person with the most cards placed on the table would then win. (If anyone wants this alternative play strategy explained in more depth, holler.)

Bottom Line: If your kids (in the classroom or at home) are learning skip counting, you'll find this useful. With 8 decks, you could have up to 16 kids playing at once, all at their own level. While I personally wouldn't rely on it to teach multiplication, it does provide practice toward foundational understanding.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy and no other compensation. This is my personal opinion. If you order from Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Math Monday Blog Hop #34 (November 28, 2011)

2011-11-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry I'm a day late. Busy, busy, busy around here! A late Happy Thanksgiving to all! :)

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Game Review: Spot It!

2011-11-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

Shopping on Cyber Monday? Check out these math-related gifts and games or these great math children's books.

Here's a game that's new to us...

I'd not heard of Spot It! before friends gave it to us as a hostess gift about a week ago. Since that time, it's been played and enjoyed by one of my classes as well as by a variety of groups/ages that have been around for the Thanksgiving holiday. It's the perfect size for a stocking stuffer. And would make a great classroom or family game. I recommend it as you think about your Cyber Monday gift list...

Spot It! comes with a deck of round cards in a little tin container. To play, you lay two cards on the playing surface. All players try to find the ONE symbol that matches on both cards. You will only find ONE symbol that matches on any pair of cards. Can you spot the matching symbol below? (They will always color match but they do not need to be the same size.)

The player who calls the matching symbol first wins one of the cards. The last card played is left on the table and a new card from the deck is added. Play continues as everyone tries to be the first to spot the symbol that matches.

We played the game as children arrived for one of my private classes. Kids of all ages participated in trying to find the matching symbols. At our holiday gatherings we played with ages 5-adult. Since everyone can participate, it's an excellent activity to include many ages and group sizes. Rules include 4 variations that would lend a bit of variety to game play.

Lastly, I think someone should use this as an upper-level math exploration... All week, guests have been trying to figure out how they could make a game with 55 cards in which every card has one...and only one...symbol that is identical on another card. You can pick up any two cards in the entire deck and find just one symbol that is identical on both. Explain what the parameters would have to be to make this mathematically possible.

Disclaimer: I received my game as a gift and have no affiliation with the company. If you order from Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Equilibrio, Architecto, Cliko (Blocks for Big Kids)

2011-11-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

I'll be highlighting some of our all-time favorite math games/manipulatives as you think about gift giving this season. This is one of our absolute favorites...a block product for older kids (5 to adult) that develops mathematical skills. It would make an excellent classroom Math Station or homeschool Workbox.

When I first wrote this post, I used it with my then 7yo. He continues to use it at age 9. My youngest started working some of the easier puzzles at age 4 and is now quite good at the beginning levels at age 5. Some of the more complex puzzles are difficult for me...so these sets really do reach all age levels.

********Original post follows:

The Equilibrio, Architecto, and Cliko line by FoxMind rank in my top ten for math education products. I began using them a year ago with my 7yo. The products vary in complexity even within a given book and can be used with children through adults. Here's a brief overview:

Equilibrio could, I suppose, be considered the first in the "series" as the recommended age is 5 and up.

The boxed set comes with a set of 18 specialty blocks that are used to erect structures illustrated in the spiral-bound challenge book. The structures begin deceptively simple ("Oh, this is soooooo easy!") and become increasingly difficult as you progress through 60 different structures. Levels of difficulty are indicated at the bottom of the page, as are guides that tell exactly which blocks are used in the structure. My son can easily build the early structures on his own, but he needs help as the book progresses. A lot of balance is necessary for some of the more difficult buildings. [If you buy the Architecto set below, you get the blocks and need an Equilibrio: book only.]

Architecto, recommended for ages 7 & up, is slightly different, although it uses the same blocks.

This book illustrates 3-D models. At the bottom of each page you see which blocks are used, but you have to look at the 3-D model, using "fairly sophisticated logical analysis and spatial perception" in order to build it. 50 illustrations/building puzzles are included.

Finally, Cliko, the granddaddy of challenges, is recommended for 8 years and up for people who "enjoy sophisticated puzzles." [Link is just to the book and assumes you already own the blocks through one of the above sets.]

In this book you again see a photo of a structure along with a list of blocks needed to complete it. This book, however, shows certain viewpoints of the structure...and the player needs to consider all viewpoints in order to determine whether a structure is feasible or not; sometimes the structure is shown at 3 different camera angles. Tough stuff. My 7yo can do beginning levels. I'm not sure if I can do the most advanced.

Note: You need one set of blocks to complete the structures in all books. The books can be purchased separately. So if you buy one book/block set, you just need other books (without blocks) to do the other activities/puzzles. Clear as mush? :)

Disclaimer: I bought my own set--one set of blocks and all 3 books--and have no contact with the company that produces it. If you use the Amazon link to buy your own, Grace and Hope (foster care for kids in China) will make a few cents (at no cost to you.) My blog policy, however, is that I don't blog about things that I don't like. I love this.

Happy Building! ;)

Free December Calendar Markers - Teddy Bear & Box Pattern

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Math Learning Center, a nonprofit organization, has a ton of free resources on its website. I plan to do the "Teddy Bear & Box Calendar Pattern" for December. On the Kindergarten Supplement page you can download both the calendar pieces (pdf, in color) and lesson plans for FREE. (Look under "Geometry" for C4 Teddy Bear & Box and C4 December Calendar Markers.)

With these markers, students describe the location of a teddy bear relative to a box "using words such as inside, outside, behind, in front of, to the left of, to the right of, above and below." Kindergarteners will love this!! :) At school or at home!

Pictures posted with permission of The Math Learning Center.

Math Monday Blog Hop #33 (November 21, 2011)

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Game Review: Chocolate Fix (great for early math finishers!)

2011-11-20T13:18:00.000-08:00

Trying to think of a good gift for your child? A child's classroom? Chocolate Fix might just fit the bill...or fix your gift list! :) My 9yo received this for his birthday and it's been used and loved by him, his teen brother, and my husband. The 8 and up designation makes sense; I think it would be a bit difficult for younger kids.

A perfect blend of fun and logical deduction, a single player must manipulate 9 chocolate game pieces according to the clues given on puzzle cards to come up with the correct arrangement of chocolates. If you play Sudoku, you'll recognize similarities. (For more details, the ThinkFun site --click on "how to play"--features a visual sequence showing how the game is played). Forty puzzle cards are included in a little spiral-bound flip-it book and are ranked by difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert. The set is stored in a drawstring bag for easy traveling.

I grabbed the photo from the ThinkFun website as our game edition (last year's) didn't come with the shape and color placeholders. This is an excellent addition as it would make it much easier to keep track of what is known vs. what is unknown.

I love the problem solving inherent in the game. This would make a wonderful Math Station/"early finisher" activity for a single student at school or Math Workbox in homeschool. Look at this article on using it to teach geometry.

Over the next few days, I'll be highlighting some of our favorite math games and books. Holiday shopping begin! :)

Disclaimer: I bought my own game and have no affiliation with ThinkFun. If you order from Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Kids LOVE this Patterning Activity!!!

2011-11-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

Last month, I demonstrated how to make your own Pattern Pull. I have to report on my experiences with it since...

This year, my son is participating in a preK/K co-op. When I taught, I introduced the Pattern Pull to this group of 4 & 5-year-olds. You should have heard the squeals and excitement!!! They were ecstatic...so thrilled to guess what would come out of the sleeve next. Each time, I'd tease them by VERY. VERY. SLOWLY. pulling the pattern out. It could have been Christmas morning for the excitement they showed. If you have preK-2nd graders, this is such a great, cheap, easy math activity. When I finished with the group session, I gave the kids access to the materials during "choice time."

Can't recommend this highly enough! :)

Leaf Placemats, Collages, Thanksgiving Decor!

2011-11-18T14:55:00.000-08:00

Around here, we still have a LOT of leaves falling. This project would make a great Thanksgiving decoration...

While studying "L is for Leaf," we read Read Leaf, Yellow Leaf. For each student I anchored a sheet of contact paper, sticky side up, to the table with a tiny piece of tape in each corner. Students then covered the contact paper with leaves. I used dried leaves although I think fresh fallen leaves would work as long as they weren't wet. Because we were studying "L is for Leaf," each student then put a cut "L" on top of their leaves. You could substitute a Thanksgiving sticker or picture if you were making Thanksgiving placemats. I then put a top layer of contact paper on the collage and trimmed the edges. We hung our projects, so I hole-punched the top and made a loop with yarn.

We also read two more books that explore how you can make pictures out of leaves, Look What I Did with a Leaf! and Leaf Man. Collages like this could also be used on contact paper for decorations or placemats.

Linking up to stART.

Disclaimer: If you order from Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Turkey Calendar

2011-11-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

When I saw the calendar pattern that Little Miss Kindergarten did with turkeys, I just had to try it! And then when I saw the Fancy Nancy handprint turkeys at Almost Unschoolers, I wanted to include that idea. (Both of these bloggers are brilliant!) With their great ideas and a free online lesson from The Math Learning Center, you can do this, too! Before Thanksgiving!

Here's the plan:

1. Read Fancy Nancy Our Thanksgiving Banquet. You'll be inspired to create fancy handprint turkeys.

2. Read Setting the Turkeys Free.In this adorable book, "A young boy uses his hands, paint, sequins, and everything imaginable to make beautiful turkeys in his picture. Soon his imagination takes over, and the turkeys take on a life of their own."

3. Have kids make a set of 30 fancy handprint turkeys on squares that will fit into a calendar pocket chart. (I use the large one.) If you want to have multiple access points to your pattern, use two background colors like Little Miss Kindergarten did. I used only one background color.

4. Print this free lesson plan from The Math Learning Center for a butterfly calendar: C3 Flying Butterflies. (You'll find it under "geometry.") The lesson calls for you to print butterflies calendar grid cards (also free) and have the kids explore the pattern as the butterflies point in four directions: up, to the right, down, to the left. Follow the lesson, using turkey cards instead of butterflies. To do this, you'll want to arrange the pattern for yourself first, then add dates to the cards so that the date is always in the correct location, even when the turkeys turn.

5. Do the lesson with your classroom or homeschool child. You can do it with one card at a time (if you start on Nov. 1st) or do a week or more of cards at a time if you start later in the month. We've been doing about a week at a time.

Reflections:
In doing this with a 5.75yo, I found it helpful to add some additional support, both to recognize the pattern and to understand direction. I tried a lot of things:

*I had the child point each direction as we reviewed each card. As we reviewed each card, we also chanted the direction aloud: "up, to the right, down, to the left...up, to the right, down, to the left."
*When the pointing seemed a little weak, I added whole body movement. We stretched to the ceiling, moved to touch a chair to the right, touched the floor, and moved to touch a chair to the left.
*When the directions/pattern still seemed a little weak, we made a pointer with our Purplinker and pointed in each direction as we chanted through the pattern.
*I made a bunch of arrow cards (see pink in photo) and had the student put the cards in each pocket to show (again!) which direction the turkey feathers were pointing.

The student started to be able to predict the pattern with some consistency around day 15. So he didn't find this pattern easy. But it's so worthwhile! Anybody else know teenagers...perhaps adults...who still don't know right from their left? ;)

Note: Behind each of our turkeys you can see the white cards peeking out which contain our daily journal entries. It works great to put the calendar pattern in front of each entry.

Thank you!: This lesson is thanks to The Math Learning Center, Little Miss Kindergarten, and Almost Unschoolers. Linking up to stART and TGIF Linky Party.

Disclaimer: If you order from Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Fun with Time...Books & Foldable

2011-11-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

Have a little time on your hands? Maybe it's time to learn about TIME! Here's some fun that we've been having:

Books on Time...Here's What We've Been Reading:

Just a Minute!
Fred is confused about what a "minute" is because his family members keep saying "just a minute" but then proceed to take a VERY. LONG. TIME. Cute book.

Clocks and More Clocks
Mr. Higgins thinks that the clocks in his house don't keep correct time. He'll check a clock on one floor in his house, find it's 3:00, only to go upstairs and find that the clock there says 3:01. Since he can never catch clocks on different floors showing the same exact time, he's convinced there is something wrong. My 9yo totally caught the humor and kept shaking his head throughout the reading.

Telling Time
Great introduction to the concept of time. More advanced than your usual concept book, addressing everything from seconds to hours, analog and digital clocks, and years to millennia.

Hands-on with Time

Judy Clock
Each student took a Judy Clock and moved the hour and minute hand as we talked about them. I then called out various times and had students check to see that they had the same time as their neighbor.

Time Foldable
My students made their own foldable books about time. We made foldable books with four sections. (Sorta like this "flip flap with 4 flaps.") Each child picked four times during the day. On the top of a flap, he wrote the activity that takes place during a certain time and drew a picture. On the inside of that flap, we stamped a blank clock. Each student showed the time with a Judy Clock and then copied the Judy Clock time onto the blank clock. For example, a child wrote "get up" and illustrated the front of the flap with a picture of getting out of bed. He then showed his wake up time on a Judy Clock (6:45) and copied that information onto the stamp inside the flap. I told my students they could then quiz other people to see if they could figure out when each event took place...and then have their readers open the flap to check.

Disclaimer: If you order from Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Math Monday Blog Hop #32 (November 14, 2011)

2011-11-14T05:48:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Journaling with a Calendar Pocket Chart !!

2011-11-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

When I first saw this idea posted on The Math Learning Center blog (see photo #6), I couldn't believe I'd never thought of it before. It's so simple yet so awesome...

I've always had kids journal. Always used a calendar grid pocket chart (5"x5" pockets). But never put them together. So now I'm having kids record things that happen during the day to put on our wall calendar pocket chart. We try to either write at the end of the day or write in the morning about the previous day.

At the end of the month, I'm collecting the cards, holes punched on one corner, to make into a "book of the month," gathered on a ring. It will be tremendously fun for us to look back and see what we did each month.

This does mean that my calendar patterns have to go in front of our journal squares. Either that, or I need to hang a separate calendar. This month we're using turkey handprints for our calendar pattern and they fit nicely in front of the journal squares.

Math Monday Blog Hop #31 (November 7, 2011)

2011-11-07T06:36:00.000-08:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Kanoodle: A Kid's Review

2011-11-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

My 9yo received Kanoodle for his birthday. In the past week it's been in perpetual use by both my 9 and 5yo...and occasionally by their father. Guest poster, LilDude (9), is here to tell you about this game...

Kanoodle is a game that you can play but it's like a puzzle. You put some of the pieces in (the ones they tell you to), and the rest you try and put in so they all fit in the board.You can do 2-D or 3-D pyramid puzzles.

The pieces are like little beads connected together. All of the pieces have different shapes. There are 12 pieces and you try to make them all fit on a 5-by-11 hole board. There are 100+ different puzzles to try and do. There are six levels: pro, super pro, champ, whiz, expert and genius. I think it's a good game because there is a of stuff that you can do with it.

There is an instruction manual. The case it comes in is small--a little bigger than a deck of cards--so it's easy to carry around. I'm amazed that they thought of all those puzzles.

On a scale of 1-10, I'd give this an 8 because it's fun but if you do one of the last puzzles it's really hard. I like doing the pyramid puzzles.

Mom Report: Love this! It feels like a toy but is great for visual/spatial reasoning. It would make a great Math Station at school or Workbox at home. Based on our experience, it also makes a great gift!

Disclaimer: I bought my own Kanoodle game and have no company affiliation. If you order from Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!

Subitizing: Counting Rope & Speedy Pictures Game

2011-11-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

I've been intrigued with the concept of subitizing or "instantly seeing the quantity" ever since reading about it in a recent issues of Teaching Children Mathematics. I've started using our DIY counting rope to flash quantities in front of my 5yo. Want to join us? If you're a homeschooler, just make a counting rope and pull a small number of beads to one end. Then hold up the rope for a brief look (long enough to see the beads but not long enough to count each bead individually.) Teachers could put the counting rope under a document camera or lay game chips on an overhead for a similar experience.

Then, extend learning with this "Speedy Pictures" game. You can choose to flash a visual representation of a number using fingers, dice, rekenrek, eggs, or number discs. The flash time may be increased or decreased, according to student needs. Students get a moment or two to see the quantity--but not count one by one--before being asked to enter a total. This activity would make a great computer-based Math Station.

Square Cat Giveaway Winner...

2011-11-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

Winner of Square Cat is...

Anonymous said...: Square cats would have trouble cuddling in their owners' laps, because they can't curl up into a round ball! urchiken at gmail dot com; October 7, 2011 10:45 AM I'll be in touch. Thanks so much for entering everyone! I loved reading all your square cat ideas. Thanks also to the author, Elizabeth Schoonmaker, who graciously donated the book for the giveaway and sent the new pictures of Eula to post.

Math Monday Blog Hop #30

2011-10-31T16:53:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Graph Your Halloween Candy!

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Quick repost from last year. Don't forget to graph!

Jedi Master say...

"A good Jedi must always graph his Halloween candy before eating it. May the force be with you!!"

Fastest graph, EVER! ;)

Jedi Masters need chocolate, too. Think the Jedi would notice if a piece of his graph disappeared? ;)

My Life in Numbers II...Real Life Problem Solving

2011-10-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, I posted about a fabulous idea Courtney shared at A Middle School Survival Guide having students make Math Journal or Notebook covers telling math ideas about themselves. I've found that these covers become a fabulous jumping-off point for PROBLEM SOLVING.

After students finish their covers, have them generate several problems on 3x5" notecards that use the information they created. For example, on my cover, I posted the following:

I went ahead and wrote my problem on the cover itself, but would have students write on cards. My question, "How many hours do I sleep each night? Each week?" could then be posed to other students. In the classroom, I could put my cover under the document camera and ask students to answer the question posed on my card(s). They could then share a variety of strategies for solving the problem. In a homeschool setting, children could write problems for siblings or parents to solve. Problems could be written at a wide variety of levels, making them grade and age appropriate.

At the Northwest Math Conference I went to a workshop entitled, "Taking the Numb Out of Numbers" by Don Fraser (Ontario, Canada). He began by telling the group of 30 of us, "Did you know that in a group of 23 or 24 there is a 50% chance that at least two people in the group will have the same birthday?" He then gave us a graph showing us the probability of sharing the same birthday in groups of varying sizes. In a group our size--30 people--the likelihood was 70%. We graphed the days/months for birthdays in the room. Interestingly enough, none of us shared the same birthday...we were in the 30%. After looking at the data, Don asked us to come up with problem solving questions--real life questions--based on the information we'd collected. It was amazing to see how many questions we could generate, at all different levels of mathematical knowledge and proficiency.

Don encouraged us to begin each day by reading a "story" and having kids make up a question/word problem. Going back to the math notebook covers, imagine the possibilities if you put ONE child's notebook cover up each day and asked kids to generate questions from the "stories" found there. The problem solving possibilities are endless!

My Life in Numbers

2011-10-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

When I posted about Math Journals & Notebooks, I mentioned that I loved the idea of having children make covers relating math to themselves as Courtney shares at A Middle School Survival Guide. Ideally, I'd begin the lesson by reading aloud a book that relates math to everyday life. (I mention several suggestions here.)

When I first considered what might go on a cover, I didn't have a lot of ideas. I just thought about # of siblings or children, year of birth or age, height or weight, etc. But the more I considered, the more ideas multiplied! I'd definitely want to do this as a brainstorming activity with students rather than giving them a list. See what your collective brain energy can come up with! How is math related to our daily life? Here are some of the things we thought of:

time you wake up/go to sleep
# of favorite ____________ (sports, colors, hobbies)
# of years _____________ (teaching, being a student, playing an instrument or sport)
time each day that you ___________ (exercise, go to school, watch tv, read, play video games)
# of _____________ that you own (pets, video games, books)
# of years until you (finish school, turn 21, want to get married or have kids)
cost of your favorite (restaurant meal, soda, candy bar)
amount you spent per week on (lunch, snacks, coffee)

The possibilities are endless!

A follow-up post will show you how to turn this into a problem solving activity!!

Capacity Scarecrows

2011-10-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

When I saw Mathwire's lesson plan, Measurement Man, using "scarecrows to visually represent the relationship between gallon, quart, pint, cup" I knew what we were going to do today!

I set out several containers and asked my student to predict/estimate how many of each would fit into others, just by looking. He recorded ideas in his notebook.

He put the containers in order by capacity. I asked him to figure out how many:

cups in a pint?
pints in a quart?
quarts in a half gallon?
half gallons in a gallon?

He measured water, recording his results. I then asked him to look at his data to figure out:

cups in a quart?
quarts in a half gallon?

We then proceeded to make Measurement Man. As we worked, he told me how many of each measurement were equivalent to others.

Another student worked at a 5yo level and choose to make a monster face on his man.

Thank you, MATHWIRE, for another awesome lesson!

P.S. When we were showing these to Daddy and older siblings tonight, my student was quizzed again about various equivalencies. Funny thing? Dad and sibs had to check the scarecrows to see if he was right. :)

Math Journals & Notebooks

2011-10-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of the times I feel very grateful to have connections to both the public school and homeschool community. Excitement bubbles in the homeschool world over lapbooks (we do an "on-steroids" version called Portfolders), closely followed by notebooks, where students demonstrate learning through student-made folders, foldables and creative notebook pages. Some homeschoolers focus specifically on math. Recently, I've seen a lot of fabulous information on teacher blogs about using journals/notebooks in the context of math. Since we are using math notebooks this year, I'm enjoying...

1. Designing our journal covers
I love this idea. This teacher had her students design journal covers using "Math About Me." Students used numbers, pictures, word problems, etc. to represent themselves mathematically. In an upcoming post, I'll share ours...along with some fun extensions.

2. Basic Journal Pages
I'm using blacklines from the Bridges Math Journal as pages. The bulk of the pages are centimeter grid paper which makes it helpful when we're doing math problems, drawing graphs, making diagrams, etc. The back of the journal includes visuals in a blank math glossary (designed for students to fill in) which matches the Word Resource Cards that we use. I'm going to have my student refer to the visual glossary and the Word Resource Cards whenever we add vocabulary to the journal.

3. We'll use flaps, foldables and other interactive models.
In our Portfolders, we use a lot of flips and flaps to demonstrate learning in fun, interactive ways. Dinah Zike is the Queen of Foldables and has many great resources, including Big Book of Math and Notebook Foldables. Some of these are displayed at Simply2ndResources.

So what exactly are math journals/notebooks for? We'll be using them to...

Write our own definitions of math vocabulary used in our daily lessons.
Demonstrate our understanding of math using pictures, numbers, diagrams, etc...
Refer back to math concepts that we explored earlier in the year. We'll continue to add to our knowledge by revising and adding to what we've already written.
Provide ample opportunity to write in the context of math.
Explore problem solving in creative ways, often using children's books.
Look at math in many settings: daily life, historical, games & more

These are other places I'll be visiting!

Runde's Room

Jimmie on Math Notebooking

Math Journals Boost Real Learning

I'll be back soon with examples from our notebooks! Would you like to share yours?

Math Monday Blog Hop #29

2011-10-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

So much to share! Upcoming posts include math journals & notebooks, more math tools from the "one buck" store, gift ideas for the holiday season and more. Also, remember to enter the giveaway for a copy of Square Cat. Just a week remains!

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Make-It-Yourself-Math...Counting Rope

2011-10-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

At the Northwest Math conference I felt very privileged to sit in on several Kim Sutton workshops. If you've seen her, you know how amazing she is. If you haven't, I highly recommend checking into her work at Creative Mathematics.

In one of her workshops, she briefly held up a "Counting Rope." I thought it a very nifty math manipulative and received permission from Kim to make a video showing how to make your own. This is an incredible visual model for demonstrating addition, subtraction, counting and more!

If you like the video, I encourage you to comment here or on YouTube, showing your appreciation to Kim for allowing me to pass on this information. And look for Kim's book, Do The Math (scroll down on this page), for activities using the counting rope. Enjoy!

Make Your Own Pattern Pull!

2011-10-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Barbara Novelli, one of the wonderful speakers I saw this weekend at the Northwest Math Conference, briefly showed us what she called a "pattern holder." Basically, it was a sleeve made of stiff paper (think posterboard) that she pulled pattern strips through. The pattern strips were permanent, each created to show a particular pattern. I'm sure she had a lot of them; I would think that each strip could be used in one sitting with one group of kids before being set aside until the next year.

I'm far too lazy to create that many unique strips. So I decided to modify a bit. Like Barbara, I created the long sleeve from posterboard so that I could pull strips through, slowly revealing each picture as children make predictions about the picture(s) to follow. But rather than making a lot of permanent pattern strips, I made a pattern holder. I cut up one heavyweight presentation sheet protector and made a transparent pocket on the front of a strip of posterboard. The pocket is designed to hold little cards.

I then went to my local dollar store and picked up one package of wall borders. I cut them up so that I had a multitude of pictures that could be arranged and rearranged to form patterns. This way, I can insert them into the transparent pocket to form anything from simple ABAB patterns to more complex ABCABC or ABBABB patterns, etc. Additional patterns could be made from photos of children (boy-girl-boy-girl or long hair, short hair) or by cutting 3x5" notecards in half and adding stickers or stamps.

I made a short video to demonstrate. Hope you enjoy. I'd love to hear your comments. ;) And do check out past entries exploring patterns. Especially this one that uses the book Pattern Bugs and includes a bunch of hands-on pattern activities.

And with this post, love2learn2day celebrates the 500th Google Friend follower!! THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE! :)

Math Monday Blog Hop #28

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

I just spent a fascinating couple of days at the Northwest Mathematics Conference. I have so many fabulous new ideas to try out...and share!!! Can't wait to post more this week!

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Advice for Alexander (...who used to be rich last Sunday!)

2011-10-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

In the context of Bridges in Mathematics, we've been reading Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday. This humorous picture book provides ample opportunity to explore the addition and subtraction of money through the life of Alexander and his brothers.

We added money...
The text specifies the coins that Alexander's brothers, Anthony and Nicholas, have. So, for example, we figured out how much Anthony has with "two dollars and three quarters and one dime and seven nickels and eighteen pennies." We first used mental math and then checked with both numbers and money value pieces.

We compared money...
After figuring out how much each brother had, we compared to see who had the most.

We subtracted money...
We followed along, subtracting, as Anthony receives a dollar from his grandparents and gradually loses it in a series of poor financial choices.

Finally, we did some writing...and gave Alexander a little advice. (This letter will make the most sense if you read it in the context of the book.) Here's my son's letter:

Dear Alexander,

Don't buy three pieces of gum. Your friend is not going to buy used gum. Don't try and hold your breath til three hundred. Also, you should have landed on your feet when you jumped off of the stoop. And you should not hide a purple marble from your mom because my mom said moms have special magic. Renting a snake for one hour is not really worth it. Don't say bad words to your brothers. Don't hold money while you flush the toilet and try not to walk on your hands with a nickel. And don't eat a chocolate bar that's left sitting around. Don't give Nick four pennies. He probably just stole them. Don't kick Nick's butt. Don't buy a bear with one eye and a half-melted candle and a deck of cards that you can't really do anything with. Don't try and make a tooth fall out.

Pick up the book and write to Alexander with your own advice. We'd love to see what you include! :)

Throughout both the reading of the story and the writing of the letter, my son laughed and laughed. It's a great book for elementary-age students!

Disclosure: If you purchase this product through my Amazon link, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I do not keep any money myself; I am hoping to be able to sponsor an additional child in foster care through commissions on this site.

Swish...a Very Cool Math Game

2011-10-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

My husband says that Swish has "coolness factor." He's not easily impressed, so take that into consideration. :)

Swish is a new, transparent card game by ThinkFun. Basically, you layer cards so that "balls" go into "hoops" of the same color. In order to make cards fit together, you have to mentally flip/reflect or turn/rotate. When you call "Swish" you put the cards together to test your theory; if they fit, you keep the cards and earn that many points. If they don't fit, you have to return them and lose that number of cards/points already in your hand.

But there's more...

It's not necessarily that hard to find a Swish with two cards. But you can layer MULTIPLE cards to produce a Swish. Try finding 3, 4 or more cards that go together to form a Swish. The more cards you stack, the more points you get.

If you've ever played SET (a favorite math game for looking at patterns), this reminds me of it in some ways. The cards are dealt onto the playing surface and everyone tries to find a SWISH at once. Last night, we played with two adults, a 9yo, and a 5yo. I was shocked that the 5yo was able to play; he could find SWISHes with two cards. At the same time, my husband and I competed to find SWISHes with three cards or more. I'd no sooner than think I had a SWISH and my 5yo would take a card off the playing surface to complete his own 2-card SWISH.

It's a great group game and would make a terrific Math Station in school (what a great way to explore geometric transformations!!!) and a great Math Workbox at home. Oh...[chuckle]...and it would probably work for a fun family game as well. At least we think so.

Are you starting a holiday gift list? Swish would be a great addition!

Disclosure: I received a free Swish game in exchange for a frank and unbiased review. Thank you to ThinkFun for the opportunity! I was not paid for this review, nor was I required to write a positive review. If you purchase this product through my Amazon link, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I do not keep any money myself; I am hoping to be able to sponsor an additional child in foster care through commissions on this site.

Math Monday Blog Hop #27

2011-10-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Giveaway: Square Cat (Children's Book)

2011-10-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a square deal...that might just made you purrrrrr...

Elizabeth Schoonmaker, author of Square Cat, graciously sent us an autographed copy of her book for a giveaway. (You can read my review here and a lesson we did with the book here.)

**GIVEAWAY**

Enter to Win:

Prize (1): one autographed copy of Square Cat
**U.S. shipping only.**

Contest Details:
Begins today and continues through Halloween, October 31st. (Wouldn't it be fun to dress up as a square cat for Halloween??) Contest ends at midnight on the 31st. I will choose a winner at random using Random.org.

How to enter:
Enter up to three times, using the criteria below. Please make sure that I have a way to contact you...such as janedoe at gmail dot com. If I don't hear back from a real person within 24 hours, I'll draw again.

#1: What problematic situation do you think a square cat might encounter, due to her shape?

#2: Become a follower of my blog. (Or tell me that you already are.)

#3: Blog about the contest and post the link in your comment below.

Good luck!

Square Cat Fun!

2011-10-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

I recently mentioned how much I enjoy the new book, Square Cat. This week, before reading the book again, I held up two shapes (below, right) and asked my 5yo to tell me what he knew about them. (Can you tell that I used two pieces from my kindergarten calendar pattern? :) From Bridges in Mathematics, btw.) He named them (circle, square) and talked about their attributes (no sides, round; 4 sides w/ same length, 4 corners, etc.)

We then reread Square Cat. I set out some die cut circles* and squares and asked my boys to pick out shapes to represent each character in the book. (*Note that the characters are "round" in the book and not true circles.) They picked two circles and a square. They then drew their own depiction of the characters. A fun art/math/lit connection! Linking up to stART!

Return later this week to participate in a giveaway for an autographed copy of Square Cat.

Disclaimer: If you purchase the book from Amazon, any commissions I make (at no additional cost to you) will be sent to Grace and Hope to provide foster care to orphans in China. I recently received a review copy of the book along with another for a giveaway.

Math Monday Blog Hop #26

2011-10-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

Get ready for a GIVEAWAY!!! It's coming!!

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Versatile Blogger Award

2011-10-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to Heather at mrsrobinsonsclassroomblog, Janaye at frogsandcupcakes, and Barbara at The Corner On Character for the Versatile Blogger Award! Thanks also to Barbara for the Blog on Fire Award! And to Janaye for the Top Ten Award!

To accept Versatile Blogger Award, I need to:

1. Link back to the bloggers who awarded me. (Done...and thank you! I LOVE your blogs!)
2. Share 7 things about myself.
3. Nominate 15 other blogs.

Wow! Tall order!

So...7 things about me...

1. In the past week, I have canned a little more than 115 jars of tomatoes, tomato sauce and salsa. I am so, so sick of looking at tomatoes. (But grateful!) I also found the top of my desk and the floor of my office. (The tomatoes weren't stored there, but everything else was!) :)

2. I just finished a summer that included many teacher math workshops...including one to Indiana in the heart of Amish country. I learn so much from working with teachers!

3. Related to #2, my husband has Amish relatives. We visited a great uncle and my kids got a buggy ride.

4. I have 5 children. Last year I discovered why I was so busy all the time. I had one child in each of these levels: preschool, elementary, middle, high school, and college!

5. Related to #4, when I was a kid, I said I wanted to grow up to have 12 children.

6. I've gone from high school English teacher to middle school language arts/social studies to elementary teacher to math trainer. My favorite age to teach is always whatever age I'm currently teaching. (Which seems to change on a daily basis!)

7. If I wasn't a teacher, I'd be a child psychologist specializing in adoption issues.

Check out these fabulous math blogs (in no particular order):

Math Mama Writes...

Dr. Nicki's Guided Math Blog

Bookish Ways in Math and Science

Mathwire

Math is Not a Four Letter Word

Guided Math Study Group

Let's Play Math!

Homeschool blogs (in no particular order):

Almost Unschoolers

Joyful Learner

Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns

The Adventures of Bear

A Mommy's Adventures

Jimmie's Collage

Journey to Excellence

The Learning Hypothesis

Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational (an "after school" blog!)

Someday I'll do a post just on teacher blogs. There are so, so many I love that it's hard to choose just a few! But you can find a lot of fabulous teachers linked at:

Teaching Blog Addict

Okay, that's 17. But who's counting??? :)

Quick Image Math - Fluency in Basic Addition

2011-09-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Interested in helping your students (at home or school) become fluent in basic addition? I just read a fabulous article on the topic in the Sept. 2011 issue of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) magazine, Teaching Children Mathematics.

In the article, author Gina Kling asks "what exactly does fluency mean, and how might fluency differ from having instant recall of each and every basic fact?" Great question. And one with which many teachers and parents struggle.

NCTM defines computational fluency as efficient, accurate and flexible ways of computing. Kling writes, "Traditionally, learning basic facts has focused on rote memorization of isolated facts, typically through the use of flash cards, repeated drilling, and timed testing. However, ...drill alone does not develop mastery of single-digit combinations."

The article goes on to describe strategies that fluent students use and suggests several ways that teachers might help students to become more fluent. She talks about ten frames and games. But the concept that jumped out at me was subitizing.

Subitizing is "instantly seeing the quantity." Kling suggests using quick images to show students a representation of a number "with the expectation that they will retain a mental picture of what they saw and then use that image in some way." The key? "...to flash the image quickly enough so that students [can] not rely on counting to determine their answer."

I decided to try it this morning. I put pegs into a mat, gave a 5yo a quick image, and asked him to then replicate the number of pegs in his own mat. The mathematical thinking is apparent in the video below as he decomposes the number four, seeing it as "these two and these two make four." As you can see in the video, he doesn't count the numbers. He knows that it is four because he recognizes 4 as a double of 2 or 2+2=4. Note that we've done no formal work with addition; I've never heard him say,"two plus two makes four."

In the representation at right I asked, "How do you know it's 5?"

"Because 2 of these and 2 of these [he pointed at two on one side, then two on the opposite side] and 1 of this [pointed to middle] makes 5."

It's quite exciting to see his mathematical reasoning.

We're on our way to learning basic facts. I'd like to try other methods using subitizing. The author suggests one could flash a pattern of dots (think of 5 or 10 frames) or a certain construction of unifix cubes. Watching my boys this morning, it'd actually make a great partner game in a math station at school or in a workbox at home. Each student could make a quick image "puzzle", give their partner a quick peek, challenge the partner to replicate it and then check the work by explaining the mathematical thinking involved. For instance, each child could have a five frame, put pennies on it (anywhere from 0-5) and have the partner try to replicate it after a quick peek. What an engaging way to develop fluency! As I was jumping around the web I noticed that DreamBox Learning has a whole category of games/activities for quick images. (I registered--free--and could immediately access.) Also, while this 5 Frame exercise isn't presented as a quick image, it's also a great resource for fluency practice.

P.S. Want to check out something similar for bigger people? Check out "What's Your Number Sense?" on Mathwire and go take the Panamath Test and check your own Number Sense! It's fascinating!

P.P.S. Just found a couple links:
What is Subitizing and Why Teach It?
Where Will You Land? A Game Focusing on Subitizing
Subitizing: What Is It? Why Teach It?

Math Monday Blog Hop #25

2011-09-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

What are you doing this week? Share lessons, books, and resources that you're using in math.

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Monday Blog Hop #24

2011-09-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

So excited to get back to math with my kiddos!! What are you doing this week? Share lessons, books, and resources that you're using in math.

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Review: Math Dice Jr.

2011-09-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

As of TODAY, my continuing education math workshops for teachers are done for the season. I'm very excited to get started with the school year a bit closer to home. Oh wait...in our home!

Last year, my youngest attended preschool two days a week. This year, at 5.5yo, we'll be doing some minimal kindergarten work. Recently, we were excited to receive a game that we can use as he begins learning more about MATH.

MathDice Jr. is designed to be used with ages 6 and up. At 5, my son is on the young side. To play, the rules say to roll the 12-sided Target Die and the five 6-sided Scoring Dice. All are large, chunky and bright...fun playing pieces for young children.

The Scoring Dice can be combined to make addition or subtraction problems that equal the target number. So, for example, in the picture below, you could use 6 + 2 to reach the target of 8. Since my son isn't ready for subtraction, we added another element... If one of the colored Scoring Dice exactly equals the Target Dice, that dice can also be used to achieve a match. My son spent a lot of time counting the dots on each dice to see which matched the target. It was nice for counting practice.

The original instructions call for players to move one space on the track for each die used. Again, we played an easier version (our invention) to meet my son's developmental level. Player #1 (whomever rolled the dice that game), got the first opportunity to make the number, either through addition of several dice or by one-to-one correspondence, "matching" a dice to the target number. If he found a way to make the number, he called "Math Dice," showed his results, "captured" the dice he used (removing them from the play area) and moved one space on the track. Then, the next player in the circle could try to reach the target number from whatever dice remain. If he can match the target number, he also calls "Math Dice" and gets to move one space on the track. We continue around the circle until no possible combinations for the target number remain. Then the player who did not roll the last time gets to roll. Using this method, the play stays pretty balanced; no one is able to get far ahead of others on the track.

The first few times we played, I tried to let my 9yo son play using any operation (add, subtract, multiply, divide) to reach the target number. This left my younger son at a significant disadvantage. So I'd "help" him...again using any operation. But this meant my younger son got very little out of it. So I told everyone that for now, we'd only do one-to-one correspondence or addition. As my youngest learns more math, we'll add more operations...which will make it more of a family game. Right now it's mostly a counting game for the youngest.

The game itself comes with a nice little canvas game board and all pieces fit into a convenient drawstring bag. It was a nice compact game to carry along on a campout. No game markers come with the game but my boys have enjoyed picking out buttons (note the long button in the middle photo!) to use. On the MathDice webpage, you can pick up a pdf for a game board and some pretty cool looking game markers.

My opinion in a nutshell? This is an inexpensive, fun, educational game that could be used by teachers (a great math work station!) or by homeschoolers (a great math workbox!)

Disclosure: I received a free Math Dice Jr. game in exchange for a frank and unbiased review. Thank you to ThinkFun for the opportunity! I was not paid for this review, nor was I required to write a positive review. Frankly, I love the ThinkFun products I've had the opportunity to try...most of which I've purchased myself. :) If you purchase this product through my Amazon link at right, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I do not keep any money myself; I am hoping to be able to sponsor an additional child in foster care through commissions on this site.

Math Monday Blog Hop #23

2011-09-12T05:21:00.000-07:00

First, the giveaway winner for a new children's book, How Big is a Million, is Kim @ the Learning Hypothesis. Congratulations!

Join in the Math Monday Blog Hop! We'd love to see what you're up to this week in MATH! :)

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

What's a.... Purpllinker ?????

2011-09-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

When I initially read about Purpllinker on Timberdoodle, I was intrigued.

What's a Purpllinker?
It's purple. It has 7 sections of 5" plastic "arms" that are jointed together at each end. Extended, it creates a purple "stick" that is about 2.5' long. But bend the joints and you can create any number of creations: letters, numbers, pictures, shapes, and more.

I asked to review it, thinking it would be great for my 5.5yo to use to explore letters. After I opened the package, we did that for about 5 minutes. Then, other family members started coming into the room. My 9yo grabbed it to make pictures. My teenagers took it and started twisting to see what shapes they could make. My husband snatched it and tried to make fancier letters. In essence, it made its way around the room, and the family, with each age level intrigued in different ways.

Always looking for quiet church toys, I stuck it in my bag on Sunday. My youngest made his own inventions with it, forming letters in his name as well as a variety of pictures. It was a great quiet toy. I just had to encourage him to make creations below the top of the bench so other congregants weren't distracted by a bobbing purple wand. :)

Over the last few days, Purpllinker has been sitting on my desk, waiting for me to review it. When my 5yo comes in and starts climbing on my back while I'm typing (not an unusual occurrence!) he'll often see the toy, pick it up, and start creating.

Thoughts:

1. I'm not sure that I'd use this for teaching the alphabet. If you look at the suggested formation of letters inside the cardboard packaging, many of them look quite different than what a child would be taught. You simply cannot make every traditional letter--at least "normal" looking letters--using this tool. However,...

2. If a child was familiar with many letters (as my son is), it is a nice challenge to get him to try to come up with a way to form any given letter. You might say, for instance, "Can you come up with a way to make the letter S?"

3. I would use it for creative play. Ask the child to invent his own picture. It's a nice quiet toy that folds very compactly to take along to appointments or long car rides.

4. It remains to be seen if this is what I call a "long lasting" toy/learning tool. I'm going to put it with our school tools and use it for a preschool workbox item; I hope it will continue to intrigue my 5yo.

5. I loved the minimal packaging. It came in one small plastic bubble with a small cardboard overlay. I was surprised, however, that the reference chart for how to make the shapes was on the inside surface of the cardboard packaging which didn't come off cleanly...at least for me it didn't. In our house, that chart isn't likely to last long. Since we won't likely use the number/letter visual models much, it's a minor issue, but if families buy it expecting their children to frequently refer to the chart, they may be disappointed in its ability to last over time.

6. I'm most excited about using this as a tool to explore geometric shapes. Ask the child to make a square. Then ask him to tell you about the properties of the square as he touches the model. "It has four corners. Four sides." Or a more advanced child might say..."It has 4 right angles." The teacher could do higher-level challenges such as, "Can you make a model of a hexagon?" For this purpose, it seems like it could be used in endless math extensions in a homeschool or public school classroom...at a variety of levels/grades.

I asked my boys to rate it. My 9yo gave it a 3 out of 5. My 5yo gave it a 10 out of 5. Maybe we need to do some number work with the Purpllinker. :) I'd give it a 4 out of 5. It definitely fills a unique nitch.

Get your Free Timberdoodle Homeschool Catalog to view the Purpllinker and other fun educational items.

Disclosure: As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free Purpllinker in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

Math Monday Blog Hop #22

2011-09-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

It's Math Monday! What math-y things are you considering on this Labor Day? Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway for a new children's book, How Big is a Million.

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Review: Math Dictionary for Kids

2011-09-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

Whenever possible, I integrate the use of mathematical terms in daily lessons. This year, however, I intend to expand student exploration of terms through Math Notebooking. (That post will come soon!) I was happy to receive a review copy of Math Dictionary for Kids as it appears to complement my plans.

The first section of the dictionary is organized by mathematical strand:

Whole Number and Operations
Measurement
Algebraic Ideas
Geometry
Decimals, Fractions, Percents, and Ratios
Statistics and Probability

Along with textual definitions, examples are often given. I especially appreciate the colorful visuals models that are frequently used. In some instances, multiple strategies are presented. For example, in "division strategies," the reader sees examples of strategies using multiples tables with larger numbers (if you've never seen this, it's often a very efficient strategy to use as an alternative to traditional long division), repeated subtraction, and the use of manipulatives. With the increasing amount of information that people need to process, it's essential that children learn to use a variety of strategies, considering which is most efficient for the problem at hand. For adults (and children) who've never been exposed to multiple strategies, the "Quick Reference Guide," gives a brief overview.

I'm especially partial to a section of the book called "Learning with Manipulatives." Again, for students or adults new to manipulatives--or for those wanting a review--this information clearly shows a variety of uses for manipulatives in mathematics. The visual models look very familiar after using similar models in my favorite curriculum, Bridges in Mathematics. I frequently lead workshops for teachers on how to use base ten pieces and grid paper for teaching multiplication and division, which leaves me feeling like the content is very up-to-date. Since most adults didn't have the opportunity to use manipulatives in their own math education, it's not unusual to see manipulatives set aside in classrooms (both at home and at school) or used as little more than playthings. This guide would be very instructive in helping adults and kids to see the value in using such tools to solve problems. After learning strategies for multi-digit multiplication with manipulatives, I can now do many problems in my head that used to take me significantly more time on paper.

Any negatives? Not really. I found one error. (p. 139 the array shows one dimension as 22 but in the problem it shows 21.) If anything, I'd love to see a book that pushed the exploration of strategies even further, encouraging people to look beyond the standard algorithm for the methods that are truly the most efficient. But this is a very nice start.

I wouldn't hesitate to use this book with students. Or to keep it nearby as a good reference for the teacher. The cover says it's for grades 4-9, but I'd use it with 3rd graders as well.

P.S. At the moment, this book is a good deal on Amazon.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of Math Dictionary for Kids. I received no other compensation and this review is my opinion...good, bad, or otherwise. :) If you purchase this book through my Amazon link, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I do not keep any money myself; I am hoping to be able to sponsor an additional child in foster care through commissions on this site.

Giveaway: How Big is a Million? (children's math book)

2011-08-31T05:45:00.000-07:00

This past year we did a big penguin study. Always looking to make math connections, we especially enjoyed How Big is a Million?, an Usborne book. I'm excited to work with Jen at Chestnut Grove Academy to offer this book in a back-to-school giveaway!

The book...
Pipkin, a young penguin, wants to know How Big is a Million? He finds ten fish, 100 penguins, and 1,000 snowflakes, but he cannot find a million. Finally, his mother takes him outside to look at the starry night. In a pocket in the back of the book, the reader finds a poster depicting exactly one million stars. In contrast to some other "million" books where the quantity is distributed throughout the book, this picture allows the reader a glimpse of a million of something in one shot. Sweet book for exploring the concept of one million.

As a side note, I wondered if the book actually shows 1,000 snowflakes. I knew it depicts 10, 100, and a million, but I wasn't sure about 1,000. A friend of mine found some information from the author, explaining how the book developed. Fascinating! (I was glad we didn't have to count all 1,000 in order to check for accuracy!)

**GIVEAWAY**

Enter to Win:

Prize (1): one copy of How Big is a Million?
**U.S. shipping only.**

Contest Details:
Begins today and continues through September 10th. Contest ends at midnight on the 10th (U.S. Eastern time) and a winner will be announced on that week's Math Monday Blog Hop. I will choose a winner at random using Random.org.

How to enter:
You may choose as many as you like from the following, leaving a comment (in the comment section at the bottom of this post) being mandatory (unless you think I have superpowers and can figure out your contact info by osmosis.)

#1: Become a follower of my blog. (Or tell me that you already are.)

#2: Become a follower of Jen's blog, Chestnut Grove Academy.

#3: Visit Jen's Usborne page and comment about one Usborne book that interests you.

Please make sure that I have a way to contact you...such as janedoe at gmail dot com. If I don't hear back from a real person within 24 hours, I'll draw again.

Good luck!

Dealing with Difficult Behaviors, Especially ANGER

2011-08-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

Over at Fun in First, Jodi wrote a post about Dealing with the Difficult Child. As a teacher and mom of five kids, I've certainly dealt with my share. Over the past few years, I've sometimes worked as a respite care provider for kids with significant behavioral issues. Whether you're dealing with a difficult child in the classroom or at home, here are a few ideas...

Working with a kid that quickly goes from 0-60 on the anger scale? Maybe he shuts down entirely? Chances are, the child's brain has shifted from the cortex (the front, thinking part of the brain) to the lower brain, sometimes dubbed the "reptilian brain," and entered into fight, flight, or freeze mode. Unfortunately, you can't really reason with someone in this mode. It's akin to reasoning with a lizard. So you need to do whatever it takes to get the child out of the lower brain. Usually, that means using few words. Instead, try...
Jumping. If you've got a mini-trampoline, all the better. You won't be the first one to have one in your home or classroom for that purpose! If the child is able to repeat a positive phrase while jumping, great! Something like "I make wise choices," can help. As I understand it, the joint compression involved with jumping can produce seratonin or "happy hormone." Pushing hard against a wall (I tell kids to try to push the wall down!) can have the same effect.
"Steel and spaghetti." I learned this technique from an incredible child psychologist. (Same with #2, actually!) Have the child tense every bit of his body as tight as he can (steel) for several seconds and then completely relax every part of his body, bending forward so that his fingers are dropping toward the ground (spaghetti.)
Try doing the Brain Gym PACE sequence.When I took Brain Gym training, we were told to use this with students to prepare for new learning. So it's good for many reasons!

Are you interested in learning more about dealing with difficult behaviors? If so, let me know so I can post more. It's a topic that greatly interests me.

Math Monday Blog Hop #21

2011-08-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

It's BACK TO SCHOOL time!!!!

To celebrate, I'll soon be hosting a giveaway! (Hopefully later this week, so check back.) In the meantime, join in the blog hop for math lessons and resources. I've been getting some fabulous ideas from you all. Thank you!

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Monday Blog Hop #20

2011-08-22T05:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we're at week #20!!!! Wow!

I have 1.5 weeks of teacher inservices to go. (Math, dontcha know!) I've been saving up all kinds of ideas. I've got product reviews. A giveaway to do. But that will need to wait til my WORK is done. ;) Meanwhile, please post your fabulous math ideas. I'll be back with mine in 10 days or so!

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Monday Blog Hop #19

2011-08-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have a couple weeks of teacher inservices to go. In September, I'll be back to more math ideas. Meanwhile, what are you planning in MATH for your first couple weeks back in school??

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Monday Blog Hop #18

2011-08-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

P.S. Sorry about the lack of postings...I'm doing teacher inservices this month. In September, I'll be back to more math ideas. Meanwhile, I'm soooo enjoying reading all of your ideas! Keep contributing! :)

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Monday Blog Hop #17

2011-08-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Monday Blog Hop #16

2011-07-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Square Cat

2011-07-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

We've been enjoying a new book, Square Cat, that I first learned about through Brimful Curiosities.

Poor Eula. Life is difficult when you're square. Literally. A square cat cannot fit through a mouse hole. If you fall over, you can't get back up. Even clothes don't fit quite right. Eula's round friends, Patsy and Maude, try to help her "feel round," giving her hoop earrings, a beehive hat, and round rouged cheeks. When that fails, Patsy and Maude slip on boxes and try being square. Eula gradually learns that there are advantages to being a truly square cat.

I love the way the book explores the concept of "square" in such a creative way. And who can resist the lure of a book that examines what it means to appreciate the uniqueness in every individual?

If you're a kindergarten teacher, the book provides a bridge to some of the Common Core/National Content Standards in geometry. It would also make a great story to begin the school year, whether at home or at school. Check out Brimful Curiosities for a cute art project she did along with the book.

Disclaimer: I received nothing for this review. If you purchase the book from Amazon, any commissions I make (at no additional cost to you) will be sent to Grace and Hope to provide foster care to orphans in China.

Poison Number Game (Great for Road Trips!)

2011-07-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

Over at The Teaching Nest, Lauren posted a great game that requires kids to strategize how to take 1 to 2 Unifix cubes away at a time (from a stack of 10) in order to avoid being the person stuck with the last cube...the "poison" cube.

My kids play a similar game, often while riding on long car trips. Here's how it goes:

Players: 2 or more

Object: Go around the group, counting to 20 by saying either one or two numbers. Avoid being the one to say "20" as 20 is the "poison" number.

So a group of 3 kids might say:

Sue: 1
Bob: 2-3
Joe: 4
Sue 5-6
Bob: 7
Joe: 8-9
Sue: 10-11
Bob: 12
Joe: 13-14
Sue: 15
Bob: 16-17
Joe: 18
Sue: 19
Bob: I'm stuck with 20!

The more you play, the better you get at strategizing how to avoid 20.

Math Monday Blog Hop #15

2011-07-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Whispering Books...at Home...and in Other Subjects, Like MATH

2011-07-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Have you read Donalyn Miller's book, The Book Whisperer? I finished it a week ago in preparation for the read along; I promised to write an entry talking about the book as it applies to homeschoolers. My thoughts are still percolating. The more I reflect on the reading, the more I think it applies to much, much more than my intended assignment and includes both homeschoolers and classroom teachers.

Whispering Books at Home or School
First, the book strongly resonates with me because I began teaching in middle school language arts. If I were to boil down Miller's book to its essence, I'd say that she is challenging teachers to make reading more real for kids, moving away from the artificiality of book projects and reports where students read novels in small groups or as an entire class study, focussing instead on kids choosing their own titles and reading, reading, reading. She attests to growth in both student interest in reading and their subsequent rise in test scores as they make their own choices and read...a lot! This paragraph (p. 51) especially speaks to me:

In The Power of Reading, his meta-analysis of research investigating independent reading over the past forty years, Stephen Krashen reveals that no single literacy activity has a more positive effect on students' comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, spelling, writing ability, and overall academic achievement than free voluntary reading. By loading the instructional day with traditional drill-and-kill activities such as weekly spelling and vocabulary lists and tests, grammar workbook exercises, and low-level comprehension assignments, all of which have a minimal or, in many cases, negative impact on student achievement, Krashen asserts that we are denying students access to the one activity that has been proven over and over again to increase their language acquisition and competence as communicators: again, free, voluntary reading.

In the homeschool setting, opportunities for "free, voluntary reading" are abundant. Or at least they can be. But so much depends on the teacher, just as it does in the classroom. Some classroom teachers leave students little reading choices; it's no different in the homeschool setting. Some homeschoolers choose curriculum that prescribes what a child is to do from early morning til late in the afternoon. Others give children complete freedom to choose. Even with reading freedom I think Miller's plan hinges on the teacher (whether in the classroom or at home) knowing a wide variety of literature in order to continually recommend new options to the child. I suppose homeschool parents wouldn't need to have this personal knowledge as long as they were aware of the necessity and could find others (such as librarians) to help expose the child to a variety of books that would pique interest.

Whispering Other Subjects...like Math
The more I consider Miller's message, the more I wonder to what extent it should apply to other content areas. She talks about how in-school reading should look more like real-life reading. When you and I read, we select books that interest us. When we're excited about content, we share it with our friends in informal ways. We don't do projects. We're not forced to sit through slow, boring studies with 30 of our closest friends, analyzing for character, setting, plot, etc. as we go.

So how does this thinking apply to other subjects? Why should we complete dozens of math problems when there are real-life math opportunities--dozens of them--encountered by students on a daily basis? Why should we read science texts if we can experience science in the real world? How do we authenticate "school" whether the location is at home or in a public building? What if we take the following sentences from Miller's book and replace the bold (mine) with other subjects/content (in parentheses) such as math?

My students' self-concept as readers (mathematicians) must extend beyond the classroom...(at home or at school)...or they have gained nothing lasting from me. If teachers (or homeschoolers) control reading (mathematics), we never give ownership of it to students. Students will not walk out of our classrooms (homes) with internal motivation to read (do math) if they see reading (math) as an act that takes place only in school under the control of their teachers. Reading (math, science, etc) ultimately belongs to readers (learners), not schools, and not schoolteachers (whether at home or at school.) p. 171

I have no answers, but I'm interested in the discussion. Have you read Miller's book? What are your thoughts? How does it apply to homeschooling? What about other content areas during the school day?

Foster Care in China (Amazon Commissions)

2011-07-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

A momentary interruption from usual postings... I saw this video and wanted to make it available to anyone who is interested in knowing more about my "Amazon commission cause."

If you don't already know, commissions from Amazon purchases through this site (at no additional cost to you) are used to help place children in foster care in China. Please take a moment to see the amazing results:

My youngest son's life was also changed through Grace and Hope's foster care program. (Though my son is not the boy in the video, he is equally smart and handsome! :) ) THANK YOU for your help!!!

BIG QUESTION for YOU & Update: Children's Math & Literature List

2011-07-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

What did I do today?

1. Went book shopping. That resulted in a need to update my "Math Books for Kids" list. Yes, I know I recently did it. Now it's significantly longer.

2. I added links to the list. If I've mentioned the book(s) on my blog in either the form of lesson or review, they are now linked.

3. On reader request, I put an * beside some of my favorite titles. This was hard. I like a lot of books but wanted to really limit the # of *. Too many * and they'd be meaningless. What do you think? Too few? Too many?

Here's my BIG QUESTION...

How can I make the list more helpful to you? As a teacher? As a homeschooler?

Also, specifically for teachers... If you are using the Common Core (National) Standards in Math, would it be helpful to have some sort of links to which standards the books help to address by grade level? Or are my categories good enough?

Please leave me feedback if you have suggestions on how I might improve the list!

Thanks, bunches!

Where is the SMath?

2011-07-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Where is the SMath is an incredible site to help kids of all ages consider science and math in the everyday world. With each post you'll find a photo and are invited to consider where the science/math (hence, SMath) is in that picture. Readers can see contributions from other students as they attempt to figure out the photo. For example, a recent photo shows a pile of Lego guys. Questions invite you to think about:

How many lego guys do you think there are in this box. Explain your thinking.
How are the lego guys different and alike?
What are the attributes that make them that way?

This would be a great site to begin your day with students...whether you are in a regular classroom or teaching at home.

Math Monday Blog Hop #14

2011-07-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

What if all the Numbers Vanished????

2011-07-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever stopped to think about what our world would be like without numbers? No value on money. No time. No dates. No ages. No recipe amounts. No mph or mpg. No weights. No # of Google Friends or Feedburner Readers or Facebook Friends. (Now that would indeed be tragic!!!)

Loreen Leedy has considered just this scenario (well, okay, maybe not the last couple) in her book, Missing Math: A Number Mystery. When all the numbers go missing, the town's detective must solve the case. Spoiler alert! (In the amusing ending, the number thief is punished; he has to return all numbers back to all phone books. Yikes!)

Use this book to invite children to reflect on the importance of numbers in daily life. Then, children can write their own creative pieces on "a day in my life" (or an hour, a lunchtime, a music lesson, etc.) without numbers. This would be particularly useful as a back-to-school activity as kids start thinking about the importance of learning concepts related to numbers.

If you can get your hands on them, two other books (now out-of-print) explore the same concept: Neil's Numberless World and A Day With No Math. If you own them, you're lucky. If you don't, keep your eyes open! And order Missing Math before it's OOP! :)

Disclaimer: If you're interested in purchasing any of these books through Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I keep no money. I received nothing for this book review. If you have one of these OOP books and are looking for a new owner, my birthday is coming up! LOL. :)

Huge Children's Math Book List...Lots of New Additions

2011-07-05T05:30:00.000-07:00

I just added many, many new titles to my bibliography of math-related children's books. You'll find some great summer reading!

Disclaimer: If you're interested in purchasing any of these books through Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I keep no money.

Math Monday Blog Hop #13

2011-07-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

July 4th Math and Logic Puzzle

2011-07-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Need a mid-summer math and logic puzzle to challenge kiddos of all ages? Try Cross the River, Patriot!, a "history-inspired math and logic puzzle" that looks like a great game to try anywhere...including the backyard patio table. (The game board is a free pdf available from the site.)

P.S. Hope you're enjoying the summer! About all I've done so far this summer is teach continuing education math classes for teachers. :) I have all kinds of new ideas to share as the workshops wind down and the school year gets started. Keep tuning in. ;)

Math Monday Blog Hop #12

2011-06-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Monday Blog Hop #11

2011-06-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Children's Math Book: The Button Box

2011-06-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Button, button, who's got the button? Yesterday, I gave my 5yo a container of buttons and a bunch of tiny plastic containers. Left to his own devices, he prepared "snacks" for me; I got to choose the color of "snack" I wanted.

After our delicious purple and pink snack, we settled in to read a favorite book, The Button Box. In the story, a child sorts buttons from Grandma's button box, using a wide variety of categories, including looking at where the buttons may have come from: sparkly buttons from kings, leather ones from cowboy shirts, tiny buttons from old fashioned shoes, and shiny buttons from uniforms. I've always thought this book a must-have for preK-kindergarten! ;) You might also read Grandma's Button Box, a Math Matters book.

Math Monday Blog Hop #10

2011-06-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Slugfest

2011-06-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a slug math problem for ya...

84 slugs found by our neighbor in his garden this morning (which borders our garden)
+183 slugs found by my son and husband tonight in our garden
______________

what does that equal??? (I accept creative answers!)

Words + Math + Seasons = Mathematickles!

2011-06-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

Want to tickle your math bone? Try reading Mathematickles, a "collection of poems written in the form of mathematical problems and grouped according to seasonal themes." A few examples from the book:

crisp air

shadows tall

+ cat's thick coat

signs of fall

pumpkin - seeds + face = jack-o'-lantern

Using Betsy Franco's poems as models, today we wrote some of our own poems. We first composed these together:

cool air

birds sing

+ flower buds

signs of spring

hot weather

squirt gun

+ popsicle mustache

summer fun

To make the writing process more manageable for independent work, I set up a few templates.

For a poem describing a rainy day:

descriptive phrase

descriptive phrase that ends with ay

+ descriptive phrase

rainy day

Summer:

descriptive phrase

descriptive phrase that ends with un

+ descriptive phrase

summer fun

Or poems to "solve"...

children

-bedtime

(tell what this equals)

This would be a great book and activity to explore descriptive writing, poetry, seasons or math symbols. It would also make a nice "welcome summer" lesson!

Ocean Math...and how 'bout those whipped cream waves???

2011-06-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

We just began a little study using the amazing book, Awesome Ocean Science! On p. 7-8 it describes how to make a pie that compares the ratio of the earth's water to land. We modified it for a gluten-free edible ocean math lesson.

The book says that 70% of the earth is covered with water, 30% land. We decided to use blue jello in a 9x13 baking dish to show the water. So the first question...how could we divide the pan into sections to accurately model 70%?

We problem solved by drawing diagrams on the whiteboard. My student knew he wanted to begin by dividing the area of the pan in half, lengthwise. He also knew that he wanted 10 sections, each representing 10% of the earth. At first he thought he could make 5 horizontal cuts to make 5 horizontal sections. Quickly realizing that 5 cuts made 6 sections, he modified, making 4 horizontal cuts. We measured the pan to determine that each cut would need to be somewhere between 2 and 3 inches in length. This wasn't exact measuring...a simple estimate made cuts that gave us 10 more-or-less equal sections.

The boys then covered 30% of the surface with blueberries to indicate land, leaving the other 70% to show water. Finally, a few "white waves" (whipped topping) finished off the ocean surface.

Yummy math!

Math Monday Blog Hop #9

2011-06-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Summer Math Reading

2011-06-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ready to gear up for some summer reading? Consider adding some math-related children's literature* to your list. I have a long list of updates that I'll be adding to my math book list over the next several weeks as I prepare to teach a class on Linking Math and Literature.

And please let me know of any new titles you discover! I've got a goodie to share with you soon.

*Disclaimer: If you use a link on this blog to go to Amazon, any purchases you make result in a small commission (no cost to you) that is then sent in its entirety to Grace and Hope (see button above), the organization that provided foster care for my son while in China. My goal for this year is to earn enough commissions to put one additional child in foster care. Thank you for your help.

Kids Haven't Changed: Kindergarten Has (must-read article)

2011-05-31T05:45:00.000-07:00

Has anyone noticed that new standards seem to move requirements down a grade level? What was once required in 5th grade is now required in 4th. First grade standards are moving into kindergarten. What does this mean?

Are our kids suddenly smarter? More capable? More worldly? More knowledgeable due to all the technology surrounding them each day? Parents and teachers should read this article...Kids Haven't Changed: Kindergarten Has.

Great food for thought.

Math Monday Blog Hop #8

2011-05-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

HUGE $1 eBook Sale - Scholastic

2011-05-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

Don't miss the incredible sale on Scholastic Teaching Books. Til May 31st. Over 500 teaching ebooks, 125 tagged "math," most priced over $10 in softcover, are available for $1 each!

Thanks so much to Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect for passing on this great deal!

Outliers...a must-read book for teachers & parents!

2011-05-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

On a forum I saw a recommendation for a book called Outliers: The Story of Success. Since reading about success isn't high on my interest list, I was very surprised to find this book so readable, enjoyable, and most of all, fascinating.

In Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell explains how we need to look at what surrounds people if we really want to understand what makes them successful. Success hinges on things like a person's family, birthplace, and birth time/date...not just on innate ability.

He illustrates this with fascinating stories that will alternately encourage or frustrate a lot of parents and teachers. Take the case of a winning Canadian hockey team... Upon close examination of birthdates of the hockey players, one realizes that ability is much less a factor than the month in which you were born. Why?

The age cutoff for eligibility in hockey is Jan. 1. So a player born on Jan. 2 could be playing alongside a player born a year later at the end of December. As a young child, the January player has a much better chance of making a more advanced level team because he is physically more mature. On that advanced team, he gets more playing time, better coaches, and better teammates. Over the years, he is groomed to be a top player while a child born in the last several months of that year is simply given less opportunities, even though his natural talent may be the same or better. When data was collected, the birth month issue proved to be true as in "any elite group of hockey players--the very best of the best--40 percent of the players will have been born between January and March, 30 percent between April and June, 20 percent between July and September, and 10 percent between October and December." The author shows how this is also true of the cutoff date in American baseball and European soccer. The author writes that this "tells us that our notion that it is the best and the brightest who effortlessly rise to the top is much too simplistic. Yes, the hockey players who make it to the professional level are more talented than you or me. But they also got a big head start, an opportunity that they neither deserved nor earned. And that opportunity played a critical role in their success."

The author goes on to tell stories of why one genius succeeds and another fails. Why a certain airline had a horrific safety problem and the steps they took to turn tragedy to success by looking at cultural traditions and the role that they played in communication. (Who would have thought that the way people talked to each other could have such a direct link to airline crashes??) The perfect storm of circumstances leading to Bill Gates' success. And why 10,000 hours is the magic number when it comes to developing professional-level skills..."the closer psychologists look at the careers of the gifted, the smaller the role innate talent seems to play and the bigger the role preparation seems to play."

So what do these fascinating stories mean for the average person? Especially if you're a parent or a teacher? A child does not have to be a genius or hugely talented to succeed. But he needs to be given opportunities. In this day and age, I would guess that the stakes are probably very high when it comes to an individual child's learning environment. Is it well suited to learning? Can she get individual attention when she needs it? Does she have an enthusiastic, curious educator nearby? Is someone giving him opportunities to practice, practice, practice the things in which he wants to succeed? And what's important...preparing for the test, or giving children opportunities to make mistakes as they explore the learning process?

You'll love this book. Put it on your summer reading list. ;)

Math Monday Blog Hop #7

2011-05-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

Math Monday Blog Hop #6

2011-05-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:

get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog:

How Many Feet in the Bed? (Math & Drama)

2011-05-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

I picked up a cute book, How Many Feet in the Bed?, and thought it would be fun to act out with my 5-year-old. In the story, members of a family of five tumble in and out of the parents' bed on a Sunday morning. As each person comes and goes, the total feet left in the bed are counted.

First, I read the story aloud. Then I grabbed a doll bed and some Counting Bears. As I read the story a second time, we acted it out; my son added bears, counting feet as he went. Later, as the bears left, he counted again to see what remained.

Then we told our own stories. I made up one about Mommy and Daddy snoring in bed, only to be disturbed by one child after another (I named all our kids) who piled into bed on Saturday morning. I took them away as they left to watch cartoons, etc. After my story, my son told his own, adding and subtracting his own bears and counting as he went.

This story could also be acted out with dolls and a tissue box bed...or even dramatized by a kindergarten class or homeschool co-op group.

Key Words: Math and Drama, Skip Counting Lesson, Teddy Bear Math

Math Monday Blog Hop #5

2011-05-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

If you want to share this collection on your blog, just grab this link:
get the InLinkz code

Visit past Math Monday Blog Hops.

Grab a Math Monday button for your own blog: