Writing-The Math Strategy that Works

If you really want your students to remember those math concepts, there's one sure-fire way to get it done.....writing! By the way, this is true for any other subject too.
It's all about the brain, baby!

Why Does Writing Help Understanding ?      

1. The act of writing helps the brain take in, process, retain and retrieve information.

2. By writing, students gain comfort with, and success in understanding unfamiliar concepts, difficult material, and vocabulary related to subject matter.

3. Writing that is embeded into math (or the curriculum in general) helps the brain to focus attentively, boosts long-term memory, shows patterns and gives the brain time to reflect.

Why does this happen?

1. The fear of making mistakes in front of classmates is a big source of anxiety for kids, so it impacts learning. When writing individually that fear is taken away, and students can express their ideas without the fear that sometimes limits classroom participation. This happens because information must pass through the amygdala, which is an emotional filter for the brain. High stress impacts this part of the brain. In fact, when a student is under great stress the amygdala directs information to the lower reactive brain. Here the information is not retrievable because memories cannot be formed. The result---that math lesson just went down the drain, (actually, down the brain LOL).

2.  Writing relieves boredom. It helps to reduce the neural processing blockades that result when a student feels bored. Writing causes the student to be personally engaged and allows creativity of expression.

3.  Writing helps the brain to recognize, construct and extend patterns. When writing is used to make sense of graphic organizers, graphs and information, it gives the memory another pathway to understanding.

4. Writing helps to develop critical thinking skills while giving students the opportunity to include personal experience into writing. Including personal experience makes learning more meaningful.

What kinds of writing can be used?

1. Jounaling

2. Newspaper editorials

3. Math notebooks

4. Math autobiography...what has been your best/worst experiences with math?

5. One minute paper...to quickly write about a particular concept

6. Create a word problem

7. Write to ask/answer questions (sticky notes are good for this and fun to use)

8. Write creatively to explain math in new ways. For example use math poetry, math mad libs, math comics, or even make a math love letter from one number or operation to another

9. Write to inform others...write step-by-step strategies or description of math vocabulary

10. Write a letter about a math concept

11. Translate an equation into every-day language.

Need some writing prompts?

1. How are the numbers 20 and 200 alike? How are they different?

2. How many measurements describe you? (weight, shirt size etc.)

3. Explain how you could add 436 + 426 in your head.

4. Write a story problem that can not be solved because there is not enough information.

5. How do you use math in your life?

6. Describe money in your own words.

7. If you could be any number, what would it be?  Why?

8. Make an add promoting your favorite shape. Why should other people like it too? Write a poem about that shape.

9. Estimate how many kids are in your school. How do you go about making that estimate.

10. How do your parents use math?

11. In your own words, define parallel.

12. How do you know that 1/4 is less than 1/3?

13. What was the main idea in today's lesson?

14. What is a decimal?

15. What is multiplication?

16. When would you use multiplication (decimals, division etc.) in real life?

That's enough to get you started...let those creative juices flow! If you can think of another good prompt, please include it in the comments section!

Ideas for this post adapted from:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/writing-executive-function-brain-research-judy-willis
Education World

10 Reasons to Put PLAY Back into Math

Math that really sticks, is math done through play! When kids play, their brain is activated by the excitement of the activity, not fear of an unknown concept. What's the best way to beat math-phobia? The answer is PLAY! Classroom and online games might be just what your kids need!

Why use play in the math classroom?

1.  "Playful math is to numbers what poetry is to words, music is to sounds, and art is to visual perception." Mathematicians play with math, so do 4 year olds. Losing that playful outlook on math is where the problems begin. Using a playful approach to math encourages out-of-the-box thinking and problem solving.

2.   Games provide unlimited practice. To achieve math mastery takes lots and lots of practice. If that practice is dull, minds wonder and practice ends up being wasted time. Games make kids focus because they have to in order to play the game. It gives a purpose to practice!

3.  Games promote math talk. If playing the game with a partner, students must discuss how to get the right answer, and rethink together when the answer is incorrect.

4. Since there is a natural desire to win, students can easily be lead to achieve above what they are normally expected to achieve. 

5.  Games don't define how a problem must be solved. Students are set loose to find their own ways of discovering the answer….they find their own meaning!

6.  While kids play math games, this gives teachers the perfect time to observe an assess. Kids rarely notice!

7. Playing classroom math games encourages cooperative learning. Math isn't the only thing kids will learn in math class, they'll also learn how to be a team play, problem-solve, and be a good winner or loser.

8. Games are the perfect differentiation tool.  Visual learners see pictures, kenesthetic learners are active with movement (throwing dice), auditory kids love the communication involved, and the kids who love to write can be the note-taker or record the answers.

9. It's hard to develop strategic thinking unless you do activities that make kids use strategic thinking. Gamres are perfect for this. Losing says to kids that there is a better way, what is it? This also promotes metacognition. Kids have to think about their thinking to figure out how to win.

10. If you want to motivate kids, just tell them that the next day in math will be game day. They'll come in with big smiles eager to start. That includes that little math-phobic kid in the corner. A few sessions with fun math games will draw him out and into the fun. 

Some great classroom games include:

10 Games to play with Dominoes: http://www.upperelementarysnapshots.com/2015/10/10-math-games-to-play-with-dominoes.html#.Vhue8CsZTT8

It's amazing the concepts kids can learn from a couple of dice!

20 engaging, skill-building math games for Kids: https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/classroom-math-games-for-kids/

5 math Games Every Classroom Needs to Play; https://corkboardconnections.blogspot.com/2015/01/5-math-games-every-classroom-needs-to.html 

Great Online Games

This terrific site called Math Game Time has great math games (as well as other subjects) by grade level. Don't be afraid to check out games on the grades above your own, there are many at each level that can be used by lower grades. GREAT for differentiation. Best part....there are lots of teacher videos on how to teach different concepts in the curriculum at the bottom of the page of each grade level.  This game is called "Meteor Multiplication". It's perfect for third and fourth grade practice!

http://www.mathgametime.com

This site from Funbrain is a math arcade that is more than fun. Students select their ability level, so it easily goes from second grade to fifth grade practice. 

Click Here

If you teach upper elementary don't miss Multiplication.com. There are LOTs of good (and fun) games to practice those multiplication facts. Check out the menu bar for addition, subtraction, and division games. There is so much good stuff on this site there isn't room to list it all! This game is called "Pirates II"

Click Here

This great center/computer game gives kids a fun way to practice subtration facts! To get the correct answer the students use the bee's stinget to pop the correct number of balloons to give the answer. Adorable and so, so educational!

Click Here

This site from math playground is FULL of games for all levels. I love this one about area and perimeter!  Don't miss the game on Tangrams!!

Click Here

Hope you kids learn lots with these games, and have fun doing it!

Speaking of fun in math, check out the resources below by clicking on the picture.  There's even more in my store! 

Don't miss this fun FREE game!!!

Reinforce those division facts with this fun game!

Decimals take practice...do it the fun way with this resource!

Why Learn Mental Math?

Some people think mental math skills are no longer important. After all, we have computers and devices that can do it for us any time we choose. But there's more to it than that! Here are some very important reasons for teaching (and learning) mental math skills.

1.  Teaching mental math encourages kids to really understand how to reason through a problem, not just memorize it. Doing mental math means using conceptual understanding and problem solving. In fact, using mental math strategies often helps kids to really "get it".

2. Being proficient in mental math strategies help students realize when a problem doesn't "look" right. Students are thinking about the problem (mind's on) throughout the entire process rather than relying on a formula of some kind.

4.  More and more schools are placing a high priority on problem solving in math. Mental math gives the tools for problem solving, and helps students evaluate their answers.

5. Doing mental math in a classroom discussion helps students orally talk about math concepts and how they are using them. They develop not only mathmatical concepts, but the math vocabulary they must know to solve the problem.

6. It gives students lots of practice with basic facts and combining operations.

7. By using mental math, students play with the patterns that exist in our number system. As a result, they develop a deeper conceptual understanding.

8. Kids love the "tricks" involved in figuring out mental math problems. It's fun because they know a lot of people who can't do it.  Give kids a good strategy for mental math, and they feel like they are able to do mathmatical magic!

9.  Mental math exercises a child's mental muscle.  This is especial important between the ages of five to ten. As a child's brain develops during this time, it is most susceptible to the benefits of mental math.

10.  Mental math develops a child's ability to concentrate.  This allows them to aquire more information because they are better able to pay attention.

11.  Mental math improves listening skills.  They have to focus on what is being said by the teacher, this exercises those important listening skills.

12.  Mental math actually improves self confidence!  When a child sees that she can do mental math successfully, they feel good about their abilities.

13.  Mental math improves memory.  Since ta child must store important information to solve the problem, mental math increases the ability to store larger and larger amounts of information in their brain.

(Some information from: Math Genie)

If you need a set of games made just to sharpen those mental math strategies, try out these games from Top Marks…all are free and perfect for centers/stations! The game shown sharpens addition mental math skills. Others include a variety of math skills.

Click Here

How about a great freebie to help with those mental math strategies? I have made 12 Math Thinker task cards complete with an answer sheet and a grading key. This makes this free resource perfect for centers! Click on any picture below to access the freebie!

8 Critical Thinking Strategies for Math Word Problems!

Teaching kids to solve word problems means showing them a usable process. Word problems take a lot more thinking than a simple equation, no matter how advanced that equation might be. In fact, learning how to solve story problems means learning about critical thinking! Check out the steps below and see if they can help your students learn this vital skill. If you have other ideas to add…please add them in the comments section!!

Don't forget this strategy for solving problems! Working cooperatively adds security for unsure students, and helps students share (and learn new) strategies!

Clipart from Ron Leishman Digital Toonage

1. Read the problem….carefully. This seems obvious, but I've seen my own students just "skim" a problem and assume he/she knows what to do.

2. Write down the information in the problem.  Kids should jot down all of the given information in the problem.

3.  Decide what the problem is asking for. Knowing exactly what is being asked is the key to finding the answer. In my experience, when kids skip over this step and just give the assumed answer, they run into trouble. This is where critical thinking is really needed. Some story problems can be pretty confusing for some kids.

4. Get rid of excess information. Once kids know what the problem is asking of them, it's time to see if any "extra" information was given that is not needed. As kids get older, this happens in story problems more and more.

5. Take note if units of measurement are involved in the problem. Students may need to convert inches to feet, centimeters to meters and so on. If they miss this, the answer will be wrong.

6. Draw a picture. Many times, drawing a picture will help students visualize the problem and understand how to solve it.

7. Decide what math equation needs to be used to solve the problem. Is this a subtraction, multiplication or division problem? Knowing what needs to be done helps students know how to set up the equation.

8. Do the math and check the answer. Knowing how to check their own math problems is essential for students. Methods to check math equations might be a great thing to add to any math notebook.

How about some fun practice with word problems?

If you want a GREAT site that helps third grade and up think through word problems, this is the site you need. First students get the problem and try it on their own. When they click on the answer button, they get a video that walks them step by step through the process. Lots of problems and videos are provided. Love this one. It's great for remediation, or for extension. Lots of practice with multiple step word problems here too!

Click Here

This game called "Monster Crossing" is a twist on the old Frogger game. Students have a choice of word problems in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division! This is a fun one!

Click Here

This site from Mr. Nussbaum meets the common core for third grade math. It's also terrific for 4th and 5th grade review. It's a simple problem, then get the answer site.

Click Here

Do you need teaching resources to make this important skill easier for kids to learn (and you to teach)?  Check out the Boom Cards below and make word problems more like a game:

These resources also available in PowerPoint and Task Card versions.  Links on the product pages of above resources to other versions. 

Make Math Games Successful In Your Classroom

Math can be the spark that excites students into learning and solving problems, or it can be misery. It all depends on how math is taught! The old way of drill, drill, drill, worksheet, after worksheet, after worksheet just doesn't cut it.

The answer is math games. Adding fun to the whole element of learning math excites areas in the brain that keeps kids on task, and makes learning easier! There are lots of math games out there (check out Pinterest!!!).  Finding games isn't an issue, but what really makes a game successful in a classroom?

How do you make sure math games are successful in your classroom?

1.  Make sure you are using games for a specific purpose. They should not be simply time fillers.

2. Find games that match the mathematical objectives you are working on.

3. Once a child (the class) knows a game well, send it home for homework. Simple math games used with a deck of cards are really good for this. Many math games are printable, or only use pencil and paper. They are perfect to send home.

4. Look at the game carefully. Is there an element of chance? If so, even weaker students will think they have a chance of winning. That means they won't give up!

5. Keep the number of players for any game at four or less. The fewer the number of players, the more each child gets to participate.

6. Games should be short, under 15 minutes for sure. There's not much more time for that anyway in a classroom.

7. Students get overloaded when they have to learn many rules for many games. Keep the type of games to five or six. Then you can swap out concepts, but keep the game structure. For example, the simple card game of "War" can be used for any mathematical standard in almost any grade.

8. Give students the opportunity to make their own games. I used pizza boxes to keep games in. The students covered the top with fadless paper (wrape it like a present that can still open), then decorate with the name. Includes rules to attach to the inside of the lid of the box, and use a gameboard made of tagboard to construct the game. Show students a number of boardgames first to allow them to discuss what makes a good game, and good playing cards. If you base the game on one they already know (i.e. Candyland), it also makes it easier.

Try this Freebie math game that gives kids lots of fun practice!  I hope you enjoy my  multiplication game called "Feed the Chickens".  It's designed for two students at a time, and lots of fun! I've included the facts through 12 to make the game useful for older students who need some extra practice. If you teach younger students, just pull out the facts you don't yet need. Just click on the link below the pictures to download the game. I hope your kids enjoy it!

Math games not only super-charge math learning, but learning in any curriculum area!  Check out this game-board resource that can be used with any set of task cards or questions.  They are designed for any curriculum topic, sports area, or holiday!