Alternate Multiplication Algorithms
Students today develop proficiency with many different algorithms for multiplication. This approach insures that each student will find a method that works effectively for him/her. Teachers model the different algorithms and encourage students to use and practice each method before selecting a favorite.
Coordinate Geometry Activities
These games support student development of the concept of ordered pairs as they play to win each game.
Geometry and Measurement Games
These games support student development of spatial sense and foster familiarity with the mathematical vocabulary of geometry.
Sampling Math Activities
These activities introduce students to the use of sampling for advertising purposes. They also generates a discussion about how advertisers use gimmicks to get people to buy more of their product. Even young students will admit that they have been induced to buy fast food meals in order to collect all of the toys.
Problem Solving: Logic Number Puzzles
These logic number puzzles help students develop strong number sense as they work, clue by clue, to identify the digits of the missing number. The mixed-skills clues incorporate even-odd, less than-greater than, operations (sum, difference), multiples of 5 and 10, geometric terms (octagaon, pentagon, hexagon, quadrilateral, trapezoid, parallelogram), money (quarters, nickels) and measurement (cup, pint, quart, gallon). Students must squeeze every bit of knowledge from each clue to eliminate poss
Who Has? Multiplication Activities
Once students have developed conceptual understanding of the basic operations they need to develop fluency with the facts. One quick way to include daily practice and motivate students to master these basic facts is through the use of the Who Has? card decks. These decks can be created for virtually any topic and frequent use as both a whole class practice or as a center activity for partners or small groups will provide facts practice in a highly-motivating format.
100th Day of School Activities
Resources to mark the 100th day of school with math activities. Challenge students to generate 100 different ways to represent the number 100. Students will easily generate 99 + 1 and 50 + 50, but encourage them to think out of the box. Challenge them to include examples from all of the NCTM Standards strands: number sense, numerical operations, geometry, measurement, algebra, patterns, data analysis, probability, discrete math, Create a class list to record the best entries. Some teachers write
Games to Practice Multiplication Facts
Students must think about the factors of each number as they play this game. Students quickly learn the value of selecting prime numbers as a strategy. The beauty of the game design is that students will review the factors of many numbers and mentally add the sum of these factors together in search of the "best move."
Math Activity Themes: Bats
Bats are a common theme at Halloween. Use these resources to capitalize on student interest in bats and develop student understanding of common mathematical patterns.
Active Participation: Using Math Templates
Using math templates during instruction keeps each student actively involved and allows the teacher to informally assess each student's proficiency with the skills and concepts addressed in the day's lesson. Many teachers regularly use whiteboards to have students record answers, write terms, draw pictures, etc. The use of templates in sheet protectors extends this practice and eliminates the time spent drawing diagrams, etc., allowing students more time to demonstrate mathematical proficiency.
Basic Math Facts Fluency
Every math teacher struggles to find ways to encourage students to master their basic facts. Whether for addition and subtraction facts or for multiplication and division facts, teachers collect many ideas from which they can draw activities to meet the varied needs of learners in their classes. Games and Who Has? activities are especially motivational and continual play can help students develop fact fluency in an effort to master the games and capture the most points.
Jeopardy Games and Resources
Classroom Jeopardy Games are used by many teachers as review activities that challenge students to demonstrate proficiency in different areas of mathematics in order to win points for the team. Â Whether they are done in Power Point or on index cards, students are motivated to master the concepts and skills involved.
Addition and Subtraction Face-Off! Game
Students place markers on the numbers 2-12. Students toss two 6-sided dice, find the sum and remove a marker from that number, if there is still one. The first player to remove all markers wins the game. This game can be used as addition practice or as an introduction to the probability of the different outcomes of rolling two dice. This game was developed by a Monmouth University student for the Probability Fair. These games help students acquire proficiency in addition and subtraction facts.
Hundred Board Activities 2
Students use "magic" to navigate around the hundred board. This activity introduces horizontal arrows which mean move one square in the direction the arrow points and vertical arrows which mean move up or down one row in the direction the arrow points. These activities support students as they develop understanding of powerful number patterns in the hundred board: (1) moving across or back one space means adding or subtracting one from the starting number; (2) moving up or down one row means add
Hundred Board Activities 1
Students learn the patterns in the hundred board by assembling puzzles. Teachers are able to assess student use of patterns in rows and columns by observing the student at work. This task is easily differentiated to accommodate the varied levels in a first grade class by changing the number of pieces and the shape of the pieces. Puzzle bags should be sequentially lettered so that students progress through harder versions of the task. Finally, students are asked to create their own puzzles for cl
Math Activities for Fall (2006)
These activities were designed to introduce or reinforce important math concepts and skills using seasonal themes. The games capitalize on students' fascination with spiders at Halloween time.
Back to School Problem Solving
September is a great time for data collection activities as students are naturally curious about their new classmates. Ask questions that require students to analyze data and support their conclusions.
Winter Math Activities
There are many possibilities for winter math data collection activities. Look for opportunities to have students create tally charts, clothespin graphs, Venn diagrams, bar and line graphs to organize data and analyze the results of the data collection. Build on students' natural fascination with penguins by including these math pattern activities. The Koch Snowflake is an example of an iterative drawing as each successive stage begins with the previous stage. The Koch snowflake begins with an eq
Math Activities for Fall (2007)
These activities were designed to introduce or reinforce important math concepts and skills using seasonal themes. This is a natural fit for elementary classrooms where teachers and students celebrate the various holidays with literature and art projects. These activities allow teachers to also incorporate math activities that develop and support important mathematical concepts and skills.
Math Tours: Fractions
Students need many concrete experiences with fractions to develop a deep understanding of the three models of fractions: area, linear and set models. Teachers need to address all three models in well-designed instructional activities so that students develop a rich concept of fractions that they can use to make sense of numbers, operations, measurement and probability. The Math Tours include: activities, problem solving, games, writing to learn, templates, math-literature connections, and web li
