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Make math sticky ~ use these creative, original printables and activities to grab your students’ imaginations.
Students who use scaled number lines to multiply learn to think of multiplication in terms of lengthening the distance between numbers on one number line in order to compare them with numbers on the regular (Times One) number line. The distance that the new number line is stretched, or scaled, corresponds with the multiplier (the number by which the multiplicand will be multiplied).
Students can make Rioting Rectangle artwork or Restful, Relaxing Rectangle artwork. Either way, they get to find all the factor pairs for numbers up to 100, draw rectangles to represent each factor pair, and make artwork with rectangles that all have the same area.
When your students use 2D geometric shapes to model multiplication, fantastic things happen. First, they will enjoy an innovative way to think about multiplication. These activities let students connect repeated addition with multiplication, practice math facts, review 2D shapes and geometric vocabulary, and write about modeling multiplication with geometric shapes.
Are your students ready for an easy way to explore the commutative property? Simple Circle Multiplication helps students see the commutative property of multiplication in action. Each activity page focuses on two factors and their product. The pair of concentric circles on the page illustrate different equations; in one the larger factor is written first and in the other the smaller factor is written first. Like a pie chart, each circle is separated into slices. The circle in the example above is comprised of twelve individual pieces. These twelve pieces are divided equally into four slices. The first factor in the equation is 4 to show that there are four slices or groups. There are 3 pieces in each slice, as shown by the second factor in the equation. The colorful slices make it easy for students to connect the circle models with repeated addition. In the example above, the four groups with three pieces in each are clear to see. When writing the analogous addition sentence, students can assign the color of the group to each addend to show why three is being added to itself four times. Simple Circle Multiplication is similar to Concentric Circle Multiplication ~ but less demanding. Rather than have students make each individual piece of a circle a different color, students make every slice of a circle a different color. This way, all the pieces of each slice will be in the same color.
Thinking about what works in education and how to make math sticky.
Fold Models from Kite Paper Create translucent origami models ~ in wonderful colors ~ to make enchanting window decorations. Oh, and yes, there is plenty of math in these projects. Here is a list of resources that I've used when making these 'Waldorf Stars'. As always, precision folding will yield the best results. Start ... Continue Reading
Multiplication and Art are Connected by Patterns Multiplication is packed with interesting patterns which can be explored and expressed through art activities. Creative projects that engage students' imaginations as well as their logical reasoning are linked below. Associating multiplication with decorative and conceptual ideas found in art expands our understanding of the operation, and ... Continue Reading
Using concrete examples shows students that addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are processes that combine or separate groups of objects in predictable ways. Real life examples help them learn that seven plus eight is always fifteen.
Spaced practice goes by many names, such as spaced repetition, spaced retrieval practice, and spaced presentation. Whatever you call it, spaced practice is used with students of every age and in every subject area. It is especially useful when memorizing content such as vocabulary words or math facts, after the ideas and concepts have been understood. Spaced repetition is the opposite of massed presentation usually called ‘cramming’.
Download Colorful Collections:
A Mindful Exploration of Proper Fractions
Help your students make sense of fractions.
I started teaching in 1987, which means I’ve collected many tips and tricks along the way. In this ebook, I share concepts, strategies, and classroom materials to help you make math sticky.
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All the best!
Isabelle
Isabelle Hoag M. Ed.
