Math Vocabulary Cards

Looking for math vocab cards. Check out the following link. Vocab cards are categorized by grades K-8. Visually appealing cards that can become part of a Math Word Wall.

Math Vocab Cards Grades K - 8

Math "Scrunchie" (aka Cootie Catcher) for Adding and Subtracting Time

Use this math "scrunchie" as a way to reinforce adding and subtracting time. I use the term "scrunchie" because we really aren't telling fortunes nor catching cooties when we use these in the math classroom :)! "Scrunchie" actually comes from the UK and that's what my students do when they use this foldable...they scrunch it together. Creative Teaching Press has published books using math cootie catchers to reinforce skills/concepts by grade level. The authors are Sharon L. Apichella and Mary D. Sutton. Using the one on time from the book and designing my own allowed me to address the different readiness levels of my students. I designed this "scrunchie" with a Common Core standard in mind for 3rd grade. When differentiating in the classroom, it is important that students have instruction and tools at their readiness levels. This kinesthetic and novel approach to reviewing skills can help to solidify understanding! Its self-checking nature provides students with immediate feedback. Click on the image below to grab a copy!

Literature in the Math Classroom

Incorporating literature into the math classroom is a powerful strategy to engage students, enhance understanding, and make math more relatable. Literature can create a meaningful context for teaching math concepts (Price, Lennon 2009). 

How to Use Literature in the Math Classroom

1. Use a Story to Pique Curiosity

Start a math lesson with a book introducing the concept you plan to teach. For example, The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins works well to begin a lesson on equal share division, while Spaghetti and Meatballs for All: A Mathematical Story by Marilyn Burns is ideal for exploring perimeter and area. 

2. Promote problem solving

Encourage students to solve problems present in the story. After reading The Math Curse by Jon Scieszka, students can explore how math is used in everyday life by engaging in problems that challenge them to think critically.

3. Encourage Mathematical Discussions

Books can spark discussions about mathematical concepts. Have students ever truly thought about how much a million is? If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz offers a fun and interactive way to think about the significance of large numbers.

4. Integrate Literature in Centers 

Include math-themed books in your reading center to make math fun and accessible. Pair these books with related activities to reinforce the concepts presented. With the book Sir Cumference and the First Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander, students can explore circumference and diameter using objects in the classroom.

Math Books for Kids

Here is a brief list of math books that can introduce, reinforce, or enrich a math concept. These books provide engaging ways to explore basic math and problem solving topics. This is just the tip of the iceberg—there are many more books available that can make math both fun and accessible for students. These are just a few of my tried and true favorites!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE MATH BOOK LIST

Questioning in the Math Classroom

Using Question Cards as a Questioning Strategy

In today's fast-paced world, being a 21st-century learner means developing the skills to be an independent problem solver. But what happens when students face a problem and need help to get started or hit a roadblock? Providing students with the right tools to navigate these challenges is essential to help them become more responsible for their learning. That's where guided questioning comes in.

Questions to Kickstart Thinking

Here are questions designed to help students take charge of their learning. The questions are color-coded for easy reference. Want to try these with your students? Click here.

Green Question Cards: "Go" When You Don't Know How to Start

If a student feels lost after receiving instruction, the green cards come into play. Green signals "go" - it's time for students to confidently begin their work. These questions help them understand the problem and find a way to start.

Yellow Question Cards: "Caution" When You're Stuck

Students might hit a snag midway through a problem. That's when the yellow cards are used. Yellow means "slow down." These questions guide students to pause, reflect, and use caution while working through the task.

Red Question Cards: "Stop" and Reflect When You Think You're Done

Completing a task doesn't always mean it's correct. In other words, when they are done, are they really done? Red cards encourage students to "stop" and assess the reasonableness of their answers. This final check helps ensure they understand the solution and aren't missing any steps.

Ask Yourself Three Before You Ask Me

These question cards help students self-monitor their understanding and progress by asking themselves questions. Students ask questions that they themselves have to answer to move their learning along. Keeping these question cards handy in their math notebooks or on a ring can help students become better questioners and, ultimately, more independent learners. Set an expectation with students to ask themselves three questions before raising their hand for help.

Encourage Deeper Thinking with the Purple Question Cards

Want to push your students' thinking even further? Introduce them to the purple cards. These questions are designed to extend their thinking and encourage higher-level reasoning. Challenge those early finishers with one of these questions to stretch their understanding beyond the immediate answer.

Enhancing Small Group Instruction with the Black Question Cards

Small group instruction is another perfect setting to encourage participation and critical thinking. The black cards are a versatile tool for this purpose and would not associate a particular question with a specific color. During discussions, students can pull a card and respond to the question. This strategy ensures that each student is engaged and contributes to the conversation. To differentiate, you can hand out specific questions based on each student's readiness level. 

During a math lesson, think aloud and have these questions available. Pull a question card and model your thinking based on the question you grabbed. Then ask students to share their thoughts bout your math think aloud using one of these questions.

These black cards were glued to wooden sticks and stored in a container for ease of use.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD QUESTION CARDS

Building a Culture of Curiosity and Questioning

These questions are just the beginning. As students become more comfortable with self-questioning and exploring deeper meanings, they can begin to generate their own questions. Adding these student-generated questions to your collection will only enrich the learning experience. 

Want to try these questioning cards with your students? Click the image below!

Small Group Instruction ~ Record Keeping

Small group instruction in the math classroom provides differentiated learning opportunities for students. Keeping track of student performance and progress sometimes can present a challenge. Here are two different versions of recording sheets you might find helpful to use with your students. One recording sheet can be used for all students in a given group on a given day. Recording key observations for students in a small group can help to plan future instruction for each student. One key to successful differentiation is flexible grouping. Keeping track of whether students are below target, on target, or above target for a given standard/objective can help in planning the next stages of instruction. The second recording sheet can be used to track student performance for given standards for a given unit. The follow up information that can be recorded includes the different learning experiences whether it involves remediation, additional small group instruction, enrichment, extension, etc. Grab a copy by clicking the image below.

Student MI Chart

Using Multiple Intelligences to differentiate process is one way to tap into students' learning styles. Have students complete this MI chart, filling in the bars to represent their learning preferences. Use these charts to help plan different learning opportunities that address the learning styles of your students. Students can be grouped according to their preferences. Students also can be encouraged to tap into some of the other intelligences that are not their preferences. Display your students' MI charts prior to the beginning of the year parent meeting and see if parents can pick out their child's MI chart. Parents, and students, can visually see the diversity of the students in your class this year. Click on the image below to grab your copy.

Midwest Diff Conf ~ Chicago

Thank you to all those who attended the session on Differentiate Your Math Instruction to Maximize Learning at the conference Tuesday morning. What a fantastic group of teachers! Keep checking back. I will be uploading the resources from the presentation in the coming days.

Need a Hand? Try This!

What can students do when they recognize they do not understand what to do in math? That is besides asking the teacher for help or saying "I don't get it." Students need strategies in math, just like in reading, to help them overcome the hurdles when understanding breaks down. I created these "Need a Hand? Try This" cards to provide students with strategies that they can try independently. You know that saying, "Ask three, then me." Well, using these strategies, the mantra can be, "Try three, then ask me."

I made this resource for students using die-cut handprints, labels, and a metal ring. My goal is to have students persevere and be independent learners even when things do not come easy. These strategies can be modeled during a think aloud so students understand what each strategy "looks like" and "sounds like." These strategies can empower students.

You can grab a copy of the strategies by clicking on the image below. When printing a copy, just use 1" x 2 5/8" labels. These strategies can also be included in students' math notebooks or used as part of a bulletin board display.

Need a Hand? Try This!

What can students do when they recognize they do not understand what to do in math? That is besides asking the teacher for help or saying "I don't get it." Students need strategies in math, just like in reading, to help them overcome the hurdles when understanding breaks down. I created these "Need a Hand? Try This" cards to provide students with strategies that they can try independently. You know that saying, "Ask three, then me." Well, using these strategies, the mantra can be, "Try three, then ask me."

I used die-cut handprints, labels, and a metal ring to make this resource for students to use. My goal is to have students persevere and be independent learners even when things do not come easy. These strategies can be modeled during think alouds so students understand what each strategy "looks like" and "sounds like." These strategies can empower students.

You can grab a copy of the strategies by clicking on the image below. Just use 1" x 2 5/8" labels when printing a copy. These strategies also can become part of students' math notebooks or used as part of a bulletin board display.

Guess My Favorite

Here is a quick activity to hook students into a lesson or use as a bell ringer to start class. Tie in Common Core with logical reasoning. You can create the activity with a specific target of learning or have students create the template and share with classmates. Click here for your freebie.

Common Core

The convenience of having Common Core at your fingertips can be done using this widget. Visit the link below to see how to embed this handy resource onto your blog. If you look to the right of this blog post, you can see how you, too, can have Common Core at your fingertips.

http://www.masteryconnect.com/learn-more/core-app.html

Try it out!
Thanks Lori at http://www.lorislatestlinks.com/ for sharing this!