Every minute of the instructional day is precious. There is never enough time to do it all! How can I help kids review math skills in a fun way, but still make sure they are learning? It has to be easy to implement and meaningful. These were some of the thoughts that ran through my mind and ...
3rd Grade
Interactive Number Lines: A Number Sense Builder
Have you been looking for a hands-on way to build number sense in your elementary kids? Look no further, I have just the thing. Interactive number lines! All you need is painter’s tape, index cards and sticky notes. What is so great about interactive number lines? Join me as I show different ...
5 Fun Ways to Teach Multiplication Facts
A few months ago, I wrote a post about using read alouds to teach multiplication. I am always on the lookout for new ideas to help students master their multiplication facts. Interestingly, I didn't always enjoy learning my multiplication facts. I remember sitting down in the kitchen with my dad ...
4 Read Alouds that Support Multiplication
As teachers we want our students to develop a strong understanding of the multiplication facts. If you live in a state that uses the Common Core standards (or some variation of them), foundational understanding of multiplication begins in the 2nd grade. Students work with equal groups of objects ...
Thinking Critically with Fractions and Number Lines
In my post Squashing Fraction Misconceptions, I talked about the advantage of building number lines with fraction bars. As an extension to that blog post, which you can find HERE, I wanted to share another fraction number line activity with you. This is a mental math strategy that makes students ...
Fly on the Math Teacher’s Wall – Squashing Fraction Misconceptions
This month, I have the pleasure of linking up with 15 great math bloggers for the Fly on the Math Teacher's Wall Blog Hop. Our topic for discussion is fractions. Today, I want to discuss the importance of using number lines with students to get them to conceptually understand fractions. Number ...