Monday, July 16, 2012

ScreenChomp Videos for Math

My eight week summer class has ended and I am absolutely thrilled with the work my students have done. One of their assignments this summer was to experiment with ScreenChomp and create a video tutorial for students. Here is what they came up with.

Suzanne created a video on Fact Families.

Rachel created a video reviewing Mixed Numbers.

Allison created a video on Adding Fractions with the Butterfly Method.

Myra created a video on Telling Time.


Beth created a video on Adding Fractions.

Donna created a video on Magic Math Windows.

Mandy created a video on Long Division.

I hope you enjoy these and find them helpful. If you like them, please leave my students a little love!

Monday Math Freebies - Egg Carton Place Value

I've been making lots of resources for my class this summer. The teachers seem to be enjoying it. Last week I made sets of materials for egg carton place value. Here's what they look like.

We eat a LOT of eggs, so all my containers have 18 cups. Most egg carton math activities use the standard dozen container.

Here's a closeup of the directions.
Download a copy of Egg Carton Place Value.
When we played we used a copy of the recording sheet created by Doris at Third Grade Thinkers. Her version is pretty cool too! You might want to try that as well. 

Fraction Discovery Bottles

Classroom Freebies Manic Monday
After making discovery bottles for number sense and computation, I decided to try making some bottles for fractions. I used some wooden pieces from a collection of sorting objects. There are geometric shapes, as well as planes, cars and even a horse. One of the bottles contains LEGO pieces. Here's a peak at them.

Here's what you'll find in each of the bottles.
Bottle 1 – Transportation theme
Contains 5 wooden vehicles
  • 3 cars/trucks, one red, one yellow and one blue 
  • 2 airplanes, one red and one yellow
Bottle 2 – Shapes theme 
Contains 6 wooden shapes
  • 2 circles, one red and one green
  • 2 squares, one red and one green
  • 2 triangles, one red and one green
Bottle 3 – Mixed set
 Contains 6 wooden shapes
  • 2 circles, one red and one green
  • 2 squares, one red and one green
  • 2 triangles, one red and one green
Contains 5 wooden vehicles
  • 3 cars/trucks, one red, one yellow and one blue 
  • 2 airplanes, one red and one yellow
Contains 1 red wooden horse
Bottle 4 – LEGO theme
Contains 5 LEGO blocks
  • 3 large blocks, one gray, one black, one white
  • 2 small blocks, one gray and one red
I have created a packet with directions for making the bottles and one activity page for each of the four bottles. Here are a few sample pages.

Download Fraction Discovery Bottles. If you try these, please let me know what you think. If you have any other suggestions or ideas, please let me know.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Fun with Fractions in 5th Grade!

Literature Connections

The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Fraction Book. By Jerry Pallotta. Illus. by Robert Bolster. (1999). 32p. Cartwheel Books. 
(978-0439135191). Gr. 2+
*This is a great book to help introduce fractions to your students. The book begins with one whole (chocolate bar) and then continues to break it down using fractions. The author uses fractions such as 2/3, 3/4, 8/12, and 7/12. There are many lesson out on the internet that go along with this book which is very helpful. The author made this book fun for students to learn about fractions!





Fraction Fun. By David Adler. Illus. by Nancy Tobin. (1997). 30p. Holiday House. (978-0823413416). Gr. K+
*Although this book can be used in the lower elementary grades, it is a great resource to share with upper elementary students too. The author gave a clear explanation of fractions and fractional value. The illustrations present the book in a fun manner and would be great for a quick review of fractions in the beginning of the unit.


Polar Bear Math. By Ann Whitehead Nagda and Ciny Bickel. (2004). 32p. Henry Holt and Co. (978-0805073010). Gr. 2+
*This book is perfect for learning about fractions as well as learning a little about polar bears. Which I think makes it fun! The book follows two polar bears who were abandoned by their mother. The author provides great pictures for students to be engaged while reading independently or whole group. The book begins with defining fractions and then moves into comparing fractions. All concepts are tied to the polar bears and what they are doing!







Web Resources:

*This is an awesome website for kids to use. Once on the main page, click on fractions and several games including a fraction tutorial are shown. I like this site because students can review about fractions before playing games. Students can choose from several games to play which include, simple fractions, equivalent fractions matching, fraction addition, fraction subtraction, and much more!

*This is another fun website. The games focuses on equivalent fractions. Students are to figure out which level they want to play and then the game begins. Once they have selected the level, the student will be shown four fractions, they are to click on the fraction that is not equal to the others. Teachers could ask students to copy the fractions down as they go on scratch paper to turn in as an alternative assignment.

*This website is perfect for students who want to practice several fraction concepts or at least have the option to choose between concepts. Some of the topics that are listed are equivalent fractions, simplest form, and improper fractions. I mainly like this website because students get the option to choose what they want to review

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Third Grade Fractions

Literature Connections for Teaching Fractions in Third Grade


Fraction Action. By Loreen Leedy. (1996). 32p. Holiday House. (978-0823412440). Gr. K-3.
This book is a fun take on learning fractions, as there are chapters that tell stories about fractions as a way to teach fractions. Students will enjoy the graphics as they learn from Miss Prime all about fractions!





My Half Day. By Doris Fisher and Dani Sneed.  Illustrated by Karen Lee.  (2008). 32p. Sylvan Dell Publishing. (978-1934359143). Gr. K-3.
This book follows the story of a boy through his day, and everything that happens to him seems to be happening in fractions!  With a fun story line and exciting pictures, students will love seeing what happens next!

Full House: An Invitation to Fractions. By Dayle Ann Dodds. Illustrated by Abby Carter. (2009). 32p. Candlewick. (978-0763641306). Gr. 1-4.
This a great rhyming book that introduces the denominator and numerator of a fraction in terms of a house filling up with guests.  Children will love the story and learn about fractions at the same time.



The Wishing Club: A Story About Fractions. By Donna Jo Napoli.  Illustrated by Anna Currey. (2007). 32p. Henry Holt and Co. (978-0805076653). Gr. 1-4.
This is a cute book about four friends who make wishes one night only to find out that parts of their wishes are coming true.  A great story in teaching fractions!

Online Resources for Kids to Learn About Fractions


A pizza party game that includes 10 questions for kids to answer about the fractions of pizza left or gone!  Easy to understand questions and simple graphics keep the questions at an academic level for most students to answer without much difficulty.


This fun Bamzooki fractions game gives great descriptions of the numerator and denominator.  Students are given the task of creating the fraction in the game before time runs out!


This fun game gives children 13 different ways to look at the fraction ‘1/2’.  This would be good for students who are functioning at a higher level of thinking as it requires some higher-level problem solving skills.





Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Money in Second Grade


In Second Grade the Standards of Learning state, "the student will count and compare collections of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters whose total value is $2.00 or less; and correctly use the dollar symbol, the cent symbol, and the decimal." 

Measurement, money in particular, is a real-world application that should be introduced with a variety of representations.

Therefore, this post will provide some children's literature that can be useful in supporting the instruction on money in second grade, as well as, some fun web resources.

A Quarter From The Tooth Fairy. By Caren Holtzman. Illus. Betsy Day. (1995). Cartwheel, (0590265989). 40 p. Gr. K-3.
In this book, Caren Holtzman [Hello Math Reader, Level 3] recounts in verse how a young boy spends the quarter he got from the Tooth Fairy for his tooth.   He first buys a monster for his quarter but then decides it wasn't quite right and returns it, getting 2 dimes and 1 nickel back.   Each time he buys and returns an item, he gets his 25 cents back in a different combination of coins, making this book an excellent introduction to the problem of how many different ways students can make 25 cents.

Pigs Will Be Pigs: Fun with Math and Money. By Amy Axelrod. Illus. Sharon McGinley-Nally. (1997). Aladdin, (0689812191). 40 p. Gr. K-3.
In this book, Amy Axelrod tells how the hungry pig family finds an empty refrigerator and then decide to hunt all over the house for money. After finding different amounts of money, they drive to their favorite restaurant, Enchanted Enchilada, and order 4 daily specials from the menu.


Jenny Found a Penny. By Trudy Harris. Illus. John Hovell. (2007). Millbrook Press, (0822567253). 32 p. Gr. K-3.

In this book, Trudy Harris describes how Jenny saves different values of coins to make a special purchase that costs one dollar. But even when she has the correct amount, will she be able to buy her item? There's a real life lesson in the story and is a great resource to pave the way towards financial responsibility.

The Coin Counting Book. By Rozanne Lanczak Williams. (2001). Charlesbridge Pub Inc, (0881063266). 32 p. Gr. K-4.
In this book you will find large, clear photographs of money that instruct students in coin denominations, grouping, and counting. This book is valuable as an introductory lesson on money.

How the Second Grade Got $8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty. By Nathan Zimelman. Illus. Bill Slavin. (1992). Albert Whitman & Company, (0807534315). 32 p. Gr. 1-3.
Nathan Zimelman takes a humorous look at a second grade fund raising project and the many adventures and misadventures along the way. What better way to slip in the concept of money to a second grade class than with a book exclusively about second graders raising money.

The Penny Pot. By Stuart J. Murphy. Illus. Lynne Cravath. (1998). HarperCollins, (0064467171). 40 p. Gr. K-2.
Stuart Murphy explores the world of money when Jessie want to have her face painted at the school fair. However, it costs 50 cents and she only has 39 cents. Therefore, she hangs out at the "leave a penny, take a penny" penny pot to gather additional change until she has enough.

Where the Sidewalk Ends. By Shel Silverstein. Illus. same. (1974). HarperCollins, (00605722345). 192 p. Gr. K-5.
The poem Smart, written by Shel Silverstein in Where the Sidewalk Ends, is a good-humored look at our money system and a child's misunderstandings about the size and value of coins. This is especially effective when student's "act out" the poem using the large coin cutouts or when students draw their own coin illustrations for the poem. Additionally, by having the students work out the equations for what occurs in the poem, you are encouraging some reversibility of thought.






Here are some fun websites that "coin"cide with teaching money in second grade.

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm This site provides ten different games on money, from verifying the amount, comparing, and matching.


http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/games/ This site provides some dynamic, educational video games while teaching important money skills, such as "Peter Pig's Money Counter".

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/counting_money/ This site reinforces basic money counting skills by totaling the value of the shown coins correctly to fill in the box.

http://www.kidsmathgamesonline.com/money.html This site provides six different money games - like paying for bus fare, running a lemonade stand, and shopping.




Here is an additional site for fun facts about money. It can help bring in a history element to the learning process.   http://www.childrensmuseum.org/special_exhibits/moneyville/pop5.htm 

Place Value in the First Grade

Place Value in the First Grade

Books

Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens:A Math Adventure. By Cindy Neuschwander.  Illus. by Wayne Geehan.  (2009).   32p.  Charlesbridge Publishing.  (978-1570917288).  Grades K-4.


A cute story about a surprise birthday party for King Arthur to help introduce math concepts to children.  The story is entertaining and helps explain the concept of place value to elementary students.





A Place for Zero:A Math Adventure.  By Angeline Sparagna Lopresti.  Illus. by Phyllis Hornung.  (2003).  32p.  Charlesbridge Publishing.  (978-1570916021).  Grades K-3.



This book takes a look at the number zero and his journey to figure out how he fits in our number system.  Very cute and entertaing book.  The book has great math vocabulary and colorful illustrations.






Places Along the Way.  By Brian Sargent.  (2007).  32p.  Children's Press.  (978-0531168394).  Grades K-3.



This book talks about a child going on a road trip and the place value game she plays to pass the time.  The book is very simple, but offers good practice for learning about or reinforcing place value.






Earth Day - Hooray.  By Stuart J. Murphy.  Illus. by Renee Andriani.  (2004).  40p.  Harper Collins.  (978-0060001292).  Grades K-4.


This book uses recycling to help readers learn a lesson about place value.  As our students are on a drive to recycle cans for Earth Day they use groupings of 10, 100, and 1000 to help keep track of their daily totals.




Math Fables:Lessons that Count.  By Greg Tang.  Illus. by Heather Cahoon.  (2004).  40p.  Scholastic Press.  (978-0439453998).  Grades K-3.


This book is a series of short fables. Each spread focuses on a different number. This book is not specifically about place value, but it lays the foundation for place value.  The book also offers colorful illustrations children will like.






Websites

Fun Brain Place Value Puzzler
Nice interactive activity to help students learn about the digits in a number.  A great feature of the game it lets the students choose a difficulty level.  This activity can also be used to help students with rounding a number.  

Math Zone  
This site offers children interactive actives that will help reinforce their developing numbers and number sense skills.  The games on place value will help children learn number positions.

Tens and Ones Marshmallows
A cute game to help children learn about place value.  The child helps a bear find the correct amount of marshmallows.  This interactive activity reinforces the ones and tens place.




Tuesday, July 10, 2012

3rd Grade Fractions

Here are a few suggestions for books and websites for kids on fractions!

Fraction Action 
By Loreen Leedy. (1996). 32p. Holiday House. (978-0823412440). Gr. K-3.
This is a great book for introducing several fraction concepts.  There are five stories that each tackle a different topic.  Kids will love these fun stories while learning about basic fractions, equivalent parts, sets, subtracting, and comparing fractions.

Fraction Fun 
By David Adler. (1997). 30 p. Holiday House. (978-0823413416). Gr. K-3.
I like this book because it talks about fractions in different ways, one of which is money.  This provides a good means of tying in different math concepts into one lesson.

Full House: An Invitation to Fractions
By Dayle Ann Dodds. Illustrated by Abby Carter. (2009). 32p. Candlewick. (978-0763641306). Gr. 1-4.
This book would be a great way to introduce fractions to kids.  It talks about basic fractions in a fun way.  It also has a lot of repetition throughout so kids can join in during a read aloud.  

Give Me Half! 
By Stuart Murphy. Illus. by G. Brian Karas.  (1997). 40 p. HarperCollins. (978-0064467018). Gr. 1-3.
This book introduces the most simplest of fractions, 1/2 in a fun way.  It's about two siblings fighting over pizza and lets children see some real-life use of fractions.



  
 Compare Fractions
This website links to a game and tutorial for kids that focuses on comparing fractions. This game provides good practice for making comparisons of fractions with like and unlike denominators. There are several other educational activities and games on this website as well.

Houghton Mifflin Math
This website offers a large variety of resources, but this links to the 3rd grade math page for kids. There are fraction games, emanipulatives, brain teasers, and much more. This website would be useful for differentiating instruction because it offers extra help activities as well as challenging brain teasers.

PBS Kids - Math Games
This links to a a fraction game for kids to help them manipulate and understand equivalent fractions.  It provides commentary throughout to scaffold kids through the game.  This would be a great practice activity to reinforce kids' knowledge of fractions.

Teaching Time in First Grade

Books to help teach time to first graders:

Telling Time with Big Mama Cat.  By Dan Harper.  Illus. by Barry Moser and Cara Moser.  (1998).  HMH Books.  (978-0152017385).  36 p.  Gr. K-3.


This book is about a cat who knows how to tell time.  Mama Cat explains that her busy day consists of eating and napping.  Mama Cat also notices human schedules, which include morning routines and evening routines.  Clocks that show the time that various activities are done are shown throughout the book.


The Grouchy Ladybug.  By Eric Carle.  (1996).  HarperCollins.  (978-0064434508).  48p.  Gr. K-2.

This book is about a ladybug who is looking for a fight.  The ladybug challenges everything that she encounters.  The time is given during each of the ladybug's encounters with other insects.  In addition, the sun is also in a different position in each picture, so that children can learn the sun's position during each time of day shown.

The Completed Hickory Dickory Dock.  By Jim Aylesworth.  Illus. By Eilen Christelow.  (1994).  Aladdin.  (978-0689718625).  32 p.  Gr. K-1.

This book gives a simple introduction to telling time.  It begins as a typical nursery rhyme.  A grandfather clock is depicted throughout much of the book and the hours continue to strike as the little mouse scurries about.

Time (Math Counts).  By Henry Pluckrose.  (1995).  Children's Press.  (978-0516454597).  32 p. Gr. K-2.

This book is similar to a textbook, but it is directed toward a younger audience.  It discusses the definition of time, and the illustrations encourage children to want to continue learning about time.

Telling Time. By Jules Older.  Illus.  By Megan Halsey.  (2000).  Charlesbridge Publishing.  (978-0881063974).  32 p.  Gr. 1-3.


This book elaborates on the details of telling time.  It breaks time down from a second all the way to a century.  It even explains when things happen and how long things take to happen.  Also, the poem that is included in the book is a great way to help students remember how long things take to do.


Websites to help teach time to first graders:

This game really ties in great with the Hickory Dickory Dock book mentioned above.  Children should read the time at the bottom of the screen and then click on the corresponding analogue clock.  The mouse runs up and eats the cheese when you click the correct clock, and then you click next on the bottom right of the screen.

The object of this game is to help Marvin travel through time to find his astronaut friend.  Children practice telling time by choosing a type of clock.  Depending on the clock that the child chose, they are supposed to drag the hands of the analogue clock or click the up and down buttons on the digital clock.

This is a great game for children to play right before bedtime!  Children even get to type their name and choose their gender.  First, children need to find the time located in the bottom left corner of the screen.  Then, children need to find the corresponding analogue clock and move the character under the correct clock by using the right and left arrow keys on the computer keyboard.  When the character is underneath the correct clock, press the space bar key to turn on the flashlight and blast the clock.  When a clock his the ground, it's time to go to bed!

This game, which can be found toward the bottom of the homepage, is a scavenger hunt through space and time.  An analogue clock is presented with a specific time that has to be converted to digital.  The object of the game is to keep the ship's clock on the correct time.  The ship can travel through three ages, but each age gets more challenging than the one before.  

Monday, July 9, 2012

First Grade Addition and Subtraction

Here are some books and websites that can be used to teach addition and subtraction in First grade.                                                                                                                                        



The Mission of Addition. By Brian P. Cleary. Illus. by Brian Gable. (2007). 32p. Millbrook. (9781575058597). Gr.1-2. 

This is a cute book that helps introduce and review addition. The author uses illustrations with cartoon cats to give examples of how addition can be used. He describes vocabulary words such as “add, plus, and equals.” Towards the very end some numbers add up to the 20’s but most of the book works with smaller sums.


Mission: Addition. By Lorren Leedy. Illus. by author (1997). 32p. Holiday House, (978-0823414123). Gr. 1-2.

This book uses a classroom of animal characters to help explain addition facts. The book has 6 different short stories and situations that use addition. For example, the section “Closet Cash” is about a dog who has a yard sale and adds up his earnings. This would be a good book to read with the class and then set out for students to flip through and practice the addition sentences in the stories. The last page has answers to questions asked at the end of each section.



1+1=5 and Other Unlikely Additions. By David LaRochelle. Illus. by Brenda Sexton. (2010). 32 p. Sterling, (978-1402759956). Gr. 1-2 

A creative book that adds sets of objects such as “one goat and one unicorn equals three horns.” This would be a fun book to read to the class. Kids will enjoy guessing how “1+1=14.” This book could also be used to introduce an activity where students create picture problems. The illustrations have other objects in the background that could be counted as well.




Domino Addition. By Lynette Long, Ph.D. (1996). 32p. Charlesbridge Pub Inc, (978-0881068771). Gr. 1

This is a great book to use before getting started on a lesson that uses dominos to add. The book explains how each side of a domino’s dots are added together and shows a full set of dominoes so that students can see all the different combinations of dots. The book also asks interactive questions such as “Can you find the domino that has a total of zero spots?” A great read aloud book and independent book because even if the student cannot read all of the words they should be able to follow the pictures and numbers in order to practice addition.


Elevator Magic. By Stuart J. Murphy. Illus. by Brian Karas. (1997). 40p. Turtleback, 978-0613049276. Gr. 1

The reader travels with a boy named Ben and his mother down an elevator. Ben uses subtraction to figure out what number floor to hit. As they travel Ben finds unexpected surprises. The back of the book contains ideas for reading the book to students and subtraction activities that can be done at home.


And here are some addition and subtraction websites for kids: 

Learning Games for Kids: Subtraction.  This is a good site for students to practice and review subtraction. Students can choose to play a multiple choice “game show” that quizzes their vocabulary knowledge or they can choose “flash cards” to practice math facts.

Fun For the Brain: Addition. Fun addition games up to the number twelve. Students can choose from a wide variety of themes to satisfy their interests. The game “Deep Diver” takes the player on a deep sea photographer’s adventure where they must add numbers correctly in order to help the photographer take pictures. Students may choose different levels of difficulty. Make sure to check out the other pages to find more creative games including fairies and knights!

Hooda Math: Subtraction (and more!)  This site has several games for practicing subtraction and addition (multiplication and division, too.) Students are prompted to chose the operation they would like to practice. These games would be useful in differentiating at the computer station. Students who need more help with addition may practice addition games while students who want to practice subtraction may play the subtraction version of the same game. The site gives students some variety with themes such as skateboarder challenges to princess clothes.





Saturday, July 7, 2012

Math Discovery Bottles!

My table last night ...

... and the results today! This is my first set of discovery bottles for math.

Here's a closeup of one.

Here's what's in them.

Bottle 1 – Place Value and Addition/Subtraction

  • Contains 6 small blocks with the numbers 0, 1, 5, 7, 8, 9

Bottle 2 – Place Value 
Contains:
  • 4 small blocks with the numbers 3, 4, 6, 9
  • 4 small rods with the numbers 10, 30, 70, 80
  • 4 small rods with the numbers 200, 300, 500, 600

Bottle 3 – Multiplication/Division 

  • Contains 7 small blocks with the numbers 6, 12, 30, 36, 42, 54, 72

Bottle 4 – Number Writing and Representation 

  • Contains 6 small blocks with the words one, two, five, six, nine, ten

Bottle 5 – Tally Marks and Number Representations

  • Contains 6 small rods with tally marks for the numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11.

I have created a packet with directions for making the bottles and activity pages for students to use with them. Every bottle has one activity page except for Bottle 1, which has one for place value and two different activities for addition/subtraction. Here are a few sample pages.
Download Math Discovery Bottles. If you try these, please let me know what you think. I'm planning on making several bottles for basic fact practice, as well as a bottle for fractions. If you have any other suggestions or ideas, please let me know.

  **UPDATE** -  I found a teeny tiny mistake on one of the pages. Please download again for the corrected version. Sorry for the inconvenience.