If we take the time to notice our surroundings, I think we may be surprised at just how much math we have in our every day environment. Take the photo to the left. It’s something most kids are familiar with. But do they know that it represents the multiplication problem 4 x 6. If they count the number of rows (4) and then multiply by the number of columns (6), they can quickly discover how many total eggs there are….
I love starting the school year teaching geometry. I use it as a hook to get my students interested in math. Not that they aren’t. But often, kids come into class thinking that math is all about adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. I know this because it’s the first thing I ask during day 1 math. So I kick off the math school year in geometry. It’s visual, hands-on, and fun. All math is…as students will discover through the course…
Teachers often use the estimating jar as a way to promote good estimating skills in their students. Throw a little candy in that jar and now you’ve got students excited and motivated to do math! The following activities are a twist on the traditional estimating jar and have been done with second through fifth graders. I introduce the estimating jar, filled with Hersheys kisses, by asking students to give a reasonable estimate as to how many kisses they think are…