Math technology for the new school year!

I am starting to get into the mode of preparing content for school rather than just thinking about what my room will look like and organizational materials.  I know those are important, but they tend to require less thinking than writing lessons.  I am slowly trying to gear my brain up for lessons...

Anyway, I have come upon some fun math technology tools that I am hoping to use this year.  I have posted before about math websites.    Most of these are new ones that I have recently found.  I thought I would share with you!

You know I love SUMDOG, so I'll just give them another quick plug in case someone out there still hasn't been to their awesome site.  My kids love Sumdog!

McGrawHill has a great work site with math tools that you could use on your SMARTBoard or have students use on individual computers.  Parents might even like to be able to use them from home.

http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/mathematics/ebook_assets/vmf/VMF-Interface.html

Everyday Math has a very similar work site, too.  Both have their tools setup by grade level.

  http://everydaymath.com/EM_eToolkit_Demo/eTools_v1.html


This site from the UK has a puzzle each day.  Love it!

The MathFacts CAFE is free and gives you access to math worksheets, factsheets, and flash cards...

Finally, I liked this resource from Teacher LED will  help students visualize the process of multiplication.

I know there are so many great sites!  It is hard to pick which ones to share!  If you would like to share your own math technology sites, I would love to learn about them!

Great Feature on Sumdog

So, if you have followed my blog, you know that I am a big fan of the FREE math website, Sumdog.  Sumdog is a great math game site that allows my students the opportunity to practice math skills in a game setting.  My students last year LOVED it!  (and so did I!)

The site allows for me to set up challenges, join competitions, and to differentiate what skills my students practice.  I am currently trying to decide if I am going to purchase the reporting option. 

Well. I recently visited the stie, and they have made some nice additions/changes to the site.  Today I am going to talk about the Lesson feature.  When I logged on, I found a tab at the top that said lesson.  I couldn't really tell what it was for, until I began playing the games myself.  (I love to play the games!)

When I completed a couple of games, I clicked on the lesson tab again, and this is what I saw...

The lesson was set up for a half hour, and during that time I had played two games.  What great information this will be when I have small groups or whole class time to work on Sumdog.  It will really help to hold the students accountable for what they are doing, and it will give me good feedback on whether students are understanding the skill that we are working on.

Underneath that view, was this image...

This individual information will be awesome, too, and it happens in real time!  What great formative assessment!  This will really help me to zoom in on those kiddos who are having a tough time with a certain skill!  I love it! 

Of course, tonight's practice was with only me playing games, when I begin in the fall, I'll be able to monitor any of my students who are practicing.  I'll also be able to monitor their work when I have given Sumdog practice as homework!

I think this is going to be an awesome feature for us!

Have you checked out Sumdog yet?  Were you aware of these new features?  I'd love to know what you think.  I know people use other free and subscription math websites, and I am curious to know how  you and your students compare them to Sumdog or other math sites. 

Hands down, in my classroom, Sumdog is always the winner of choice!

More Math!

I guess I am in a math frame of mind lately, since that is what I have been posting about.  Well, I am working on my workshop plans for Unit 1, so I am finding some things in my files that I had kind of forgotten about.

Today, I am attaching a math scavenger hunt that I have the kids do in groups on one of the first days of the year.  It covers a variety of information, gives them a good review, and gives me a glimpse of things that need more practice.  Click on the magnifying glass below to get to the document.

Everyday Math, Math Notebook, and foldables

I have been working with my teammates to lay out our Everyday Math units for Math Workshop.  You may remember that I began math workshop last spring and used it for the last three units of the year.  I liked it, and my kids liked it, but it was a lot of work. 

I feel confident that I made it a lot of work because I really want to meet everyone's needs during workshop, so my differentiation is on overload.  However, I believe that once I find what I want to do for each unit, then a lot of the work will be done.  Certainly, I will need to tweak things and add things depending on my students each year, but I am excited to be challenged by them.

I have a number of students who are way above grade level with computation skills.  Their families encourage outside tutoring so that they can do math computation skills which are way above grade level.  One of my kiddos last year met at the freshman level on the MAP math testing!   However, I also have a number of students who lack number sense and math confidence.  These guys need my attention, too!

I have decided to implement a Math Notebook next year.  (While many others call it a Math Journal, I can't, because in EM, the Math Journal is the name of our workbook.)  I am making some guidelines and some foldables to put into the notebook.  I am trying to make some generic ones that can be used by the high and below math leveled kids, but I am also making some specific to each group.  Our workshop moves quickly, so if I have already prepared the foldable for the kids, I think that it will help things move more quickly.  All they should need to do is cut them out (if necessary), fold, and complete. 

I am not working to make them cute really, just to make them workable for us.  You can see a couple by clicking on the image below.  The first one is just Total/Part/Part and looks just like the book's version.  I just want the students to fold up the two parts to see that they are equal to the total.  It is amazing how many of them don't see that this is the purpose of this graphic organizer.  I have used the Thinking Blocks website which helps to help them to see it a little better, too.  The fact triangle/house foldable is just a way for them to practice their fact families and glue it into their notebook.  They are just my beginning of items for Unit 2.  I hope to continue to be inspired to make more.  :)

Do you have any ideas or experiences to share with me as I tackle this this summer?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Daily Differentiation and fractions

I try to work to differentiate daily.  I have students with learning disabilities in my room as well as students who are identified as gifted and talented.  I began this process years ago, and I find that inch by inch.....I can meet my kids needs.  If I can add one or two differentiated activities to a unit per year, then eventually, I will be there, right?




Well, I keep trying.  I enjoy the challenge, and my students do, too.  I have come to the conclusion that it doesn't all have to be a totally new lesson.  In fact, in my district, we are encouraged to extend the lesson rather than teach a different lesson.  Below is an example of what I did with Mrs. Bainbridge's fraction kite idea.

I love to color and have lots of those cool design books. I took those design books and used them to design my kites.  The simpler kite ( top design) is made up of 100 equal pieces, and the students had to use 6 different colors.  The more complicated kite did not have equal pieces.  Using the smaller size as a unit, the kite had 650 pieces.  Students then had to use at least 4 different colors for their design, and then had to count and convert the big pieces into small pieces.

Here are examples of what the grids looked like:

The students received a kite shape already made out of these patterns, and they were told how many equal parts there were.  The kids had fun, and it was an appropriate challenge for those kids who needed it.  When the students were done writing their fractions under the kite, they had to check their work by adding the numerators of each fraction to be sure it equaled the appropriate denominator (100 or 650).

Last week, we also used Mary from Pitner's Potpourri idea.  We looked at Ed Emberley's Picture Pie and created our own picture pie.  Differentiation was natural on this one.  Certain kids were told they must use 4ths and 8ths in a certain number of colors while others just used 4ths.  The artwork created was fun and beautiful!

Both of these were great activities that I received from my blogging world.  They show that all of the time I spend in blogland is worth it!





Everyday Math Algorithm Powerpoints

Have you seen this site with great Powerpoint presentations of Everyday Math algorithms?  The site was put together by South Western School District in Pennsylvania.  I like to use them at some point during our instruction of these skills in class, but I also like to use them as a reference tool for parents.  It makes it much easier for them to understand what their child is learning.

Click on the pic below to go to the home page which contains Powerpoints for partial sums, partial products, trade first, lattice multiplication, and partial quotients. 

Math Workshop--First Unit SUCCESS!

Today, my students took a test in math.  As I posted earlier, this is the first unit they have been tested on since I implemented our math workshop.  When they finished the test, they were asked to write to me about workshop--whether they liked it, if they thought they learned better...

The results were OVERWHELMINGLY for math workshop.  They loved working in small groups, getting more individual time from me, the games and the variation of math activities.  I was glad that they liked it so far.  I am going to work on putting together my next unit using a similar format. 

I like the way it is working out, too.  It takes a lot of front-end preparation, but it has gone pretty smoothly.  This is a great group of kids to try anything with.

Typically, I have a small group working with me while other groups play games, practice skills independently, or work collaboratively to figure out a new concept.  At most times of the class, there are about 3-4 different things going on.  Students complete about 3 different activities during the time.  I don't have the activity times or the time with me set up equally.  Some groups get 20 minutes to do an activity while another group may only get 10.  It depends on the activity and the abilities in the group.

Tomorrow morning I am going to score their math tests to see if the assessment results are as positive as the kids' attitudes about workshop.  I will let you know.

A St. Patrick's Day Freebie

I created this attached SMART Notebook document to use in the weeks after testing and before we break for spring break.  I don't want to start a new unit, so we will keep busy with some review and extension ideas.  This does a little bit of both. 

I like to use algebra as an extension for my kids who have mastered the skill.  That way they are still working on the same things as the other kids, just in a different way.

This document requires SMART Notebook to open.  I hope you like it.  Leave me a comment if you download.  Thanks.  Luck of the Irish to you! 

Math thinking spoons

One of our math opening activities is something I call math number spoons.  When I first started doing them, I had little ceramic tiles that we used.  Each child received a bag with ten ceramic tiles in it--1 for each digit.  When I left that school, I left those tiles behind.  I now do the same type of activities with little wooden spoons from the craft store. 

The setup is simple.  Make a list of clues in which each digit is used just once.  I display the clues on the SMARTBoard. I try to make my clues to review current math topics, but also to offer some challenge and introduction to math terms.  I encourage my students to TAKE A RISK.  They should do the ones that they are sure of first and then give a go to those that they are not so sure of.  After enough time for most kids to determine their answers, we move into the next part of the lesson.

Students are given a partner to go over the answers with.  The key to this portion of the activity is the reading of the phrases.  One student reads the words and the other student tells what they have for that answer, and then they switch roles.  This continues until they have reviewed all of the statements.  It is a great way for the kids to be exposed to the math vocabulary and to have the opportunity to support  their answers to the partner.  I do not require partners to change their answers.  They can keep what they believe is correct.

Finally, we go over the terms and answers as a class on the SMARTBoard.  This offers everyone an opportunity to check their answers and to learn how to solve the ones they were unsure of.  Kids really like this, and I like the way it offers  me an opportunity to cover many topics.  The image below will take you to a SMART doc with some sample pages for this activity.  We typically do this one to two times per week.

Sometimes, we use the number tiles at our desks while we do our People number math.  It helps to keep everyone involved!

Math Workshop tips?

So, we are definitely getting the feeling that we should be moving to math workshop in the next year or two.  I have struggled with this a little because I love teaching math, and I think I work hard to differentiate for my learners.

However, being the control freak that I must be, I don't want to wait until I'm told I HAVE TO do math workshop to figure it out, so on Monday, I am beginning my Math Unit 8 trying my own version of math workshop.

Here are my current lesson plans for next week.  The students will be grouped according to their performance on the pretest.  Group 1 will be the kids who require more support while Group 2 will be more independent functioning.  The groups will be dynamic as I look at the pretest results.  Some days a student may be in Group 1 while on another skill he may fall into Group 2.  The items in red mean that they will have my support during this time.  The items in black will be asked to work/play more independently while I am working with the others.  Some days Group 1 will have me almost completely to themselves...

We will start most days with a short group activity and end them with a quick recap.  I have about an hour (give or take) each day for math, and most days are split by a special in the middle of the math block.

What do you think?  Am I on the right track?  I am anxious to get started and see what happens.  Do any of you use math workshop?   I will do a follow-up in a week or two to let you know how it is going.  I would welcome your comments and ideas! 

Interactives for the SMARTBoard

This site has a great set of resources for the SMARTBoard, but they could also be used individually with students on their own devices.

I am highlighting the US history one, but there are many great ones at this site.  I found that even though many are listed for older children, there were pieces in each one that I could use with my 3rd graders--either as a whole class lesson or as an extension for some of my high-achieving students.

The US history map above has some pretty nice features.  It breaks US history into categories, does a short lesson on it, and then has students participate in an interactive review.  You can skip through the eras if you don't want to do them all.  At the end of the map there is a comprehensive review assessment that students can do and receive their score.

Check out these interactives.  They cover all content areas.  I think they are worth your time!

Fraction glyphs

Fractions are hard for some kids to get their head around.  This activity is a quick assessment of basic fraction knowledge, and it engages students with something that most of them love...BASKETBALL.

The glyph is a quick review of numerators/denominators/value/equivalence.  Students follow the directions on the master page and then make their basketball hoop and ball match the description.  Click on the basketball to download the whole activity.  Each child will need one hoop page, one paper basketball, the key page, and a die.

Multiplication Linky Party

Adrienne over at Wiggins World is having a multiplication linky party.  I thought I would share a couple of things that I have done to help my students learn their facts.

I like to practice their facts on a mat that I made that is similar to Twister.  I made my mat using a plastic tablecloth from the party store. It is a lot like my spelling kinesthetic game that I use and have blogged about before.  Anyway---I have two kiddos line up facing the mat and then a third student calls out a fact using flashcards or whatever.  The students try to be the first one to find the product.  The first one that finds it puts their left foot on it.  The game continues until one player has placed his left foot, right foot, left hand, right hand.  Kind of fun.  The kids like it for sure.  I don't have a current picture of my mat in use, but below is an image of what it kind of looks like.

My students also like this game.  3 players.  Two players have a stack of cards in front of them (No face cards).  The two players each pick up a card and place it on their forehead (number out) without looking at it themselves.  They can only see the other guy's card.  The third player multiplies the two numbers in his head and says the product aloud.  The first of the two players with the card on their head to say what number their own card must say is the winner of that round.  This game is especially good as students move into division and to reinforce fact families.

On the web, my students like to use Sumdog.com to practice their facts.  (It is awesome!)  When they are practicing a certain family, the best place to go, they go to multiplication.com.  It offers a variety of games where the kids can really focus on just one family if they wish.

Finally,  my students still love good old-fashioned mad minutes.  We do a lot of things to help reinforce the concept of multiplication so that they understand it, but to get them to really have rapid recall of the facts, timed tests are still the best in my book.  The kids like the challenge of it, too.  I structure it differently every year, and I totally differentiate by giving some students a reduced number of problems, giving some kids division facts, by giving some extension facts (40 x 60...), and whatever else it takes to challenge some and to make others feel successful.

Hope these ideas help you out!  Can't wait to get some new ones!

People Numbers

As part of our study of place value, I do a kinesthetic activity all year which seems to help everyone "get it" a little better. 

I have digits written on construction paper and laminated:  One number per piece of construction paper.  I also have a piece with a comma that says thousand, a comma that says million, and a decimal point that says and. 

I pass out the digits, commas, and decimal point randomly to students.  Then I make up a number and tell the class.  As I say the number, students with corresponding digits go to the front of the room to make the number. They line up and form the number for us by holding the card in front of their chest so we can see it.  I usually let them collaborate some, but I really want them to do some independent thinking.  It helps me to see who is still struggling with the concept.  Once they think they are set, I have another student who didn't have a digit, read us the number. This is good practice for them as well.

After we are done with that number, students hand out their digits to classmates who don't have one, and we start the whole process all over again.

Sometimes, when they have the number made,  I will say "Let's reduce this number by 20,000."  (or something like that)  Then students have to figure out who is affected by this change and who would come take their place.  It is a pretty good activity that we use all year long!

Math Websites

I am getting closer to my 1-1 laptop trial in my classroom.  I can not tell you how excited I am for this opportunity!  I should have the computers by the end of the month.

I am preparing by continually seeking out new sites that I can use in the classroom.  I find them on other people's blogs, but I get most of my great places from people I follow on Twitter.

I have mentioned Sumdog before. (I. love. Sumdog.)  My students used it the other day on the mobile lab, and they were thrilled to be playing against each other.  Once the kids become more adept at things, I plan on assigning Sumdog minutes for homework sometimes.  The site graphs student progress, and it allows students to choose what game they want to play.  Above I was preparing to face off against MarlinL


Another great one I have found and used in the classroom is Thinking Blocks.  It is a great visual tool to support kids when doing story problems.  It goes along well with our Everyday Math series, too.

However, this Everyday Math site is totally aligned with our series (since it is part of Everyday Math).  This is another great resource to use when instructing.  you can set the background and use it as you wish.  The background set here is for addition facts.

I hope that you find a use for one or all of these sites with your kiddos!

Sumdog.com...have you tried it yet?

Recently, Thoughts of A Third Grade Teacher had a post about a new website she had found, http://www.sumdog.com.  I went to this free site and was quite impressed.  It not only gives student fun practice with math concepts, but it also gives students feedback about their progress.  In addition, teachers can find out about student progress!  I love it and so do my students!

Teachers can set challenges for their students.  Students can play in real time with other students throughout the world or play against the computer.

As most of my students have internet access, I plan on giving a night on this as homework sometimes.  I'll be able to go online and check to be sure they actually practiced.

Best of all, did I say that it is FREE?!  Teachers can pay to get access to more detailed reports, but there is a lot of data one can access without an account.

Go check it out!

Back to School Math Activity

The 10 things to Know about Me Linky made me think about a Back to School activity I do with my students.  It is a math lesson and a good quick assessment of what they remember.  I also like to use it to introduce the use of rubrics.  I use rubrics for nearly everything, and I find that students are not familiar with them and not sure how to use them to help them complete activities. 

An image of my sample is included, too.  When I explain the assignment, I display my sample and then use the rubric to score it so the kids can see what grade I would get.  Sometimes, I display one that is missing information and demonstrate what score it would get, too.

I find that this quick activity is a good ease into the school year, and it helps to show the importance of numbers in our lives!  Hope you can use it!

A freebie for the end of my first week

I am having fun reading and learning about other's teaching through blogging. Today ends my first week as a blogger, and so I decided to share something to celebrate.

I provide SMARTBoard training for others in my district and area, and I have developed many lessons. I really love it, and I work hard to make my SMART docs user friendly and child-centered. If you click on the link below, it will take you to a SMARTBoard math review game for 3rd grade. It certainly could be used at other grades, and the content could be changed as wanted by the user. To open the document, you will need to have SMART Notebook 10 on your computer.

I hope you like it! If you do, share my blog with others!

SMARTBoard math review game