How are Angles Used in the Real World? Angles are everywhere! It’s great to have an angle hunt or to search for angles in the real world because students and teachers start to see angles that they may not have noticed before. When you look for angles in objects, you can find patterns and see […]
Money as Decimals
Money is a great way to learn about decimals. Students have learned the value of coins and they have seen prices in stores and online. Money is a real world use of decimals and it’s important to show how it works with place value. After understanding place value with coins, I thought it was […]
Factors and Multiples: The Factor Factory Activity
Factors and Multiples When I taught fifth grade, my school had a meeting with incoming fourth graders and their parents. Some of the most asked questions had to do with math and multiplication facts. I remember telling them that it’s not just knowing your times tables, what’s more important is being able to recognize factors […]
Subtraction Involving Mixed Numbers
Subtraction Involving Mixed Numbers The great thing about subtracting fractions (Specifically Subtraction Involving Mixed Numbers) is that we have the opportunity to cut up the “wholes” into the number of pieces we need! Fractions can be tough because students see the numbers and don’t always think about the value of the fraction. I like to […]
Multiplying 3 and 4 digit Numbers using Area Models
Multiplying 3 and 4 digit Numbers using Area Models Multiplying multi-digit numbers using area not only helps students to visualize the products, but also helps show them how partial products work and add up. This can help students learn and understand multiplication as well as apply it to the standard algorithm for multiplication. In this […]
Solving Multi-Step Addition and Subtraction Word Problems
Solving Multi-Step Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Solving multi-step addition and subtraction word problems can help students see the relationship between operations, as well as practice their calculations. When I teach subtraction, I also like to show how students can use addition to check their work! Students often think that they are done when they […]
Comparing Multi-Digit Whole Numbers
Compare Multi-Digit Whole Numbers If students really understand place value, then they can get a stronger grasp on other mathematical operations! I like to start by asking students how many digits are in the universe? And most times students say infinity! Because fourth graders love the idea of infinity. But in fact, there are only […]