The Game That Is Worth 1,000 Worksheets [Rescued from my old blog. Image via Wikipedia.] Math concepts: greater-than/less-than, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, negative numbers, absolute value, and multi-step problem solving. Have you and your children been struggling to learn the math facts? Set Up You will need several decks of math cards. As my students learn their math facts, they need extra practice on the hard-to-remember ones like 6 × 8. [This is an old, classic children’s game. How to Play Basic War—Each player turns one card face up. Endgame When the players have fought their way through the entire deck, count the prisoners. Variations For most variations, the basic 3-down-1-up battle pattern becomes 2-down-2-up. Addition War—Players turn up two cards for each skirmish. Advanced Addition War—Turn up three (or four) cards for each skirmish and add them together. Subtraction War—Players turn up two cards and subtract the smaller number from the larger. Product War—Turn up two cards and multiply.
Chinese Mathematics Pedagogy and Practices: What Can We Learn? by Annie Han November 2001 A number of cross-cultural studies have documented the apparent higher achievement in mathematics of Asian students as compared with students from other countries. By now, it is no secret that Asian students perform at a higher level in mathematics than do students in the United States, as indicated in such international comparisons as the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The mathematics performance of students in the United States seems to be in decline, and mathematics education in the United States appears to be facing a crisis. Previous research has focused on cross-cultural student achievement; however, little research exists on the associated cross-cultural mathematics teachers' professional training and teaching practices. No one would disagree that mathematics is a primary source of lifelong learning or that it is related to the progress of civilization.
Lebanon schools turn algebra into child's play LEBANON -- Lori Haley and Mya Corbett hunch over a pile of yellow hexagons, trying to figure out how many hexagonal tables it would take to seat 25 guests. The pair want to get the answer, but what they're really itching to do is to come up with a formula that will tell them how many people they could seat for any given number of tables. Suddenly, the girls detect a pattern, and one shouts: "(t x 4) + 2 = s!" They beam, flashing smiles that still feature baby teeth. While most high schools in Oregon and across the nation struggle to get freshmen to pass algebra, one school district is trying something very different. Are you smarter than a fifth-grader? Lebanon, which educates 4,000 students in eight schools, is pushing algebra on students as early as first grade. More than 80 percent of Lebanon eighth-graders passed the state math test, compared with 66 percent at schools with similar demographics. No flash cards Visit a Lebanon elementary math class, and you will see:
Depth of Knowledge (DOK) in Mathematics - Teacher Tech Guest Blog Post by Robert Kaplinksy Take a look at the problem below. It’s based on a fourth-grade standard on comparing fractions. Spend a minute or two thinking about it and then continue below. Directions: Using the digits 1-9, no more than one time each, fill in the boxes to create a fraction as close to one as possible. Source: Peter Morris at Open Middle Not your typical problem, right? What’s important to realize though is that Depth of Knowledge is not particularly well defined beyond that. Reality needs to influence the comparison of the cognitive demands of expectations as expressed by standards, goals, and objectives with how students are held accountable to perform on assessments for the purpose of alignment. He is saying that ideally, we would research what makes some problems more rigorous than others. It would be lovely if using a specific verb was all you needed to do to increase a problem’s cognitive demands. Depth of Knowledge Matrix – Elementary Math (Kinder to 5th)
Math Card Games That Will Help Students Practice Their Skills Looking for ways to make your math learning a little more interesting? Grab a few decks of playing cards and introduce some of these math card games to your class. Your students will have fun in spades! 1. Play this math card game alone or as a team. Learn more: The First Grader Roundup 2. War is one of the original math card games, but this version adds a fraction aspect. Learn more: Mrs. 3. Remove the face cards and have each student lay out a 4 x 4 playing “board” of cards. Learn more: Top Notch Teaching 4. One of the terrific things about math card games is that many of them can be customized for various concepts and skill levels. Learn more: Mama.Papa.Bubba 5. Simple math card games can help kids learn how to put numbers in order. Learn more: Math Geek Mama 6. Give your flash cards a rest and practice facts with math card games instead. Learn more: Top Notch Teaching 7. Some versions of solitaire are really just sneaky math card games, and pyramid is one of them. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.