Carey’s Class: Kinesthetic Triangles

February 7, 2013 – 9:07 pm

Scalene

Are you looking for a good way to reinforce triangles? I was driving to a bible study with a retired high school Math teacher. We were discussing the Math that I teach in the fourth grade. I am currently teaching geometry, so we discussed the vocabulary that I have to teach. I told her that I teach the different types of triangles (still required for 4th grade students in Ohio) and she told me of an activity she used to do with her high school students. Wouldn’t you know it was a wonderful, quick activity that would work for any grade level?

Isosceles

What you do is have your students create the three different triangles with their bodies. You pick three students about the same height have them lay on the floor and form the equilateral triangle. You then pick two students the same height along with a third student a different height (I chose one much shorter) and have them create the isosceles triangle. Lastly, you pick three students of different heights to represent the scalene triangle.

Equilateral

I teach three sections of Math so my lessons get better every time I teach it! Here are some tips I learned as I did this activity with my three classes. This works best if you go to a big area where you can form a circle around the triangles. I had my students line up and chose the students I wanted for each triangle and then we went outside to create the triangles and have our discussions. For the first class I stayed inside and just had the students stay lined up and it didn’t go well (too much unrelated talking and goofing around). When the students were in a circle we had great discussions. I asked the students which students in the triangle got the equal symbols. I think it was a good activity and I loved the way it reinforced triangles using kinesthetics! Who knows, maybe that low student will remember a certain triangle because he/she made up one side of it!!

Please come visit my store and see the different geometry activities I have there!

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By Carey Bonifas | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Incorporating Art in Math – Angry Birds Style!

November 10, 2012 – 9:23 pm

Let me start by saying that this was NOT my idea!  I give full credit to Teacher Support Force (which I found on Pinterest – YAY, Pinterest!).  It was too great of an idea not to try with my fifth graders.  They LOVED it.  Now, I don’t mean they enjoyed the lesson.  I mean they asked to take it home and finish it.  That’s right.  They ASKED for HOMEWORK!!!

 

I created a PowerPoint with pictures of Angry Birds (which I am not at all affiliated with…but I do really like to play their games!).  I explained to the kids that one angry bird is capable of destroying multiple pigs at once.  They agreed.  Then I showed them a scenario using images that I borrowed from Google.  I took them step-by-step through a possible scenario where one angry bird took out two different pigs (I made sure the pigs looked different) through the distributive part of the problem.  After a few of those, I showed them a problem with numbers and pointed out which numbers would be the bird and which ones would be the pigs.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a group of kids understand the Distributive Property of Multiplication so fast…EVER!  (I would’ve loved to share my PowerPoint with you, but can’t since I swiped images of Angry Birds from Google and they are copyrighted.)

My classroom is in an awkward place, right in the corner.  It’s actually a section of the library that has been divided by bookshelves.  Anyway, here is our Angry Birds display:

The students did an amazing job with their posters.  Here are a few examples:

I am so impressed with my fifth graders!  They did awesome!

Here are the distributive property posters I made.  I used a font from Kevin and Amanda.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

By mrsjoyhall | Posted in Math | Comments (5)

A Fantabulous Math Workshop…and BEAD STRINGS!

October 11, 2012 – 9:58 pm

Don’t you just LOVE it when you get to go to a teacher training that is absolutely wonderful?!  I’m not talking about fun and engaging.  I’m talking about the kind where you don’t get up to use the bathroom (even if you really need to) because you’re afraid you’ll miss something.  Well, that was my day last Tuesday!

The last math workshop I attended was dismal.  Imagine being a kid in a math environment where you didn’t feel safe enough to contribute to the discussion and cringed every time the teacher pulled a name stick.  That was exactly what it was like.  Now, I must confess to having a great love of math.  I just can’t help myself.  I’ve always loved it.  But I hated that workshop!

This one was completely different.  The presenter, Chris Goad, was a retired teacher.  Enthusiasm for teaching math seemed to just ooze from her.  It was impossible not to catch her enthusiasm.  There were even teachers who headed to the nearest dollar store on the lunch break to buy supplies for manipulatives she showed us!  And no, I wasn’t one of them.  I waited until after the training was over for the day.  :)

I am so excited about all the new teaching techniques now bouncing around my head that I just HAD to share them with you.  The technique I’m going to share with you uses a Bead String.

Materials:

wide, flat shoe strings (approximately 12 inches per Bead String)

two different colors of pony beads (10 beads of each color)

Construction:

Tie a knot in the end of one shoe string.  Lace 10 beads of one color and 10 beads of another color onto the string.  Tie a knot in the other end of the shoe string.  Ta-Da!  That’s it, folks!

Now for the good stuff.  How it WORKS!

Once the kids know combinations of 10s, they will be able to solve addition facts through 10+10, quickly using a Bead String.  The Bead String will give them confidence and increase their number sense skills to help them make the transition to more abstract math.  Give a kid a Bead String and tell them a math problem, say 7 plus 5.  Now, you could just say 7 and 5 for those kids just beginning.  They count 7 beads, leave a space, and then count the next 5.

Then the kids make the number “friendly”.  Basically, they change it into something that is easier for their brains to work with.  They slide the rest of the numbers that match the first color to join the rest, making a ten.  From that, it is very easy for them to visually see what the answer is!

 My biggest little is in first grade, so, of course I made him one just to practice play math at home.  (I made his with glow-in-the-dark beads!)  I can’t wait to use these with my fifth grade students who are struggling with number sense.  I may only use them for about 15 minutes, but if it helps them gain number sense, it will be well worth it!!!

What is your favorite math tip or trick?

 

 

 

By mrsjoyhall | Posted in Educational Game, Math, Place Value | Comments (2)

Carey’s Class: Egg Carton Game

September 27, 2012 – 7:56 pm

If you are looking for a game to really reinforce reading and writing numerals this is it!  It takes a little time to prepare for the game, but once you make it you can use the materials for years.  I found this in a book called, Mega-Fun Math Games and Puzzles for the Elementary Grades by Michael S. Schiro.

Materials needed:

14 empty egg cartons (the Styrofoam kind with no holes)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decorative Glass Stones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place value labels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Sharpie Marker

Scotch tape

Procedure:

Use the sharpie marker to write the digits 0-9 in the bottom of the egg carton (some digits will be repeated).

Mark the stones with place value through the hundred millions place.  I typed this up (8 font) copied and laminated it.  Then just tape each place to a stone with scotch tape.    Here’s a funny side note about that.  The first year I created this I wrote on the stones with sharpie marker.  My students had rubbed off the words before the end of the first class period!   Ah ha!  I decided to use clear nail polish to seal the sharpie marker onto the stones.  The students still rubbed off the words!  Finally I decided to make labels and glue them on.   After a lot of painful gluing with LOTS of different types of glue my husband says, “Why don’t you just tape them on?”  Wouldn’t you know that ‘s the method that has lasted for years! :)

Place the stones in a baggie and store in egg carton and you’re ready to go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rules of the Game:

Game is played in four rounds.  It is best to play with two people.

Set up your score sheet (click on sample score sheet)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each player pulls out a place value marble.  The player with the greatest place value goes first.

Player 1 takes stones out of bag places them in egg carton and shakes, shakes, shakes.

Player 1 records numeral on score sheet and reads the number out loud to partner. Score one point for reading the numeral correctly (no saying the word “and” because we are not using decimals).  Repeat all steps with player 2.  At the end of player 2′s round compare your numerals.  The player with the greatest numeral gets an extra point.

I have been playing this game for years with my students and every year they all love it!  I have to keep at least two games out for them to play when they finish their work.

Thanks for reading!

Carey

(You can check out more of Carey’s great ideas and resources at her TeachersPayTeachers store.)

 

 

 

 

By mrsjoyhall | Posted in Carey Bonifas, Carey's Class, Educational Game, Place Value | Comments (0)

A Visitor is Coming….

September 25, 2012 – 8:46 pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s my teaching pal, Carey Bonifas!

Hey, everyone!  I am SUPER EXCITED to let you in on a secret.  One of my best teaching pals, Carey Bonifas, doesn’t have a blog, but really LOVES to share what she is doing in her classroom.  So I’ve invited her to do a guest blog post (I hope she likes it enough to do more!).  You will NEVER (and I do mean NEVER!) find anyone more passionate about what they teach than Carey.  She teaches 4th grade math and studies the standards like a person obsessed (but in a good way :) ).  Check out her TeachersPayTeachers store…I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you “followed” her – wink, wink.  Be on the look-out for Carey’s very first blog post coming soon!!!

By mrsjoyhall | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)