Measuring Mania

A while back, Bill Nye came to the University I attended and gave a presentation.  One of the things that he said was that we don't measure enough in schools.  I would definitely have to agree.  When I taught 7th grade math, one of the projects we did when we learned about statistical measurement (mean, median, and mode) we did a project called, "Is Mrs. Malloy shorter than the average 7th grader?"  (The answer by the way is yes - I am only 4'11).  It was always a comment, so I turned it into a math project.  Anyway, when we started the measurement process, I was always amazed by how few of them could use a meter stick.

So, determined that my third graders will not have the same challenges, we began a little measurement this week.

We measured some common household items (post-its, dice, a sponge, and a small wooden block).

We measured the length, width, and height (using centimeters like scientists of course).  We also measured the mass in grams using a balance scale and some gram cubes.

We even recorded our data in our science notebooks.

Lots of mathematical discussion!

 

We were even able to discuss fractions and decimals as some students noticed their measurements had a half centimeter involved.  We talked about how just like in AR, .5 or five tenths is equal to 1/2. 

I just found this Bill Nye video with an introduction to the metric system that I will share with them today.

How do you practice measurement in the classroom?

BaseTen Place Value Frame Giveaway and a Freebie!

I have a student in my class who had a goal of adding two digit numbers without regrouping.  He has mastered that goal (YEAH!) and I felt he was ready to move onto regrouping. But, when we tried, he had a lot of difficulty understanding the concept, even when I pulled out the base ten blocks.  I was talking to one of the push-in teachers about  possibly using a place value chart with him, but she didn't understand what I was talking about.  Well, low and behold, I got an email from Didax that afternoon advertising this:

 

Exactly what I was looking for!  I ordered two of them, and I could not have been happier when they arrived!

It does not come with the base ten blocks, but I already had a ton of them on hand.  It did however, come with this handy instructional booklet filled with place value lessons that are all aligned to the common core!

With this particular student, I began at the beginning, making sure that his place value foundation was strong.

I asked him how it would change if we switched the digits around. He quickly changed the place value blocks to show me.

 

He is ready for regrouping the next time I work with him!

After checking out the ideas for teaching addition with regrouping using the frame, I pulled a small group of students over to work with them. They loved the hands on aspect, and I loved how they talked about their task without any prompts from me!

I love this new tool so much, that I decided to give one away to one of my readers!  Enter to win using the Rafflecoptor below: a Rafflecopter giveaway


Here are a few more place value resources:

  Place Value Task Cards

4th Grade Numbers and Operations in Base Ten Assessments & Data Tracking Sheets

  Base Ten Collaboration Cards


And... a place value FREEBIE:

  Poppin' Place Value I Have... Who Has..

Water Fight - How to Get Students to Practice Math Facts the Last Few Weeks of School

If I had to pick one thing that almost all of my students need to practice more it would be math facts!  They do not want to take the time to memorize them, so I get sneaky and make it fun - a game really.  I try to have a Kaboom type center available for my students at all times to practice their facts.  I change up the theme throughout the year to keep it fresh and exciting.  My latest game centers around water balloons - because what kid doesn't LOVE water balloons this time of year?

I took some pictures of my students playing the game and I had to share a ton of them because the expressions on their faces are priceless!  You can tell they are having a great time... but did they realize how hard they were working?

They pick a card and answer the fact on it.  If they get it correct, they get to keep the card.  They try to have the most cards by the time the timer goes off  (or I say the game is over).

I try to put the cards into containers that match the theme for extra fun ... I used a pail and shovel for this one.  (We had quite the discussion about the words bucket and pail being synonyms).

Oh no!  The dreaded splash balloon means they lose all of their cards!

If you would like to try this fun game with your class you can find them at the links below:

Addition

Subtraction

Multiplication

Division

For more ideas for practicing math facts, check out this post!

Tried It Tuesday - Hands on Converting Improper Fractions

I am linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday to share a way that I taught some of my students how to convert improper fractions starting with a hands on method and moving to more abstract thinking.  

I had the students use fraction strip pieces to model the problem, in this case 7 different 1/5 pieces.

Then I had the students place them along a whole unit.  In this case they could see it was equal to one whole and 2 1/5 pieces or 1 2/5.

After we practiced some problems using the manipulatives, I had them convert it to drawing.  The drawing above is no where near to scale, but I told them as long as they understand that they are equal parts it is ok to just make a rough sketch.  They drew out figures representing fifths, and then filled the in to get the 7/5.  Again, they could see that it equaled 1 2/5.

We began to get a bit more abstract by not drawing out the original "pieces" but instead labeling the wholes above.

As the students got better, they were able to skip count and draw boxes as representations.  I think this was so much easier to explain conceptually rather than starting with the idea of dividing the numerator by the denominator (which is how I was taught).  They actually understood WHY you divide the numerator by the denominator.

Since I learned math a very traditional algorithm way, I love trying new hands on ways to explain mathematical concepts! How do you incorporate concrete methods into your math lessons?