Mathematics: Active Hands-On Learning
You will find dozens of games, ideas and activities for bringing mathematical concepts to life for children of all ages. Bring out the seashells, beans and rulers. Let's bring numbers to life.
Hands-On Math Table of Contents
- Celebrate World Maths Day!
- Research on Math Manipulatives
- Movie Math Duel
- Math Games
- Match the Petals to the Flower Centers
- Bee and Flower Math
- Natural Math Manipulatives
- Math Gnomes
- Smelling the Math
- Learning the rhythms of our names
- Mastermind
- Mastermind teaches Hands-On Math Skills
- Three Bean Salad Math Problem
- Hands-on Pre-Algebra
- Math Journals
- Using Art Projects to Create a Math Adventure...
- Mini Offices for Math
- Math in the News!
- Family Multiplication Study
- Pi Day
- Celebrating Pi Day
- National Pi Day - March 14
- Math Manipulatives for Hands-On Algebra
- More Hands-on Math
- Hands-On Math is in the Four Wheeler's Online Unit Study Directory
- How do you encourage Hands-on Learning?
Children Learn Best Through Hands-On Learning
Children learn math best through hands-on learning. A hands-on approach requires students to become active participants in their own learning manipulating objects in order to understand concepts in a concrete way.
A hands-on approach encourages experimentation and a questioning mind. The hands-on approach is all about exploring ideas to discover meaning and understanding.
The hands-on approach may require that your students get wet, muddy, tired, excited, and thoughtful. WATCH OUT!!!! You may be learning too...
Hands-On Math is fun and encourages children to think about math
Hands-On Math leads to a deep understanding of Mathematical Concepts
Mrs. Thompson asked the first grade girls to go to the front of the room. Then she asked the boys to go to the front of the room. Then she told us that 3+2=5. You see, there were only 5 children in my first grade class.
This is the first math lesson that I can remember and the only one that I can remember for years. What was it about that lesson that made it so memorable? I believe that it was the concreteness of the activity.
For years I was always one of the best math students in the class. I was always able to get the right answers but I never enjoyed math. Math never made sense to me. It was just playing with numbers.
I disliked it so much that I vowed that my last day of high school would be the last day I took a class in math. When I went to get my teaching certificate, however, the state required that I take a class in teaching math.
That class was the most fun, exciting class I had ever taken. The professor brought out Cuisenaire Rods, pattern blocks and Geoboards. He showed us how wooden Cuisenaire Rods could be dropped to play a musical scale.
The feel of the wooden blocks was smooth and the colors were exciting. Using these blocks brought math to life.
When I started student teaching I was introduced to Mary Barretta-Lorton's Mathematics Their Way, work jobs and the calendar. We used math to make art, to describe objects found in nature, and to understand history. Integrating math throughout the curriculum made the numbers have meaning.
When I started homeschooling my children I continued to use the games and activities that I had used when teaching. Together we discovered that often ordinary board games also teach or reinforce mathematical concepts. We played Snakes and Ladders or Go to the Head of the Class to learn the Hundred's Board. Playing Monopoly is a great way to practice adding and subtracting the number sentences in the 10 family. There are 10 spaces from corner to corner and the railroads are exactly halfway between the corners.
I believe that counting on fingers is a good thing and there are books that can teach you how if you didn't figure it out on your own.
When we got to Algebra I had a problem. Algebra was abstract. It had no meaning for me. I had done very well in all my high school classes and even won the award for the top of the class but it never made any sense to me. How was I going to teach it to my children? I started researching for ways to make the subject come alive and discovered Mary Laycock's book Algebra in the Concrete. It was just what I was looking for. Mary Laycock, a teacher of High School math for over 60 years, developed a method of teaching Algebra using Cuisenaire Rods which makes algebra hands-on. My daughter and I worked through the book and looked for more.
We discovered that Mary Laycock had founded a company, Activity Resources. We next tried What's my Rule? It is so much fun! We used it to find the functions of the algebra problems that go through the robot's heads. The answers are in the back for times when the solution is not self-evident.
From there we dabbled in the Pythagorean Theorem starting with the unlikely source, Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land and then went on to fractals and then the fibonacci sequence where we counted the swirls in pinecones and predicted the number of rabbit descendents that could be born to one pair of rabbits.
Where did all this get us you may ask? When my daughter entered school for the first time starting in 7th grade she was ready to start Algebra II. She is now a graduating senior at the top of her AP Advanced Calculus class. Her understanding of math is so deep that she is able to explain how to do problems to the children that are having difficulties when the teacher's explanations don't make sense to them.
I promote hands-on mathematics because it works, it's fun and it promotes true understanding of the fundamental concepts of math that just pushing numbers does not.
Unite with students and schools from around the world to set a new world record! The Challenge - to correctly answer more than 182,445,169 questions in 48 hours.
Official Site of World Maths Day
(World Maths Day! is March , )
Research on Math Manipulatives
- Effects of Learning with Diverse Manipulatives
- Using concrete materials to teach mathematics is a long-established pedagogical strategy based on theories claiming that children need concrete referents to develop abstract mathematical concepts.
Donald in Mathmagic Land
From the golden rectangle, golden ratio, and the proportions of the pentagram to learning angles by playing pool, Donald Duck introduces higher level mathematics in a fun and easily understood format.
Children love to watch this movie over and over. Donald in Mathmagic Land focuses on the non-arithmetic aspects of math. I have heard of a math professor and Physics PhD, who likes this movie so much that he shows it on the first day of every class he teaches. This movie can start a real love of math. It shows that, in the words of Donald himself, "Mathematics is a lot more than two times two!"
Donald in Mathmagic Land is the only Disney product that I will recommend.
![Donald in Mathmagic Land (Disney) [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21E8F11N13L._SL75_.jpg)
Donald in Mathmagic Land (Disney) [VHS]
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009) 
Movie Math Duel
Can Movies be considered Hands-On Math Materials?
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marsha32 says:
we have some math lessons on DVD that come with worksheets to print out to follow along with the teacher and then more to print off to do on their own. So, in that way I would think of it as hands on as they work with the teacher.
Posted April 24, 2009
onefineham says:
I really don't think movies are typically good studies for math because Tv disengages and pacifies the brain. Hands on math learning is a terrific concept as it dramatically increases the parts of the brain being engaged. I've lensrolled your page to my guitar lesson lenses. There is a HUGE correlation between proficiency in music and math... and having read your lens it occurs to me that the child is intuitively learning math concepts playing guitar (string numbers and fret numbers) and learning to associate them with SOUND as well as visual stimulus. Your lens was a surprising eye opener for me this afternoon! Kudos!
Posted February 21, 2009
Manipulatives for Hands-On Learning
Del.icio.us bookmarks about manipulatives:
Manipulative Mathematics
Math Manipulatives Ideas for Hands-On
Base Ten Mathematics: Interludes for Every Math Text
Developes concepts in a carefully sequenced manner, beginning with counting and place value, and extending to algebra. The book is for teachers with sample problems for each concept which provide complete coverage of whole numbers and decimals operations. This book is an ideal companion for the teacher who wants to get their student involved with base ten blocks. The book has been aclaimed as a classic by many mathematics education experts.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009)
Weaving Your Way from Arithmetic to Mathematics With Manipulatives
Weaving is a teacher's dream guide! Written for teachers from kindergarten through grade eight, Weaving will help evaluate exploratory, manipulative or abstract levels of thinking for the eleven most important topics of counting, place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, proportions and percent, integers, and real numbers. For each level of every topic, there are two illustrated pages of ten to twelve activities from many of the appropriate strands.
The authors have worked with students for over twenty years developing the questions and activities in Weaving that work with children and teachers.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009)
Algebra in the concrete
This book was enacted by a group of upper elementary school children as they built the sequences, algebraic expressions, rectangular arrays, and equations of elementary algebra. Pictures of their work are included so you and your students can see how many different types of manipulatives can be used in constructing some of the fundamental concepts of algebra. Added activities include factoring trinomials to solving quadratics.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009)
What's My Rule? Using Problem Soving Strategies (Grades 6-12)
We used this book once my daughter had mastered the 4 operations (+-X/) It was a great intoduction to algebra using her previous knowledge to visualize functions. We preceeded it with the game Game 24. Where you must use all the operations to discover how each of 4 numbers relates to the number 24. We followed this book with Algebra in the Concrete by Mary Laycock. This sounds complicated but in reality these books and game lead easily into Algebra with much more understanding than I have seen using just textbooks.
Amazon Price: $13.95 (as of 07/11/2009)
24 Game Single Digits
The object of the game is to make the number 24 using each of the four numbers in the problem exactly once. You can add, subtract, multiply, and/or divide. Every combination of four numbers has at least one solution.
Amazon Price: $21.90 (as of 07/11/2009)
Math Games
In order to truely understand mathematics children need many experiences with hands-on concrete objects. Mathematics Their Way by Mary Baretta-Lorton is one of the best resources I have yet found to create and understand the activities needed by young children in order to truely understand mathematics. She explains how to create materials and games that engage for them as well as how to use these in rotating centers.
Read the Mathematics Their Way Summary Newsletter for a sample of this method.
Here is an example:
ROTE COUNTING GROUP ACTIVITY
Decide on a counting sequence (i.e.,
counting by one's from 1 to 7 or counting
by two's from 2 to 12).
Close Your Eyes and Jump
Materials: None
Concept: Counting forward or backwards
Begin by pointing out familiar classroom objects (e.g., door, calendar, piano, flag). Have the children close their eyes. Name one of the objects in the room. Then count the predetermined counting sequence together aloud. On the final number in the sequence, everyone jumps
and turns with eyes closed toward the object named.
Everyone opens their eyes to check. Name a second object and repeat the process. Repeat the sequence over and over without pausing. Keep the final number constant within any one day.
Additional Rote Counting Activities
Mathematics Their Way
Count and Turn p. 93
The Pendulum Game p. 95
The Circle Game pp. 98-99
Stand Up, Sit Down p. 109
Take Over p. 110
Inside, Outside p. 111
Workjobs
Mary Baretta-Lorton seems to have been the teacher who invented the idea of Workjobs for the classroom. Each box is llabeled and has a math activity inside. There could be apple trees with apples to add or subtract. There could be ponds with tadpoles to hatch or frogs to jump off logs. Whatever theme you are studying can be made into a Workjob. Month by month and year by year it is easy to accumulate 100's of these handy activities which keep your children happily working on their math skills.
Workjobs: Activity-Centered Learning for Early Childhood Education (Addison-Wesley innovative series)
Amazon Price: $23.95 (as of 07/11/2009)
Workjobs II: Number Activities for Early Childhood
Amazon Price: $22.50 (as of 07/11/2009)
Workjob Math
- Lakeshore Counting Cakes at Lakeshore Learning
Learn number families to 10.
Pick a cake and some candles. Try to find all the ways that you can add to make that number. With cake number 5 for example you can make 0+5, 1+4, 2+3 etc.
I like to give the children a worksheet with cakes on it and have them draw the candles that they find and write the number sentence below the cake.- Lakeshore Counting Boxes at Lakeshore Learning
Learn Subtraction while picking the apples.
Fill the number 5 tree with 5 apples. On a worksheet write 5-0=5. Now pick one apple and write 5-1=4 etc.- Math Centers for Elementary school. Teaching ideas for mathematics.
Found this in an old book:
For addition problems with regrouping
1. Cut an egg carton in half:
2. Open it, on the side that is the top write a problem such as 25+46
3. On the side where the eggs would be, students use chips to represent each number...
So 2 chips in on egg section, 5 chips in the egg section next to it
then underneath, 4 chips, then 6 chips.
4. Students use chips in the sections to solve problem
Tell them the rule, if you have ten you trade...
Flowerpot Math
Learning the number facts 1-10
1. Paint each pot with a number from 1-10.2. Make flowers from durable card stock and program with number problems ie: 2+3=. 4+1=,10-5= etc.
3. Laminate the flowers
4. Attach the flowers to Popsicle stick stems.
5. Fill the flower pots with Florist Foam or non-drying clay.
Children can solve the math problem on the flowers by placing them into the correct flowerpot. Simply insert the flower stem into the top of the flowerpot with the corresponding number to match the answer of the equation on the flower.
Variation:
Children can also program their own flowers. Use two dice (Two different colors works best.) They write the equation on a flower and plant it in the correct flower pot.
Have paper flowers already cut out. Index cards work well for the flowers. The unused flowers can be stored in a large envelope decorated to look like a seed packet.
Match the Petals to the Flower Centers
Math Manipulatives for Plant and Insect Studies
Bee and Flower Math
- A Peek Into The Classroom: February 2008
- Children pretended to be bees, flying from flower to flower collecting nectar.
As they visited each flower they left petals that matched addition problems on the petals with the answers on the flower centers.
Math Mats
Learning the number facts 1-10
Math mats are wonderful tools for developing mathematical concepts and reasoning. They are also effective assessment tools, enabling teachers to see how students work through a problem, and allowing teachers to work with individuals or small groups for remediation or enrichment, as needed. Finally, math mat work provides a format for mathematical discussion, encouraging students to use mathematical language as they describe their thinking to other students.
Fall Theme Math Manipulatives
Unique Math Manipulatives for Fall, Halloween or Thanksgiving
Pick two types of manipulatives and make a pattern. Write the pattern on a paper and see if your friend can replicate the pattern.
Patterns are the basis for all mathematics. These manipulatives can be used to make patterns.
Patterns made using an ABAB pattern can be used to Skip Count by 2's.
Patterns made using an AABBB pattern can be used to learn 2+3=5 or to Skip Count by 5's.
Natural Math Manipulatives
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How I came to Love Teaching Math
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Math has always been easy for me but it wasn't until I started taking classes to get my teaching certificate that I came to truly love math. Both my mom and dad loved to play card and board games. They taught my sister and I many mathematical concept...
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Natural Math Manipulatives
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A hands-on approach to learning new concepts involving all 5 senses makes understanding easier and quicker for learners of all styles. Here you will find manipulatives that intrigue, excite and encourage exploration. From wooden blocks to needle fel...
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Learning to Count with Frogs
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Learning to count can be a joyful hop around the Frog Pond. With this froggy theme, children count their way around the frog board, count the flies the frog eats and count the hidden frogs. From counting to 10 to helping in annual Frog Monitoring pr...
Cookie Jar Math Workjob
Take 2 cookies from the cookie jar. Write the number sentence on a worksheet. Count the chips to make sure you are right.
Smart Snacks Counting Cookies
Amazon Price: $14.26 (as of 07/11/2009)
Pancake Math
Flip the Pancake Game
Students use the spatula to snag the flapjack with the correct number of dots as well as the corresponding numeral and put them on the plate with the correct numeral.
Counting: You can also program a plate with a number and let students add the correct number of pancakes.
More Counting: If you made big paper pancakes on plates and program the pancake with a number. Then the kids can add the correct number of pats of butter, strawberries, or blueberries etc. These could be felt, painted lima beans or flat glass beads.
Monkey Math
Just hang an equal number of colorful bananas from each of the monkey's hands. If you've done your addition correctly, the monkey will look straight ahead and his arms will be level. If the numbers are not equal, his eyes will be crossed and his arms will be up and down.
Learning Mates Monkey Math
Amazon Price: $13.90 (as of 07/11/2009)
Flash My Brain
Make Cards for Hands-On Math Games
- Flash My Brain
- Create and print out your own flashcards.
Flash My Brain allows you to create and save your own sets, play more games, save and view your study progress, print in a variety of formats, generate iPod flashcards, and access 100,000s more flash cards. You can manage flash card decks, splitting and combining them, and you can even import flash cards from CSV files and other formats.
All you need to get started is a net-connected computer that can run Flash Player 8. Flash My Brain is Net-powered software which means you can use it at school, work, or home.
Hungry Alligator Greater Than Less Than Game
Alligator Math Manipulative
1. Turn over two cards.
2. The alligator eats the higher number.
3. If the numbers are equal feed the alligator two more numbers.
Greater Than Less Than Math Card Game
Hands-On Learning Card Game
Birds of Prey Standard Poker Playing Card Deck featuring Owl, Hawk, Eagle, and many more
Amazon Price: $6.88 (as of 07/11/2009)
Math Card Games, Grades K-1 (Ideal Math Card Games)
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
Math War Addition and Subtraction Game Cards
Amazon Price: $1.63 (as of 07/11/2009)
Math Gnomes
The four gnomes represent the four operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
I have just started to discover Math Gnomes which are used in the Waldorf method of teaching math. They look intriguing and I will be updating about them soon.
- Math Gnome Work
- Children can learn all about Roman Numerals using Math Gnomes. The Waldorf method emphasizes the magic in learning. Notice the sticks that the gnomes have placed in front of them to make the roman numerals from 1-5.
- Serendipity: Gnomes and Gnumbers: A Mathematical Tale
Once upon a time, in the deepest, darkest recesses of the earth, there lived a clan of four greedy gnomes. The first was as blue as a crisp, clear sky. The second was the shade of a red apple in...- Waldorf Without Walls
- Includes movement games, manipulative activities, and beanbag games to teach and
reinforce basic math for Waldorf Homeschoolers, Grades 1-3
Waldorf Math
Montessori Math
Flat sided glass marbles are used for the bubbles.
First lay out the fish in order from 1 to 10.
The numbers tell the child how many bubbles are coming up from the fish's mouth.
- Montessori--Math
- A blog about Montessori education
The Eureka Moment!
Unique Ways to Catch Your Student's Attention
"What's the smell of the numbers?"
"Your nose is close to them." I said.
With a stunning look, she replied "Horrible smell!"
Taking a cue from her response Limeehai responds:
"Well, change the smell to something you like." This is the cutting suggestion I proposed.
I moved on to supervise the rest of the students.
"What's now the smell of numbers?" I ventured to ask the amazing girl.
"Roses!" she replied.
With this seemingly simple conversation Limeehai was able to turn the assignment around for the girl and get her focused back on the assignment at hand.
If you teach any subject you need to read this blog. Limeehai writes in an entertaining and informative way that inspires me to look for even more creative ways to teach.
- The Smell of Numbers: A Real Story
- In this blog Limeehai tells of discovering that virtually smelling numbers can lead to mathematical progress and focus. You can't help but be inspired by these blogs.
Smelling the Math
When I teach volume I often use rice or dried beans in a rice table. I might try coffee beans next time. Adding flavoring to water or spices to dried rice.
I wonder how Scratch and Sniff numbers would work? Maybe I will add flavoring to glue when attaching objects to numbers when learning number values.Possibly use lemon glue for two objects and vanilla for three objects.
Maybe when learning math facts we could use scented markers or using pudding with fingers.
Certainly graphing likes and dislikes of certain smells.
We could make patterns of nice and awful smells.(rose, rose, dirty sock, rose, rose, dirty sock)
- Scientific Investigation: Math and The Sense of Smell
- The Effects of Fragrances on Memory and Mental Performance in School Children
Drs. Rodionova and Minor have investigated the effects of peppermint and lavender odors on the performance of elementary and middle school students in math and spelling. Odors were presented in the classroom while students were working on verbal and math tasks. - Graphing the The Five Scents
The Chocolate Touch, by Patrick Skene Catling describes John struggle to get through his school day without changing objects into chocolate.
After reading the story Mrs. Donavon's class discussed how they could use their Five Senses to explore chocolate.
They explored four different flavored chocolates (cherry, orange, mint and peanut butter). Each child was asked to smell the chocolate to see if they could tell what flavor was added to the chocolate. After guessing, they created a classroom picture graph.
Get on the Math Train Track
Children love playing with wooden trains and trains are a wonderful way to explore numbers. You can count the cars on a train. You can compare prices of tickets or you could move millions of people. Check out the video below.
- Business & Commerce Movie - The New York City Subway
- Watch a video of how New York City subway moves millions of people every day, thanks to the skills of a team of remarkable people.
Using all five senses makes learning come alive...
The Five Senses
No matter what lesson you are teaching, think of the five senses and find ways to incoorporate each of them. For example if you are learning addition facts:
1. Write them in frosting mixed with peppermint and then sprinkle on candy sprinkles. (sight)
2. When they are dry run your finger over them. (touch)
3. Scratch along the surface and smell the words (scent)
4. Listen to the sound of the scratching (hearing)
5. Eat your facts (taste)
Math and Phonics Rods for Hands-On Learning
Sence these Jumbo Cuisenaire Rods are bigger it is easier for children to use these in the Skyscraper game explained in Math-u-see.
Engage your younger students with easy-to-handle large wooden Cuisenaire Rods that range in size from a 2-cm cube to a 2 cm x 2 cm x 20 cm rod. Includes 3 Jumbo Cuisenaire Rods Mats and 154 Cuisenaire Rods.
Lenses with more Hands-On Learning ideas
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Skip Count, Skip Count, Count by Two's
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Skip Counting is what you do when you count by 10's, 5's or 2's. All young children learn to Skip Count but did you realize that this is one of the beginning steps to learning multiplication. This lens has rhymes, songs and activities for teaching S...
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Pumpkins and Place Value
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Pick the biggest pumpkin you can find. Cut off the top and smell the fresh pumpkin smell. Carving a Jack O'Lantern leads into a mathematical unit study of place value that incorporates all five senses. Counting pumpkin seeds into groups of 10's, 100...
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Enjoying Educational Games
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What do kids do best? Play of course. Why not encourage this natural tendency by providing your children with great entertaining games that just happen to be educational as well. Educational Games such as Mancala and Set teach math concep...
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Natural Math Manipulatives
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A hands-on approach to learning new concepts involving all 5 senses makes understanding easier and quicker for learners of all styles. Here you will find manipulatives that intrigue, excite and encourage exploration. From wooden blocks to needle fel...
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River Otters: Playful Friends of the Woodlands!
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Learn about River Otters through games and hands-on learning centers. Decorate your classroom with a Woodlands Riverbank Theme. Learn the habits of River Otters, the food they eat and how they raise their young. You will find suggestions for both fi...
Cuisenaire Rods make Hands-On Learning Fun
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Mastermind
Mastermind for Kids
Amazon Price: $13.30 (as of 07/11/2009)
Mastermind (Jewel Case)
Amazon Price: $46.30 (as of 07/11/2009)
Mastermind Board Game
Amazon Price: $150.00 (as of 07/11/2009)
Mastermind - Break the Code
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 07/11/2009)
Mastermind teaches Hands-On Math Skills
Mastermind is Hands-On Logical Thinking
Mastermind or Master Mind is a simple code-breaking board game for two players.
The modern game with pegs was invented in 1970 by Mordecai Meirowitz, an Israeli postmaster and telecommunications expert, but the game resembles an earlier pencil and paper game called
that may date back a century or more.
Cows and Bulls
On a sheet of paper, the players each write a 4-digit secret number.
The digits must be all different. Then, in turn, the players try to guess their opponent's number who gives the number of matches.
If the matching digits are on their right positions, they are "bulls", if on different positions, they are "cows".
-Wikipedia
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byHands-On Math for 4-6 Graders
Children learn and enjoy mathematics by working on challenging and engaging tasks.
They learn algebra, probability, statistics, estimation, logic, geometry, and measurement by developing problem-solving skills and building a conceptual understanding of mathematics with hands-on materials.
The materials can be found in the home.
Hands-on Methods should be used at all grade levels to promote true understanding of mathematical concepts.
Three Bean Salad Math Problem
- Three Bean Salad Math
- Sample Problem: Second and Third Grade
I have a three bean salad, made up of lima, pinto, and garbanzo beans. (We'll use dried beans!) They are mixed together to make a salad. Here are three clues that tell you how many beans of each type are in my salad:
There is one lima bean in my salad.
There are half as many garbanzos as pintos.
The total number of beans is odd and less than 20.
How many beans in my salad?
One beauty of good problems is that they can be easily modified to suit the children's interests and abilities. For example, the problem above has three answers. Can you make up clues to another salad that will yield just one answer? No answers? How about an infinite number of answers? - Henri Ducharme.com
- Henri Ducharme offers classes to children 2nd to 5th grade in Oakland, Ca. Teachers like Henri Ducharme make learning come alive. If you live in the area check out his classes.
Contact Henri Ducharme
Hands-on Pre-Algebra
Middleschool Hands-on Math Games and Activities
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Understanding a Billion
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Everyone is talking about spending billions of dollars to save the economy but how much is a billion? We all know how to count to 100. We count by 10's, 5's and 2's but when the numbers get higher it becomes more and more difficult to comprehend jus...
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Learning Math While Playing Yahtzee
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It is amazing what you can learn while playing a seemingly simple game like Yahtzee. It's not just rolling the dice. In the game of Yahtzee you try to score the highest points by rolling a combination of numbers. These numbers are added up and the hi...
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The Fun and Games of Pre-Algebra
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Over time children learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Hopefully they have been taught using creative math manipulatives so that they have a concrete understanding of those skills. As a final step before Algebra, children are taught percent...
Math Journals
Of Course you believe in writing across the curriculum, but in Math Class?
Don't forget that if you are using Math Journals in a Kindergarten you need to model, model, model. If you are working in a First Grade modeling is still important but should become a more independent activity. Using Word Walls is especially important for making this an independent activity for journal time or as a center.
The students in my class write in their journals after math centers and just before recess. They leave their journals open to the page they have just finished (some may have glue that needs to dry) on a large table. As they finish they can quietly check out each other's journals. After recess we all stand around the table to talk about our journals before putting away our journals and beginning the next activity.
We keep our journals in a bin with the library books. Some children love to read them during Silent Reading Time.
Rather than using prompts I feel that it is important to have children write about the concept in their own words. As they a write, children can raise their hands and I will write words on the board as needed. Often these words are added to Word Walls or to a child's Personal Office.
If you do use prompts, duplicate them and allow the children to glue the prompt into their journals
You will really notice the impact of writing in Math Journals daily as the year progresses. These journals are great for sharing on Grandparent's Day or to occasionally take home to share with parents. You might make them into a Literacy Bag occasionally for homework.
The daily Math Journals are perfect for portfolio assessments, conferences and report card documentation for both classrooms and homeschoolers.
Math, Manipulatives & Magic Wands: Manipulatives, Literature Ideas, and Hands-On Math Activities for the K-5 Classroom
Amazon Price: $16.29 (as of 07/11/2009)
Why Math Journals?
In her article Why Math Journals? by Deb Russell she writes...Journal writing can be a valuable technique to further develop and enhance your mathematical thinking and communication skills in mathematics. Journal entries in mathematics provide opportunities for individuals to self-assess what they've learned. When one makes an entry into a math journal, it becomes a record of the experience received from the specific math exercise or problem solving activity. The individual has to think about what he/she did in order to communicate it in writing; in so doing, one gains some valuable insight and feedback about the mathematical problem solving process. The math no longer becomes a task where by the individual simply follows the steps or rules of thumb. When a math journal entry is required as a follow up to the specific learning goal, one actually has to think about what was done and what was required to solve the specific math activity or problem.
Math instructors will also find that math journaling can be quite effective. When reading through the journal entries, a decision can be made to determine if further review is required. When an individual writes a math journal, they must reflect on what they have learned which becomes a great assessment technique for individuals and instructors.If math journals are something new, you will want to use the following strategies to assist the implementation of this valuable writing activity.
Procedure:A journal should be written at the end of a math exercise.
Journal entries should be in a separate book, one used specifically for mathematical thinking.
Math journals should contain specific details about the areas of difficulties and areas of success.
The math journal entries should take no more than 5-7 minutes.
Math journals can be done with children and adults. Younger children will draw pictures of the concrete math problem they have explored.
Math journals should not be done daily, it's more important to do math journals with new concepts in areas specifically related to growth in mathematical problem solving.
Be patient, math journaling takes time to learn. It is critical to understand that math journaling is an entry of the mathematical thinking processes. There's no right or wrong way of thinking!
Math Journal Prompts To Get You Started:
I knew I was right when......
If I missed____________ I would have to__________________.
The thing you have to remember with this kind of problem is........
Tips I would give a friend to solve this problem are.........
I wish I knew more about......
How many times did you try to solve the problem? How did you finally solve it?
Could you have found the answer by doing something different? What?
What method did you use to solve this problem and why?
Was this hard or easy? Why?
Where else could you use this type of problem solving?
What would happen if you missed a step? Why?
What other strategies could you use to solve this problem?
Write 4 steps for somebody else that will be solving this problem.
What would you like to do better next time?
Were you frustrated with this problem? Why or why not?
What decisions had to be made when solving this problem?
What do you like about math? What don't you like about math?
Is math your favorite subject? Why or why not?
"When one has to write about problem solving strategies, it helps to clarify thinking. We will often discover solutions to problems when we write about the problem".
Math Journals BOOST REAL LEARNING
Marilyn Burns is my hero. She showed me how reading and writing relate to math. She write in such an inspiring way that you can't help but implement her ideas immediately and when you do you will see an incredible difference in your student's understanding and retention of the concepts that your are teaching.
Marilyn Burns says that, "words can help your students work with numbers
A math journal is one of the best ways to introduce writing into your math class. It helps students stretch their thinking and make sense of problems that can sometimes leave them confused or frustrated.
When children write in journals, they examine, express, and keep track of their reasoning, which is especially useful when ideas are too complex to keep in their heads. By reading their journals, you can evaluate their progress and recognize their strengths and needs. The math journal thus becomes a great learning tool for your students--and you. This is why we think it's good practice to incorporate journal writing in math class."
This is an article from Instructor (1990), published by Scholastic, Inc. on April 1, 2001.
This article is available on Amazon
About Teaching Mathematics: A K-8 Resource, 3rd Edition
Amazon Price: $32.73 (as of 07/11/2009)
Writing in Math Class: A Resource for Grades 2-8
Amazon Price: $25.15 (as of 07/11/2009)
Math And Literature, Grades 2-3
Amazon Price: $19.75 (as of 07/11/2009)
A Collection of Math Lessons, Grades 1-3 (Math Solutions Series)
Amazon Price: $22.45 (as of 07/11/2009)
Math And Literature, Grades K-1
Amazon Price: $19.75 (as of 07/11/2009)
Using Art Projects to Create a Math Adventure...
Learn about Integer Jim's Math Journals
When you want to be truly inspired you need to check out the Math Journals created by Integer Jim. I can't imagine children leaving his class who would not maintain a love of math for a lifetime after creating one of these Math Journals.
- The Math Squad - using art to make math fun
- The Math Journal is a comprehensive and in depth project. It requires a lot of time and effort on the part of the students. For that reason, I use it as the centerpiece of my curriculum; the textbook that I taught from previously, Integer Jim (aka Jim Bennett) now uses as a resource book for problems and homework assignments. As he observes the students were never enthusiastic about the textbook anyway. Now they definitely have something that they are enthused about.
This project is most successful when it is used either as the core of the curriculum or in a situation where there is additional (lab) time. Integer Jim does not recommend that the Math Journal be used as a supplementary project with a class that meets just 5 periods a week. Having tried it he found there just isn't enough time! There are other projects described on his web site that are more suitable as supplementary projects.
Write Your Own Math Book
Write your own Math Text
Most educators now use the Writing Process to teach children how to write.
IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 07/11/2009)
Math Journal set of 10
Amazon Price: $14.22 (as of 07/11/2009)
MY MATH REFLECTION JOURNAL EACH
Amazon Price: $1.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
Mini Offices for Math
- Mini Offices
- A mini office is a particular application of lapbooks. Each child can make his own mini-office -- a lapbook filled with reference pages for his own learning. The sky is the limit on what you can include. Fill the mini office with the charts that your child needs -- maps, state abbreviations, penmans
Lapbooking and Mini Math Offices
When I look for great ideas for recording the work we do as homeschoolers I look for lenses by one of my favorite lensmasters, Jimmie.Hands-On Learning on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byMancala on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Life Size Geometry
Look what you can make with triangles and squares. Check out the angles. Put all that math to work to make a fort that you can really play in.
Crazy Forts!
Children of all ages love building fun structures where they can play endlessly in their imaginary world. CRAZY FORTS! makes play so easy and so much fun. Simply connect the balls and sticks and cover the structure with bedsheets to create places where imaginations flourish.
Amazon Price: $45.34 (as of 07/11/2009)
Hands-on Learning Books
The ideas in this book also are great activities to add to the Take Home Literacy Bags which help parents stay connected to what their children are learning in class.
Math in the News!
- Wolfville School Math Fair
- Photos of the math fair projects done by grade nines and graders including games, puzzles and art.
Everyday Math
- Math curriculum earns an 'A' :: Beacon News :: News
- Oswego's elementary school math curriculum is declared a winning formula. They praised the amount of learning, discussion and engagement in math classes. They have been using the "Everyday Math" program for the past 14 years.
- Mathwire.com | Addition & Subtraction Games
- Addition & Subtraction Games
Featured Game:   Face Off! Students place markers on the numbers 2-12.   Students toss two 6-sided dice, find the sum and remove a marker from that number, if there is still one.   The first player to remove all mar - Students Nationwide Improve Math Skills With Everyday Mathematics' Online Games
- Everyday Math games reinforce concepts in a valuable and enjoyable way. They are designed to help children practice their basic facts and computation skills and develop increasingly sophisticated problem-solving strategies
Links to great Math Resources for Hands-On Learning
- Math U See
- I used the Math U See program with my 1st graders. They teach games to make learning math fun and intuitive. The rods resemble Cusainre Rods. They especially liked a game called Sky Scraper where each of the supporting beams had to be a certain number of units high. They needed to add 3+2 for example to make a beam 5 units high.
I used this program with my 1st graders. They enjoyed it. They teach games to make learning math fun and intuitive. Math must be taught sequentially, as it builds lesson by lesson on previously learned material. If you move from lesson to lesson without mastery in each lesson, the student will become discouraged. But by adhering to the suggested approach and moving at the student's pace you will be helping to create a confident problem solver who enjoys the study of math. - Activity Resources
A book publisher and distributor dedicated to Mathematical manipulatives for over 25 years!
Activity Resources is a company created by a mathematics teacher for mathematics teachers. Mary Laycock has been a mathematics educator for 60 years. Her goal throughout her life has been to provide real understanding of mathematics through hands-on (manipulative) activities.
The products of Activity Resources are a compilation of the supplementary materials that Mary Laycock has found can help a teacher build this type of understanding in students. Mary has written or edited well over 100 of the products. The ones she did not write or edit are products from many other authors and publisher who meet her criteria for quality teaching content.
Mary believes that a concrete (hands-on) approach produces the best understanding at any level from learning to count through calculus.
I ran across Activity Resources and books by Mary Laycock when I was homeschooling my oldest. She was starting Algebra 1 and needed a more concrete was of learning. We did "Algebra in the Concrete" by Mary Laycock which uses Cusinaire Rods to teach Algebra. I spoke with Mary on the phone about this time. She is a wonderfully kind and gentle person.
Hands-on Learning with Ladybug Math Manipulatives
- Activities : Make a Ladybug Storyboard!
- This flannel board will give your child hands-on practice with math, but in a fun format, full of ladybugs.
Family Multiplication Study
From Classic Function Machines to Mirror Books and Hundreds Boards this blog makes learning multiplication come alive.
- Natural Math
- Have you created any mathematics today?
Pi Day
What is Pi Day
It is a day to help children learn the true meaning of Pi through hands-on activities rather than just memorizing a series of useless numbers.
Make circles. Find their diameters. Use the diameter to measure around the circumference of the circle.
- File:Pi-unrolled.
- TeachPi.org
- This page is the heart of TeachPi.org. It's where you've come to find more than 50 ideas for ways to make Pi Day entertaining, educational, tasty, and fun. And the list will continue to grow
crafts » contests » eats » songs & arts » donations
» fun with digits » events » projects » lessons » misc. - What does pi mean?
Pi is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle
Celebrating Pi Day
Pi Day Celebration Activities
How will you celebrate Pi Day?
I say...
What others are saying...
National Pi Day - March 14
A Day to Celebrate Math
- National Pi Day? Congress makes it official
- The U.S. House of Representatives designates March 14 (3/14) as National Pi Day, in a bid to draw attention to improving math and science education. Read this blog post by Declan McCullagh on Politics and Law.
Math Manipulatives for Hands-On Algebra
- Algebra in the Concrete
- Activity Resources is a company created by a mathematics teacher for mathematics teachers. Mary Laycock has been a mathematics educator for 60 years. Her goal throughout her life has been to provide real understanding of mathematics through hands-on (manipulative) activities.
Manipulatives on Del.icio.us
Children learn to love math when engages in activities that bring those concepts to life.
Math Related Lenses
Please add your Math Related Lenses
Best Board Games
Laughter and playful chatter can be heard emanatin more...2 points
Spiritual art project - make a mandala
Mandala's are an inspiring spiritual art form. You more...2 points
Origami Phizz Units - math crafts at home
This is a lens devoted to showing and explaining w more...2 points
Educational Games
What do kids do best? Play of course. Why not enco more...1 point
Woodchucks: How much learning could a Woodchuck teach if a Woodchuck could teach school?
Don't just hibernate, pop your head up and find ou more...1 point
Adjectives: A Unit Study for Valentine's Day
Fill the day with arts, crafts, science experiment more...1 point
Teaching from the Heart
This lens will tell you about some famous and not more...1 point
Lemmings: Arctic Classroom Theme
Capturing Your Student's Attention:Your little lem more...1 point
River Otters: Playful Friends of the Woodlands!
Learn about River Otters through games and hands-o more...1 point
Pumpkins and Place Value
In our decimal number system, the value of a digit more...1 point
Skip Count, Skip Count, Count by Two's
Skip Counting is what you do when you count by 10' more...1 point
Natural Math Manipulatives
A hands-on approach to learning new concepts invol more...1 point
Turkey Time!
Wild Turkeys nearly became extinct in the 1930's b more...1 point
More Hands-on Math
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Roman Numerals, I to MM
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Roman Numerals may be found where you least expect them. Look up at the clocks on public buildings and down on the cornerstones. Check out the copyright date of your favorite movie or book. You might even find roman numerals on your watch. Learning...
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Understanding a Billion
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Everyone is talking about spending billions of dollars to save the economy but how much is a billion? We all know how to count to 100. We count by 10's, 5's and 2's but when the numbers get higher it becomes more and more difficult to comprehend jus...
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Learning Math While Playing Yahtzee
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It is amazing what you can learn while playing a seemingly simple game like Yahtzee. It's not just rolling the dice. In the game of Yahtzee you try to score the highest points by rolling a combination of numbers. These numbers are added up and the hi...
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The Fun and Games of Pre-Algebra
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Over time children learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Hopefully they have been taught using creative math manipulatives so that they have a concrete understanding of those skills. As a final step before Algebra, children are taught percent...
Hands-On Math is in the Four Wheeler's Online Unit Study Directory
Thank you to the Four Wheelers for including the Hands-On Math in their Online Unit Study Directory.
- Internet Directory of Unit Studies
- The Four Wheelers Internet Directory of Unit Studies contains a list, roughly arranged by subject, of links to unit studies that are published on the Internet.
Look Who's Talking about Math Manipulatives
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- TeacherRadio
- Next Tuesday (07/14/09) I will be talking about using manipulatives to teach Math & the Math Their Way approach http://tinyurl.com/ls3364
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- delicious50
- Spirograph Math http://bit.ly/dDhvk drawing fun games geometry Interactive manipulatives Math spirograph
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- jodybritten
- trackmate for moving beyond keyboard/mouse http://trackmate.media.mit.edu some cool potential for kids & math (interactive manipulatives)
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- lchervenak
- Great library of online math manipulatives: http://nlvm.usu.edu
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- mmossman
- RT @WendyZZZZZZZZZZ: Visit #NECC09 booth 904, show my Twitter profile; get free bag of reading math manipulatives. Hurry, only 20 left!
How do you encourage Hands-on Learning?
Please let my know by leaving a comment here. Tell me about your messy project or teaching idea. Don't forget the stars at the top and if you lensroll this page or add it to your favorites please let me know so that I can reciprocate.
Amitabh1702 wrote...
I have featured your lens in my lens => The Music of the Primes - Book Review
Hope you approve.
Oh by the way, it is a 5*. Just so that you know how much I love this lens.
Posted March 27, 2009
nightbear wrote...
I always did and still do love Math. This is a very impacting lens. Kids and adults could benefit.
Posted March 15, 2009
sandyspider wrote...
Hands on is always the best. Nice resource of information.
Posted March 13, 2009
About the Author of this Lens
Check out what else I'm up to when I'm not adding up all the ways to teach math.-
Evelyn Saenz: Lensography of a Teacher
-
My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning should be integrated and no skills should be taught in isolation. I believe that each topic s...
Follow EvelynSaenz On Twitter
The tree trunk tells the number of apples left on each tree.
Variation:
Practice subtraction by picking the apples.
Start with the number on the trunk. ie:5
1. Five apples in the trees.
2. Pick one apple and put it in the basket.
3. Now there are 4 apples left in the tree.
4. Write the number sentence:
5-1=4.
Continue until all the apple have been picked.
Hands-On Math
- evelynsaenz
- aka evelynsaenz
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- Can someone learn something from your lens? I just chimed in here: http://bit.ly/vHurk
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- @Teddi14 I find that I learn something from nearly every lens I read.
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Hands-On Math on The Isle of Squid
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Hands-On Learning is now featured at the new Isle of Squid website. Isle Of Squid is a directory of the best lenses on Squidoo.com.
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