Animals in the arctic have so many adaptations, but why don’t they freeze? Many of them have developed a special “blubber mitt” that you can recreate with your class. Do your students think that polar bears have blubber? They don’t! Kids are often surprised by the unique adaptations cold weather animals have. Animals who live … Read more
Here’s a great introductory lesson to the adaptations of animals for elementary classrooms, including a song, concept map and tree map for brainstorming. What are adaptations? Adaptations of animals are special physical or behavioral characteristics that enable an animal to survive in its habitat. For example, animals in the Arctic have specially designed … Read more
Art and windowsill science activities for preschoolers – bringing inquiry skills into the pre-k classroom! I’m not just a teacher – I’m a mom of three boys and one of them is still in preschool. I have loved watching all my children exploring science through inquiry based strategies and learning about the world around them … Read more
Science lesson plans that are inquiry based, meet Common Core State Standards and are easy for classroom teachers to use. Science activities for kids cannot happen without scientific inquiry. This is critical for learning diverse ways to explore ideas, theories and make meaningful discoveries, as well as developing 21st Century Skills. There are five skills … Read more
Research shows that math games and puzzles can dramatically improve your students scores and enhance a love of learning about mathematics. Using games makes understanding difficult concepts much easier. This is especially important for students who may be struggling with understanding how our number system works. According to a recent study by Seigler and Ramani, … Read more
Future card sharks love it when you pull out the math card games. These learning games are quick, easy and can be implemented in a minute. What type of math activities for elementary school children should teachers be using? Ones that engage the students, provide opportunities to expand number sense, practice facts and develop visualization … Read more
Roll out the fun! Your students will love these math games using dice, and you will too since they are easy and support learning objectives. Kids learn best when they are playing an educational game or actively learning. Math games for children have been used by many cultures and we continue to play them today. … Read more
Bookmark these online math games for your center time. My class loves to play them and even use them during indoor recess (Shhh! Don’t tell them they are learning while playing!). Online games can help teachers meet objectives, enrich gifted students, provide remediation, and reinforce key concepts for everyone. Many students find that using math … Read more
These math games for kids will prove to students (and you) that math is fun! Besides, who really wants to grade a worksheet anyway? Children of all ages are fascinated with numbers. Elementary math games for kids are quick and easy to use, plus they capture the inquisitive minds of students. They always want to … Read more
Classroom math games are like an invitation to a math party! Using games will engage and give you critical insights into student thinking. One of the goals of mathematics is to create a culture that embraces learning and the way students think about math. We also know that when teachers consistently embrace positive attitudes about … Read more
Mental math…the bane of many a teacher’s (and parents!) existence. But it is a critical skill for becoming fluent in mathematics. Doubling math facts is a great strategy to increase speed and accuracy for even the most difficult facts. The topic of becoming fluent with math facts is actually a hotly debated topic in education. … Read more
Being great at mental math doesn’t happen by magic, but it sure looks like it. Give your students strategies they can quickly master and they can become math magicians too. Mental exercises in math is the last part of a Daily Math Review. It is an important part of a daily lesson as students need … Read more
Every kid can succeed at learning math facts. But it takes a teacher who understands how to teach math to make it happen! Mastering math facts isn’t just rote memorization. The term “mastery learning” implies that we have internalized a concept so well that we can manipulate and extend meaning from it. Teachers have to … Read more
Top math facts practice strategies for addition that can be used in any classroom, including number bonds and math games. Kids need strategies for learning their basic facts. We want to develop procedural fluency in math (National Research Council, 2001). But there is a difference between being fluent and having automaticity. Being fluent means … Read more
How to help children with mastering math facts, and the best ways to do it! We all know the students who have struggled with learning their basic math facts. Why is this? They have continued to practice and take timed tests instead of developing their conceptual understanding of the foundations of math. Often they lack … Read more
Kids who can talk about math and explain their discoveries consistently show gains in achievement on problem-solving measures. We also know that adaptive reasoning skills are developed through oral math talk and the sharing of ideas. Our students are used to seeing math as symbols and abstract concepts. Talking about math is hard when … Read more
Free samples of math pictures for K-6 based on childhood nursery rhymes – great for differentiation in mathematics. Developing the language of mathematics is tough, no doubt about it. But we do know that talking about difficult and abstract subjects helps kids (and adults) make sense of it. In the Singapore math style of … Read more
Can a math vocabulary word wall really help students develop deeper meaning in mathematics? Absolutely, but only if you use it as one of your regular activities for teaching vocabulary. A word wall can be one of the most useful activities for teaching academic content words. Without a working knowledge of core math vocabulary, we … Read more
Looking for Tier 3 math vocabulary words for K-5? You are going to love these, along with a wealth of ideas for incorporating math talk into your classroom. Many students struggle with the language of math. Why? Mathematics is full of Tier 3 academic vocabulary that are subject specific. There are also some Tier 2 … Read more
Adding 10 and subtracting 1 – these Halloween number sense activities are little treats that your students will love to play. All of these math lessons are ready to use, come with cute downloads and are super easy for kids to understand. Let me know what you think by commenting below! Which games meet the … Read more
Fresh ideas for teaching place value! Write some riddles and use Base Ten Blocks for these fun number sense activities. Kids know a lot about numbers when they enter school. However, their concepts are based mainly on a counting by ones approach. To understand place value, children need to be taught the number sense behind … Read more
Ten frames encourage students to move beyond counting and develop spatial abilities in number sense. Watch your students add simple digits. How many of them still use their fingers? Then ask them how many ways there are to make a number, such as 8. Can they tell you all of the ways? Many students do … Read more
Number sense begins very early and must be a focus of primary math. This is the solid foundation in math that all kids need. A sense of numbers is critical for primary students to develop math problem solving skills. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics increasingly calls for districts to give more attention to … Read more
What is the best way to expose our students to divergent ways of thinking and problem solving?How can we help them learn to explain, elaborate, defend and support? By learning how to talk about math. Look the picture below of the little boy stuck in the rain. He looks pretty happy, right? Take a … Read more
You can be great at teaching measurement! All it takes is understanding where kids are at developmentally along with the perfect activities and lessons. We measure every day. This is done by filling, covering, matching, and using instruments such as rulers and scales. It’s painfully obvious that many of our students do not know how … Read more