Mak's Math Maddness!

INTRODUCTION When it comes to multiplication and division there are just some facts that students need to know. This fluency is addressed in Common Core standard 3.0A.C.7 Operations & Algebraic Thinking: "Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as knowing the relationship between multiplication and division." PARTY MONSTERS DIVISION MAKER This game works on the standard above, and is played with partners. How it works- partner  #1 will try to make a division equation using all three of the columns. Once a number is used, it is covered with a counter. Once a counter is placed over a number, it stays there and that number can't be used. Both partners will keep going until the last person can make an equation- that person is the winner. Teaching Points: If the students are struggling- you can remind them to go from the right to left, using multiplication to help them. This will help them see the relationship between multiplication and div...

INTRODUCTION I swear the internet is really creepy sometimes! We had been talking about subtraction and my mom had just sent me a lesson with subtracting with zeros- and then the next morning I wake up and the first image I see on Pinterest is a cool chart that applies to all of subtraction! I really loved this chart, because it really covers all of the basics of subtraction! I thought this would be a great chart to display in the classroom for students to remember. I know as a kid, it was always easier for me to remember things when they were either in a pneumonic device or rhymed. I thought this was too good not to share! 3 DIGIT SUBTRACTION WITH ZEROS Going off this great chart, I thought I would continue with another trick that my mom was saying she uses with her students, which is this concept of "boxing out." In this concept, students must ask themselves 2 questions: 1) Is there a middle zero? 2) Does the ones column need help? If the answer is Y...

ORDER OF OPERATIONS! I always found order of operations to be really fun. It was a very concrete and simple way to remember how to solve algebraic expressions. After of course teaching the students the meaning of PEMDAS- or as the kids love to say, Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, I thought it would be fun to have the students get creative and do some acting. The students would first be taught the meaning and review all of the different operations. The students could then do a simple worksheet like the one below. NOW FOR THE FUN! The next step of this lesson is for students get in groups of 4 and they will be given a problem that they have to act out. Each student will be assigned to a letter/letters either 1. P 2. E 3. M/D 4. A/S the students will have to figure out the order in which that person will solve their part of the problem. After this, students will be required to create their own problem and act it out in front of the class. Students who are watching the s...

SUBTRACTION IS EASY RIGHT? While the basic concepts of subtraction can be relatively easy for students, I think it gets tricky when doing several digit subtraction. As a kid, I used to get confused when trying to carry over the one and how that effected the other numbers in multiple digit subtraction. It would definitely be very important to start the lesson with reviewing all subtraction strategies. I really liked this resource from Teachers Pay Teachers to make subtraction really come to life and it's a great way for students to remember the different strategies. The link is listed below, and the card below is an example of how the students can remember the various strategies. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2-3-Digit-Subtraction-Strategies-Centers-and-Printables-1114976 After reviewing our basic strategies- I would then want to really explain 2 and 3 digit subtraction rules. It is definitely important to explain that when you can't subtract the numbe...

Measurement is one of those skills like telling time, or being able to count money. It is simply a lifelong skill that students must know! This lesson plan is going to introduce measurement and specifically, it will focus on how to use a ruler. The next progression of the measurement unit will be pints, quarts, etc. WHAT IS A RULER?! All students will get their very own ruler that they get to keep with them. Students will get to understand what an inch is- with several objects that are 1 inch each. Students can touch the items- there will be 1 inch buttons, cap of a pen, etc. The students will understand that the big numbers and lines on the ruler are inches and the smaller lines are centimeters. Students should then demonstrate with their fingers how big an inch is. Students will then learn that 12 inches is equal to 1 foot. The first worksheet will really help students understand what exactly a ruler is. This will help students get a good feel for what an inch is. ...

LOVE ME OR HATE ME. I think most people can attest to the fact that they either loved fractions or hated them! Fractions were always difficult for me in school, and it is so important to know them because if you don't know the basic concept of fractions, you can't add or subtract them! With my mother being an amazing 3rd grade teacher, I asked her what she usually does with her 3rd graders to introduce the topic. She gave me two really great fraction games that she came up with to help enhance the students understanding of the topic and to add a little fun to math! FIRST THINGS FIRST. Before playing any of the games, students must understand what exactly a fraction is. I thought this worksheet really broke down what a fraction means and how it can be represented.  I think it is really important for students to understand in full what both the numerator and denominator mean. I think this worksheet makes it very kid friendly to understand. Students would then ge...