This Week in Math…

If you’ve been following me, you know I use Math T.I.M.E. for my math workshop. 

Here are some of the highlights of our week:

Temperature – these worksheets have thermometers with a scale of 2 degrees. 

Bar Graphs & Questions – one of my favorite things about these questions is the last question asks, “How many more votes did _____ receive than _____?”  The creator of the worksheet leaves the two parts blank so you can individualize the answers or have students write in the information and solve the question on their own.

   

Addition and Subtraction Facts – I use themathworksheetsite.com

On this site, I print out one addition and one subtraction fact worksheet.  Then I slice them vertically down the middle and rearrange so each worksheet has one half addition and one half subtraction.  It forces the students to watch the signs.

I introduced two new games this week: Greater Gators and Dive for Place Value (both games were created by Really Good Stuff).  In Greater Gators, students make comparisons using the greater than, less than, or equal to sign.  We haven’t had a lesson on this for a couple of units, but comparison problems have been popping up in their journal pages.  I thought it would be a great way to get a little review in.

In Dive for Place Value, students play a go-fish style game with a place value twist.  Each card has a number in standard and written form.  One digit in the number has been underlined.  Students are trying to collect 4 cards with the same value underlined (for example: Do you have any cards with 4 hundreds?).  Since we will be working a lot on ballpark estimates in the upcoming weeks, I thought a review on place value would be helpful.

My district uses Everyday Math.  In the student journals, they have a math box page.  This is a group of 6 boxes that review various skills taught previously (it is a spiraling curriculum).  In the Differentiation Handbook, there are some blank templates for math boxes.  I had my students go through the process (with a buddy, of course) of creating their own math boxes.  To encourage good mathematical thinking and high quality work, I told them I would be choosing a few to photocopy for the whole class to complete.  Here is what a blank page looks like:

First, the students must fill in the entire worksheet.  I tell them this will be the answer key.  I check it with the students.  Then they help me highlight some key numbers to remove from the worksheet.  After that, I give them a blank copy again.  This time around, they write in everything except the numbers that have been highlighted.  Last week we completed 5 of these and they just grinned from ear to ear if their work was chosen.

We have also been working a lot with money and shopping scenarios.  I pulled out some pieces from my Spectacular Spending file:

 

   

Students had 12 school supply cards with prices on them.  They had to put the price cards in order from smallest to largest, answer questions about the cards, and compare the prices of various supply cards.  Once we work longer on addition with regrouping and ballpark estimates, we will use a few more of the worksheets in the pack.

Whew – that looks and sounds like we have accomplished a lot.  No wonder I’m exhausted.  Oh wait, I’m exhausted because report cards were due today (we’re on a trimester schedule and started school in September).  I am ready to tackle the holidays now 🙂