Marvelous Math with Mrs. Rose

Parents often ask  how they can help their children practice basic Math facts, from kindergarten through fourth grade.  Here’s a simple, enjoyable game that our students have really enjoyed for working on the concepts of addition and subtraction.  It’s called “Hide the Blocks” . . . or Jellybeans . . . or Cheerios. . . or Raisins. . . or whatever you might like to use at home!

Hide the Blocks!

First-graders might start working with sums of 5.  So, you would start with a total of 5 blocks, and working in pairs, one partner would hide some of the blocks under the cup (or in the cup, or behind his/her back).  By looking at the number of blocks on the table, the other partner needs to say how many blocks are hidden, as quickly as possible.  Then the partner shows the number hidden, to see if the guesser was correct.

Most students like the fast pace of this game, as they take turns hiding blocks from each other.  Once a child has the concept of all the addends that make five, it’s time to move onto larger numbers.  This is a great game for practicing facts of 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.  Facts of ten are so important to retrieve quickly, as we then apply that concept to multiples of ten.  Older students will want to use larger numbers, or number cards to represent that two addends.

Students may choose to add on to make a sum of ten, for instance, or to count back, which helps make the connection between the inverse operations of addition and subtraction.  When students have a chance to manipulate numbers in hands-on activities such as this, they are better prepared for pencil and paper tasks like timed Fact Fluency Assessments.

On another note, our students now have 1-1/2 minutes (90 seconds) to complete Fact Fluency Assessments of 30 Math Facts (in addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division, as appropriate for each grade level), as current research shows that students may need up to 3 seconds to retrieve a Math fact.

For more ideas on how to help your child become more fluent and confident in Math facts of all kinds, click on the  Fact Fluency Strategies page on the banner of this website.

What strategies, games, and websites does your child enjoy most?

I visited all first, second, third, and fourth grade classrooms today at Island Avenue and Ryerson Schools encouraging students to have a “mathematical summer” by taking advantage of our “Summer Math Fun Packet,” posted on all of our elementary school websites.  Click on Summer Math Fun: Put Some Math In Your Summer! to go directly to these fun math activities.

  Here’s the letter to families that accompanies the Summer Math Fun Packet:

                                                                                              June 2009

Dear Parents and Families,

          Summertime is a great time to help children investigate mathematical concepts, as well as to revisit basic math facts, in a variety of exciting ways.  Playing board games, telling math stories, and using technology are just a few fun ways to help our students retain their number sense and to further develop their fact fluency.

          The National Mathematics Advisory Panel released a report stating, “Students should develop immediate recall of arithmetic facts to free the working memory for solving more complex problems.”  In addition to challenging problem solving, emphasis on recall of basic arithmetic facts is also valued in our elementary schools.  To give your child a head start on mastery of fact fluency—or to retain fluency of facts already achieved, you will find many strategies, games, and related websites in this packet.  Learning math facts does not have to be just quizzes and workbook pages.   Playing games is an excellent way to develop fact fluency.

Brain research indicates that ability in mathematics should be looked at as less of a talent and more of as a result of hard work and continued practice.  This research supports the belief that confidence in math, and thus prowess and talent, can be developed through exposure, practice, and effort.

          Please make a commitment to your child’s developing math sense this summer by trying some of these marvelous math activities—and have fun in the process! 

As you do this, please complete the form, “Ten Ways I Practiced Math During the Summer” (contained herein), with your child and return this to the Math Specialist at your elementary school at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year.

          Happy Learning!  Best wishes for a safe, fun-filled, mathematical summer!

        Ruth W. Rose

       Math Specialist

         Island Avenue and Ryerson Schools      

   roser@madison.k12.ct.us                                    

Visit my Educational Blog at: http://blogs.madisonct.org/roser            

                You can also access the Summer Math Fun Packet by clicking on “Summer Math Fun” on the banner of this blog!

In this “season of giving,” don’t overlook the value of traditional board games, which help children develop important Math skills, while having fun with family and friends!

Games that involve dice, counting and moving game pieces, and strategizing promote valuable mathematical concepts in a fun way. 

 Here are some of my students’ favorite board games, card and dice games, that you might want to try with your family!

·      “Chess” and “Checkers”: Wonderful games of strategy to develop logical thinking. . .

·        “Monopoly” and “Monopoly Jr.”: Develop addition and subtraction concepts and problem-solving

·        “Bingo”: Builds recognition of numbers for younger students; can be extended to “Multiplication Bingo” for older students

·        “Dominoes”: Builds recognition of number sense by seeing numbers in dot format, also called “subitizing.”  Extended, more complicated versions of Dominoes use knowledge of multiplication and multiples.

•       “Soduku”  with Numbers:  Great for developing number sense and practicing basic math facts

·        “Set”: Develops logical reasoning and geometric concepts

·        “Blokus” : develops logical & spatial perception

·        “Brain Quest” for Math: develops number sense, operations, and vocabulary

·        “UNO”: provides practice with number sense and operations

·        “Mancala Beads” Board Game: develops basic math fact sense as well as practice with multiples

·        “Memory”: develops reasoning and logical thinking

·        “Sorry”: Develops logical reasoning, counting, and addition skills

·        “Hi! Ho! Cherry-O”: Develops early addition and subtraction skills

·        “Chutes and Ladders”: Develops counting skills and number recognition

Children can also create their own, original board games, which are fun for them to make and play with friends and family, which incorporate lots of math concepts.  Here’s a board game that one of my students created called “Math Race,” which features Matchbox cars as playing pieces, which can be moved around the board when players answer game cards (which contain Algebra questions) correctly.  Students love playing their own games and sharing them with others!

So, why not keep holiday gift giving simple this year and pick up–or create–a few board games for your family?

Here’s another great Math website to check out, which was recommended by a student:

www.coolmath-games.com

At this site, you’ll find lots of fun ways to build FACT FLUENCY by playing Math games!