As I slowly walked down the hallway to my classroom I told myself, “Last school year was a complete disaster but this year is going to be different!” If I could paint a picture of the students that I had last year, it would look like a scene from Major Payne. Every morning when I […]
fractions
Posted inElementary School, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
Teaching Fractions, Piece By Piece
Ugh. Fractions. I love to teach math, but fractions-blah. So like with any challenging unit, I like to bring in something tangible. Remember, kids were designed to manipulate items and are tactile learners, some on into ten and eleven years of age. This activity is great for all ages and will teach several different concepts […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
Decomposing Fractions: An Alternative for Converting Improper Fractions to Mixed Numbers
I, like many elementary teachers across the nation, have found myself teaching math concepts to 4th and 5th-grade students that were once taught to middle school students. Truth be told, when I first began teaching these skills I must admit I was very skeptical about teaching multiplying fractions and whole numbers to 4th and 5th […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Mathematics, Series, The Student Teacher Diaries
Student Teaching Diaries: The First Unit
We are well into week three and things in our classroom and working well. Â If you missed the start of this journey, check out our previous articles on The Educator’s Room. Â Being a mentor teacher is a letting go of yourself so someone else can learn. Â I am finding ways to keep myself busy during […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
Addition and Subtraction of Fractions
For many topics in mathematics teaching the concept before the algorithm can lead to deeper learning. Teaching addition and subtraction of fractions with different denominators is one such topic. Using pattern blocks for this topic gives students a visual representation that they can translate to the algorithm for this topic. You may want to review […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
Fractions – Parts of a Whole
Fractions can be one of the most frustrating topics to teach to elementary school children. Linking the experience of your students with fractions in their daily lives to fractions in the classroom can make this task easier. Young children have early experiences with the concept of fractions when they want to share a sandwich with […]