Maria's Math News, November 2017

Hello! This newsletter is a bit late from the norm (usually I try to publish this in the beginning of a month), but I won't publish one in December, so I hope you can enjoy this one till nex time... in January.

In this edition:
  1. Math Mammoth news
  2. Four principles of deeply effective math teaching (grades 1-12)
  3. Looking back: Ten years ago (grades 1-6)
  4. Why is fraction math so difficult for students? (grades 4-7)
  5. Fraction America (grades 4-6)
  6. Sassy Cents (grades 5-7)

1. Math Mammoth news

  • THANKSGIVING sale is here! Get 25% off of all the downloads/CDs sold at MathMammoth.com site. Use the coupon code THANKS2017. The promotion is valid till December 2, 2017.
     
  • In case you don't know... I have hundreds of VIDEOS available that match the Math Mammoth Curriculum, organized by grade levels (grades 1-7). Check out MathMammoth.com/videos.

2. Four principles of deeply effective math teaching

calculator, pen, and calculation notes I went through and thoroughly updated this article of mine... have you read it in the past?

Four basic principles of deeply effective math teaching

If you were asked what were the most important principles in mathematics teaching, what would you say? I wasn't really asked, but I started thinking, and came up with these basic habits or principles that can keep your math teaching on the right track.

percentages and numbers
Principle 1: Let It Make Sense
Principle 2: Remember the Goals
Principle 3: Know Your Tools
Principle 4: Living and Loving Math

3. Looking back: Ten years ago

In my newsletter 10 years ago... and still relevant...
  • Word problems in Singapore math and bar diagrams — Denise goes through a bunch of word problems from Singapore Math 3-A book, and explains both a solution based on algebraic thinking, and a solution with bar diagrams.
  • A fun "game" for math facts... or actually it is a way for children to write their own math problems using a deck of cards.

4. Why is fraction math so difficult for students?


Photo by Steve Hodgson; licensed by CC BY-SA 2.0
I've updated this popular article of mine!

As many teachers and parents know, learning the various fraction operations can be difficult for many children. It's not the concept of a fraction that is difficult — it is the various OPERATIONS with fractions: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, comparing, simplifying, etc.

And the simple reason why learning the various fraction operations proves difficult for many students is the way they are typically taught, and how many there are. Just LOOK at the amount of rules there are to learn about fractions!


5. Fraction America


Fraction America — a neat little game where you write and simplify (reduce) fractions based on the map of the United States. You can choose the number of colors to use.

6. Sassy Cents


An intriguing activity with coins.... ultimately practicing calculations with decimals (for grades 5-7).



Thanks for reading! :)

Feel free to forward this issue to a friend/colleague! Subscribe here.

Till next time,
Maria Miller
Math Mammoth freebies Math Mammoth on Facebook Newsletter Archives
 
Inspire4 Complete curriculum Placement tests








--