Teach The Math

Top 10 Tips for a New Math Program

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

With most states beginning to implement the Common Core State Standards for math, many teachers are struggling to make sense of new objectives while at the same time adjusting to teaching an entirely new math curriculum.

How well I remember those long nights preparing for the next day's lesson. Forget about planning ahead; it felt as if I could barely keep my head above water. Many times I've found myself at a loss as to how to get through those trying times.

For those of you in those same shoes, you are in good company. Forty-six other states are going through the same birth pangs of implementing the new standards.

May I offer a bit of advice and a lot of heart felt encouragement to help you get through the first critical weeks of your new math program? Here are my top 10 tips:

Give it time. Mathematical proficiency doesn't happen overnight...for students or their teachers. There will be a learning curve with any new curriculum. Accept that right up front. It takes time to adjust to a new way of thinking.

Follow the program. Lots of research went in to creating, developing, organizing, and publishing it. Trust the work that they have done. There will be time later for you to tweak it to better fit your needs.

Don't despair. A little patience and a lot of diligence goes a long way. It will get easier as you go along.

Use your professional judgment. You know when something is working or whether you need to step back and redirect. Follow your instincts.

Collaborate. Don't go it alone. Ask for help, talk to others, seek advice. Share your grins and your groans.

Reflect. Take a critical look at each lesson when its done. What worked? What didn't? How can you improve the lesson the next time you teach it?

Don't be afraid to fail. Sometimes we learn our best lessons from our biggest goofs. Learn from it, move on, and make tomorrow's lesson better.

Prepare well. Give it your best shot. Your students deserve nothing less. Now is not the time to wing it. It takes time and effort to build new routines.

Read the teacher notes. ALL of them...BEFORE the lesson. They will often get you out of a jam or prevent you from ever getting into one in the first place.

Keep your eye on the objective. It's really not about you. Accept that things may be a little rocky at first and that you are learning along with your students. Allow yourself the time to learn. You will look back and realize that you have come a long way and your students are better for it! And remember...learning is as much about the process as it is about the product.

Hang in there...and keep on teaching the math! :)

Snack on Solid Shapes!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Hi all! This is Mary from Sharing Kindergarten.

I am so excited to be guest blogging all about math today.
Math is one of my favorite subjects to teach because

I feel it is so natural to integrate math into
other elements of my curriculum.
I also can move at the pace my class needs
because Math builds on each other.

This week, I taught my sweet Kinders all about solid shapes.

{Click here to go to my Pinterest board about shapes!

I have activities, videos, and other ideas included here}

On Friday, we created solid shapes
using mini marshmallows and toothpicks.
I used an example on each table for my students to try to create.
Below is a picture of the purple table
creating a triangular pyramid.

I found that once a student created the shape with their
toothpicks and marshmallows, the others could easily copy.
I had lots of extra hands around to help!

The best part of this activity is that it forces my students
to think about the flat shapes inside the solid shapes.

We created cubes, rectagular prisms, triangular pyramids,
and a regular pyramid.

I allowed each student to eat their marshmallows
when they made two different shapes.

After lunch, we had a special math snack.
I found several items at my
grocery store that are solid shapes.

We put them on a plate for each student to explore.
THIS makes it more real for each student.
We talked about the sphere, which was Trix cereal.
We also talked about what other
types of foods are spheres.

We found out apples, oranges, cheese balls (like cheese puffs),
and many more items are shaped like spheres.
Then, the students got to eat some of their spheres.
I brought up biting them in half to make a half sphere.

Then, we discussed cylinders. We reviewed the shape,
then I asked them which food was a cylinder on their plate.
This one was easy - marshmallows.
I used big marshmallows because we used the little ones before.

Again, we applied this shape to other foods.
I mentioned cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving...
still shaped like a can and all!

* I also use Combos here, but I couldn't find them this time.

Now that you see the process,
I will tell you the foods we matched to each shape.

We had two cone shapes- baking morsels and Bugles.

Cubes where caramel pieces- each student got one.

Rectangular Prism- Starburst candy

I walked around to assess students while they snacked.

Almost every single student in my class
could name and describe each solid shape!

I hope this has given you two ideas to help teach
solid shapes to your students.

I hope you stop by my blog to say "HI!!!"
and follow me on my many FUN
math activities with my little learners.

What other food items should I add to this "solid shape" list?

Mary Amoson,
Sharing Kindergarten

http://sharingkindergarten.com/

http://www.facebook.com/SharingKindergarten

Back to School Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Today is the last day! I know you will all want to check out the fabulous deals at the Back to School Sale hosted by Teachers Pay Teachers.

I have been saving things to my wish list for the last couple of weeks and I plan to take advantage of the sale and stock up on some great classroom resources! Remember to use the code BTS12 for and additional 10% off the sale price! Happy shopping!

Of course, if you want to check out my one and only product, you can purchase it for only $1.44! (you only get the extra 10% off with the code BTS12) Click on the picture to get yours!

Enjoy shopping at the Back-to-School sale and keep on teaching the math! Have a great school year!

A Visit from Mrs. Hodge

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Hi y'all! I'm Elizabeth from Mrs. Hodge and Her Kindergarten Kids! I would like to take a moment to thank Penny for allowing me to guest post on her blog today! This is so exciting!!!

I get excited when I talk about math, but this hasn't always been the case! Believe it or not, I was horrible in math when I was younger. I've made a vow to myself to never let a child "just skate through" like I did! I try hard to really relate math to my each of my students. I believe that if they can see how it is used in their everyday life, they are more likely to be engaged in the lessons during class.

Looking forward to school starting soon, I have decided to try something new this year! I'm going to implement math stations into my schedule. This summer I read the book, Math Work Stations by Debbie Diller, and I'm ready to dive in!

I already do The Daily 5 in my classroom so I feel like adding math stations into my classroom would be a perfect fit! What I love most about this system is that my teammates and I will no longer need to switch classes to level out for math---instead, the work stations have you differentiate for all of your students so you can keep your own students and still meet the needs of each learner! Not to mention, the teacher gets to meet with small groups daily! You can really tailor your small group session to the needs of those few students.

I also love this concept because it allows each student to really focus on each skill at their level. We've all had those students who are really strong at one concept, like patterning, but weak at another, like money. By having one station that focuses on one skill but it is differentiated on 3 levels, really allows each child to work at their own level every time. No child is forced to stay on the same level for all of the station boxes.

I've organized my manipulatives and I feel a lot better by knowing exactly what I have available to me. (Knowing what you have to work with is half the battle!) I was able to throw out old clutter, purge doubles of things and label stuff to keep. I have also stocked up on my actual math station boxes. I have chosen to go with these scrapbook storage boxes, which can be found at Michael's and Hobby Lobby--and they are usually ALWAYS on sale so you can get them for as low as $4.99!

I also have settled on my rotation chart looking something like this! I will probably put the names of the kids on Velcro so I can move them easily when need.

(Click here to go to the original source for the chart)

Now, I need to get busy finishing the activities that I'm going to put inside!

If you missed the great book study done on this book last summer, click here to go to Mrs. Wills Kindergarten original post. I learned so much after I followed each blogger's journey, chapter by chapter, through the book!

If you haven't yet, I'd love for you to hop on over to my blog and become a follower! That way you can keep up with my kids and their progress this year! I am confident that math work stations will be a huge success in my room! Do you use Math Stations in your room? How does it work for you?

Huge hugs to Penny again for allowing me to crash her blog for the day!

Mrs. Hodge and Her Kindergarten Kids
mrshodgeandherkindergartenkids.blogspot.com

Teachers...don't forget to check out the Back to School sale at Teachers Pay Teachers! You can find lots of great deals today and tomorrow! (August 12th and 13th!) And you can get my Four in a Row game for only $1.44 with the promo code BTS12! Thanks!

Welcome Debbie Clement!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Friends, today I am thrilled to host my friend, Debbie Clement! She is a phenomenal author, illustrator, performer, teacher, and all around fabulous educator! I know you will enjoy her contagious enthusiasm as much as I do! :)

OH HAPPY DAY!! It's my turn to share here.

What fun. What delight! I have the honor of contributing a guest post today -- thank you for the opportunity, Dr. Penny. It's a thrill to introduce myself to new readers. Let's get this party started!

Let's start with some basics about me: I LUV'd math growing up. I was super good in fact. I won oodles of math-derby contests. Chalk at the black-board, who can solve the problem first was a strength. I was great at long division and I was super capable all the way to AP Calculus!

Seeing these 'old school' flash cards took me right back to that chalk-in-hand adrenalin of beat the clock speed racers.

My favorite-factor set!!

Somewhere along the line, my delight with finding the 'right' answer evolved to the appreciation for the open-ended exploration of the Arts. Somehow as an adult I notice myself seeing math all around me. In shapes and patterns. I explore those geometric relations now in fabric as quilt work.

My songs are full of metrics, patterns even sculpted algebraic equations. After seeing the picture book "Pattern Fish" at the library, where in reading the text the child is asked to solve for X, I wrote and recorded a little dittie I call the "Pattern Song." The lyrics in the first verse unfold: "Knees-tap, knees-tap, knees-tap, knees.............. and after a sufficient pause even young children fill in the blank, solve for X and hit-the-beat with the word: TAP!

Its an honor to be invited to make school visits. I get to come for a day -- or sometimes two -- and my plan is to share my 'story' with the children in your room. My goal is to encourage your students. Inspire them. Delight them. Sing with them. And yes, explore patterns in the midst of music + Art.

For the last 16 years I have used the motto, "Have guitar, will travel." From those early classroom visits and staff development presentations I went on to record my original songs for the classroom onto 7 CDs. They're known to my fan club as, "Debbie's Ditties." At this point I've recorded over 100 original songs! Most recently I have added the layer of being an 'Author and Illustrator,' as I have turned 3 of my songs into traditional picture books, acting as author, illustrator AND publisher! These little projects of mine have taken me on some amazing adventures. Can I have a whooop-whoooop?

Long Island, NY Collaborative Kindergarten Project

My favorite thing in kindergarten visits is to bring my original quilts and we compare them to the presentation of the images in the printed traditional hardback books. When the students see the quilts and the open books they *finally* connect the dots that I'm the one who made the book. Often times the children have created art projects in response to my work. LUV LUV LUV LUV LUV seeing it!

My story is a compelling one. I am the poster child for 'do-what-you-love and amazing opportunities will present themselves'. I could ramble on and on about:

my two European adventures to present concerts and presentations to the children of our troops stationed abroad PLUS my day in Reggio, ITALY
my other two books and classroom responses to those works
taking out a loan on our house to get my first book into your hands
being a two-time Breast Cancer survivor with a zest for living
my quest to get my blog connected to a wider world
my travels giving keynotes and workshops across the country.

Based on the enthusiastic response of children to my visits, I would encourage you to pursue creating an 'author' visit when ever possible. No doubt you have a local dignitary eager to make a visit. Check SCBWI (Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) for a possible local candidate for your consideration. My goal for the new school year is to create Skype author visits for classrooms too far away from my itinerary. Let's use the technology available to make excitement unfold in your room!!

My own blog of my travels into schools around the country and around the globe is over at RainbowsWithinReach. My newest claim to fame is that I am editor-in-chief over at the collaborative blog PreK+K Sharing where we have about 35 authors contributing one article each month. I throw down the welcome mat for each -- when you have the opportunity to hop over for a visit. Small world. I've gathered up the very best contributors.

The number one article on my blog is one on Organization in the Classroom, people seem to really appreciate the photos from my travels into oodles of classrooms. My article over at PreK+K with the most views is one I wrote on the distinction between Process + Product in Children's Art. It seems that the old art-teacher in me is quite opinionated.

I get to give the keynote for the state of Arkansas this fall and Tennessee next winter. Lots of other conferences from FL to OH are getting the details worked out as I type. Wouldn't it be awesome to meet in person? Until then please follow my blog(s) or my growing Pinterest collection, where 19,500++ of your peers have already got a jump on you and my ever-growing pin-boards!

Let me close by offering an opportunity for you to look over my shoulder at a kindergarten school visit in Amityville, NY as we started off our time together in their school gym. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of children everywhere.

-- Debbie --

***If you ever order from my website, please use the promo code "great" and receive 10% off your order. That should pay for the shipping.

Common Core Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 11:00:00 +0000

There is an awful lot of hype these days over the implementation of the new Common Core Standards. Teachers have been scrambling to gather materials, lessons, assessments, etc. to get ready for the upcoming fall implementation. In order to make this process a little less overwhelming and a little more teacher-friendly, a few of my blogger friends and I are collaborating on a set of blogs that are sure to become a great place for you to find common core resources.

Common Core Classrooms will assist teachers as they plan and prepare for the school year. The posts are labeled according to the standards which they address. Many bloggers, including myself, will be adding posts regularly that will provide teachers with the best of the best ideas, products, and freebies to help with common core implementation.

Common Core Kids is a blog by the same authors designed to assist parents with school age children. If you are a teacher, you will want to be sure to pass this blog along to the parents of your students. We hope to make this a parent friendly site where they can get great information to help them understand the common core expectations and to help their children succeed in school.

Be sure to follow the blogs and check them often for the latest and best information from some of the best blogger/teachers across the country. We can all use a little nudge in the right direction to get us fully on board with what the common core standards require! And by all means, let us know what you would like to see as a focus on the blog! We value your opinion!

The Big Product Swap!!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000

It's finally here! Today is the blogger product swap! I will be looking at a product that will be a useful addition to my assessment portfolio. With the adoption of the Common Core Standards, many schools find themselves scrambling to create assessments that accurately align to the standards.

After all, if you are teaching from the standards, you should be testing from the standards as well. An increase in instructional rigor should prompt an increase in rigor of our assessment instruments.

The product that I reviewed is a 2nd Grade Common Core Math Assessments pack and was created by Kathi Berry from Primary Possibilities! These assessments do a great job of testing the standards to mathematical proficiency. The assessments cover standards 1-4 from the Numbers & Operations in Base Ten domain.

This 31 page packet includes one formative and three summative assessments for each standard and includes both multiple choice and short answer test items. They include opportunities for implementing problem solving skills as well. Here are a few sample assessments.

In addition, the packet contains assessment scoring sheets and graphing sheets for both individual and class progress monitoring.

You can purchase your own copy of this assessment product from here for only $5.00. In addition to this product, Kathi also has assessment packs to use with the other standards. I know you will enjoy using these ready made assessments in your classroom.

You will want to check out the other items from Kathi's TPT store and visit her blog, Primary Possibilities, for great ideas for your classroom and for implementing the Common Core in grades K-2! Thanks for reading along and keep on teaching the math!

Can you name that number?

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Hi all!! I am Caitlin from Kindergarten Smiles! I am so thankful that Penny has allowed me to come share with you today!

This summer I have spent a good amount of time going over the Common Core math standards. There are a couple things I am surprised about--patterns and time are no longer required in Kindergarten; however, for the most part I am very excited to fully implement these new standards in my classroom.

I think Common Core is giving us the chance to slow down and REALLY teach children numbers and their meaning. Students will come out of Kindergarten with mastery skills that will allow them to succeed in math throughout their schooling.

I wanted to share with you a math game that you can play with your students in a small group. This game will help your students recognize and count numbers 1-100. You can also use the number cards in various ways:

-Have students pick a card and start counting from that number

(K.CC.2)
-Put numbers in order 1-100 (K.CC.1)
-Use number cards 1-20. Have students draw a card and count out

that many unifix cubes (K.CC.4)
-Use number cards 1-20. Have students draw a card and write that

number 3 times (K.CC.3)

I can go on and on.....Click the picture below to grab your FREEBIE!

Another BIG thank you to Penny for giving me the opportunity to guest blog today :) I hope you will come visit me over at Kindergarten Smiles!

It's just a number!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:00:00 +0000

So, I've had the big birthday and got to enjoy a little quiet time at the beach with my hubby! Having such a big birthday prompted me to do a little reflecting on the things I've learned along the way. Naturally, that led me to think about all the fun I've had teaching kindergarten over the past 25 years.

Of course, I'm speaking entirely from a biased point of view, but I truly feel I am part of the greatest profession ever! There is nothing quite like seeing the look of wonderment in a child's eyes when new learning "dawns" on them. And who doesn't love the excitement of the back-to-school rush!

Since 50 is the theme of the day, I decided to list the top 50 things I love about going back to school. I hope you will join me and comment on a few of your own favorite things!

planning, pinning, and checking out the dollar store for new finds
wasting the entire first day back in your room reconnecting with friends
that first faculty meeting...getting all the details straight
the new plan book that is filled with nothing but possibilities
the inspirational speaker on institute day and the so-so PD that follows
getting your desk all organized, knowing it won't last long
replenishing your stash of Advil and chocolate...for emergencies only
thumbing through all your idea books for creative new ideas to try
getting your copy of The Kissing Hand ready and the hand-outs copied
having plenty of coloring sheets ready in case you run out of things to do
pencils sharpened and stacked neatly in their little jar
painstakingly double and triple checking your first welcome letter to parents
nameplates perfectly centered and affixed to each desk
the slight lingering smell of Lysol spray and fresh linen candles
the new pot of ivy that makes your desk look all homey and inviting
the countdown of days still left of summer
the countdown of days until next summer
the lessons you've carefully planned, that you won't look at again
wondering where you will stash all the extra supplies they bring
the excitement and sleepless night before school starts
the last few quiet minutes before the flood gates open
seeing the fear/excitement/wonderment in their eyes when they first walk in
those awkward smiles on the first day of school pictures
persuading the parents that everything is okay and it's time to head off to work
the tears...from the children and their mothers
the excitement/panic when the door finally closes and they are "all mine"
wondering how in the world you will fill the day ahead of you
trying to catch an older kid in the hall to deliver your notes to the office
going through the little remember their name mental exercises
hearing all the strange new pronunciations of your name
the unmistakable smell of a just-opened box of brand new crayons
reviewing how to line up, walk in line, stay in line, behave in line
counting them one more time to make sure no one has escaped
trying to explain lunchroom procedures to kids who have never been in one
taking a deep breath before walking into the lunchroom
passing out plates, praying they won't drop them on the way to the table
passing out lunches, seating them, and keying in their code...at the same time
opening 20 packs of ketchup and 20 cartons of milk
finally sitting down to eat with only 6 minutes left in the lunch break
hoping what's left of their lunch ends up in the trash and not in the floor
wearing something you had for lunch somewhere on your clothes
already dreading lunch time tomorrow
that panicked feeling just before the last bell rings
searching your room one more time...just in case you left someone behind
making sure they ALL get on the right bus or in the right car
finally getting to take a bathroom break!
forgetting about just how little they know in August
thinking about how far they will have come in May
praying for each child and the mountains they will climb this year
the mandatory after school nap that will help you recover from the exhaustion of today and increase the likelihood that you will show up tomorrow

Now, it's your turn! What tops your list of back to school memories? I'm sure I've forgotten a few, so please comment and add your own! We've all been there and we can all identify! Thanks for reading and playing along!

Number Fan Freebie

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:00:00 +0000

If you want to grab my latest freebie, head on over to Kindergarten Lifestyle! Jeannie invited me to guest post for her, so I created a freebie for her readers. Read about how you can use a Number Fan to reinforce early numeracy in your classroom.

I included a link to download your own free copy! It's a quick and easy tool to make and kids love using them.

Click on the button to go to Jeannie's blog. You will enjoy your visit! While you are there, check out a few of her other posts and leave her a sweet comment. Be sure to follow her blog if you don't already! Thanks, and keep on teaching the math!

Timez Attack

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 13:53:00 +0000

Hi! I am Melissa O. from Transitional Kinder with Mrs.O and I'm so excited Dr. Penny has invited me to be guest blogging here today. :) I am currently a Transitional Kindergarten teacher but I have also taught 1st grade and spent 7 years as a Technology Specialist teaching 1st through 5th graders.

One thing I have noticed in teaching different grades is that students in all grades need help with their math facts. This is true of kindergarten students who need to know simple addition and subtraction facts through every grade into upper elementary and middle school where many students struggle with multiplication and division facts.

Today I want to share with you an AMAZING educational game that can help students in all of these grades (and adults too) master these facts, Timez Attack.

TimezAttack began as a game to practice times tables and I first found Timez Attack over 4 years ago when I was a Technology Specialist; and it gets more amazing every year. My school was a part of the study mentioned in this video that shows just how cool AND valuable TimezAttack is. Take a look.

Isn't it AWESOME? I have many games for my own kids that are not as fun as TimezAttack but cost a lot. This is free, doesn't take a lot of time, and actually works to increase math fact knowledge and speed. The creators of the game take you through the research on the game, how install and set up the game, and how to play the game. Big Brainz has wonderful tech support and you can tell they really just want all of our children to succeed.

Now just the multiplication is wonderful and helpful for second grade to upper grades so I have been sharing TimezAttack with my friends that teach those grades. I know many of you are thinking, "I teach primary age students who need to understand basic addition and subtraction so I can't use Timez Attack with them, can I?

Well now you can, because TimezAttack now allows students to practice all 4 operations; Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division! When you start the game students pick what they want to practice and the game begins with a pretest. Based on the pretest the student is automatically sent to the level they need to learn. As the student plays the game they are getting introduced to a certain math fact, guided practice with the fact, then assessed on the facts the have been working on.

The assessments are just as fun as the rest of the game and give data to the student and teacher. The best part is the game data is online so students can use any computer, even from home to play the game! If you want to just try out the game download the game by clicking the picture below. To play click the School button on the top green menu then select California, Pittsburg Unified, Stoneman Elementary. The teacher password is believe and the student password is dolphin. Please use the Default Class to play around and be sure to comment here or at my blog, Transitional Kinder with Mrs.O. Thanks for reading!

Cuisenaire Rods in the Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Hi Friends! I'm excited to be stepping aside today and letting my good friend Sally DeCost from Elementary Matters take the lead. She has a great post about using Cuisenair Rods for addition and subtraction practice. I hope you enjoy reading her post! Be sure to visit her blog when you are finished here!

Hi! I'm Sally from Elementary Matters! I'm thrilled to be guest posting for Teach the Math!

Brain Research tells us that being physically involved with the learning process helps learning. It also suggests that use of color helps make connections. Teachers know that kids (and adults) tend to key into color, and children love to use manipulatives!

With Cuisenaire Rods (see picture) the white rod, the smallest, is one cubic centimeter. (This is the same size as a standard base ten block.) The longest rod is orange. When the children put the rods by length, they make a colorful "staircase". (See picture.)

The children can then assign values to each rod by color based upon the relationship of the other rods.

Wouldn't your
students love to dig into these? Mine do!

The first few times the children use the Cuisenaire Rods, they should be given opportunities to figure out the value of each color.
Once they've mastered that (and it doesn't take long!), they're ready to combine the Cuisenaire Rods to create addition and subtraction facts.

I like to start with sets of ten, since our number system is based on ten. It's good for them to know those combinations of ten!

Since the orange rod has a value of 10, this picture shows 9 + 1 = 10. It also shows 1 + 9 = 10. It also shows 10 - 1 = 9 as well as 10 - 9 = 1.

What fact family do these blocks show? 7 + 3 = 10, 3 + 7 = 10, 10 - 7 = 3, and 10 - 3 = 7.

This one shows 6 + 6 = 12 and 12 - 6 = 6.

The Cuisenaire Rods can also be used for multiple addends or even multiplication. This could be 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12 or 3 x 4 = 12.

When it comes to storage, the containers the rods come in are tricky for the kids to put away. I put my Cuisenaire Rods into a container much easier for little hands.

I made these center sheets for the students. I prefer the children work with partners on activities like this since the conversations they have help the learning. If you run these off back to back, you can make two sided, half size papers. Click on the image on the left to download the file.

For a whole set of sheets like this (For families 6 - 20), click here:

I've also found a link for online Cuisenaire Rods!

I hope your students enjoy learning math facts with Cuisenaire Rods as much as mine do!

Math Computation Practice

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 19:59:00 +0000

In one of my recent guest posts, I wrote about the value of playing games in Math and how games were a great tool for building strategies for mathematical computation. Encouraging kids to play games is not a difficult task, and a child's natural curiosity and competitive spirit keeps them focused on the task and their interest high. If you want to check out the post, visit A Differentiated Kindergarten. Marsha will be glad you stopped by.

The beauty of playing games in math is that everyone loves to play them. When students get to play games over and over, they begin to think critically about strategies that help them win. And when those strategies involve mathematical computations, it is win-win for both students and teachers. My students always enjoyed Math Workshop when I included a regular rotation of their favorite math games.

One of the games I frequently used was Four in a Row. It's an old favorite of mine and one that my students really enjoyed playing. I created a Four in a Row game package that includes a set of 10 different gameboards. They focus on number recognition, counting up, counting down, skip counting, and addition & subtraction. They provide great practice for students and only require a couple of dot cubes and some counters (aka: dice & chips).

These games are super easy to make, manage, and store. You simply print and laminate them and they are ready to use! You can find them here for just $2.00 for all 10 gameboards! If you want to try a few of these games out before you buy, you can download a free preview which includes three games to get you started.

If you do not regularly include games as part of your math curriculum, you should give them a try. You will be amazed at the student gains. In fact, you are likely to see greater enthusiasm for math (which is always good) and fewer behavioral problems during small group time (which is also always good)! Thanks for reading along and keep on teaching the math!

A visit from Grade School Giggles!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I love it when friends stop by! And today you will get to meet my friend April Nolan from Grade School Giggles. Welcome, April! She has a fun math game to share with us! I know you will love it!

Hi! I'm April from Grade School Giggles and I'm thrilled to be guest blogging for Dr. Penny today. Her blog focuses on math, which is one of my favorite subjects. Building strong foundations in math is essential if we want our students to be successful. So, I wanted to share a way that I help my students have fun learning math.

Students love playing and teachers love engaged students. Games are a great way to create a classroom where students are actively and passionately learning. After a skill has been taught and modeled, games are a great way to practice the skill to gain fluency.

I especially love games that require minimal prep time and don't have a ton of pieces to keep up with. One of the favorite games in my classroom is 4 in a Row. There are a lot of versions of this game out there. This one uses two dice and practices addition facts with sums to twelve. You can grab a copy by clicking on the picture. It includes the directions and game board. You just need to add the dice.

I hope your students like this game as much as mine do. If you want to check out more of my freebies and classroom ideas please stop Grade School Giggles. I'd love to see you there.

AMSTI turns 10!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 02:42:00 +0000

Happy Birthday to AMSTI!

The Alabama, Math, Science, and Technology Initiative
held a big birthday celebration at the
U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama!
What a great location to mark the occasion!

Guests included AMSTI Staff and Specialists, and friends of AMSTI...
including State Senators, Representatives, parents,
teachers, students, sponsors, and even a few astronauts!

Guest speaker for the occasion was former astronaut Leland Melvin,
NASA's associate administrator for education.

Also impressive was the wonderful dinner we had while sitting
underneath the Saturn V.

Read all about the celebration here.

Raki's Rad Resources Review!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Hi All! I'm so excited to be participating in the big Blog Swap & Hop! You will love Heidi Raki, who will be my guest today; and I am excited to be featured over at Marsha McGuire's super blog A Differentiated Kindergarten! So when you have read the great ideas that Heidi posted, head on over to check out my post! Also notice there is a blog hop linky directly below so you can check out all the Top Teacher bloggers who are participating in the hop! Happy Blog Hopping!

Hello! I am Heidi Raki of Raki's Rad Resources, and I am super excited to be joining Dr. Penny here on Teach the Math today. Each week on my blog, I do a Wednesday Website suggestion, and so I have compiled a list of great websites that you can use when teaching math to grades K-2. I am so excited to have the opportunity to share some of them with you today!

Here are some great sites that cover a variety of teaching concepts:

1. Virtual Manipulatives: Every math manipulative that you have (or should have) in the kit that comes with your math series can be found in virtual form on this website. In addition, there are new, different ways to manipulate these manipulatives that I have found only here.

For example, this site allows you to subtract with base ten blocks, and the blocks that are "taken away" truly go away. In addition to base ten blocks, there are also number lines, clocks, money, tangrams, pattern blocks and more. It works fabulously with a projector and an interactive board, but is just as much fun at a single computer during centers.

2. Cool Math: This site has so many games, it's crazy. While not every game is completely educational, most are at least logic building games. The best games for the classroom are the number games and the logic games.

Many of these games start out in my classroom as a teaching game, and then the kids like them so much, that they become a reward for completing quality work early or having a great behavior day.

3. HSP Math: This site was developed by Harcourt School Publishers, so if you have a Harcourt math series at your school, it will align very well with your texts. However, no matter what your math adoption, the lessons and games are amazing reinforcements for the kids. My kids this year particularly loved the measurement games.

4. Oswego Math Games: These games were created by a school district for their students. The games are fabulous for working on a variety of math concepts, mainly focusing on computation, but also focuses on fractions, percentages, time and number sequences.

My absolute favorite game on this site is Math Magician, which has made all the difference when my students (and my personal son) were practicing fast facts.

5. ABCYa: This site is sorted by grade level, and although they have letter and reading related games, the number games are the best part of the site. There are lots of connect the dot types of activities, as well as hundred's chart activities and games that focus specifically on addition and subtraction.

One of my kids' favorite activities from ABCYa this year was Base 10 Bingo, which was great, because it gave them a chance to practice counting base ten blocks and matching the amounts to their corresponding numbers.

I hope some of these websites will give you some ideas for websites that will help enhance your math instruction next year and for years to come. I'd like to say thank you to Dr. Penny for giving me the opportunity to guest blog here today. I'd be honored if you stopped by Raki's Rad Resources for more ideas you can use in your classroom, including weekly website suggestions.

Biographical information:

Heidi Raki teaches at an International School in Casablanca, Morocco. In addition to being a teacher, she is also a mother of 3 young boys and the author of the blog Raki's Rad Resources. She believes in using quality teaching strategies and quality resources to create quality teaching moments that will resonate with her children, increasing understanding and a love of the learning experience. Feel free visit her blog at www.rakisradresources.com

Thank you, Heidi Raki for the great post and for leading us to some great interactive websites! Now head over to A Differentiated Kindergarten and check out my post and grab the free math game I created just for you!

Blog Swap and Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I wanted to give you all a heads up about what will be happening on Saturday (June 30). All my fantastic blogger buddies have arranged a Top Teachers' Blog Swap and Hop! I will be guest blogging over at a friend's blog and another friend will be guest blogging here at Teach The Math! It's top secret who will be where, but you will love the post my guest blogger has ready for you!

I am super excited and can't wait to see all the great posts! It will be like Fruit Basket Turnover for blogs. Be sure to check in on Saturday and follow the hop. I will have a link to all the other teacher blogs which are participating in the hop. Most bloggers will be focusing on back to school ideas and activities. And as usual, many will include a freebie in their posts! (I have a free math game ready to go!) See you on Saturday!

100 Followers and Counting!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 04:48:00 +0000

Imagine my surprise when I noticed my number of blog followers had exceeded the century mark! Wow! 100 followers in just over a month! You guys are super! Thanks so much for the comments and notes of encouragement!

To thank you, I have created a little prize for the occasion. It is a quick and simple activity that is easy to implement in your classroom but packs a punch in helping to nurture a child's conceptual understanding of numbers.

I have used Today's Number as a math journaling activity, a morning math rountine, and as a way for students to communicate their understanding about numbers.

You have probably seen this used in many different ways before. Lately, I have noticed a couple of versions floating around on Pinterest. So you might say this is Pinterest inspired. I've included a number sheet to post with ideas for representing the number, and a sheet for students to record their own representations.

I hope you enjoy using it and thanks for being such sweet followers! Feel free to pin this and share the printable with friends! Click the picture below to grab your copy.

Hip, Hip, Hooray! - 15 days of K

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 11:00:00 +0000

If you have not discovered Mrs. Lirette's Learning Detectives Blog, you will want to hop on over and check it out! She is hosting a big event celebrating her move back to Kindergarten!

During the first 15 days of June, she has a new guest blogger each day. I have not missed a day checking in to see who is guest blogging for her. Everyday is a surprise!

However, today was no surprise to me! Her guest blogger for Day 12 is none other than...ME! Check out the cute button she made for the occasion! You can click on it to go directly to today's post. I wrote about the importance of asking good questions. I believe you have to ask great questions to get great answers!

I was thrilled to celebrate with Mary considering all the time I have spent in a Kindergarten classroom. I know how excited she must be. Hop over and check out today's post and grab the free Question Ring I included just for her blog readers!

I hope you will download it and that you will enjoy using in your classroom! And be sure to pin it or like it so that your friends can grab a copy too. Enjoy!

Freebies Galore!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 11:00:00 +0000

My blogger friends are at it again! They created this great linky party for their blog Freebies. I joined in the fun so I could share these links with my sweet followers! Oh, and check out who is #9 on the list. :)

This should keep you busy for a while! :) Happy Blog Hopping!

Pre K and K Sharing Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I was excited when my blogger friend, Debbie Clement, invited me to guest-blog over at the Pre K and K Sharing blog! It is a phenomenal blog and has quite a large following. Many veteran bloggers contribute to its success. It's a great place for teachers to find ideas and inspiration to use in their classrooms.

I hope you will take the time to hop over and read my post. It is about using the ten-frame to teach number sense; a critical focus area for students striving to reach mathematical proficiency. I even created a set of ten-frames that you can download to use in your classroom. It's FREE!

You will have to visit the blog to get the freebie, so be sure to head on over and check it out. See you over at Pre K and K Sharing!

Bloggers Best Math Freebies!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:06:00 +0000

My First Blog Award!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Mon, 28 May 2012 23:45:00 +0000

I am tickled pink to be nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award by Michelle over at nomonkeybusinessmichelle.blogspot.com! What an honor...thanks Michelle. Michelle's blog is fabulous! You should check it out! She has some great freebies you will not want to miss. And in celebration of reaching 100 followers, she is running a contest. Two lucky winners will get to choose 10 items from her TPT or TN Stores - FREE! You should sign up! I did!

Now back to the the Lovely Blog award. There were a few simple rules to recieving this award:

1) Follow the person that gave you the award. Check

2) Link back to the person that gave you the award. Check

3) Pass the award on to 15 of my favorite bloggers. Check...well.

The problem with the third requirement is that most of my favorite blogs have already received the Lovely Blog award. But that's okay, they may be new to you so I decided to feature them anyway. They indeed are LOVELY! Here are the blogs I chose...

And the award goes to:

Kathleen at Growing Kinders

Donna at Math Coach's Corner

Amber, LuAnn, Amy, & Chrissa at Kindergarten Rocks

Anna at Crazy for First Grade

April at Chalk Talk

Deanna at Mrs. Jump's Class

Michelle at Fabulous in First

Rachelle at What the Teacher Wants

Ms. Lies at Love 2 Teach 2 Blogspot

Cheryl at Primary Graffiti

Michelle at Teach 123

Lynda at Curls and a Smile

Christi at Ms. Fultz's Corner

Casey at Second Grade Math Maniac

Michelle at Creative Classroom

I hope you enjoy a little blog-stalking today and thanks for stopping by mine! Be sure to drop by again. I have lots of freebies lined up to feature soon.

Great Math Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:56:00 +0000

A teacher friend recently asked me about my favorite math professional resources. He was thrilled to be selected to teach all of the math for his grade level for next year (1st grade) and he wanted some advice about books to read over the summer to help him prepare. But not just any books. He wanted books which were filled with hands-on, inquiry based ideas! My kind of books!

It occurred to me, as I was contemplating my reply, that others may also be looking for the same thing.

Now typically, my favorite book is whichever one I may be currently reading. :) And this year has been a big one for Professional Development books of the Math variety. I will give you a couple of examples of great books you may want to add to your summer reading list. Perhaps later I can go into greater details about their unique content. You may have others that you think are worthy of mention. Jot me a note if you do. I am always looking for new resources to share with my teachers.

Here are two of my current favorites:

Number Talks by Sherrie Parrish

Math Exchanges by Kassia Wedekind

You can see these books featured on my side bar bookshelf. Click the link to check them out.

All about AMSTI

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Messick) — Sat, 12 May 2012 01:28:00 +0000

I love my job! Read about how The Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative is changing the landscape of Alabama Schools! Schools who participate in the initiative show significant gains in Math, Science, AND Reading! Way to go AMSTI. Click the link below to go to the article.

AMSTI: Money holds up progress - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.