MPS Math Messages

Think. Notice. Wonder

This strategy has recently been endorsed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics:

By asking What do you notice? What do you wonder? we give students opportunities to see problems in big-picture ways, and discover multiple strategies for tackling a problem. Self-confidence, reflective skills, and engagement soar, and students discover that the goal is not to be "over and done," but to realize the many different ways to approach problems.

How does it work?

Math teachers often struggle to find topics for their kids to write about. Sometimes the best way to encourage creativity and exploration is simply posting an image and asking students to describe what they think, notice, and wonder about what they are seeing.

The best way to use think-notice-wonder activities is to choose an image every day and project it as large as you can at the front of your classroom.

Then, have students write 3 sentences about the image starting with:

• I think…

• I notice…

• I wonder…

✔ You may want to have students share their entries in a daily math journal. This practice will get them used to writing about mathematics regularly.

✔ Try not to give too many prompts. You’ll be surprised by how creative and detailed student responses will become over time!

✔ Try to choose images that work with the day’s topic/theme

Watch the video below about how to use this strategy in your class.

Next year will be our first year for the latest math Oklahoma Academic Standards (OAS). We will be having grade level meetings to learn about the changes at each grade level and to discuss how we should adjust the pacing guide for 23-24.

Please try to attend so that you are aware of changes and can make adjustments before the 23-24 school year begins.

• Kinder & 1st: April 13th - Zoom at 4:15
• 2nd - 3rd Grades April 18th - Zoom at 4:15
• 2nd - 3rd Grades: April 26th - Plaza Towers Media Center at 4:30
• 4th - 6th Grades: April 25th - ASC Board Room at 4:30
• 4th - 6th Grades: April 27th - Zoom at 4:15
• 4th - 6th Grades: May 2nd - Red Oak Elementary, Room 206 at 4:30.

OAS Zoom Link

IXL is a tool that we have available to us to help with specific gaps in learning. With the OSTP around the corner, you may want to incorporate more review of topics from the early part of the school year.

On our math website is a list for each grade level compiling IXL lessons you may want to use as review. These are the topics that are weighted most heavily on the OSTP (not all of them). You may want to start a class competition or a reward system for students that are completing these review topics.

One VERY IMPORTANT thing to note: We should not demand a smart score higher than 80. In IXL terms a smart score of 80 is proficient. Once a student is working past a smart score of 80, a longer streak of correct answers is required, and even ONE incorrect answer can send a student back down to a 70 and make them start over. The SmartScore ranges from 0-100, but it is not a percentage score. It’s calculated based on question difficulty, answer accuracy, and consistency.

This collection of math games and activities for grades K-5 students is designed to provide supplemental practice and can be used alongside any core math curriculum. (For 6th grade, this could still be a valuable review resource.)

The math games used in this site are adapted from Illustrative Mathematics centers.

Many thanks to Angela Lewis (4th Grade at Oakridge) for finding this gem! 😀

Skills:

• Numeral Recognition
• One-to-One Correspondence
• Patterns

Materials:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Pom Poms or Pipe Cleaners

Begin by cutting the paper into long strips from the longest side. Then use one of those strips and cut it into 5 to write numbers on them.

Write your numbers down. I have 1-10. On one of the long strips draw a stem to place one pom pom on top for a flower. You now have 1 flower in your garden.

Encourage the kids to make their own gardens based on the numbers. I always think getting the kids to do things if they can and even getting them to just try can help into the right direction. Besides for most kids drawing is super fun

When the garden gets a bit fuller, around number 5 or 6 it is time for some thinking logic. What if we made one flower taller than the other then the next smaller? Add in some patterning!

Skills:

• Fine Motor
• Counting
• Writing Numerals
• One-to-One Correspondence

Materials:

• Brown, Green, and Orange Construction Paper
• Scissors
• Glue

1. Encourage your kids to cut 5 orange triangles. These will become your carrots.
2. Write the numbers 1-5 and have the kids glue the carrots in numerical order.
3. They then cut 15 green paper strips, for the carrot tops.
4. Finally, they glued the number of green strips that correspond to the number on the carrot.

Skills:

• Number Recognition
• One-to-One Correspondence
• Counting
• Patterning

Materials:

• Number Stamps
• Playdough

1. Give students a small ball of yellow playdough.
2. Have them flatten and stamp a number.
3. Using a different color(s), create petals that match the stamped number
4. Create a stem and leaves out of green playdough.

Optional:

Give students two different colors to make petals. Have students make a pattern with the petals or create an addition problem (composing) to sum to the stamped number.

Ex. 7 could be 4 petals in purple and 3 petals in pink to compose the number 7.

Skills:

• Counting
• One-to-One Correspondence
• Fine Motor

Materials:

• Planter Pots (Small cardboard/compostable)
• Beans
• Marker

1. Write a number on each of the pots 1-20.
2. Students will count out beans and place the correct number in the pots.
3. Students will order the pots from 1- 20.

Optional:

Get two kinds of beans and have students create a number sentence to sum (compose) to the number on the pot.

Ex. lima beans and pinto beans.

In the 5 cup, students can place 4 lima beans and 1 pinto bean to sum to 5.

Skills:

• Subitizing
• Counting
• One-to-One Correspondence

Materials:

• 2 dice
• Rigatoni Pasta
• Food Coloring (optional)
• Rubbing Alcohol (optional)
• Plastic Gallon bag (optional)
• Wax Paper (optional)

1. Start with dying your pasta (optional).

• Put pasta in the bag and put in some liquid food coloring and a little rubbing alcohol. (just enough to get pasta moist - not swimming)
• Close bag and move pasta around until covered with dye and alcohol.
• Pour out onto wax paper to dry.

2. Using the printable, have students roll dice and count pips.

3. Place pasta (petals) around the flower to represent the number.

Free Printable

Baseball season as started, and we can use this game to liven up math lessons, find ways for students to practice skills, and connect math to the real-world. Check out some options below to bring baseball into your classroom.

Math fact baseball is a game students can play to practice their facts.

Here’s what you do:

1. Write math fact problems on small pieces of paper with answers on the back.
2. Sort the problems into four piles based on difficulty. The piles will correlate to singles, doubles, triples, and home runs. Easier problems (small number problems like 2×3) will be for singles, and the more difficult problems (like 12×8) would be home runs. (Adapt this game to use addition, subtraction, or division facts)
3. Divide your class into two teams and create a batting order (line) for each team.
4. Draw a Baseball Diamond on the board, and a section to tally each team’s points.
5. Whoever is “up to bat” will choose their pitch: a single, double, triple, or home run.
6. Read the batter their question, and give them 5 seconds to respond.
7. If they answer the question correctly, mark which base they advance to (and adjust other “batters” as necessary. If they answer incorrectly, it counts as a strike. As in real baseball, three strikes and you’re out.
8. Once the team receives 3 outs, switch to the other team.
9. Play as many innings as make sense for your timeframe, and make sure to have a “mercy” rule in case a team really knows their math facts.

Real-Life Math: Baseball - Activity

Grade Levels: 5th and 6th

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

●summarize a numerical data set with mean, median, mode, and range

●explain how sports team managers use math

●define the mathematical terms below

Vocabulary: Qualitative, quantitative, variation , median, mode, range, outlier, mean

Materials: Per student: pencil, paper; for the class: Paper Toss Instructions activity sheet, Frequency Table template

See the link below for details about the activity and the support materials.

Major League Baseball and EVERFI have teamed up to create a platform that keeps kids learning while they are out of school, and avoid the “summer slide” that contributes to a long-term achievement gap.

This program is one students can use in the summer to help with both reading and math skills. It is for 4th - 5th graders and requires about 5 -7 hours of total play over the whole summer.

Check out Mr. Nussbaum's site using baseball cards as the catalyst for multiple lessons. Most of the activities are meant for 4th-6th, but there are a few 3rd grade topics as well.

Some topics you can teach using baseball cards:

• Statistics
• Operations with decimals
• Reading Line Grapsh
• Work Problems
• Decimals
• Percentages
• Ratios
• Division
• Rounding
• Ordering Decimals
• Graphing Decimals on a Number Line

We always have those kids that are fast finishers and gifted students that need some enrichment. Math Mash Up has some great puzzles for 1st - 8th grade you can use for your fast finishers to keep them challenged and engaged.

Math Mashup

The OSTP is right around the corner, and many of us are taking these next two weeks to help review. Review can be boring, but we can make it fun and engaging!

Below is a list of games/resources you can use to help your class review.

1. Scavenger Hunt - Take whatever review worksheet you are doing and cut it up. Hang the problems around the room, on cabinets, on desks. Students work with a partner to go around and solve each problem.
2. Jigsaw. See THIS ARTICLE for directions and a video showing how to organize
3. Student expert teacher. Pair students and give them a problem with the answer (the type they said they needed help). Allow them time to find a way to solve the problem. Put two pairs of students together and have them teach each other their problems. Repeat with new problems.
4. Quizziz (timer removed)
5. Kahoot (Timer removed)
6. Trashketball Instructions HERE.
7. Sticky Points Instructions HERE
8. Raffle Ticket Instructions HERE

You can use this game with students of different abilities. It is quick and easy to prepare and it can be played with 1 person, a small group or even a whole class.

Materials: You will require 3 sets of small number cards with the digits from 0 – 9 and 20 cards with 2 digit or 3 digit numbers (Choose 2 digit numbers or 3 digit numbers according to the ability of the players.)

Object of the Game: Each player attempts to create an equation that equals the chosen 2 or 3 digit number. Players can only use the digits on the selected small number cards.

Getting Ready: Place the small number cards face down on a table or in a bag or bowl for children to select them from. The large number cards are also placed face down or in a separate bag or bowl.

To Play: One person chooses 6 of the small number cards if creating equations to equal 2 digit numbers or 7 of the small number cards if creating equations to equal 3 digit numbers and displays them for the others to see. Next, one of the large number cards is chosen and displayed.

Players are now given a set amount of time – between 2 minutes and 5 minutes – to create an equation that equals the number on the large number card. Players can only use the digits on the small number cards and can only use each of these digits once unless 2 or more of the same digit have been chosen.

Scoring: After the set amount of time – those who have created a correct equation score 1 point for each addition in their equation, 2 points for each subtraction, 3 points for each multiplication and 4 points for each division.
Encourage players to create equations that use different operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. Each equation must contain at least one operation.

This one is a THINKER! It's great for reviewing factors (multiplication facts), but strategy is also involved.

Materials:

• 2 Colors of markers, crayons, or colored pencils.
• Factor Game Board

1. Player 1 selects a number from the Factor Game Board and circles it with his/her colored pencil.
2. Player 2 then finds all of the factors of that number and circles them with a different colored pencil.
3. Player 2 selects and circles a number from the game board.
4. Player 1 then finds all of the available factors of this number and circles them.
5. Play continues until there are no more numbers which have available factors left on the board.
6. Each player should total all of the numbers that are circled in their respective color. The student with the highest total is declared the winner.

Instructions and video HERE.

Materials:

1 die

Coins (play)

Dollar bills (play)

Procedure:

1. Players take turns rolling the die and collecting the number of pennies that matches the number they roll (if they roll a 3, they collect 3 pennies).
2. Before passing the die to the other player, the first player looks to see if they can make any trades (5 pennies for a nickel, 5 pennies and a nickel for dime, two dimes and a nickel for a quarter, and so on).
3. Players continue to take turns collecting and trading coins.
4. The first player to get to $1.00 is the winner!

1st Grade: Limit to pennies, nickels, and dimes.

Music is a medium to help teach (and understand) math. We remember lyrics. Read the following numbers:

8 6 7 5 3 0 9

What happened? Most of us probably started singing. 🤣 Let's use the memory aid in the classroom!