Making connections between addition subtraction is so important. I love using fact families for this. Fact Family “Turn Around” Dance To introduce fact families, we do the turn around dance. Kids hold up a fact and we sing as they make a new fact that is true. It helps them see a great visual and […]
Reading and Writing Numbers with Decimals
The concept of less than one is huge in 5th grade. It shows up in fractions and decimals. I find it to be very important to give real word examples and manipulatives to solidify the concept of less than one. Before we began talking about decimals, I wanted to make sure my students had the […]
Fact Fluency Screener Freebie
In a perfect world, students would enter a new grade level having already mastered all standards from previous grades. Their fact fluency skills would have prepared them for the next grade. In this imperfect world, we can’t reteach every previous standard. We can, however, make sure our students have their basic fact fluencies. These standards […]
Multiply 2 Digit Numbers: 3 Strategies
Multiply 2 digit numbers using 3 strategies. Once you’ve introduced the strategies, students can choose a method that works for their learning style. The following photos come from a PowerPoint I made to help introduce the methods. Traditional Algorithm Most adults are familiar with the traditional method for multiplying multi-digit numbers. Actually, this method is […]
Creativity is Problem Solving
As education continues to see budget cuts, one of the first things cut is art. Art is seen as something extra that isn’t necessary. Teachers are told to focus on Common Core Standards and critical thinking. There just isn’t time for things like art. This week, I had the incredible opportunity to witness a conversation […]