Have you heard of number bonds?  They are a wonderful visual math tool for students to understand decomposing numbers. While many of these ideas are more for the primary students, they can help teachers of older kids understand what kids are learning in order to make connections to past learning or to reinforce skills students may be lacking.
There are MANY great ideas out there for ways to use number bonds.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Number Bonds:  Make 10 from Math Playground--This fun game is for everyone!  There are versions for many different numbers, not just 10.  Kids get to "shoot" a ball at a another number that would equal 10.

Number Bonds game:  Hoot Addition Game --Another fun computer game!  Different levels are available for all of your learners.  They get choices of numbers that might be correct and students can make the correct choice.  

Number Bonds YouTube video--This video lays it all out!  If you are new to number bonds or want to share info with your parents, this is a great video to use!

Article about Number Bonds--Similar to the video, but in print.  Lots of good ideas to use!

Kinesthetic Way to work on Number Bonds--I love this way of getting the whole class involved in a game!  Ten kids start on one bond, one rolls a dice, and that many kids move to another bond.  How many are left?  Definitely a nice way to get the "wiggles" out while teaching math!

Pinterest Board--Lots and lots of ideas for ways to use number bonds in your classroom!  Take a look when you have a chance.  Want a "printable" way to practice task cards in your class?  You can grab my SNOW BONDS task cards with a FROZEN, snowy theme (along with some other winter goodies) from Educents for only $4.99 right now!  Task cards include QR codes (don't worry, there are some without the QR codes too) so students can self check.  Along with the Snow Bonds, you will also get my "What Shape is Sven" product to practice 2D shapes, my Missing Numbers, Winter Edition to practice writing numbers in the correct order, and my Color-By-Code CVC words to practice medial short vowel sounds.

Math Madness Wednesday: Project Based Learning

Hi all! I'm April from Performing in Education, and I am so excited to be guest hosting Math Madness Wednesday this week! I'm here to talk about using Project-based Learning to help students practice those tricky Math standards.

Have you tried Project-based Learning (PBL) in your class yet? I was first introduced to PBL a few years ago when we were taking our first look at the new Common Core State Standards. We didn't really know what to expect except that students would have to use the Math for real-world applications. Project-based learning was our solution to this new way of applying the standards.

What is Project-based Learning? Project-based learning is a teaching method where students gain and apply skills by working on a long project where they complete an in-depth inquiry into a specific topic or question. Like all teaching methods, it's not standalone. It can be added to the teaching you are already doing in your classroom. PBL allows for more real world application and in-depth understanding of the concepts your students need to understand.

What are the benefits for students? Project-based learning is exciting for students. The first time I did PBL in my classroom, students were voluntarily doing extra research and activities for their project at home. I am constantly impressed by the level of interest students take in these projects. Student interest equals engagement, which will raise your test scores without all that boring test prep. In the long run, PBL helps students practice life skills like creating a budget or starting a business.
 
What are the benefits for teachers? In project-based learning, students work to investigate the concepts by making their own choices. Once you've set up the parameters, the students do all the work. You are just there to facilitate. PBL also involves far less paper than worksheets, and far less grading. Students receive a final project grade, and observational grades throughout.

Are you convinced yet?

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it's the perfect time to work on a Thanksgiving-themed Project-based Learning Activity! A few years ago, I began bringing in piles of grocery store ads and having my students plan their own Thanksgiving dinner. Throughout the years I've refined the process and created student handouts to focus on specific Math objectives. 

Here's a peak at a couple of wonderful kiddos working on a Thanksgiving Project-based learning activity:

My favorite part of this project is that the numbers for their calculations are coming out of actual grocery store ads that students can flip through, write on, and cut out! The colorful pictures and headlines make it much more interesting than a table of prices from a Math textbook!

 

I'd love to hear about your experiences with Project-based learning! What projects have you done in your classroom?

For a limited time, you can download five of my Project-based Learning activities at Educents for only $9.99, which is 50% off!

Math Madness Wednesday: Puzzles!

This week's topic is PUZZLES!  Do you use puzzles in your classroom?  My kids LOVE puzzles (and, honestly, so do I!) so why not make them educational!?  

There are lots of different ways to make puzzles.  They can all look the same or the pieces can be very different.  They can have only 2 pieces or have lots of pieces.  

But, how do you keep them all organized?  I have found that printing them in different colors can help!  You can color code them by skill (telling time, money, synonyms, etc.), by level (separate them into groups so kids know which color puzzles they should always look for), or by number of pieces in the puzzle.  

There are a lot of great ideas out there on ways to organize your puzzles so the pieces don't get lost or mixed up.  You can use envelopes (laminate the first for extra durability!), baggies, various containers from around the house, school supply boxes or pencil bags, or binders.  

Check out some of the CREATIVE storage solutions I have compiled on my Pinterest page {HERE}.  Two of my favorite are these.  

The first is to put the puzzles inside of pencil pouches that fit inside 3 ring binders.  This would be great to use to store puzzles by subject, time of year, or size!  (This picture was found on Pinterest, but did not have a link to the original location).  The second picture is from Counting Coconuts.  These containers were used for large wooden puzzles, but I think they could work with any type of puzzles and even for classroom games!  Since they are easy to stack, they would be easy to store.  Just attach a label with the name of the puzzle or game (or write directly on the container with a Sharpie!).  

And, how about a way to use the puzzles you already have in an educational way?  Use the back of the puzzles!  

For this example, I used a puzzle I found at the Dollar Tree. 

 I put the puzzle together on an opened pizza box turned upside down.  After the puzzle was complete, I put the other half of the pizza box on the top of the puzzle and flipped it over so I could write on the back of the puzzle with the pieces in order.  If you have some fast finishers in your class, they could even write on the back for you.  (Suggestion:  If you are going to do this with more than 1 puzzle at a time, use different colored markers so you can easily identify which puzzle they go with!)

For this one, I created a hundreds chart.  This makes differentiation easy!  Students can put the whole puzzle together or you can have part of it already put together and have them fill in the missing pieces.  You could also use the puzzle for matching math facts, words in alphabetical order, or even skip counting.

Students can put the puzzle pieces together upside down (by putting the numbers in order) and when they are finished, they can flip it over to see what they have designed!

Want some puzzles for your classroom?  I have 2 Puzzle Packs on sale at Educents this week only!  My Math Puzzle Pack includes puzzles for shapes, telling time, coins, and numbers.  There are 2, 3, and 4 piece puzzles and lots of options in this big pack!  

For my CVC pack, I have puzzles for each of the short vowel sounds.  Recording sheets are included in all of my puzzle packs!  

What are YOUR best tips for working with puzzles?  

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