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Saturday, July 21, 2012

Thinking Math (freebie) and Cupcakes

Ok.  My spurt of not being motivated has quickly disappeared.  Well, not completely, but I'm moving in the right direction! :)
The past week I attended a workshop entitled "Thinking Math" {still have four more days left of the workshop}.  This workshop is simply that...the belief that students must have time to think about math to fully understand it.  There has also been a lot of discussion on the use of manipulatives and how math problems are often worded.  
Here are my favorite quotes about manipulatives:
"Although kinesthetic experience can enhance perception and thinking, understanding does not travel through the fingertips and up the arm" and "Although concrete materials can offer students contexts and tools for making sense of the content, mathematical ideas really do not reside in cardboard and plastic materials."  
Yup. Makes you *think.* Basically...we shouldn't rely on manipulatives and we also need to make sure that they are used as a way to reinforce or motivate, but should not be seen as the only way to solve a problem {in other words, you don't want the kids to have to rely on manipulatives to solve math}.  

Ok. With all that said, I created a fun little math activity that not only has your kiddos THINKING about math but meets common core standards {yay}!



Then, after creating this fun little freebie I came across a communication binder request.  So, I whipped that up.  I say "whipped" loosely.  hehe
 Here's a peak at the new binder:


Head over to my TPT or TN store to snag your freebie and binder!
Phew! Can't wait for my relaxing day in the sun with some great friends tomorrow!!

5 comments:

  1. This is a great *freebie*. Thank you! I have been making some hidden ten frames and ten frame flash cards to help my kiddos quickly identify numbers. There is an activity from the Van de Walle book that I shared with plates and dots that you might want to check out when you get the chance. =)

    Heather
    Heather's Heart

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  2. Thanks for the math freebie. I also love the idea of the communication binder but haven't found one yet to match my theme. Have you ever considered doing a Rock Star binder?

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  3. Thanks for the math freebie! That will be a great review for my kids at the beginning of the year. I love your cupcake communication binder idea! I've had a PIRATE one for a few years & it works very well. :)
    Lisa
    Learning Is Something to Treasure

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  4. I downloaded the Number-Dot Match but I received this message "an error exists on this page. Acrobat may not display the page correctly. Please contact the person who created the PDF document to correct the problem.

    I've have never seen a message like that before, but for some reason it could be my computer... I'll check back later.

    imgoingfirst@gmail.com

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  5. Wow!! What a GREAT freebie!! Thank you so much!!

    Kristen
    A Day in First Grade

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I {puffy heart} comments!!!!