Writing to Learn Math: At its heart, geometry is all about seeing connections and relationships.
Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own?
Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: Notice. Wonder. Create.
The following is an excerpt from Charlotte Mason’s Living Math, coming to your favorite bookstore or library this November.
But if you’re impatient—or if you want the exclusive, deluxe, full-color paperback or hardcover edition—you can order your copy now on my Playful Math Store.
This section comes from the chapter called “How Shall We Teach?” which also includes tips about textbooks, a little-known truth about the math facts, and what to do if you never understood math yourself.
With any mathematical idea, our children need time to build knowledge. As we recognize their progress, we can shape our plans to better fit the next step in their development.
Here are four stages in growth from first contact to confidence:
Continue reading Four Stages of Learning Math (or Anything Else)
This game builds calculations skills and helps develop fluency.
Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!
Math Concepts: addition, subtraction, multistep calculation, column addition (for final score).
Players: any number.
Equipment: one deck of math cards, game board, ten tokens for covering numbers, pencil or pen, and (optional) scratch paper for adding up the scores.
Writing to Learn Math: What did the author mean? Put the thought in your own words. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own?
Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: Notice. Wonder. Create.
I love math puzzles, and Henry Ernest Dudeney is the foremost puzzlemeister of all time.
Whenever I need a diversion from the pressing day-to-day busyness of life, I like to crack open one of his books. And get humbled. He stumps me as often as not, but I enjoy the challenge.
Today, I’ve got two of his somewhat-easier puzzles from Amusements in Mathematics, dealing with the probability of obsolete coins tossed or pulled from a bag.
Okay, so the penny isn’t obsolete quite yet, even though the US government quit making them. But the “penny” in these puzzles is the old British pence, which went out of date seemingly ages ago, along with all the other non-decimal coins that made old math puzzles so confusing.
Probability puzzles are great for middle school students because the arithmetic itself is simple. The challenge is in figuring out exactly what calculation to do.
Have fun playing math with your kids!
This game pushes students to consider area and perimeter beyond the basic shapes.
Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!
Math Concepts: area, square units, perimeter, regular and irregular polygons.
Players: two to four.
Equipment: homemade game cards, pencils or markers.
Writing to Learn Math: Measurement is our way of connecting numbers to the things we find in the world, in daily life.
Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own?
Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: Notice. Wonder. Create.
This post is adapted from my book Let’s Play Math: How Families Can Learn Math Together—and Enjoy It.
Do you ever take your kids’ math tests? It helps me remember what it is like to be a student. I push myself to work quickly, trying to finish in about 1/3 the allotted time, to mimic the pressure students feel. And whenever I do this, I find myself prone to the same stupid mistakes that students make.
Even teachers are human.
In this case, it was a multi-step word problem, a barrage of information to stumble through. In the middle of it all sat this statement:
“…and there were 3/4 as many dragons as gryphons…”
My eyes saw the words, but my mind heard it this way:
“…and 3/4 of them were dragons…”
What do you think — did I get the answer right? Of course not! Every little word in a math problem is important, and misreading even the smallest word can lead a student astray. My mental glitch encompassed several words, and my final tally of mythological creatures was correspondingly screwy.
But here is the more important question: Can you explain the difference between these two statements?
This game challenges players to make logical deductions about number permutations.
Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!
Math Concepts: permutations, logical deduction.
Players: two or more.
Equipment: paper and pencil, or whiteboard and marker.
Writing to Learn Math: You can spark creative thought by removing any need to worry about spelling or punctuation rules.
Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own?
Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: Notice. Wonder. Create.
Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math 