When observing a fifth grade teacher the other day, I noticed that while the students were engaged in many positive ways, they relied upon DMSB — Daughter, Mother, Sister, Brother — or some other mnemonic to remember the procedure for long division. They were also ignoring the value of the unit they were dividing. This […]
Find the value of the shapes. Solve for each shape value. This puzzle is appropriate for grade 3 and up. Comment with your solutions or questions! Originally published on the Matholia newsletter. The solution will be coming soon!
“There is no right or wrong in mathematics:” a quote from a memoir by the daughter of Fischer Black, a famed US mathematician, that she remembers him saying often. What does that mean? When we learn how numbers work, we can do so in one of several ways. The way many of us have been […]
As of October 2018, I am publishing periodic blog posts and problems on Matholia.com, home of an interactive Singapore Math-based curriculum and web-based tools. Follow the posts here, and subscribe to the Matholia Loop emails, with free problems, here.
Based on the need of many older students to improve their multiplication and division fluency, I’ve compiled a set of pattern sheets from the fluency resources available in Eureka Math. These are different from random practice sheets because they are designed for students to recognize patterns and use previous facts to help them solve later […]
Hot off the presses, a new design is available to celebrate Pi Day 2015! Order soon to get yours in time, or order yours later to commemorate the fact you were there. They could also make great prizes for Pi Day celebrations, drawings, or math fairs! Shirts in many colors, mugs, hats, even baby-wear and […]
I’m excited to be presenting at NYSCATE on Tuesday morning, the last session of the conference. Even more exciting, my session is receiving a lot of attention; looks like we’ll have a packed house! I’ll be showing off Eureka, Common Core, Inc.’s excellent interface for the New York State math curriculum. I’ll also be demonstrating […]
One of the biggest challenges many teachers face when adopting a manipulative-heavy math curriculum, where pretty much every lesson starts with a hands-on component, is how to manage the pieces without sacrificing half the lesson time. Here is one way that may help. 1. Buy, or ask each parent to buy, as many extra pencil […]
A teacher recently asked me a question: “What do I do with the student who is strong enough in his math concepts, but he has no idea about Singapore Math approaches like number bonds, and he starts our school late in the year?” For her and other teachers in the same boat, I’m making this […]