Adding a sidetab--Common Core Standards

I'm pretty impressed with myself.  If you're looking for information on the Common Core State Standards, you can pull them out from the side tab -------------------->

I learned how to do it from another website.  http://www.masteryconnect.com/learn-more/core-app.html 

We're all exploring the CCSS...and how they will change our thinking.  I'm just doing some work on this now and will share more with you as I go on my journey.  Here's my big "ah-ha."  This isn't a new set of standards or objectives.  This is about deeper thinking and problem solving.

How Would Your Class (or you) Solve This?

I presented this to a 5th grade class last week.  It's on their class blog.  I can't wait to see how they'll solve it.  The teacher and I had to work on it awhile before we got matching answers.  The kids loved that it was real life and love working on a blog.  I'll let you know how it goes!  


I'm trying to keep track of how far I walk every day but I forgot to wear my pedometer on my trip last week.  I could use your help to figure this one out.  At the Denver Airport, I landed at gate B11 and walked to gate B43.  Then they changed the gate to B29.  I counted and I take 39 steps to get from one gate to another.  But there's more information you need to figure in.

All the odd gates are on one side and the even gates are the other side.  

Between gate B29 and B31 is a shopping plaza that measures 52 steps.  

Between gate B35 and B37 is a food court that measures 173 steps.

Is there any other information you need to know?

Concrete-->Pictorial-->Abstract

I had a teacher ask me how to teach 2 digit x 2 digit subtraction with manipulatives.  I thought this would be a great time to share this and talk about the importance of the CPA model of instruction.  Jerome Bruner's research has shown us that when we teach using manipulatives first (concrete), then moving to a pictorial represention (pictorial), and finally to the traditional algorithm (abstract), our students learn to a greater degree of mastery and have greater retention...yay!  Here's an example.

Using base 10 blocks, I've set up 12 x 21.  (It's important students see that numbers outside the lines not get added back in to the final product.)  Now I can start setting up the array.

I'm not sure why this picture rotated but I think you can still see it.  Students can see 10 x 10 =100 here and 1 x 10 = 100.  My students understood they needed to make a complete rectangle.  They really like to push it together!  (By the way, while place value disks are my favorite, this works much better with base 10 blocks.)

To build the pictorial, we go to the array model.
                                           https://docs.google.com/drawings/pub?id=1ciUj-11Q74c7oOlQcCw9pjLNQ3RpDA7jI7g8mJhxUS0&w=480&h=360


It wouldn't let me insert a table.  Having major computer issues today (for a change!)
Draw a connection between each of these partial products and the pictures above.

Now students can take it to partial product or traditional algoritm.

                           21
                  x12
                      2  It's all about language here.  2 x 1 = 2
                    40  2 x 20 = 40
                    10  10 x 1 = 10 (Can you find it in the pic and the array?)
                  200  10 x20 = 200  
                          252
Partial products are great to use if your kids "put down the wrong number and carry the wrong number." It means they aren't using place value and this will help them.

Looking for a practice game?  Me too!  Have students each deal out 4 cards and arrange them to make a 2 digit x 2 digit problem.  Record the product.  Play 5 rounds.  Total them.  Person with the highest sum wins.  Do you have a double digit multiplication game?

QR Codes and Scavenger Hunt

One of my workshops this week calls for incorporating technology into math.  I love technology.  Not that I'm all that good at it, but I'm not afraid of it, so I'm game.  I just learned about QR codes--you know, those funny boxes that have turned up on ads all over the place?  When you aim a QR reader on your smartphone at them, they take you to a website.  Thanks to Lori Elliot http://www.lorislatestlinks.com/ I learned how to make a QR code. 

First, go to URL shortener: http://goo.gl/

Type in or paste the website address

Choose shorten

Click on details next to the new shortened address.  You'll see the QR code!  (I had to scroll up.)

Copy and paste it to your document.

Then I discovered this website http://classtools.net/QR/  

You type in 5 questions with answers.  It turns it into a QR scavenger hunt.  I can picture using it for 3D shapes, or having the answers be room numbers.  What uses can you think of?