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Counting Resources

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:28:06 +0000

Learning to count is much more difficult than one would think. Of course, we all learned to count and it's doubtful that any of actually remember what that process was really all about because it was so long ago. Once the principles of counting are fully understood, there are a wealth of resources here to take the learner to the next step in counting:

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Common Core for Kindergarten

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:26:08 +0000

In the Common Core Standards, kindergarten learners are to count to 100 by ones and by tens. This is a concept that often takes longer than a year to learn. In the Common Core, it's called Counting and Cardinality. Cardinality refers to the ability of recognizing that four things is represented by the number 4 or that the last number in a set refers to the actual amount. To support the kindergarten learner, many concrete experiences are needed. This week, I focused on how to support teaching counting to kindergarten learners in order to support the Common Core Standards in Kindergarten.

Number Fluency: Essential

Sat, 11 May 2013 08:33:40 +0000

Number fluency at an early age refers to a full understanding of the principles of counting. Knowing everthing that a number represents. For instance, let's take six. It means know that 6 means 6 of something that's it's less than any number greater than 6 and more than every number less than 6. It means knowing that in a line up or on a number, there is a 6th place. It's knowing that it can refer to 6 concrete items (buttons, cars, coins etc.) or 6 abstract items (6 breaths, 6 thoughts, 6 ideas etc.) It's knowing where 6 is placed on a number line. Research has indicated that children who lack number fluency in the first grade tended to lag by the 7th grade, were behind their peers and lacked the basic math skills required to function as an adult. More on this story.

SAT Deadline Fast Approaching

Wed, 08 May 2013 20:34:55 +0000

Are you one of many individuals taking the SATs in June? If so, be sure to register by the May 22 deadline. The SAT math is a 70 minute math test consisting of 44 multiple choice and 10 open response type questions. Be sure to check out the College Board for practice items to prepare yourself for the test.

Algebra: To Drop or Not

Sat, 04 May 2013 08:08:16 +0000

That's the question being asked in Texas as to whether or not Algebra II is needed as a core diploma requirement. The question being debated is: Does advanced math prepare students for college and career? Of course, the answer is very much dependent upon what that career will be which makes this decision a difficult one to make. Other states tend to be raising the curriculum standards and Texas perhaps in this circumstance, lowering them. Only two of the 150 House Members have voted against the proposed change. Got a comment? Would love to hear it after you've read the full article....

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Common Core 101

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:28:53 +0000

The Common Core Standards (CCS) were first released in 2010 with the goal of implementation by 2015. This week's article focuses on the basics of the CCS. From what I'm hearing, there's good, there's bad and there's ugly as far as implementation goes. Let's remember, however, that every set of standards or curriculum isn't perfect. If you have strong feelings about the new CCS, I would love to hear from you.

Problems are Your Friends!

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 09:39:49 +0000

It may not seem this way but learning can be a funny thing. Sometimes, the greatest learning stems from making a mistake or encountering a problem along the way. We tend to think more when we run into difficulty. We look at the problem from different angles, we reflect, we ponder and we try different approaches. Learn how you can use this strategy to improve your math scores.

Multiplication Worksheets: Powers of Ten

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:13:06 +0000

Using ten as an anchor is often a great strategy for the four operations in arithmetic. This week, you'll find a series of worksheets that require students to multiply one, two and three digit numbers by 10, 1, 0.1, 1.0, 0.01 and 0.001. Students eventually should be able to multiply using powers of ten in their head, or what we refer as 'mental math'. These worksheets will help develop multiplication with the powers of ten.

Pythagorean

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:22:00 +0000

This is my favorite visuals for Pythagorean's Theorem, after all, if a picture tells a thousand words then this one is a tell all. Although, I'm sure to age myself on this one, Pythagorean's Theorem wasn't taught until the tenth grade when I was in school, however, now it's taught in the 7th or 8th grade. This article provides you with an overview about this famous Pythagorean.

Math + Finance = Good Common Sense

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 09:18:33 +0000

Those of you that know me, know that I have concerns about the lack of financial literacy being taught or being included in the math curriculum. Therefore, the announcement that the not-for-profit educator Khan's Academy and the Bank of American developed a partnership to provide individuals with plain-spoken, short videos that make what often appears to be complicated financial topics easier to understand was a welcome one. The videos will be available at Better Money Habits.com.

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