Building Math Fluency in Middle School
No matter what the grade level, the one common issue I hear from math teachers is kids' lack of fluency. When students lack math fluency, it makes every concept more difficult, and it hurts their confidence. While most teachers see fluency as a problem, many teachers aren’t sure what to do to solve this problem in middle school or later. I’m going to share some resources and solutions that will help your students build math fluency.
Math Manipulatives for Elementary, Middle, and High School Students that You Can Print!
Manipulatives have the power to make math come to life! They make math concepts tangible and accessible to students. Whenever we have the chance to make math lessons hands-on, they instantly become more engaging and meaningful.
In middle and high school, manipulatives are less common than elementary school. However, they are appropriate for all grade levels and all abilities. A common misconception is that manipulatives are only needed in early grades or for students who struggle. Let’s bust that myth! Manipulatives encourage deeper thinking and sense-making. Instead of following procedures without thinking, we can use manipulatives to help students reason and make sense of the math.
Math Without Tricks: Making Sense of the Division of Fractions
The "Keep-Change-Flip" (KCF) method is a common math trick used to teach students how to divide fractions. The instructions are simple: keep the first number, change the division sign to multiplication, and flip the second fraction. This method works and provides the correct answer, but there is a significant downside.
If our only focus is on getting the answer, KCF can seem very appealing. However, students often end up with no clue how they arrived at that answer or if it even makes sense. Additionally, tricks without meaning are frequently applied incorrectly in later problems, leading to confusion and errors.
I am a strong advocate of helping students understand that math makes sense. I'll show you a way to approach fraction division that gets students thinking critically and making sense of their answers.
5th Grade Math Classroom Decorations and Back to School Ideas
The beginning of the year is the time to get to know students and let them know what they can expect for the year. Engaging students and learning about their interests the first day can get the year off to a great start.
I’ve gathered some of my favorite resources for back to school. Included are ideas to set up your fifth grade math classroom to be an inspiring setting for learning, activities for the first day, and routines we can establish from day 1.