General Review
A little competition is healthy. A little competition is fun. So when they flash the flashcard, (pose the problem, state the sum) you’ll want to 1st correctly answer, then run, run, RUN! (or toss the ball, or get the points, or however it works in the game of choice!) Either way it’s a ton of fun and rather a lot ofskill practice is done!
Instructors at the end of this unit there is a comprehensive list of the math skills students learn in each grade. The skills are organized into categories: As you read the activities in the plan, keep in mind the specifics skills your students need to practice and master in the different grade levels you work with. Use their needs to guide your approach in how you’ll modify and present the activities and what specific tasks you will have the students do.
Fractions
Every second, Americans eat 350 slices of pizza. That's 23 pounds per person, per year. Don't you think it's time we put all that pizza to a purpose? Pizza teaches everything from basic fractions and numerators and denominators, to word problems ["If we have 5 pizzas and eat 3 pizzas, besides a stomachache, what is left?"], graphing, and second semester algebra formulas in this mouth-watering lesson, all with a slice of history on the side. A pie chart has never smelled so good.
Probability
Someone may have told you that chance is just a roll of the dice, but...hey chance actually IS just a roll of the dice! So, what are the chances you are a math wizard? Find out while we review the ins and outs of probability. Students will learn all about what probability means, why we study it, and how to express a probability on paper. Should they take the deal? With probability on their side they won't have to guess.They'll be able to determine the number of possible outcomes in a random event and know how to use a grid to figure it out. They'll learn about mathematical expectation and that probabilities aren’t just for predicting dice rolls - the principles they’ll learn are the basis for predictions in all kinds of complex systems, from the stock market to the weather!
Pig! is more than just a game where you try not to get too greedy, it's a great way to teach students at every level how to think strategically—to look ahead and figure out how what just happened, and what might happen next, will affect their chances of winning. And this effort to predict provides a perfect chance to explore probability, a way to measure how likely something is to happen. Are they going to have fun while learning? The probability is high!
In pursuing the answers, in chasing the truth we encounter math from here to Duluth. We find fractions in food and hear math in our stories. When snake eyes are watching, how can math ever be boring? What’s going to happen? How do you know? What does it mean when they say, “probably so,”? From baseball to bankers, when it’s all on the line, we’d like to be certain it will turn out just fine. What are the odds? How can you tell? If you get near a skunk, are you going to smell? Chase down the answers, roll the six sided die, if you know probability you won’t just let fate decide.
Symmetry
Everything from butterflies, to algebra, to the universe is based on symmetry. So how come we know so little about it? Compared to other famous concepts of mathematics and physics—infinity, uncertainty, relativity—the notion of symmetry might seem a bit boring at first, but not when you can use it to make creepy, strange, whimsical aliens; mysterious mirror drawings; perfect portraits; terrific tessellations; and turn your own name into a funky piece of art. You really can find symmetry everywhere! Even in ancient (but still really fun) games like Madagascar Solitaire in which knowing symmetry is simply good strategy!
Measurement & Money
Math is in every kitchen, on every recipe card, and at each deluxe dinner holiday gathering. With this lesson students dig their hands into the concepts of weight, cost, estimation, money, supply and demand, measuring, conversions, and more as they become caterers and shop at your supply store. Will they make enough in time to feed their hungry guests and still make a profit? Or will they run out, run late, and run up a bill? If they're savvy they might just get to savor the sweet taste of victory.
Math Review Games
Everything's more fun with a little competition! With these games students gain a solid understanding of basic concepts, while having so much fun they may not realize it’s a math review. But when it comes time for that big equivalents quiz, your students will remember the equivalents practice they got while snatching that spoon!
It’s not “Oh, math…” it’s Math-O! Fractions are flying, numbers are huddling, teams are tagging, students get 20, make “mummies” and money, and math skills become automatic with these fun hands-on games as students answer the question, “What’s your final answer?”
It’s all in your mind! No, we don’t think you’re crazy. Math skills may lay dormant, you may feel a bit lazy, until it comes time, and it’s all on the line, then the skills that you need aren’t that hard to refine. Play Football and Bingo, I’ve got this, Who has that?, Tic Tac Toe that is tricky, and more fun games like that. With such fun to be had, with such skills to be tried, you’ll soon unlock talents you’ve buried inside!
Stop the Yawns! Math Activities and Skills Practice
Math cards and graphing. A race to be first. Is it luck or strategy? Which one will work? A friendly feud or an all out battle? Will they sink the captain’s ship? Or are you going to make them paddle? Put an end to indifference, call “Cease Fire!” on those yawns. Play a fun game and the boredom is gone!
On Target! Math Games with Impact
Thinking fast can make cents, a good guess might pay off, if in practice they’re not perfect, not all is lost. Small change adds up fast and it’s not just dumb luck, strengthening math skills is worth a lot more than a buck. Staying on target and practicing math? It really does have an impact that lasts.