At breakfast today, Rory asked me: “Why don’t I get $10 a tooth like my friend Gavin?”. Well, after I finished choking on my coffee, I tried to think of some reasons that were more kid-friendly than my initial thought: “their tooth-fairy is on drugs!”. Here are some of the ones I thought about: The … Continue reading The Truth about the Tooth-fairy
What does learning look like for the early years?
In 2009, the National Research Council Committee reported on the learning of math in early years (pre-kindergarten). They advocate that all children are capable of learning math, but many are not provided the chance to engage in mathematical opportunities. (For more, click here.) They believe children can be and should be learning math at an … Continue reading What does learning look like for the early years?
Never heard of Numicon?!
Never heard of Numicon? You’re not alone! But ever since I introduced them to our school, my love for them has grown! Numicon are number plates that represent the numbers 1-10. They are a great manipulative for the Pre-K to Grade 2 population, in that they are large, easy to grasp and manipulate, colourful and … Continue reading Never heard of Numicon?!
Tis the season!
Report card season! Now, as a math coordinator, I don’t write report cards myself, so how do I know it is report card season? Because this is the time of year, when parents start to panic about their child’s performance and race to school to find out: what can I do at home to support … Continue reading Tis the season!
Establishing Benchmarks of 5 and 10 through estimation
Much of primary math is about establishing benchmarks of 5 and 10, but have you ever stopped to wonder why those are good numbers to use? Here are a few reasons: Benchmarks of 5: We have 5 fingers (if we count the thumb!) on each hand, so a hand-y (ha!) benchmark to start with is … Continue reading Establishing Benchmarks of 5 and 10 through estimation
Probability in primary
Probability is quite possibly one of the most important strands in mathematics and yet it is quite often left out of the yearly math plan at school. If it is covered, it is that one unit that gets crammed in before the holiday break! Even I admit, in years past, to grabbing that bag of … Continue reading Probability in primary
Place Value Cards for Primary
Why is place value so hard? Place value is the understanding that the place of the digit determines its value. So a 2 in the ones place is far different from a 2 in the tens place. It is one of the most important concepts to understand in math because it is the root … Continue reading Place Value Cards for Primary
Hey! What’s the BIG idea?!
When the BC ministry re-wrote their math curriculum, everyone (well maybe only like 90%!) complained and thought what’s the big idea?! But that’s just the point...it is all about big ideas! Mathematics has often been thought of as a skill-based subject (i.e. the old curriculum); it’s not. Mathematics is a set of connected, big ideas … Continue reading Hey! What’s the BIG idea?!
Kindies doing KenKen!
With summer almost upon us, I often have parents ask: how can they keep their kids practicing math facts over the summer without having a full out rebellion on their hands?! Well, KenKen is the answer! It is a brilliant math puzzle that helps build fluency in addition and subtraction facts, as well as multiplication … Continue reading Kindies doing KenKen!
Three Cheers for Talking Points!
My Talk on Talking Points My new favourite technique for getting students to communicate mathematically, in a way that requires them to reason and justify their thinking, is Talking Points! Over the years, I have used different methods as a way to elicit student thinking; however, I love the way talking points encourage each child … Continue reading Three Cheers for Talking Points!
Math Milestones with my little men 