Common Core Math

This week was fabulous! My fourth graders and I completed our second week of school. I'm having a blast with my new students as I'm learning about their learning styles and needs.

For math, I told my students, This year's math class is going to be quite different from third grade. They definitely agree that it feels different! And I can tell by their level of engagement that they are loving it so far.

I taught math this week using only chart paper and playing cards. That's right! We haven't cracked open a math book or workbook yet. My students are showing their work in a spiral journal.

Here's what I did yesterday:

I put students into groups of 2. Each group got a total of 6 playing cards.

Once students had their cards, they had to arrange their cards to make the largest number possible. Hence, the photograph above! Next, they had to arrange their numbers from least to greatest. We talked a lot about place values in our pairs, identifying what each card represented.

Next, the pairs of students had choice. They got to select 2 cards to make a 2-digit number. They then selected 2 other cards for a second 2-digit number. They subtracted the smaller number from the larger number and showed their work in their spiral. We reviewed the process of borrowing numbers as a whole group.

After reviewing subtraction, we moved on to adding. I had students take 3 of their cards to create a 3-digit number. They created a second 3-digit number with the remaining cards. Then they added their 3-digit numbers together and discussed their work in pairs. We talked a lot about carrying to the next digit as we added numbers together.



Every child was engaged and excited! I circulated around the room to check on students who needed assistance. After completing the exercises, I gave the students choice and asked them to challenge themselves. Pairs who felt ready to multiply grouped their cards in 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication and solved their problems. I let them check their work with calculators. My math geniuses asked if they could do 3-digit by 3-digit multiplication, so I allowed them to push themselves and try it.

I had my other students challenge themselves wherever they felt comfortable. Some of my kids chose to rearrange the cards into more addition problems while others chose to focus on subtraction. They loved having some creative choice in the lesson and everyone was working at his/her own level! The hands-on component of the cards truly made such a difference. I can't wait for math next week! :)

Another math lesson I did yesterday included our "number talk." I had my students sit on the carpet at my feet while we contemplated and discussed the fraction 3/4. I asked them questions like, "Is 3/4 big or small?" We had a great discussion about it as a class. Some kids said, "It's tiny!" while others argued it could be colossal! Ryan told me, "It depends. 3/4 of a dollar is small, it's only 75 cents. But 3/4 of the world is huge! 3/4 of the world's population would be billions of people!"

I also asked students to imagine 3/4 on a number line. I asked, "Where does it go on a number line?" One girl said, "Between the 3 and the 4." I asked her, "Is 3/4 bigger than 3?" She admitted, "No." We then decided it would go between the zero and the 1 on a number line. Rosie even offered up, "3/4 is also 0.75 as a decimal, like 75 cents of a dollar."

Here is our math talk poster from the lesson!