This is a typical double unit conversion problem in 7th grade that asks students to convert between two “rates”. If Mike is traveling at 60 miles per hour and Pete is traveling at 95 feet per second. Who is traveling faster? In feet per second, how much faster is he going? Solution We usually present …
How about a video mini-lesson on using bar models for multiplication and division? In this short video, Kar-Hwee walks through some examples of solving 2-step word problems involving the 4 operations.
Very often, we see students struggling with multiplication facts, and this extends to multi-digit multiplication, long division, fractions and later Algebra. How do we support these students? Here are some suggestions. Concrete – Pictorial – Abstract (Bruner, 1960) Jerome Bruner stressed that learning is an active process and for students to acquire full conceptual understanding, …
Are you students struggling with Multiplication facts? Read More »
Grade 2 Subtracting Like Fractions Subtracting Fractions is easy! “To subtract fractions with the same denominator, keep the denominator the same and just subtract the numerators.” This example is taken from a worksheet that we came across recently. After explaining the procedures, the worksheet moves on to 20 similar “skills and drills” exercises where students …
We love this 5th grade question for decimals: If 8 apples cost $4.16 and 13 lemons cost as much as 5 apples, what is the cost of 8 lemons? First, here’s our suggested solution. Why do we like this question? It requires students to break apart the problem into 3 or 4 separate steps, but …
Number Sense in Decimals – Multiplication and Division Read More »
Here’s a problem in 5th grade that involves all of the following: Problem Solving Bar Modeling Dividing Decimals Multiplying Decimals Rey had 5 times as much money as James at first. When Rey gave James $12.50, both of them have the same amount of money. How much money does Rey have at first? …
Problem Solving – 5th Grade Dividing and Multiplying Decimals Read More »
Even though students generally have a good sense of place values for whole numbers by the time they start 4th grade, they may have trouble extending their understanding to decimal places when they encounter decimals for the first time. This is especially evident in the exercises on comparing decimals. The main difference when dealing with …
We all want our early learners to have a strong number sense and understanding of place value. However, once standard vertical computational algorithms are introduced, students tend to prefer to jump straight into computing rather than rely on their own number sense. Using money to teach subtraction with regroup is a great strategy to use …
This is a question from our recent worksheet for 2nd grade. Can you solve it without equations and variables? There are 13 chickens and pigs in a farm. The chickens and pigs have 40 legs altogether. How many chickens and pigs are there at the farm? Yes, 2nd graders can solve this, using pictures and …
The topic of Mass in 2nd grade is a good opportunity to introduce logic reasoning. Take the following example. Here, students are required to place the vegetables on a relative line, given their pair-wise weight comparisons. This requires the students to reason logically and derive a conclusion based on separate pieces of information (data processing). …
Introducing Logic Reasoning in the Topic of Mass Read More »
