Bryan always succeeded easily in math class; however, this year marked the beginning of his pre-algebra course. Now, Bryan struggles with challenging homework problems and can't seem to connect what his teacher discussed in class to what he is practicing for homework. Bryan's parents feel challenged by the methods shown in his notes. Procedures and strategies have changed so much over the years! ... [ Read More ]
Maker Space, STEM, STEAM, and the Elementary Classroom
Hi teachers! I'm Retta, from Rainbow City Learning, and I'm so happy to be a guest here on Hojo's Teaching Adventures! I've been tinkering around with the idea of having Maker Spaces in elementary classrooms for several years, and I'm super excited to talk about saving a place in your room for a Maker Space today. This post is organized around some questions you may have about Maker Spaces, STEM, ... [ Read More ]
FREE Magic Square Puzzles
If you've been around this blog for any amount of time, you've probably heard me talk about Magic Square Puzzles. These engaging, hands-on puzzles allow students to practice various facts in a fun manner. But this past summer something dawned on me...I've never really given you - my readers - a great set of Magic Square Puzzles. Now, don't get me wrong, I've got a few sets in my Teachers Pay ... [ Read More ]
CGI for Young Learners: with a FREEBIE
What is CGI you ask? It is a way of teaching math critical thinking that focuses on students figuring out the problem solving process. The teacher acts as a facilitator, and students learn problem solving strategies from each other. Students use what they already know to build on their learning. What does CGI look like in the classroom? There are different problem types that increase ... [ Read More ]
Sammie STEAM the Adventure Dog!
Last year my kindergarteners were studying needs of animals in the science lab. I had been on a lovely trail walk with my family. We were lucky enough to see beavers swimming into their lodge! I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if some of my students could have this same experience with their families?” I decided that I would create a “Beaver Challenge.” I handed out this optional challenge ... [ Read More ]
All Things Exponents
It seems exponents are a bit tough to teach. Students need to understand how they work. Ideally, they should even have the basic ones memorized - particularly if you're working on order of operations! So it's time to get a little practice in! Here's a round-up of all the great exponent activities I could find! Create a Foldable This first idea is one of the first exponent activities I found ... [ Read More ]
Teaching Rounding {Great Ideas, FREEBIES, and More!}
Rounding is one of those topics that some students instantly "get", while others seem to be lost from the word go. As teachers, it's obviously our job to make sure all our little lovelies understand how to round. It's in the math standards, but it's also just a great life skill to have! This is exactly why teaching rounding is so important! I've compiled a few ideas for rounding activities you ... [ Read More ]
Teaching Place Value {Great Ideas, FREEBIES, and More!}
It seems like most math curriculum and teachers start the year teaching place value. It makes sense. After all, students need to understand how to break numbers apart before they can learn to do much else with them. And regardless of how many times they've learned place value in the past, there will be at least a couple who act as if this is a foreign concept. That's ok! They'll get it. ... [ Read More ]
Summer Learning Ideas
If you are a teacher looking for some activities for your students to do this summer, OR if you are a parent who wants to keep your child from the dreaded "summer slide" - this post is for you! Reading Find out if there is a local reading program. Or maybe your state has one. Do some checking and see what you can find! Set aside a little bit of time each day to read! Even as ... [ Read More ]
Test Prep – Ideas for Prepping for Math, Reading, Dealing with Test Anxiety, and MORE!
It's that time of year again - high stakes testing! Whether you love it or hate it, it's here. With that, I wanted to highlight some of the blog posts I've shared here before, as well as a couple new things I think you'll enjoy regarding test prep. Do your students sometimes struggle with following directions when it comes to testing? Maybe they rush through? Or they don't explain themselves ... [ Read More ]