Math Minutes: Multiplication

Welcome back to 3rd grade! This year the 3rd grade team got together to start a new segment called Math Minutes. These will be short videos on what our students will be covering in math. Our hope is that these videos will help bridge the gap between home and school with our students and parents.

This week's video is on Multiplication and the ways to model and solve multiplication problems.

Core Math Idea:

Problem:

Solution options:

Here's Mrs. Wheeler to explain! You can watch the video HERE or watch below!

Be watching for more videos!

Mini Math Lesson- x3

Still working on our multiplication facts. We started our 3's today and I'm pretty sure those suckers are mastered!

We started with this poster. We uncovered answers as we went.

Answers covered, we started chanting three numbers: 3, 6, 9.

3..6..9 (beat)
3..6..9 (beat)
3..6..9 (beat)

Once those numbers were in our heads, we started adding the number sentence. Repeat a million times.

3x1 is 3!
3x2 is 6! 
3x3 is 9!

Now, add the next number where the beat was previously. Add some hand motions, or cock your head to the side when you hit 12.

3..6..9..12!
3..6..9..12!
3..6..9..12!

Start the number sentences again! Repeat a million times!

3x1 is 3! 
3x2 is 6!
3x3 is 9!
3x4 is 12!

For the next one, just work on the number sentence 3x5 is 15. Use your hand to hold up 5 when you say 15. Repeat a million times.

3x5 is 15! 
3x5 is 15!
3x5 is 15!

Now all the number sentences so far! Don't forget motions!

3x1 is 3!
3x2 is 6!
3x3 is 9! 
3x4 is 12!
3x5 is 15! (hand out)

Practice 3x6 is 18. When you say the number 18, shake your finger!

3x6 is 18!
3x6 is 18!
3x6 is 18!

Add it to the rest of the sentences, make sure you are doing all the motions! Repeat a million times with motions!

3x1 is 3!
3x2 is 6!
3x3 is 9!
3x4 is 12!
3x5 is 15! (hand out)
3x6 is 18! (shake finger)

Next practice the numbers 21, 24, and 27 as a group. I had my students move their shoulders back and forth- twenty on one side, one, four and seven on the other. Repeat a million times.

Twenty....one!
Twenty.... four!
Twenty.... seven!

Add to the rest of the sentences, using motions.

3x1 is 3!
3x2 is 6!
3x3 is 9!
3x4 is 12!
3x5 is 15! (hand out)
3x6 is 18! (shake finger)
3x7 is 21! (shoulders)
3x8 is 24! (shoulders)
3x9 is 27! (shoulders)

Last one! Are you ready?

3x10 is thir-ty! (make sure you stress the two syllables) Come up with some motion for 30. We used jazz hands.

3x10 is thri-ty!
3x10 is thir-ty!
3x10 is thir-ty!

Bring it all together now! Do the motions!

3x1 is 3!
3x2 is 6!
3x3 is 9!
3x4 is 12!
3x5 is 15! (hand out)
3x6 is 18! (shake finger)
3x7 is 21! (shoulders)
3x8 is 24! (shoulders)
3x9 is 27! (shoulders)
3x10 is 30! (jazz hands)

Want to see it in action? Check the video! We invited Mrs. Webb and Ms. Harper to see us in action and test us on our new knowledge.

You can't hear all of their answers, but all my soldiers got the answers right! Awesome job!

Homework was to finish a x3 practice sheet we started in class. Students who make a 100% will have their names announced during the afternoon announcements!

Mini Math Lesson- x0, x1, x10

Guess what we're working on?! Multiplication facts!

So far, we have mastered, that's right, mastered, our 0, 1, and 10 facts! I know you're impressed!

It helps that we came up with some chants and motions thanks to our SIOP training. :) Here is our chart to remind us of our rules. Mock the pictures all you want. I'm a horrible artist.

Everything in pink symbolizes a motion being made.
Here are some videos of what these chants look like- thank you Ms. Roach!

x0- When you multiply by 0, the answer is 0!

x1- When you multiply by 1, the answer stays the same! (one hand out- showing that we stop at the number being multiplied, don't go any further!)

x10- When you multiply by 10, you add a 0 on the end! (I explained that you add a 0 to the end of the number being multiplied)

We were doing so well with our chants and facts that we just had to share our knowledge! So, we called in Ms. Harper and Mrs. Webb to come check us out!

Watch here:

Or here:

 Needless to say, they were impressed! We also impressed Mrs. Blowe and Mrs. Custer when they visited our class. :)

Ms. Harper was so impressed that she agreed to announce all of my students who made a 100% on their practice sheet during the afternoon announcements. Would you like to see all of my students who were announced?

Here they are!

WE. ROCKED. IT. OUT!

I couldn't be more proud of my students! Tomorrow, we master x2!

Mini Math Lesson- Counting Coins

 

What is Miracle Money Grow? It's the brand new product on the market- proven to help you count your spare change!

Check out this infomercial!

 

To successfully use this product, first you must know how much each coin is worth. There are handy-dandy coin rhymes to help!

Penny:

Penny, penny, easily spent!

Copper brown and worth one cent!

Nickel:

Nickel, nickel, thick and fat-

You're worth 5 and I know that!

Dime:

Dime, dime, little and thin-

I remember you're worth 10!

Quarter:

Quarter, quarter, big and bold-

You're worth 25 I'm told!

After memorizing the coin amounts, you can use Miracle Money Grow to grow hair on your coins, which will make counting coins so much easier!

Remember, each coin grows hair in denominations of 5. Then all you have to do is count by 5s!

Nickel- 1 hair

Dime- 2 hairs

Quarter- 5 hairs

Penny- bald

Special Thanks to Ms. Gillem for being my camerawoman!

Day 137- Who needs 1st grade?

When my students began whining about being tired and just wanting to take a nap, I didn't give in. (much as I wanted to) Instead I pointed out why my students were so tired- we haven't done any first grade work all week.

In math we have been working with the associative property of addition and adding and subtracting using variables. That's Algebra! Click {HERE} to check out our Algebra post!

In social studies we have been using a 3-5 grade level site for our information. (see Ben's Guide to Government)

 Today we worked on the Judicial Branch.

Some of the information we have learned, like about being a democracy or republic, is something some college graduates don't know- so we are smarter than some college students!

In reading we've been focusing on main idea and details, and that is something our 5th graders need to master.
Here is our chart for main idea and detail in this week's story.

 So, you see, we've been working our brains to their limits- it's no wonder we're so tired! After allowing for their shock and awe in their new-found abilities, we moved on to second grade level math- adding 2 digit numbers.

Adding 2-digit numbers

When adding 2-digit numbers, I told my students they had two options: They can either split or stretch.

 Students make sure to write the numbers in a neat column. Math is always very neat!

After splitting the number, they add each side and get the answer!

Then, there's the Stretch. We practiced this technique when we worked on finding the ones and tens place in numbers.

 Students stretch the numbers by saying them slowly. By saying the numbers slowly, students can hear the two numbers that make the one number. 24 said slowly is twenty...four.

 Students can add either column first. In this case it doesn't matter.

Lastly, students add the ones and tens together to get the final answer.

When we practiced, I gave the kids the choice of which technique they wanted to use. Most of them wanted to use the Split method and only tried the Stretch method when I twisted their arms.

I am pleased to report that students paid attention to this lesson. I am saddened to report that less than half of my students fully understood what they were doing. This was one of those times I had to remind myself that they are 6 and 7 years old. They won't understand everything the first time they are introduced to it.

Literacy center pictures:

 Spelling texters

 Simile Activity

 Word Wall

 Sentence sort

Our Daily Brain

Day 132- Beware the Ides of March!

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm not a big Shakespeare fan.

 He's really not that cute.
I remember having to read a few of his plays in high school and college, but none of them really stuck with me. The most I can do is quote a few tag lines...ahem.. "Et tu, Brute?"
That quote was from Julius Caesar, written in 1599. It is from this play that I found today's post's name. Today, March 15, is known as the Ides of March; the day Julius Caesar was killed.

Now since I teach 1st grade you may be wondering why I even mention Caesar in this post. Why not leave the Ides of March for high school students and English literature buffs?

Because my friends, today Clifton Hills was visited by Caesar.....er.....DeCesare. April DeCesare to be precise.

A spokesperson for the Smart School Training & Research facility, she came to professionally develop the faculty here at the Hills. She was also a guest speaker at a Hamilton County professional development around 4 years ago. I liked her presentation then, and I was happy for the refresher course today. Although I do wish she had been a little more eloquent in her presentation. I can just see it now...

Friends, teachers, administrators, lend me your ears!

I come to bury boring literacy centers, not to praise them.

The non-research based activities do not fill students,

 they leave a hollowness in their bones.

Enter research based Smart Centers!

Now that kind of presentation is one I can get behind! Ah well, I guess we can't have everything we ask for. If you would like to see a sample of what we teachers got to experience today, check out {THIS} website. Or you can begin by watching the introductory video below.

But this post can't be all about Smart Centers, Writing Portfolios and Smart Kits. You want to see what my students were up to today!

While I was being developed professionally, my students were creating a chart with the substitute about Johnny Appleseed. They listed things that were true and things that were not true about this American Hero. 

I found {THIS} website on Johnny. I like how his occupation was listed as 'folk hero'.

In math we worked on Fact Families. I drew a random child out of the random child bag (a baggie with students' names in it) and found a student who would be brave enough to 'teach' everyone a mini math lesson about finding math facts.

Notice the Math Magic! It's amazing what Promethean boards can do! You can watch the video {HERE} or watch it below.

Great job, Soldier!

Literacy center pictures:

 Spelling texters

 Word Wall

Vocabulary/ ABC order

Our Daily Brain

Mini Math Lesson- Algebra!

That's right... Algebra.
The same subject I didn't touch until 7th grade, the subject that made me want to pull my hair out, the subject that insisted that I turn a letter into a number... that subject is what we tackled, and conquered, in class yesterday.
In particular, we tackled the Associative Property of Addition.

 It all started with the Doubles +1 addition math strategy. 
*Remember- a Doubles fact is two numbers, that are the same, added together. For example 1+1, or 5+5.*
To introduce the lesson, students had to find the closest doubles fact that would get close to 15 without going over. First we looked at the number chart.

We found that 14 is the closest Doubles fact we could find that wouldn't go over 15. So, we had to think What is 14's doubles fact? That's right! 7+7=14!

Then we added 1 more to get to 15 and make the Doubles +1 fact!

So, was that about as clear as mud? Yep, it was for us too.

The good news is that the Doubles +1 strategy is just a strategy for showing students that numbers can be broken into smaller numbers.

So, instead of this introduction, I introduced the lesson this way:

Me: I don't like big numbers. They are mean and look at me funny. I'm going to break apart some big numbers, that way I'll never have to look at them again!
Student: How can numbers look at you mean?
Me: They make things hard and make my brain hurt. I can't handle it, so I've got to chop them down to size! (evil laughter)

Me: I'm going to chop the number 15 into a doubles fact since I know my doubles facts. What doubles fact is the closest without going over?
Student: 7+7
Me: How do you know?
Student: Because it equals 14 and 14 is smaller than 15. 


Me: Do you know what you just did?
Student: Um... no?
Me: You just did... Algebra!

Student: What's algebra?
Me: You're saying it wrong. It's not algebra, it's.... Algebra. Say it like it's magic, and with the hand motions.
Student (placating Mrs. Delk): What is Algebra?
Me: It's an insanely difficult form of math that I didn't touch until 7th grade.
Student: But I did it and I'm not in 7th grade.
(Class nods in agreement)
Me: That's why I'm so excited! My class is so advanced!

Me: Before we go on, I have to introduce you to a mathematical invention called Parenthesis.
Different student: What's parenthesis?
Me: It's when you lock numbers up and they can't come out until they learn how to work together!

 

Me: Whatever numbers are in parenthesis, those numbers have to do their job first. Check this out.

 Me: It's called the Associative Property because the numbers have to work like associates, they work together! So, we lock the doubles fact together, solve, then we take the answer and add it to the other number outside of the parenthesis! TA-DA!

Student: That's algebra?

Me: No dear, that's... Algebra! (with proper hand motions and inflection)

Me: And, check this out!

Me: It works with the other numbers too! You can lock the other numbers in parenthesis, solve, them add the answer to the remaining number, and you STILL get the same answer! It's number magic!

Students cheer in glee!
Student: Mrs. Delk, my brother is in Algebra class in school. He does this all the time!
Me: This means you can help him with his homework!

We practiced a few more times and it was a hoot. We practiced splitting big numbers into smaller numbers and we tested our Associative Property  of Addition.
*Basically, when dealing with addition, it doesn't matter the order in which you add the numbers, it will come out the same answer.*

So, how to we break apart numbers? By doing a little thing called Factoring. We break apart numbers by finding the different factors (numbers) that make the whole number.

Here are 2 of my soldiers finding the Factors of the number 13. They were promised Cub Cash if they could keep factoring numbers until they reached the lowest number they could go.

Hooray! Now we know we never have to deal with mean big numbers ever again!