tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746027850336066537.post1241517947708456875..comments2024-03-21T03:54:48.886-04:00Comments on The Elementary Math Maniac: Beyond Pizza and Pies Book Study Part 3The Math Maniachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177173988483052908noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746027850336066537.post-29486683306594039642015-06-28T17:40:27.080-04:002015-06-28T17:40:27.080-04:00I so excited to be your newest follower! Stop by...I so excited to be your newest follower! Stop by anytime!Room 214-Ms. Wenzel's Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00087317234227787315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746027850336066537.post-55194446373450312302015-06-28T13:59:31.045-04:002015-06-28T13:59:31.045-04:00Hi Lisa. I know how you feel! When I first read ...Hi Lisa. I know how you feel! When I first read A Focus on Fractions, I realized not only was I not teaching fractions very well, but I myself did not have a good conceptual understanding of fractions. All I ever learned were procedures and I didn't have the ability to explain why they worked to my students. I was asked on a pre-test to describe 5 different ways to compare fractions and I only knew 1. I am so glad that educators have taken the time to write books and share their knowledge with the rest of us. I love hearing your enthusiasm for math and for improving your teaching practices! The Math Maniachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06177173988483052908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746027850336066537.post-89637165173710041932015-06-28T13:56:17.330-04:002015-06-28T13:56:17.330-04:00Hi Julie! Thanks for stopping by! I have been en...Hi Julie! Thanks for stopping by! I have been enjoying your book and am looking forward to reading Beyond Invert and Multiply. I like your point about counter-examples. Sometimes I get so caught up in teaching and giving examples, I forget how powerful counter examples can be. Thanks for the reminder! The Math Maniachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06177173988483052908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746027850336066537.post-63623349023419469472015-06-28T13:54:47.349-04:002015-06-28T13:54:47.349-04:00Hi Sarah,
Thanks for sharing your ideas! I thi...Hi Sarah,<br /> Thanks for sharing your ideas! I think your ideas about connecting money, decimals and fractions could benefit a lot of kids! I am glad you have had such a great teaching partner! My favorite teaching partner / mentor retired a few years ago and I miss her so much! It is amazing how co teaching can make you a better educator! The Math Maniachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06177173988483052908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746027850336066537.post-64543226914534476092015-06-27T20:48:24.558-04:002015-06-27T20:48:24.558-04:00The more I read this book, the more I feel as if I...The more I read this book, the more I feel as if I have been a horrible math teacher when it comes to fractions. I am guilty of being concerned with them knowing 1/2 is bigger than 1/3, but the author breaks it apart like the example with 1/2 the chapters and 1/3 of the chapters. If it is the same book then yes 1/2 is more but if one book has 6 chapter 1/2 is 3 and the other book has 9 chapter well that is 3 too, which now means they are the same. Wow! I am definitely changing how I teach fractions. Let's not even start the decimals, I fought all year with my 4th and 5th grade 1/2 is not 1.2 and so on. I am so glad to subscribe to your blog and find these books, because by the time I finish these 2 books and a book on math talks. My math students are not going to know what hit them! Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00511549360782493757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746027850336066537.post-77712637624577281722015-06-25T12:19:47.005-04:002015-06-25T12:19:47.005-04:00I am really enjoying reading your posts - especial...I am really enjoying reading your posts - especially all of the connections that you are making to your own experience with students! Developing deep understanding of fractions is a complex endeavor. Students need exposure to many examples and counter-examples, as well as ample opportunities to engage in discourse, constructive struggle, reflection, and revision.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17999102415240150289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4746027850336066537.post-18938492801656093062015-06-24T08:28:57.224-04:002015-06-24T08:28:57.224-04:00I love the Hershey bar activity--powerful! Just p...I love the Hershey bar activity--powerful! Just pinned it. I enjoy the perspective you are able to give from your experiences with students and fellow teachers at different grade levels. As a former fifth grade teacher, I surprisingly had many kids come in knowing procedures for "doing" math with fractions and decimals, yet they had no understanding of what a fraction/decimal represented. One of the best explorations for helping the kids understand how fractions and decimals (and percentages) were related was with a dollar and a hundred grid. My soon to retire teaching partner shared it with me. Kids understood a dollar can be made up of 4 quarters (1/4) and this was related to how the amount is written .25 (and how if you have a quarter it is 25% of a dollar). We used money and shaded the hundred grid to represent different fractions of a dollar. We also did it thinking about dimes (.10, 10%, 1/10) of a dollar. Students could later transition into the thinking of 4.5 as four wholes and a half (like four dollars and 50 cents). It seemed to really help the kids understand the relationship that exist between fractions, decimals, and percentages. We explored this each of the many years I taught fifth grade. Thanks so much for sharing this book and your thoughts! <br /><br />Smiles,<br />SarahAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07348667888099615210noreply@blogger.com