Search results matching tags 'math' and 'tunes'

Songs, Poems, and Place Value

Anonymous — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 21:51:00 GMT

I was visiting Sarah over at Confessions and she got me thinking about songs. I teach with tons of songs, chants, rhymes, and poems to help my kids learn about all kinds of things. I have shared several with you since I began this blog, but I wanted to share an idea that some of our teachers use. The kids keep a notebook or 3 pronged folder with any songs or poems we learn in it. We go through and we practice the songs so we truly learn and remember them! I will share more new songs that I have written soon!

So, I finally finished the place value game file that I have been working on for the last week! It's titled place value games. It has place value games for all ages in it and some of them are quite fun! I have used several of them and think they are wonderful tools for teaching place value.

Let me know what you think! I have an addition and subtraction games file coming soon, so stay tuned! Hope you all have a fabulous week!

Songs for Teaching Difficult Math Concepts

Anonymous — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:34:00 GMT

So, I know I have been horrible about posting lately! I have been going through some personal issues and therefore, blogging has been the LAST thing on my mind...

I gave our state standardized Math test today and it was a LONG, boring day! As I was walking around, I started thinking about songs. I have written several songs to teach math concepts this year and when a tune pops into my head, I just have to write it down. Here are a couple of I thought of today!

Relationships in Measurement

Tune: She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain

Kilometers and miles measure length, or distance!
Kilometers and miles measure length, or distance!
Kilometers and miles measure distance far and wide,
Kilometers and miles measure length!

Pounds and grams measure weight, or mass!
Pounds and grams measure weight, or mass!
Pounds and grams measure mass all around,
Pounds and grams measure weight!

Liters or quarts measure liquid, or capacity!
Liters or quarts measure liquid, or capacity!
Liters or quarts measure capacities of all sorts,
Liters or quarts measure liquid, or capacity!

Another song I wrote is helpful in teaching kids about the three types of lines. (Lines, line segments, and rays)

Types of Lines

Tune: If You're Happy and You Know It

A line has two arrows on the end. X X
A line has two arrows on the end. X X
A line has two arrows that keep going on forever.
A line has two arrows on the end. X X

A ray has an arrow and a point. X X
A ray has an arrow and a point. X X
A ray travels only in one direction
A ray has an arrow and a point. X X

A line segment has two end points. X X
A line segment has two end points. X X
A line segment stops, it only has two dots.
A line segment has two end points. X X

The X's mean clap.

I hope these songs are helpful. I like to put them in poweroints so the kids can easily learn the words as we sing along!

Fractions

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:32:00 GMT

I've been trying to plan a unit on fractions today and I scoured the internet looking for songs or chants to help teach my students how to remember what a fraction is, but to no avail.

So, I wrote my own song to the tune of "Three Blind Mice"

Fractions

Fractions are fun.
Fractions are fun.

Many parts of one.
Many parts of one.

The numerator's the top one.
The denominator's on bottom.

Fractions are fun.
Fractions are fun.

Do you guys know any other cute chants, songs, or ideas to help teach fractions? This tends to be a very difficult concept for children to grasp so any and all advice is welcome!

Rounding Round Up

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:01:00 GMT

I realized recently that my students have forgotten how to round since the beginning of the school year. Yay! Something else I get to go back and reteach!

I found a book called, Memory Tips for Math, by Donnalyn Yates. There is a plethora of information in here to help teach students to remember math concepts taught in class.

One idea to help students remember how to round is to draw the following picture:

A waved line resembling mountains on the board or a long piece of paper. Put 0, 10, 20, 30, etc in the valley depressions and 5, 15, 25, etc at the top of each peak. Write the numbers 1-4 up the left side of the mountain and 6-9 on the right. Use a magnet or interactive white board picture to simulate going on a trip over the mountain. Pick a number between 1-9. If the nubmer ends in 1-4, drive the car to that number, get out to look at the view and forget to put on the brake. Ask students what will happen to the car? Discuss whether it will roll up the hill to the next number or back down to the lower number. Talk about the fact that a car won't roll up a hill.

If the number ends in 6-9, repeat the process with the car and continue the discussion. This is so useful with your visual learners!

I used the Rounding Round Up song/chant to help me students remember when to round.

Another useful method for students who respond well to procedural methods is as follows:

What is 27 rounded to the nearest 10?

Underline the place value you need to round to. Circle the number to the right and ask is it larger or smaller than 5? If it's larger, round up the underlined number up one. If smaller, it stays the same and you replace the number in the ones with a 0.

You can use this method with the Rounding Round Up chant or the Rounding the Mountain picture.

Other chants and memory tricks I've seen:

1. 1 through 4, stay on the floor. 5-9 climb the vine!

2. Four or less, give it a rest. Five or above, give it a shove.

3. You tell a story about a criminal (the number to be rounded), a judge (the number that determines the rounding) andthe jury (the rest of the numbers. In order to find out whether or not the crimimal has to stay in jail he must go to the judge and ask. If the judge is a strict one (a number of 5-9)then he must stay in jail one more year. He goes up one number. Then the judge and the jury go to lunch and are replaced by zeros. If the judge is a weak one (number from 0-4) he or she says ahhh you can go and i won't make you change. Then he goes to lunch with the jury and the numbers are replaced with zeros. So in the number 457 - where 4 is the criminal, 5 is the judge and 7 is the jury. 5 is a strict judge and makes the 4 stay in jail one more year. The 4 becomes a 5 (because the judge is strict and makes hime change). Then the judge goes to lunch with the jury (the 7) and they are replaced by zeros. The number becomes 500.

4. Rounding Rap

Find that place value, circle that digit.
Number to the right, underline, get it.
Four and under, circle stays the same.
Five and up, add one is the game.
Now flex your muscles like a hero,
Digits to the right turn to zero.
All other digits stay the same,
Wow, you're a winner in the rounding game.

5. CUBA method
C- Circle the number you are rounding
U- Underline the number to the right
B- Baby or Bully? Baby (0-4) stays the same Bully (5-9) round up
A- Add zeros to all the places behind the circled number

Hope these ideas are helpful. Anyone have something else they use to teach rounding that you found helpful for your students?

Regrouping with Addition

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:07:00 GMT

Sorry, today's post isn't going to be all that wonderful. I just bought the new Super Mario Brothers Wii and I've been addicted to it all day! I can only get to the castle on level 2 before I die and have to start World 2 all over again!

So, uh...regrouping. I made up this fun little song to go along with my lesson on teaching regrouping with addition. I have put the song in a powerpoint, so you will have to pardon my singing voice.

It goes to the tune of, "If You're Happy and You Know It"

When your number's over 9, you regroup. Clap Clap
When your number's over 9, you regroup. Clap Clap
When your number's over 9, you regroup to the next line.
When your number's over 9, you regroup. Clap Clap

You can just click on the powerpoint and pull it up on your Promethean, SMART board, or projector.

If you'll excuse me, I have more Mario to attend to!

Lines, angles, and rays! Oh My!

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:08:00 GMT

We have been studying geometry in Math this week. I have been up to my eyeballs in attributes of circles, lines, line segments, rays, angles, parallel, perpendicular, you-name-it! I've really enjoyed teaching these ideas and my students have had fun learning, mainly because I have taught tons of songs and played lots of Simon Says (as an assessment tool of course!)

Here are a few songs:

This song, to the tune of (Miss Suzy Had a Steamboat) Slightly inappropriate lyrics but you know the tune, teaches about lines and angles.

A line has two arrows (arms out pointing in both directions)
It goes on and on.
A segment has two endpoints (arms out with balled fists)
A ray has only one. (one balled fist, one finger pointing)
When I make a muscle (duh, make a muscle!)
It's a right angle, too.
Look at my square corner, (point to elbow)
You can make it too!

Right! Acute! Obtuse! (Make each angle with arms)

The next song, to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin" teaches the three pairs of lines:

Perpendicular, perpendicular.
Parallel, parallel.
Intersecting line, intersecting line.
All is well, all is well.

I have my students make each pair of lines with their arms as we sing.

After we learned about kinds of lines, angles, and pairs of lines, we played Simon Says! I've learned that 3rd graders are really BAD at this game! They can make all the hand motions all right but they can never remember to stay put if I don't say Simon Says first! I can get the whole class out in one full swoop!

Other activities I wanted to do, but didn't have time to do are listed below:

1. Musical Angles: Give each student a piece of string. With music playing, students move to the music. Stop the music and call out a different angle each time. Students must pair up to make the angle. If they don't have a partner or they make the wrong angle, they are out.

2. Line Collage: Give your students pipe cleaners, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, construction paper, crayons, markers, or just whatever else you choose to make a collage with parallel, perpendicular, and intersecting lines and let em' at it!

3. Angle "Tic Tac Toe": Click on this link for an assessment of right, obtuse, and acute angles.

4. United Streaming: If you have access to this site, you can have students watch the Math's Mansion: Learn Your Lines segment or Videomath: Lines.

What other activities, songs, or chants do you use to teach this concept in your classrooms?

Lines, angles, and rays! Oh My!

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:08:00 GMT

We have been studying geometry in Math this week. I have been up to my eyeballs in attributes of circles, lines, line segments, ray, angles, parallel, perpendicular, you-name-it! I've really enjoyed teaching these ideas and so have my students! Mainly because I have taught tons of songs and played lot's of Simon Says (As an assessment tool of course!)

Here are a few songs:

This song, to the tune of (Miss Suzy Had a Steamboat) Slightly inappropriate lyrics but you know the tune, teaches about lines and angles.

A line has two arrows (arms out pointing in both directions)
It goes on and on.
A segment has two endpoints (arms out with balled fists)
A ray has only one. (one balled fist, one finger pointing)
When I make a muscle (duh, make a muscle!)
It's a right angle, too.
Look at my square corner, (point to elbow)
You can make it too!

Right! Acute! Obtuse! (Make each angle with arms)

The next song, to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin" teaches the three pairs of lines:

Perpendicular, perpendicular.
Parallel, parallel.
Intersecting line, intersecting line.
All is well, all is well.

I have my students make each pair of lines with their arms as we sing.

After we learned about kinds of lines, angles, and pairs of lines, we played Simon Says! I've learned that 3rd graders are really BAD at this game! They can make all the hand motions all right but they can never remember to stay put if I don't say Simon Says first! I can get the whole class out in one full swoop!

Other activities I wanted to do, but didn't have time to do are listed below:

1. Musical Angles: Give each student a piece of string. With music playing, students move to the music. Stop the music and call out a different angle each time. Students must pair up to make the angle. If they don't have a partner or they make the wrong angle, they are out.

2. Line Collage: Give your students pipe cleaners, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, construction paper, crayons, markers, or just whatever else you choose to make a collage with parallel, perpendicular, and intersecting lines and let em' at it!

3. Angle "Tic Tac Toe": Click on this link for an assessment of right, obtuse, and acute angles.

4. United Streaming: If you have access to this site, you can have students watch the Math's Mansion: Learn Your Lines segment or Videomath: Lines.

What other activities, songs, or chants do you use to teach this concept in your classrooms?