Elementary Math Education Articles for Teachers

In mathematics, the probability of something happening has a numerical value assigned to it, usually expressed in ratio or percentage form. This concept can be confusing. Luckily, a pair of dice is all you need to introduce and explore the concept of probability with your class. For many years, I...

It’s never too early to foster a love of math. What better way to learn than with something students have used themselves–money! Learning the money system offers children many opportunities for hands-on, interactive lessons. Helping Learners Buy In Part of the challenge in teaching our monetary...

Playing with figures and computations allows students to develop math skills in a safe and supportive environment. Over the years, I have found one of the most effective ways to overcome math fears is through play and exploration. Math-focused games, trivia, literature, and media resources are al...

Part of enjoying and sharing the holiday season with others comes in the form of tasty treats and delectable dishes. Cooking and working with recipes gives students the chance to connect to content and apply skills; while keeping with the spirit of the holidays. Through cooking, students use math...

The air is crisp, and the leaves are turning; as the weather gets cooler, food-lovers begin dreaming of their favorite holiday dishes. One of my favorite things about being a teacher is learning about each student’s unique family traditions, especially during the holidays. I love hearing about th...

The Thanksgiving holiday is over, but you still have that enthusiasm in your classroom to tap into. Here is a way to let your students share their thoughts and experiences with this theme, while incorporating some math skills. Being Thankful While there are many ways to have students shar...

It's a Thursday morning, and your kids are coming back from recess. You have the day's math lesson all planned out and ready to go. Not long after you begin the lesson, you realize it's not going well, because you are spending more time trying to keep students on task than teaching. So, you tur...

When I was a child, math was my least favorite subject. Hate is not nearly a strong enough word to describe how much I disliked the topic. However, as I got older, I began to realize that math was one of the most useful subjects I had learned in school. As an adult I use it to determine my monthl...

As adults, everything we buy, or want to purchase, has a price tag. Some of us are smart with money, and some of us are less responsible. As teachers, it is important to teach students the value of money and how to be responsible with it. It is also important to show them the consequences of bein...

While eating out with her family one night, 3-year-old Morgan glances up at the light fixture above the table and repeats a rhyme she learned in preschool:  “I’m Timmy Triangle, look at me!  Count my sides:  One, two three.” She suddenly notices that other tables have light fixtures with differen...

Teachable moments come in many forms, and can happen in many places. In fact, some of the best teachable moments happen when students are out in the "real world" with their families. Encouraging parents to allow their children to utilize their math skills in the real world is a very effective, an...

Quite often, when math students hear the phrase "word problems" all sorts of negative thoughts enter their heads, then a blank stare appears on their faces as they look at the problem on the paper. I've seen many students who were terrific at math shut down when faced with a word problem that req...

The longer I teach math, the more I realize the importance of encouraging my students to use "Mental Math" when it comes to the calculation of basic computations. The use of pencil and paper is quite often unnecessary, and can lead to confusion and the making of careless mistakes. When students...

  Five minutes after giving the math assignment, Maria raises her hand to show she’s finished.  Other students will need a lot more time (and often some help from the teacher) in order to complete the assignment. What will Maria do?  Best practice dictates that if she’s mastered the current set ...

When introducing area, I give my students a concrete example to help them understand this topic. I tell students that a way to visualize area is to take a look at the carpet that covers the floor in the classroom. Area ia a method for describing this entire space. I use the rectangle as one of th...