Sunday, January 22, 2012

Angles Everywhere

My 4th graders have been working on angles since the beginning of 2012.  We have classified, measured, and rotated them!  I believe my kids know about as much as there is to know about angles at this point :)  We have had a good time learning about them.

Classifying Angles 
My students drew Venn Diagrams on white paper and figured out which pattern blocks they received were classified as either Acute, Obtuse, or "Other" angles.  They used a manipulative called an Ang-leg to help classify the angles.  Ang-legs are plastic sticks that snap together.  They used a protractor to draw the circles.  Of course, I modeled how to draw a circle  with a protractor on the white board.  Students were also allowed to use the notes from their math journals.





Making New Angles by Combining Pattern Blocks
First, the students used regular sized pattern blocks and made new angles by combing the pattern blocks.  Then they measured the new angle with a protractor.  Finally, they used large pattern blocks and enlarged their new angles on chart paper.



Figuring Out that the 
3 Angles of a Triangle 
Always Equal 180 Degrees



The Large Triangle

The Finished Product
After all the work of drawing and measuring the large triangle, they then cut the angles from the triangle.  They had to figure out how to place the angles so that when placed together they created a straight line, or 180 degrees.   

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Wintry Tales

Here is a sample of my Wintry Tale story cards.  Please click on the link in my previous post to download the whole set of Wintry Tales for free.


Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Wintry Tales Word Problems - Freebies

I have created more word problems for my students similar to the ones from my post, "The Dreaded Word Problems" dated December 18, 2011. I believe the more exposure my students have to word problems the more comfortable and confident they become. My latest word problems/problem solving tales are called "Wintry Tales." There are 8 colorful story cards, a student recording sheet, student and teacher directions, and an Answer Key. I have included directions for using the "Wintry Tales" as a math center or take-to-desk folder activity. These story cards are samples taken from my new winter themed unit, "Winter Wonderland Activities." Click on this link to download the story cards: Free "Wintry Tales" Math Center / Take to Desk Folder