Multiplication Fun!

My kiddos love, love, love to play Multiplication War.  This is a great game to play to practice those dreaded multiplication facts!  All you need is a pack of regular playing cards per partner set.  (Any dollar store generally has playing cards.  They are usually about $1.00 per pack). 

Here's how to play:

1.  Shuffle a deck of playing cards and deal them facedown.  Each player receives the same amount of cards until the deck runs out.  
2.  Assign the picture cards, (jacks, queens, and kings), a value of 10.  Aces receive a value of either 11 or 1.
3.  Both players turn two cards face up, multiples the  numbers on the cards, and gives the product of the two cards.  For example, if one card is a 4 and the other card is a 6, then the product will be 24.  Once the answers, or products, are given, the player with the highest product receives all 4 cards.  These cards will be placed under the bottom of the winning player's pile.  (My class plays the game where if one player is unable to give the correct product, after a reasonable amount of time, the other player automatically wins the round).
4.  If both players end up with the same product, look out, its war!  Each player puts four cards facedown and turns up only 2 of them.  The player with the largest product wins the eight cards. 
5.  I set a timer for 15 minutes.  At the end of this time, both players count their cards.  The player with the most cards is declared the winner.  If one player runs out of cards before time is up, the other player automatically wins.  

Multiplication War!

A Proud Momma

Just wanted to brag a moment.  17 years ago, I was told I was having boy/girl twins.  I dreamed of one day seeing my son on the football and his sister cheering the team on.  Well, I have watched the twins for years on Friday nights and believed my dream had come true.  We are from a small GA town and even though football has always been a big draw on Friday nights, we have never dared believe we would make it to the big lights...the Georgia Dome.  This year, however, with the twins being Seniors in high school, our high school has made it to the final game at the Georgia Dome.  Our small community is beside itself with excitement and awe.  I am right in the middle of the excitement and am loving it!  Wow...I can now check off an item from my bucket list. :)  I am going to get to see my son play and my daughter cheer at the Georgia Dome.  Win or lose, it is a memory my family, along with the whole community, will always have! :)

Modeling Equivalent Fractions

Well...it has been several years since I have needed to teach equivalent fractions in 4th grade.  However, with the new Common Core Standards, equivalent fractions are back.  I am attempting to go slow with equivalent fractions since I have actually taught them throughout the years in elementary and middle school, and know how essential they are as benchmarks with other fraction standards.

We began modeling fractions by using fraction tiles.  The students created mini-posters of equivalent fractions by using fraction tiles.  I assigned my students specific fractions, such as 8/12.  They had to use the fraction tiles to problem-solve other equivalent fractions, then trace their solutions. 

Once the mini-posters were finished, our next lesson involved filling out a handout on equivalent fractions.  The fractions were created on the handout so that the fraction tiles will not work on the handout.  Students used fraction tiles to problem-solve actual equivalent fractions but, they had to convert this knowledge to the handout.  The only purpose the fraction tiles served on the handout was as a ruler to draw a straight line. :)  

This paper was used to begin allowing students to function without fraction tiles when modeling fractions.  You can find this handout, along with 94 other pages on equivalent fractions, in my TPT store by clicking on any of the 4 pictures below.