Here is a quick post about another exciting Ted Talk I found! The link below will take you to a great TedTalk all about teaching math though drums and beats. I thought it was such an awesome thing to share! I encourage you all to watch it and be inspired. This guy is awesome and really inspirational! He is actually presenting this cool "A-rhythm-etic" lesson to a group of students, and you can see how they are able to stay interested and engaged in the math topic! Enjoy! Photo Source: http://www.ted.com/talks/clayton_cameron_a_rhythm_etic_the_math_behind_the_beats
Get ready for a week long fraction unit! This post is a full week of activities and arts integrated lessons that your students will love engaging in. Go from Monday with "What are fractions?" to Friday where we asses how much the students have learned! You don't have to use these all in one week, but this is a fun way for students to get excited about learning fractions! ***Note that each day contains a "Fraction Journal" section. This journal can go in the same type of math journal as I showed in a previous blog post. On one page, after each day, have the students reflect on what they learned. Have them answer the question given with at least 3 facts and one question. This question can help you as the teacher know what you may need to go over a little more the next day! I will also ask a question about the art form that they learned about that day. SO look out for the journal entries at the end of each "day"!*** Monday: |
math_attack_wks.docx | |
File Size: | 93 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Hope this lesson is fun for you and your students! Enjoy!!
Ted Talk
This Ted Talk is awesome! They have great ideas and a lot of fun! This post is all about how to incorporate dance with math, and below as you may see, are FIVE awesome ideas on how to do that. This Ted Talk, however, is full of great reasons why this is important in the math and fun ideas on how to include it in your classroom. Watch the Ted Talk before moving on! :)
Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer begin by saying "embodying the problem is memorable" and "physical energy in the classroom can be an opportunity for all ages and disciplines". I agree whole-heartedly with their views. When I get up and do an activity, a dance, sing a song, or move around I am also more inclined to remember what I learned. Some of the Spanish song and dances I learned in 8th grade still come back to me as I take an exam this semester. Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer go beyond songs and dances, and talk about embodying the problem. This is a great way to phrase this, because it makes me think about using my body and brain to solve what can be a troublesome math problem. They use dance and their bodies to solve and think about different math problems. This physical activity, as they mentioned, can be used anywhere. They focus on math (and so does this blog), but as I mentioned it can cross into Spanish and every other subject.
"what if teachers said, "Let's warm up it's time to do mathematics". This would be so exciting for students to hear!
Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer also talk about how they are "not sugar coating" math, instead they are discussing the "connection to the science of dance and art of math mathematics" . I feel like this is so perfect. They are not necessarily making math easier, because a hard problem is a hard problem, but by using elements of dance and theater students can form another level of understanding and another strategy for working through tough problems. Integrating dance into math this way, really helps the students engage in the math and have fun. They get up and move, learn about dance, and learn math at time same time. This can help them develop critical thinking as well, because as you saw in the video many of the problems were hard to follow, but using their techniques and tricks help and make it seem fun.
Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer to me, grasp and represent my idea of arts integration and math, and I hope you are inspired by this blog and by these men to integrate movement and dance into your lessons, as well as teach about the art topics.
In light of using dance in the classroom, I have collected a lot of videos of classes from YouTube doing songs and dances! They are adorable, and full of fun ideas!
Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer begin by saying "embodying the problem is memorable" and "physical energy in the classroom can be an opportunity for all ages and disciplines". I agree whole-heartedly with their views. When I get up and do an activity, a dance, sing a song, or move around I am also more inclined to remember what I learned. Some of the Spanish song and dances I learned in 8th grade still come back to me as I take an exam this semester. Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer go beyond songs and dances, and talk about embodying the problem. This is a great way to phrase this, because it makes me think about using my body and brain to solve what can be a troublesome math problem. They use dance and their bodies to solve and think about different math problems. This physical activity, as they mentioned, can be used anywhere. They focus on math (and so does this blog), but as I mentioned it can cross into Spanish and every other subject.
"what if teachers said, "Let's warm up it's time to do mathematics". This would be so exciting for students to hear!
Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer also talk about how they are "not sugar coating" math, instead they are discussing the "connection to the science of dance and art of math mathematics" . I feel like this is so perfect. They are not necessarily making math easier, because a hard problem is a hard problem, but by using elements of dance and theater students can form another level of understanding and another strategy for working through tough problems. Integrating dance into math this way, really helps the students engage in the math and have fun. They get up and move, learn about dance, and learn math at time same time. This can help them develop critical thinking as well, because as you saw in the video many of the problems were hard to follow, but using their techniques and tricks help and make it seem fun.
Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer to me, grasp and represent my idea of arts integration and math, and I hope you are inspired by this blog and by these men to integrate movement and dance into your lessons, as well as teach about the art topics.
In light of using dance in the classroom, I have collected a lot of videos of classes from YouTube doing songs and dances! They are adorable, and full of fun ideas!
Get your students up and moving!
Here are a bunch of examples of using dance in your classroom!
Geometry Review Dance!
Dance Integration with greater than or less than!
Percussive Dance and math patterns!
Geometry Song!
A Pi-namite song about Pi! This song is a blast!
2 COOL RESOURCES!
I had posted previously about these resources in the tab for 9-12 grade teachers but I wanted to share them in a blog post as well because I think they can be so helpful in the classroom!
The first is The Teaching Channel! This website has tons of ideas and videos for you to use as a resource, examples, and primary sources in your classroom! Check out this website! I used it for inspiration for blog posts and lessons because there is a math tab full of tons of math related videos!
The second link is a website FULL of drama resources! It has some amazing sources for people/teachers who are not as knowledgeable about theatrics! This website is full of drama lessons, definitions and examples, games, and strategies to help you integrate them into your classroom! It is a website I used a lot while creating this blog because it is so full of info! It is call Drama Resource, the link is below!http://dramaresource.com
Hope these links come in handy! This is a random post but I thought these were too could to not share!
Info and Integration
I don't know about you, but I love paper crafts. When I was growing up, and still to this day, it is my way of expressing myself. Whether I am creating play food out of construction paper, scrapbooking, or making a collage I am always using paper to make art! The idea of math journals combines paper crafting and art with math. Not only do the students end up with an amazing journal FULL of resources, but it is also interactive. I have been pinning ideas for math journal foldables and crafts for a while on Pinterest, so I am excited to gather some of them as well as share the resources I would use in my future classroom!
So first what does a math journal include? Well as I said before it is FULL of crafted foldables for students to use as a supplement to their learning, as a way of learning, or as a resource to refer to when studying, doing homework, or in a future class! Each page has a different resource and usually it is created using a foldable, some sort of craft, or even just colorful notes. This journal can incorporate writing as well, helping students to write their feelings about math and overcome struggles. These journals can be anything you want them to be, so have fun! Make them worth your time and your students!
Now to make these journals "Arts Integrated", is very important! As I said earlier it is important to realize that crafts and paper crafts like these journals include are a form of art. Learning about paper crafts is important to the integration success of this experience!
Some tips for integrating the arts:
-Include information on the form of glue needed to be used. What kind of glue is best for each type of paper? Take it from an avid paper crafter, the type of glue is super important! When gluing heavier things (gems, brads etc) I would use Tacky Glue. With lighter things, and definitely with the notebook paper I would stick with glue sticks to help ensure the paper doesn't get a hole in it! Then of course there is regular old Elmer's glue. This is a staple, but be sure students don't use too much! It is full of liquid and can get everywhere and form holes in paper! The last type of glue (didn't think there would be so many did'ya?) is Modge Podge, I use this a lot with collages, but it also works well if you want a shiny gloss or matte gloss on a foldable! It works the same as regular glue as well, but you can make things pretty with it as well!
-Include lessons on scissor use, and safety. This is especially important for the younger students. Here is a link to 13 ways to teach your child to use scissors! This is a very important part of paper crafting as art so definitely include this in your lesson!! ***Do not forget about your left-handed students! Here is a link on how to teach them about how to use scissors. For right-handed teachers this can be a little confusing, so use this link and the video it contains to help you, help them!***
http://www.lefthandersday.com/tour7.html
-Of course we need to talk about the paper! If you could take a field trip at this point that would be AWESOME! Go to a craft store, or a local Scrapbook store. Let the students explore the isles and begin to see beyond the construction paper they are used to! The art of scrapbooking and crafts goes way beyond just construction paper, and it will be fun for students to see all the options. Maybe even let them pick one piece each out to incorporate into their foldable! They are only about 60cents a piece, so this could be affordable and fun!
These are just three ways to incorporate the art of paper crafting in, but get creative and arts integrate your math foldable!
So first what does a math journal include? Well as I said before it is FULL of crafted foldables for students to use as a supplement to their learning, as a way of learning, or as a resource to refer to when studying, doing homework, or in a future class! Each page has a different resource and usually it is created using a foldable, some sort of craft, or even just colorful notes. This journal can incorporate writing as well, helping students to write their feelings about math and overcome struggles. These journals can be anything you want them to be, so have fun! Make them worth your time and your students!
Now to make these journals "Arts Integrated", is very important! As I said earlier it is important to realize that crafts and paper crafts like these journals include are a form of art. Learning about paper crafts is important to the integration success of this experience!
Some tips for integrating the arts:
-Include information on the form of glue needed to be used. What kind of glue is best for each type of paper? Take it from an avid paper crafter, the type of glue is super important! When gluing heavier things (gems, brads etc) I would use Tacky Glue. With lighter things, and definitely with the notebook paper I would stick with glue sticks to help ensure the paper doesn't get a hole in it! Then of course there is regular old Elmer's glue. This is a staple, but be sure students don't use too much! It is full of liquid and can get everywhere and form holes in paper! The last type of glue (didn't think there would be so many did'ya?) is Modge Podge, I use this a lot with collages, but it also works well if you want a shiny gloss or matte gloss on a foldable! It works the same as regular glue as well, but you can make things pretty with it as well!
-Include lessons on scissor use, and safety. This is especially important for the younger students. Here is a link to 13 ways to teach your child to use scissors! This is a very important part of paper crafting as art so definitely include this in your lesson!! ***Do not forget about your left-handed students! Here is a link on how to teach them about how to use scissors. For right-handed teachers this can be a little confusing, so use this link and the video it contains to help you, help them!***
http://www.lefthandersday.com/tour7.html
-Of course we need to talk about the paper! If you could take a field trip at this point that would be AWESOME! Go to a craft store, or a local Scrapbook store. Let the students explore the isles and begin to see beyond the construction paper they are used to! The art of scrapbooking and crafts goes way beyond just construction paper, and it will be fun for students to see all the options. Maybe even let them pick one piece each out to incorporate into their foldable! They are only about 60cents a piece, so this could be affordable and fun!
These are just three ways to incorporate the art of paper crafting in, but get creative and arts integrate your math foldable!
Ideas, Pictures, and Resources
These are some AWESOME foldables! This blog (link below) has tons of ideas for everything in the classroom, but especially math! My favorite is the pizza fractions!
Here's the Link!
http://www.rundesroom.com/2012/06/math-journal-sundays-fractions.html
Another great foldable idea from More Time 2 Teach! Check out the link below for more info!
http://moretime2teach.blogspot.com/2012/08/tropical-storm-isaac-welcomes-us-back.html
http://moretime2teach.blogspot.com/2012/08/tropical-storm-isaac-welcomes-us-back.html
This teaches about the shape, its features, and it is 3D! Love it!
Here's the link hootyshomeroom.blogspot.com
Great way to teach all the properties, which can be a real struggle for students! Here's the link: http://www.hoppeninjamath.com/teacherblog/?p=94
Math journals can be used with any grade level and will be an awesome addition to your classroom!
Happy journaling!
Alexa
I do not know if you guys have heard of tableau, but it is all the rage lately. In all my college classes and talking to my cousin who is a teacher, tableau is the new favorite teaching tool that is fun and really gets students to engage in a different way with the information. My cousin uses tableau to review vocab words. I used tableau in my TE 348 Children's Literature class to describe/review the different eras of literature. Tableau is something that can be used with any subject, in many ways.
But wait.. what the heck is tableau? Well that is really important to know! And knowing what tableau is, is important to having an arts integrated lesson. Therefore, each time you teach about the art of tableau in addition to the subject matter, the lesson is considered arts integration (as well as discussed the artistic points of the tableaux), however if the students have already known and used tableau and you are calling upon this skill they have already acquired then it is considered arts enhanced. Either way is awesome because tableau is awesome...
Anyways back to what tableau is. Google gives this definition, "a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history; a tableau vivant." This website, http://dramaresource.com/strategies/tableaux has even more information regarding tableau (and TONS of other drama topics). The Drama Resource websites says, "In a tableau, participants make still images with their bodies to represent a scene. A tableau can be used to quickly establish a scene that involves a large number of characters." Therefore, taking all this into account, the art of tableau is all about still images portraying emotions or actions. The students will have to work hard to take their topics, topic, or actions and put them into tableaux. It is a fun way to engage students and again have them think critically about the subjects.
Now that we have a little tableaux background, I have come up with a cute way to use tableau in the math classroom!
But wait.. what the heck is tableau? Well that is really important to know! And knowing what tableau is, is important to having an arts integrated lesson. Therefore, each time you teach about the art of tableau in addition to the subject matter, the lesson is considered arts integration (as well as discussed the artistic points of the tableaux), however if the students have already known and used tableau and you are calling upon this skill they have already acquired then it is considered arts enhanced. Either way is awesome because tableau is awesome...
Anyways back to what tableau is. Google gives this definition, "a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history; a tableau vivant." This website, http://dramaresource.com/strategies/tableaux has even more information regarding tableau (and TONS of other drama topics). The Drama Resource websites says, "In a tableau, participants make still images with their bodies to represent a scene. A tableau can be used to quickly establish a scene that involves a large number of characters." Therefore, taking all this into account, the art of tableau is all about still images portraying emotions or actions. The students will have to work hard to take their topics, topic, or actions and put them into tableaux. It is a fun way to engage students and again have them think critically about the subjects.
Now that we have a little tableaux background, I have come up with a cute way to use tableau in the math classroom!
Tableau math symbols!
(K-2nd grade or older depending on symbols!)
This picture is of my roommate, Jamie, showing us some wonderful tableau examples! She's pretty but the best tableau-er I know! Thanks Jamie!
Obviously, tableau is fun at any age. Below is a lesson to incorporate these symbols or any math symbols with tableau.
Quick steps:
(Teach students about tableaux before starting this lesson, use resources above)
1.) Make yourself a stack of notecards with the symbols from math (this could also translate to Language arts lesson with punctuation) that your students are mastering, have mastered, or just need a little help remembering on each.
2.) Put the students into groups and give them a notecard of the symbol they must use a still image with their bodies to create. Give them about 5 minutes to do this! You will most definitely hear giggles during this process, and that's good! We are making math fun!
3) Have the students share the tableau they have created. The students sitting and watching the tableau will guess what symbol this is used for.
4) Discuss with the students. What made them understand that is was the symbol they guessed? What did the students do with their bodies to help you understand what symbol they were? Where they laying on the ground or standing up? Did this affect the viewing of the tableaus? (and other questions that help students recognize the art in the math symbols tableaux).
5) Take pictures of the tableaux and hang them around the classroom with some info about the symbol! This makes the students feel special, and they will be able to remember the fun time each time they use the new resource you made!
Obviously, tableau is fun at any age. Below is a lesson to incorporate these symbols or any math symbols with tableau.
Quick steps:
(Teach students about tableaux before starting this lesson, use resources above)
1.) Make yourself a stack of notecards with the symbols from math (this could also translate to Language arts lesson with punctuation) that your students are mastering, have mastered, or just need a little help remembering on each.
2.) Put the students into groups and give them a notecard of the symbol they must use a still image with their bodies to create. Give them about 5 minutes to do this! You will most definitely hear giggles during this process, and that's good! We are making math fun!
3) Have the students share the tableau they have created. The students sitting and watching the tableau will guess what symbol this is used for.
4) Discuss with the students. What made them understand that is was the symbol they guessed? What did the students do with their bodies to help you understand what symbol they were? Where they laying on the ground or standing up? Did this affect the viewing of the tableaus? (and other questions that help students recognize the art in the math symbols tableaux).
5) Take pictures of the tableaux and hang them around the classroom with some info about the symbol! This makes the students feel special, and they will be able to remember the fun time each time they use the new resource you made!
Photo credit: http://www.pi314.net/eng/piday.php, http://www.sundriesshack.com/2011/03/14/happy-pi-day-2011/
This week contains, math students and teachers alike, favorite day of the year! A day full of pie and Pi. These activities will be aimed more towards 5th-8th grade students, but feel free to incorporate into your K-5 or 9-12 classrooms! Also, most of these activities will be fun and math orientated, and more arts enhanced (arts as a facilitator to learning, not necessarily learning about the art form). I will include arts integrated activities too! Enjoy!
Website FULL of Pi Day activities!!!
http://bestlifemistake.blogspot.com/2014/02/free-pi-day-activities.html
This blog has a TON of really fun activities to bring into your classroom on Pi day this year! She includes printables, pi jokes (which I find too funny), a pi day cootie catcher, and even a PI-naminte song! I really love how she brings a variety of different activities to her pi day. The students are moving from one activity to another. She also brings in many different learning styles and helps each student engage with the activities.
Here is the fun song for your students to sing!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLhYvn4UCaU&feature=youtu.be
This blog has a TON of really fun activities to bring into your classroom on Pi day this year! She includes printables, pi jokes (which I find too funny), a pi day cootie catcher, and even a PI-naminte song! I really love how she brings a variety of different activities to her pi day. The students are moving from one activity to another. She also brings in many different learning styles and helps each student engage with the activities.
Here is the fun song for your students to sing!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLhYvn4UCaU&feature=youtu.be
PI-kus Activity!!!
Photo Credit: http://teachingisagift.blogspot.ca/2013/03/huge-pi-day-celebration-and-freebies.html
I am so excited about this activity. It is a fun way to bring in the art and culture of Haiku poems into your math classroom! The example above is obvious for PI day, and I would try to encourage your students to use words that go along with pi (below is a word bank for some ideas). If you are not celebrating PI day, or you just want to give your students some more creative freedom feel free to give them free rain of their math textbooks. Let them pick word and focus on the syllables and sounds which are so important to the art of haiku.
Of course this wouldn't be arts integrated without some information on Haikus! So here are some links to use and fun ideas to teach haikus!
Here is a possible worksheet:
This worksheet will help students focus on the form and syllables amounts in each line!
Here is a possible worksheet:
This worksheet will help students focus on the form and syllables amounts in each line!
Worksheet Credit: http://primaryleap.co.uk/primary-resources/1757/Year+5/Literacy/Sentence+Work/Poetry+1+Haiku/#.Ux9IptyppuY
Haiku history!
Here is a link to the history of haiku which is a good way to help students understand the cultural aspect that is the Haiku poem! http://www.litkicks.com/HistoryOfHaiku#.Ux5IetyppuY
WORD BANK for Pi-Ku
Pi Diameter
Circle Circumference
Sine Cosine Tangent
Geometry Math
Unit Circle
Number
Three point one four
Radius
Pi Diameter
Circle Circumference
Sine Cosine Tangent
Geometry Math
Unit Circle
Number
Three point one four
Radius
We can't forget about the math!
Unfortunately Pi day cannot be all pie and games! We also have to make sure that the students understand how Pi affects math and especially trigonometry.
Here is a worksheet that is educational, but still fun! It gives the students great practice with using the circumference formula as well as 3.14.
Here is a worksheet that is educational, but still fun! It gives the students great practice with using the circumference formula as well as 3.14.
Have a great π day!
Hope it is full of delicious pie!
Hope it is full of delicious pie!
Author
Hi everybody!
My name is Alexa and I am a student at Michigan State University studying Elementary Education. My focus is Mathematics, with a minor in Spanish, and a Specialization in Global Education. I love math and have taken many classes here at MSU that prepare me to write this blog. I am still learning though, so as I write this blog I will share lessons and things I've learned through my years as an MSU student!
Archives
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014