Additional Math Pages & Resources

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Falling for Math: Ten Frame Activities

Jumping in a pile of leaves is a fun way to spend a fall afternoon. Your students may not be jumping for joy about math lessons, but here a few ways to bring the excitement of fall into the math classroom.

Use these Excel Math Ten Frame Pumpkin cards to help your students identify and add numbers and begin to understand base ten. Or use them as flashcards. Print a set for each pair of students. Hold up a card and have students tell you the number of white or orange pumpkins. Then have them write the numbers. 

Remind them to write neatly. Place several cards on your whiteboard pen tray or tape them to a wall and let students put them in order from least to greatest white pumpkins. (Use removable tape.) Do the same with students holding the cards while another student arranges the classmates in order. Have the students mix up, and let another student put them in order. 

Mix the cards again. 

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You might also like these articles:
New to Excel Math? Preview elementary math lessons that really work for Kindergarten through Sixth Grade on our website: www.excelmath.com.

Download sample lessons from our new Common Core Teacher Editions at 

Do you have some favorite fall activities for teaching your students math concepts? Leave a comment in the box below.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Pumpkin Math: Subtraction

Your students will enjoy combining the fall season, pumpkins, cookies and pumpkin seeds with their math lessons. Today we'll look at some fun ways to incorporate pumpkins with subtraction and basic fact practice.

With Excel Math, students learn addition and subtraction plus foundational math concepts. Our unique spiraling process helps students retain those concepts over the long term. Learn more at www.excelmath.com.

Scoop out the seeds from a pumpkin and rinse them off. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and spray them with cooking spray. Sprinkle them lightly with salt. Cook at 350ยบ for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn them halfway through, if you like.

Let the seeds cool. Give each student 12-20 seeds.

Pumpkin Seed Toss
Save an empty egg carton for each pair of students. Let the students number the egg cups 1-12. Place two pumpkin seeds (or use beads or buttons) in each carton, close the lid and have one student shake the carton. The other student opens the carton and says a subtraction equation, using the numbers where the pumpkin seeds landed. Explain that they should subtract the smaller number from the larger one.
Click here to download the pattern
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What are some fun ways you teach subtraction using fall visuals? Share your ideas using the Comments box below.

New to Excel Math? Preview elementary math lessons that really work for Kindergarten through Sixth Grade on our website: www.excelmath.com.

Download sample lessons from our new Common Core Teacher Editions at http://excelmath.com/downloads/state_stds.html


Read more . . .

Monday, October 14, 2013

Pumpkin Math: Addition


Now that fall is here and school is well underway, it's a good time to bring out some pumpkins and celebrate the season. Your students will enjoy combining harvest time and fall foods with their math lessons. Today we'll look at some fun ways to incorporate pumpkins with addition and basic fact practice.

With Excel Math, students learn addition and subtraction plus foundational math concepts. Our unique spiraling process helps students retain those concepts over the long term. Learn more at www.excelmath.com.

Excel Math Pumpkin Patterns
Click here to download
Copy the Pumpkin Patterns and Base Ten Cards for your students so each child has one of each worksheet page. Have the students cut out the smaller pumpkins and the Base Ten Cards. You may want to provide envelopes for storing the pieces so they can be reused. Make sure students put their names on the envelopes. Let them take home the cards and envelopes in November with game instructions so they can continue playing with their family members and friends.

Pumpkin Muffin Word Problems
To help your students solve word problems, bring in some pumpkin muffins. Tell the following story: Emma had 4 muffins. Ethan had 7 muffins. How many muffins did they have together?

Have two students come to the front of the room and count out the number of muffins mentioned. Ask the students how they would find the total. Point out that they should begin adding with the larger number. They could then count on: Ethan has 7 muffins, Emma has 8, 9, 10, 11. Or if they remember that 7 + 3 = 10, they could group together the 10 muffins and add one more for a total of 11.

Pumpkin Base Ten Cards
Now have the students use their Base Ten Cards to solve this problem. Some students may choose the card that shows 4 pumpkins. Talk about which number would be easiest to start with. (the largest, which is 7) Ask the students how many more pumpkins they will need to be able to show the word problem with their cards. (4 more if they chose the 7 card)

Excel Math Pumpkin Base Ten Cards
Click here to download
Do a few word problems in this way, modeling them with the students and muffins and again with the Base Ten Cards. If you have time, let your students make up their own stories. Then give everyone a pumpkin muffin treat (make sure none of your students have allergies to them).

Pumpkin Hopscotch
Draw a hopscotch pattern on the floor (or create one with masking tape). Let the students number the large pumpkins 0-11 (one number per pumpkin) and cut them into square shapes to form cards. Have each student initial the back of his cards. Divide the class into pairs. Have each pair combine the cards into one pile. Let one student draw a card from the pile and say the number aloud. The partner goes to the hopscotch grid and takes a number of hops equal the value of that number card. The hopper may have to go down to the end and back (or do it more than once) to use up the value of the number card. 

After each partner has a turn drawing a card and hopping, play an addition version. Let both players draw a card and say the number aloud. One player becomes the hopper. The hopper now hops the total number of spaces equal to the value of the two cards added together. If they are unsure, have them use the Base Ten Cards to add the two numbers together before hopping. Play continues with both players drawing a card and a new player becoming the hopper.

Excel Math Pumpkin Patch Bulletin Board
Pumpkin Patch Addition Bulletin Board
Use the Pumpkin Patterns (or some of the number cards your students created) to make a pumpkin bulletin board that can be used for basic fact practice.

What are some fun ways you teach addition using fall visuals? Share your ideas using the Comments box below.

New to Excel Math? Preview elementary math lessons that really work for Kindergarten through Sixth Grade on our website: www.excelmath.com.

Download sample lessons from our new Common Core Teacher Editions at http://excelmath.com/downloads/state_stds.html

Read more . . .