Mathematics is an art form. It is full of patterns and through the study of these patterns students at all ages discover and develop understandings of the many structures of mathematics. The following brief collection of patterns can be studied by students of all ages. The primary mathematician counts to finish the patterns or builds the nest pattern in the sequence. The secondary mathematician who creates a model to represent the pattern in order to predict any term of the sequence. Students need opportunities to engage with and experience a variety of patterns. One of the Habits of Mind roles is that of a pattern sniffer. (See Habits of Minds Roles Poster.) Patterns are presented in four ways. There are number patterns, dot patterns, toothpick patterns, and even letter patterns. Students can be given the patterns all at once and initially just determine the next element or the next three elements. They can then move to developing models later in the year as the related topics are addressed. For primary students, use them as they fit in with the topics being studied or use them for investigations in learning stations or centers. Students can use number charts and manipulatives as needed.

Flatland by Edwin Abbott, is a classic. Published in 1884, it is a satire on life during the Victorian era. Secondary students can read the story a few chapters at a time. It can be purchased, but it is available online. In the 18 page packet, you will find an introductory list of reading questions for students as they get into the book as well as a list of questions broken into sections that go into a little more detail. There is also a list of projects that students can complete once they have read the book. Several resources with hyperlinks are included as well.

The following collection of 10 photographs can be used as journal prompts, discussion starters, bell ringers, or for centers, small groups, or learning stations. These pictures provide opportunities for students to engage in mathematics through looking at pictures of sculpture and art in the world. Facilitation notes are provided. This resource is good for students with dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies.

The following collection of 10 photographs can be used as journal prompts, discussion starters, bell ringers, or for centers, small groups, or learning stations. These pictures provide opportunities for students to engage in mathematics through looking at pictures of mathematics in the world. Facilitation notes are provided. This resource is good for students with dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies.

The following collection of 11 photographs can be used as journal prompts, discussion starters, bell ringers, or for centers, small groups, or learning stations. These pictures provide opportunities for students to engage in mathematics through looking at pictures of numbers in arrays in the world. Facilitation notes are provided. This resource is good for students with dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies.

One Duck Stuck, by Phyllis Root, is a beloved children’s book. Not only does the story engage children it can also serve as a foundation for many mathematical investigations for primary mathematicians. Children benefit from using Five Frames and Ten Frames while learning basic number facts. Making ten is one of the key strategies young mathematicians need to experience as they are developing fluency with addition and subtraction. Students should have many opportunities to work with composing and decomposing numbers in a variety of ways. Connecting to a familiar story makes these activities more engaging for students. “How many?”, building and filing five frames and ten frames, and composing and decomposing numbers are all covered in these activities. Questions are provided that can be used during the development of the activity to determine the desired focus of the lesson. It is very important that young mathematicians understand that numbers are quantities represented by numerals, pictures, numerals, etc. Materials are listed for each of the activities. The 11 pages include both black line masters as well as color masters have been provided. Suggestions for preparing the materials have been noted as well to facilitate making classroom sets for long term use.

The activities in this 20 page packet on A Study of the Real Number system include two application probes, 2 investigations, 7 tasks to probe students deeper into their study of this topic, and several pre-assessment and writing activities that support the development of the language of mathematics. Student activity and investigation sheets are provided as well as teacher facilitation notes. Many of these activities can be extended into the Complex Number System as well.

One Duck Stuck, by Phyllis Root, is a beloved children’s book. Not only does the story engage children it can also serve as a foundation for many mathematical investigations for primary mathematicians. Using doubles is one of the foundational strategies for primary mathematicians as they are building number sense. Connecting this study to a familiar story makes these activities more engaging for students. Additional literacy connections are suggested for use with introducing the concept of doubles. Questions are provided that can be used during the development of the activity to determine the desired focus of the lesson. It is very important that young mathematicians understand that numbers are quantities represented by numerals, pictures, numerals, etc. Materials are listed for each of the activities. The 12 pages include both black line masters as well as color masters have been provided. Suggestions for preparing the materials have been noted as well to facilitate making classroom sets for long term use. This resource is good for students with Dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

Students at all levels need practice drawing geometric figures objects, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional as well as basic one-dimensional objects. This is an activity that the Art teacher can use as well to support mathematics learning. Note that these are created as individual task cards that can be cut apart and use in The Mathematician’s Notebook or a center or learning station. Or they can be used as the activity sheet with room on the right to draw and name the object. This resource is good for students with Dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

“Difficulty with fractions (including decimals and percents) is pervasive and is a major obstacle to further progress in mathematics, including algebra.” (National Math Advisory Panel, 2008.) Fractions are the earliest topic in school mathematics where educators agree that students fail and teachers struggle to instruct. This activity packet is good for students with dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies.

By the intermediate grades, students have had many experiences with both 2D and 3D geometric objects. Their studies become more sophisticated as they are describing and classifying shapes based upon their attributes. They are also working with perimeter, area, and volume. Student reasoning, discussion, writing, and argumentation should be expected to show this more sophisticated level of understanding. However, some students may still need some review on the basic geometric figures and their attributes. Geometry in the intermediate grades should be just as experiential as it was in the primary years. Students are better able to articulate their findings and justifications for their spatial reasoning investigations. These five activities offer literacy connections, opportunities for writing, extensions and adaptations for diverse learners, money connections, and suggestions for the Art teacher in supporting mathematics. The sorting mat is also given separately to print 11X17 inches. This resource is good for students with Dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

Number charts support the investigation of and discovery of many number patterns as well as serve as an aid in developing fluencies with composition and decomposition of numbers. This 38 page packet offers aids for investigations from a 10 frame, 20 frame, up to the 100 chart, 200 chart, and a 1000 chart (counting by 10s) support students as they are further developing their understandings of the base ten number system. Multiple charts per page are provided that will fit nicely into the Mathematician’s Notebook.

Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick wrote Habits of Mind in the late 90’s. Soon thereafter, Al Cuoco, E. Paul Goldenberg, and June Mark wrote Habits of Mind: An Organizing Principle for Mathematics Curriculum. In their work they described roles that students hopefully will assume as they are working with mathematics. This poster gives a visual and brief descriptive overview of some of those roles. The language is applicable for all grade levels as well as subjects beyond mathematics.

Surface area and volume are important contextual topics for secondary students. This study allows many opportunities for students to deepen their spatial reasoning skills and to build connections through geometric modeling and a variety of mathematical experiences. In Part 1, students are pre-assessed on their understanding of their prior mathematical experiences, both with geometric and algebraic reasoning. They are also asked to use analogies in anticipation of the work they are getting ready to do. In the main investigation students are required to create and write about their strategy while kinesthetically building a 3D shape and then drawing the net. Differentiation strategies are provided. Graphic organizers are provided to support students building connections to prior learning. Extensions tasks to think deeper about as well as application probes are also included. This resource is good for students with Dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

NCTM describes “representation” as referring to both a process and a product. So mathematical representations include all the different ways that students depict their thinking as well as the processes they use to put their thinking into those forms. Representations have often been taught as an end in and of themselves, most as essential elements in supporting students’ understanding. When students gain access to mathematical representations and the ideas they express they acquire a set of tools that significantly expand their capacity to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomena. This activity takes common fractions and represents them through a concrete manipulative, a verbal symbol, a fraction model, a number line representation, and a symbolic representation. There is also a contextual problem for the students to work through. There are 5 sets of cards, each with 6 representations with facilitation notes. This resource is good for students with Dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

Primary mathematicians first model “put together” and “take apart” situations using concrete objects, drawings, etc. These concepts are then expanded to composing and decomposing numbers additively. A connection to students’ prior work with building sets is important as students are developing fluencies with their addition and subtractions facts. Children need many opportunities to experience these situations. Incorporating seasonal manipulatives allow children to practice these mathematical ideas in a contextual setting. To effectively facilitate these activities, be sure to cover the common addition and subtraction situations found in Table 1, CCSSM, page 88. Color masters are provided for both activities, the seasonal objects as well as the counters. Hyperlinks are also provided for manipulatives when applicable. This resource is useful for students with Dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

Number charts support the investigation of and discovery of many number patterns as well as serve as an aid in developing fluencies with composition and decomposition of numbers. This 32 page packet offers aids for investigations from a 100 chart, 200 chart, up to a 1000 chart (counting by 10s) support students as they are further developing their understandings of the base ten number system. Multiple charts per page are provided that will fit nicely into the Mathematician’s Notebook.

The following collection of 11 photographs can be used as journal prompts, discussion starters, bell ringers, or for centers, small groups, or learning stations. These pictures provide opportunities for students to engage in mathematics through looking at pictures of architecture in the world. Facilitation notes are provided. This resource is good for students with dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott, is a classic. Published in 1884, it is a satire on life during the Victorian era. Secondary students can read the story a few chapters at a time. It can be purchased, but it is available on line. In the 18 page packet you will find an introductory list of reading questions for students as they get into the book as well as a list of questions broken into sections that go into a little more detail. There is also a list of projects that students can complete once they have read the book. Several resources with hyperlinks are included as well.

The following collection of 13 photographs can be used as journal prompts, discussion starters, bell ringers, or for centers, small groups, or learning stations. These pictures provide opportunities for students to engage in mathematics through looking at pictures of fractions, decimals, & integers in the world. Facilitation notes are provided. This resource is good for students with dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!