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.

Students need many experiences with estimating in their early years. Gumball Estimations offers students an opportunity to connect literacy while kinesthetically engaging in estimation experiences. A variety of suggested facilitation questions are provided as well as extensions to the main activity. Blackline masters are provided for use as needed. Note that the Gumball Estimations Mat is formatted to print on 11X17 paper to facilitate working with small hands. This resource is good for students with dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains seven suggested activities and "Creating a Fibonaci Spiral" activity to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with 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! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, can make mathematics come alive and give meaning to the student, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. See several samples of the mathematics that can be experienced by students through well-known pieces of children’s literature. Present mathematics in a way that will be more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains ten suggested activities plus "Let's Go Fishing" activity to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide students authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for large or small groups, centers, learning stations and for intervention. Five Silly Fishermen is A MUST HAVE book for all teachers and is NOT included in this download. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience, 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.

“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.

“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.

There are many uses for glyphs. They are often used for students to share information about themselves. While the glyphs are being created, students are engaged with other topics such as counting, literacy, geometric shapes, etc. They are especially popular with elementary teachers. But they do have a place in the secondary grades. A traditional snowman glyph with secondary math legend and template is included as an example of an adaptation for high school from a primary level activity. Extending the idea of “reading” a glyph and connecting it to graphing functions creates some interesting and rich tasks for students. The following set of glyph templates can be used in centers or during instruction to help develop students’ observation skills, logical reasoning and problem solving skills and as formative assessment probes. There is one set with sunglasses or a blank set of circles to create faces and hair, etc. of choice. This resource is good for children 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!

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains seven suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with 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!

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains six suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with 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!

Writing is one of the parts of language that secondary mathematicians are still developing. For some students, ESL/ELL for example, what they know about mathematics may exceed their ability to communicate it through the written word. Students learn to write by writing. Writing needs to be original thought, not just copying something that someone else wrote. Therefore, it is imperative that opportunities are provided often for students to engage in writing about mathematics. As the teacher, providing an environment that is rich in mathematical language is a priority. Students’ writing should make sense and be complete. This will develop over time for secondary mathematicians as they have more opportunities to write about their experiences. Writing About offers a collaborative opportunity for small groups of students to work individually first to write about a concept and then to come together and putting their individual work into a paragraph about the topic. A word cloud is given as a prompt for words and ideas. Facilitation notes are provided as well as student activity sheet. This is a good activity for struggling students and ESL/ELL who may need some support in writing.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains six suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with 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! Book not included.

Writing is one of the parts of language that students are developing. For some students, ESL/ELL for example, what they know about a topic may exceed their ability to communicate it through the written word. Students learn to write by writing. Writing needs to be original thought, not just copying something that someone else wrote. Therefore, it is imperative that opportunities are often provided for students to engage in writing about a variety of content. Students’ writing should make sense and be complete. Writing About offers a collaborative opportunity for small groups of students to work individually first to write about a concept and then to come together and to put their individual work into a paragraph about the topic. A word cloud of library associated words is given as a prompt for words and ideas. Facilitation notes are provided as well as student activity sheet. This is a good activity for struggling students and ESL/ELL who may need some support in writing. 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!

Writing is one of the parts of language that students are developing. For some students, ESL/ELL for example, what they know about a topic may exceed their ability to communicate it through the written word. Students learn to write by writing. Writing needs to be original thought, not just copying something that someone else wrote. Therefore it is imperative that opportunities are provided often for students to engage in writing about a variety of content. Students’ writing should make sense and be complete. Writing About offers a collaborative opportunity for small groups of students to work individually first to write about a concept and then to come together and putting their individual work into a paragraph about the topic. A word cloud of Earth's Systems associated words is given as a prompt for words and ideas. Facilitation notes are provided as well as student activity sheet. This is a good activity for struggling students and ESL/ELL who may need some support in writing. 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!

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.

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. These lessons draw from the counting and cardinality standards. Children love playing with dominoes. These two sets of dominoes offer children a chance to practice their subitizing skills as well as strengthening their sense of number. Dominoes are great for young children because they are so simple to use. 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 42 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. 36 pages of blackline and color masters 4 pages of facilitation notes, extensions, and sample questions 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!

A Month of PI: From a Piece of PI to Buffon's Needle offers secondary educators a vast array of ideas and resources for the month of March to support discussions and activities around circles and PI. Enjoy!

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, can make the mathematics being studied come alive for the student as well as have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. This is a beginning list of trade books from elementary to high school .Perfect for giving the school librarian or sharing with parents. Check out the Mathematical Literacy Using Trade Books Classroom for your particular grade band. Each eBook contains over 80 assorted activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and activities to provide students authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. Activities can be adapted for large group, small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. A MUST HAVE book for all teachers. Several activity sheets and blackline masters are included as well as tables identifying key words, topics, and suggested manipulatives.

Vocabulary is one of the foundations for developing understanding for any subject area and mathematics is no exception. For many students, words used in mathematics may not be familiar in context. Students need many opportunities to use vocabulary in their daily work. Providing additional opportunities to review vocabulary in a learning station, center, or small group will help support students who are challenged by the language of mathematics.