Melissa Egan

Accompanies McGraw-Hill My Math Grade 4 Chapter 5 Lesson 3. This is a more student-friendly version of the "Talk About It" portion of the book, with grids next to the problems. With these grids, students can use area models to get a better conceptual understanding of the distributive property.

In this multi-step, Valentine's Day themed problem, students will use two- and one-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division as well as problem solving and critical thinking skills. Whole numbers only. Answer key included. Works great as an extension activity for above-level third or on-level fourth graders. I gave the problem to students to work on in groups, which encouraged math discourse.

Students make their own quiz questions to give to a classmate to take. This activity is more cognitively demanding than it might seem--students have to create problems that fit the requirements (no regrouping, regrouping, and word problems) and also solve all of their own problems to make an answer key (on a separate sheet of paper) to check their classmate's work. Disagreements are a great opportunity to encourage math discourse.