SamizdatMath

I know you've been holding your breaths for something to come out of the SamizdatMath laboratories, and here it is: The Fishy Addend Game! This is a "gameified" version of this activity, and I think it really rocks, for many, many reasons! a) It get players thinking "beyond the algorithm" - to fill up their tanks, they have to estimate, round off and strategize! B) It is adaptable to many levels of players: using the templates, you can make versions that are as challenging or as supported as

This is a collection of 40 different hexagonal additional puzzle cards (hence, the title above.) It includes a solution recording sheet, so your students can do them in any order they want. These would be best used for advanced first graders (who want to tackle double digit addition), 2nd graders who are practicing single and double digit addition, and assessing and remediating 3rd graders. There is also a "do it yourself" sheet where students can make up their own puzzles and share them with th

Greetings, Phrens! This is an activity that takes 1 - 2 class sessions and teaches your young students (grades 2 - 5) something that is less scary than human reproduction or racial discrimination: negative numbers! Seriously, if you aren't introducing your students to negative numbers at an early age, then you're not doing the best job you could at being a math teacher, and I'm not saying that to hurt your feelings, but because I want you to look good (and, as my hero, Vidal Sassoon said ove

Okay, you covered “odd” and “even” number with your students and they now know that all even numbers have a 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 in the ones place (they don’t “end” with those digits, because numbers don’t have a “beginning” or “end,” they have “places”) and are odd if they have the digits 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 in the ones place. All good! But let’s ramp this up a bit: your students now know one of the basic concepts of mathematics, better known as “parity,” which gives them an opportunity to conduct an i

This is a collection of 8 different "matrix addition" puzzles which use funky symbols as clues to figure out the answers. They were designed for 2nd graders, but you could use them with advanced first graders, or just throw them at some third and fourth graders to see how they react. They're sort of algebraic puzzles that you can have a lot of fun with and who doesn't like fun? What makes this really cool is that I also included a set of "blank" puzzles which your students can customize, share

10 different puzzles, from Easy Peasy to Ouch My Brain Hurts: print out the puzzles, cut out and attach to paper plates, add beans (or whatever counter you like) and set your kids loose! Develops addition and subtraction skills as they look for combinations of beans that go together to make a total between the two pans. Easy to make and store, includes instructions and solutions, as well as a recording sheet AND a "DIY" sheet so you can make more of your own. EVERYBODY NEEDS THESE IN THEIR CLA

Here's the deal: you want your students to practice addition and subtraction, and you'd like to do more than give them another cruddy worksheet, and you want EVERYONE to be challenged! You also want to be able to customize the activities so that each student gets the appropriate support and challenge, but you don't want to print ten different worksheets! Here's what I came up with: give students problems where they have to add AND subtract in the same problem. Example: What are 2 numbers that

You want to have your kids practice addition and subtraction problems, with and without re-grouping, but you’re sick of the contrived “word problems” in your textbook, or find the usual activites like “Scoot” dull and repetitive. So here’s something new: addition and subtraction puzzles that are creative, open-ended and, dare I say it, “challenging!” “One, Some or None?” is a game I learned from my graduate school professor, David Fuys, who learned it from another teacher, who invented it to g

Take a number tile from a bag: is it a moose or a squirrel? This activity is a fun and lively way for your kids to practice comparing numbers and classifying them as larger (moose) or smaller (squirrel.) The fun never stops: you can start with just placing the tile on the activity sheet in the correct column, or your students can use the moose/squirrel stamps provided to cut and paste the animal into the correct column. A third variation asks students to state how far the numbers is from the co

Addition Puzzles that Practice - Complete with SmartBoard Module! Note: this is a "zip" file that contains both a PDF and SmartBoard file: when you expand it, you will end up with two separate files, one with the PDF of "Reindeer Rescue" for you to print and use, as well as a SmartBoard "notebook" file that you can use interactively. "Reindeer Rescue" is a truly "hands on" approach to working with addition and subtraction, with links to patterns and problem solving. The basic puzzle is simple:

Here's a new version of this SmartBoard activity: the idea is to teach subtraction skills by "jumping" from one number to another number through smaller steps. Press the button and two numbers will appear in each box on the number line. Your kids can grab one of the little figures on the size and show the different "jumps" and label their size to get from one number to another, which shows their "difference" better know as the answer to a Subtraction problem! Check this out - it's free! What d

BULLSEYE! is a game that develops children's mastery of skip counting and multiplication facts while practicing estimation. This activity is fun for kids of all skill level, and challenges all students to memorize their skip counting patterns so they can make strategic choices to reach an agreed upon goal. Includes detailed instructions, suggestions for modifications, as well as 4 differentiated versions in color and b&w. Also includes 3 sports themed versions so the game. I've tested this out o