SamizdatMath

This is a set of 2 activity sheets that use a minimum amount of text so that students can engage in solving word problems without the obstacle of decoding dull sentences. The problems are tricky not because of the wording, but because a) there is "interleaving," which means that depending on the problem, the student may have to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. In addition, some of the division problems have remainders that have to be interpreted. There are 4 problems p

This is a collection of 12 different division reasoning problems that require your students to understanding through written explanations. No, it doesn't mean your students are going to explain the long division algorithm by writing about the steps they took to solve the problem. First of all, who cares? Second of all, it doesn't really show a mastery of the concept of division; it only shows they have memorized the steps in an algorithm that is totally unnecessary to memorize in an age of calcu

Did I ever tell you that I design amazing assessments? Everybody says so: they are the best assessments you've ever seen. The other assessments you've seen? They're a disaster. Sad. This is a percent assessment that is unlike any that you have ever done. First, it requires your students to use scissors! Second, there are very few "clean" numbers (that is, exact numbers) because, well, life is NEVER exact! Third, it assesses on concepts and skill AND problem solving, so your students have to in

Okay, you think this is just one big joke: "Want a Hurtz Donut?" "Sure!" "Ouch!" Promise: hand your students a calculator and this assessment and you'll find out all sorts of things about what your students DON'T know about a concept they learned in 3rd grade: Division! This is a fun and non-threatening away to assess what your students actually know about division without having them do some dumb algorithm which they'll never use for the rest of their lives (except for some assessment cre

Are you using those cruddy "mad minutes" or some computer based assessment program in order to assess whether your students have gained automaticity with their addition facts? If you are, then I guarantee that not only are you doing it wrong, but even worse, you're probably getting incorrect information about what your students know or don't know. The first thing you're doing wrong is that you're testing all the facts the same, for speed and accuracy. That is just plain wrong: not all addition

This has been very successful for me both as an assessment and an activity that students can do at centers or at home. There are 10 different story problems, and a board with 10 spots to place them: each one states the operation you would use to solve it. Your students cut out the cards, they read the problems and then tape or glue the correct problem with the operation or operations that would be used to solve it. Most are single step problems, but some require two steps. A fun thing to do in c

I can guarantee that you will teach and assess multiplication facts more efficiently after implementing the recommendations made in this packet. You're probably teaching and assessing the same way you learned when you were a kid: flash cards, mad minutes, repeat until learned. However, the way we teach and assess multiplication facts denies the fact that neuroscience has found that memorizing and recalling multiplication facts is done in the region of the brain associated with language. This