Teaching Math Conceptually
645 Followers
Ontario, Canada
About the store
I have been teaching for 27 years, including a 4 year assignment as a Math Coach working with teachers and students in Kindergarten to grade 8 across our district. I am currently a special education resource teacher, helping teachers support their students with learning disabilities.
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Decimals and Percent - Grade 5/6 Unit Plans (Ontario Curriculum)
The Ontario Curriculum tells us we need to have students compare and order decimals and percents using tools and drawings. What does this mean? This unit provides you with everything you need to teach decimals and percents conceptually, using a decimal grid sheet to represent these numbers. NO PREP NEEDED! Included in this unit are google slideshow lessons (easily converted to powerpoint), daily work, a check in quiz and a final assessment. Questions similar to past provincial assessments
4th - 7th
Math, Math Test Prep, Mental Math
Decimals and Percent - Grade 6 - Ontario Curriculum
The Ontario Curriculum tells us we need to have students compare and order decimals and percents using tools and drawings. What does this mean? This unit provides you with everything you need to teach decimals and percents conceptually, using a decimal grid sheet to represent these numbers. NO PREP NEEDED! Included in this unit are google slideshow lessons (easily converted to powerpoint), daily work, a check in quiz and a final assessment. Questions modelled after past provincial tests ar
4th - 6th
Math, Math Test Prep, Mental Math
Division (Area Model and Algorithm) - Complete Unit - Ontario - Grade 4/5
Why do so many students struggle with division, and how can we help them develop a deep conceptual understanding of this topic? How do we teach kids the area model of division? How does this connect to the algorithm? This unit focuses on developing a deep conceptual understanding of what division is, how we model it, and how we can efficiently and quickly use an algorithm to solve questions. It teaches kids to think, problem solve, reason and visualize in order to understand division across m
4th - 5th
Basic Operations, Mental Math, Other (Math)
CCSS
4.NBT.B.6
, 5.NBT.B.6
Multiplication - Complete Unit - Ontario grade 4/5
A complete unit (google slide show lessons, worksheets, check in quizzes, final assessment, with answers!) that addresses the multiplication expectations from the Ontario curriculum. This unit uses models (i.e., number line, area model/array, equal groups) to illustrate multiplication and the properties of operations (i.e., identity property, commutative property and the distributive property). It visually illustrates mental math strategies to develop flexibility in multiplicative thinking. I
4th - 5th
Basic Operations, Mental Math, Other (Math)
CCSS
4.NBT.B.5
, 5.NBT.B.5
Division - Complete Unit - Grade 4 Ontario
Why do so many students struggle with division, and how can we help them develop a deep conceptual understanding of this topic? How do we teach kids the area model of division? This unit focuses on developing a deep conceptual understanding of what division is, how we model it, and how we can efficiently and quickly solve questions. It teaches kids to think, problem solve, reason and visualize in order to understand division across multiple contexts. It shows them how to express a remainder a
4th - 5th
Basic Operations, Mental Math
Multiplication - Complete Unit - Grade 4 Ontario
A complete unit (google slide show lessons, worksheets, check in quizzes, final assessment, with answers!) that addresses the multiplication expectations from the Ontario curriculum. This unit uses models (i.e., number line, area model/array, equal groups) to illustrate multiplication and the properties of operations (i.e., identity property, commutative property and the distributive property). It visually illustrates mental math strategies to develop flexibility in multiplicative thinking.
4th - 5th
Basic Operations, Mental Math, Other (Math)
Multiplication - Complete Unit - Grade 5 Ontario
A complete unit (google slide show lessons, worksheets, check in quizzes, final assessment, with answers!) that addresses the multiplication expectations from the Ontario curriculum. This unit uses models (i.e., number line, area model/array, equal groups) to illustrate multiplication and the properties of operations (i.e., identity property, commutative property and the distributive property). It shows how the area model connects to the algorithm so that the procedure is not something studen
4th - 6th
Basic Operations, Mental Math
CCSS
4.NBT.B.5
Divisibility Rules - Lessons and Work (Gr. 6 Ontario)
Two google slide show lessons and student work to investigate the divisibility rules, and why they work - no prep needed! Just print and go! Have you ever wondered why you can tell a number is divisible by 3 by adding the digits of the number and dividing that by 3? Knowing WHY things work in math helps students remember the rules. These two lessons focus on noticing patterns through an investigation, discovering why the rules work, and seeing how the rules can help us to find prime and com
5th - 7th
Mental Math, Other (Math)
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About the store
Experience
I have been teaching for 27 years, including a 4 year assignment as a Math Coach working with teachers and students in Kindergarten to grade 8 across our district. I am currently a special education resource teacher, helping teachers support their students with learning disabilities.
Teaching style
My goal when working with students is to help them develop a deep conceptual understanding of math concepts based on reasoning, problem solving and real life experiences.
For early primary students, this means understanding that counting is much more than saying the numbers, and operational sense is much more than being able to fill out worksheets.
For junior and intermediate students, this means providing them with a program that includes all of the components of a successful math program: a focus on conceptual understanding, problem solving, manipulatives, mental math, small groups instruction, large group consolidation, partner work, math games, differentiation (low floor, high ceiling tasks), mathematical modelling, ongoing formative assessment and independent practice.
For these reasons, the materials in my store provide both the math theory and research, and activities that promote curiosity, engagement, problem solving, reasoning, growth mindset and a deep conceptual understanding.
Please reach out if you have any questions! I hope to slowly build my store with the materials I have developed over my years supporting teachers. Check back soon!
Awards & shining teacher moments
In 2018, I was asked to speak at the 'Teaching Math Through Problem Solving 2' Conference in Toronto, Ontario: https://event-wizard.com/teachingmaththroughroblemsolving2018/0/welcome/
Here is a link to my speaker page!
https://sites.google.com/view/otffeomath/session-facilitators/chris-smith
What an amazing time, connecting with like-minded educators from across Ontario!
My own education history
Growing up I HATED math. It was a ridiculous subject that simply required you to memorize formulas and plug numbers in. It was dry. It was boring. It was a waste of time.
That all changed 20 years ago when I picked up a book by John A Van De Walle entitled 'Elementary and Middle School Mathematics - Teaching Developmentally'. This book changed my life, and opened the doors to conceptual understanding in math. Suddenly, math was beautiful. It was everywhere. And it explained the world around me. Over the years I have seen the dramatic difference that teaching conceptually can make in the life of a child, and this has inspired me to share this love through being a Math Coach in my district, and now here, in this forum.
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