Talking Math with One Basic Teacher

Math games are the best! Many excellent math center activities practice addition and subtraction. They are great because students love playing math games, and it gets them talking to each other about math in a fun way. In this episode, I will share with you four math center activities that you can use to practice addition and subtraction. Blog:Latest EpisodeGuided MathFREE Math Workshop WorkbookTPT Store:One Basic TeacherYouTube Channel:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

It’s that time of year when I teach my students to add and subtract. It can be a fun time (there are so many great ideas out there to use)! One of my favorite parts of teaching addition and subtraction is Number Talks. There are many great activities that get kids warming up their brains and getting ready to solve problems. Number Talks are like a puzzle for students to solve, and they get to talk about how they solved them, which is a bonus! Any time they share how they solved a problem makes them happy!So, in this episode, I will share with you three fun ways to use number talks in your math workshop! So let’s get started!Blog:Latest EpisodeGuided MathFREE Math Workshop WorkbookTPT Store:One Basic TeacherYouTube Channel:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

Math Games are a great way to engage your students in meaningful math activities and are so fun! They are great because students love playing math games, and it gets them talking to each other about math in a fun way. However, on the prep side of things, coming up with games to do for any unit can be a pain.So, in today’s post, I will share with you three math center games that you can use with almost any unit and that your students will love. Also, they are very low prep!Blog:Latest EpisodeGuided MathFREE Math Workshop WorkbookTPT Store:One Basic TeacherYouTube Channel:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

Guided math groups are fun! You get to work with students in small groups and see their thinking in a small group. It's easier to understand if a student understands the math skill you are teaching. It can tell you so much about them as a mathematician. Guided math is focused on teaching in small groups that make it possible to provide appropriate instruction. Meaning:  Small group instruction = differentiationYou can address individual students' needs, keep them engaged, understand their strengths and struggles, and use that to build their confidence in math!In guided math instruction, students share their strategies, explore a math skill, and talk with each other (meaning, you are not talking, they are). So, in this episode, I will share with you what guided math is and three ideas that work efficiently so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Blog:Latest EpisodeGuided MathFREE Math Workshop WorkbookTPT Store:One Basic TeacherYouTube Channel:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

When I first started teaching my math block, I have to say that most of my block was whole group with a bit of time for my students to practice at the end of the block. We would practice the same skill over and over and over. There wasn’t a lot of time to enrich students or remediate either. Then I moved to the Math Workshop Model and had problems keeping my focus lesson short to get to my math stations. It was a hot mess!Then I started focusing on my time and how I could reduce my whole group lesson to just 15 minutes. It took a lot of time to figure out, but I can now keep my lessons to about 15 minutes. So in this episode, I will share how to get your whole group lesson down to 15 minutes or less.Blog:Latest EpisodeGuided MathFREE Math Workshop WorkbookTPT Store:One Basic TeacherYouTube Channel:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

My favorite part of the math workshop is the Number Sense routines. I start them every day in my classroom. I love listening to my students think about the problem presented to them and make it into a math problem. This is where I will get them to raise their hand because they want to share what they discovered. So, in today’s episode, I will share with you what number sense routines are and how you can use them in your classroom in just 5 minutes a day. Blog:Latest EpisodeGuided MathFREE Math Workshop WorkbookTPT Store:One Basic TeacherYouTube Channel:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

Before starting your Math Workshop, you need to establish a math community in your classroom. Most students aren’t going to share their thoughts on how they solved a problem or ask for help. They need to feel safe and comfortable enough to advocate for themselves. There will be a few students who will ask for help, but most will not.You will need to establish a math community that supports a caring community and a growth mindset model. So in this episode, I will share with you how to establish a Math Workshop community in 3 easy steps.Blog:Latest EpisodeGuided MathFREE Math Workshop WorkbookTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

Math is my favorite subject to teach! I am a first-grade teacher, so that isn’t usually the norm. I love working with numbers, and Math Workshop is my favorite. It’s not like I start on day one with my five parts of math workshop, and BOOM- they are up and running. No, it takes time. You need to establish routines from day one and get those going and solid before you move on to the whole blowout workshop. So, in this episode, I will share with you Math Workshop routines that work and are easy to implement in your classroom!Blog:Latest EpisodeGuided MathFREE Math Workshop WorkbookTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

I will be the first to admit I didn’t always do math workshop. I used to have the traditional math block where I taught the students how to solve a problem; then, I would have the students try a sample problem with me and slowly and gradually release the responsibility. When I moved schools, the principal wanted the math workshop model to take place during our math block time. I wasn’t sold on it. If the old way worked, and math stations? That was way more work, and I was already working longer hours than my contract, and now my principal wanted to add more? Then I took a step back and thought about my math block. I thought about my students and thought about how I was reaching them. Was I getting all of my students? Or was I just teaching to the middle? I started looking into Math Workshop, and the more I wanted to try it, even in a basic form, I have to say I loved it.So in this episode, I will be sharing with you how to set up your math workshop like a pro that will be quick and easy. Blog:Latest EpisodeGuided MathFREE Math Workshop WorkbookTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

In case you haven’t guessed by now, I love Math Workshop, but I didn’t always. It seemed like a lot of work and wouldn’t really change how my students did math. Let me tell you, I was wrong. When I started looking into math workshops, I started learning that there are so many ways to do math workshops, and they can change day to day based on your needs in the classroom. The key focus of math workshop is to get your students engaged in open-ended problem solving and student choice. My students flourished in math workshops and were able to solve a problem, but they were also able to show their understanding by explaining how they got to an answer. They were also able to have problems that were accessible to them, so they weren’t too hard or too easy, but just right. So in this episode, I will share three awesome things you need to know about Math Workshop to get you thinking about how to implement it in your classroom.Blog:Latest EpisodeGuided MathFREE Math Workshop WorkbookTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

This past summer, I was scrolling on Instagram, and these Pop-It Bubble Poppers came up on my feed a lot. I was drawn to them because I’m that person who loves those packing bubbles and popping them. There’s just something relaxing about them. So, I found myself heading over to Five Below and bought a few Bubble Poppers. I started thinking about great ways to use them for math. So, I will share how Bubble Poppers help with math and 5 great ways great ways to incorporate them into your math centers.Blog:Latest EpisodeTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

Addition and subtraction are fun and easy to teach, though as a teacher, you might be wondering when you might incorporate them into your math centers. There are so many activities, and games that you can easily use that require very little prep time. And that my friend is worth its weight in gold.There are plenty of ways to teach these skills and make them interactive and fun for your students when teaching addition and subtraction. This episode will share five easy and fun math center activities for addition and subtraction that are quick and easy and involve little to no prep time.  Blog:Latest EpisodeTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

We use measurement in our everyday lives. Think about the simple task of making your dinner for the evening. You use weight and capacity to determine how many ingredients to put into the meal you are preparing. It is an essential skill that we use every day, and it is an integral unit that we need to teach our students. Measurement is also one of the most fun and engaging units in math. There are so many different hands-on activities that you can use with your students to measure objects in the classroom. So, in this episode, I will share with you four ways you can incorporate measurement in your math stations that your students will love.  Blog:Latest EpisodeTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

Number talks are the perfect warm up for any math workshop! It is a great way to get students thinking about the math unit that they are learning. Measurement is no exception! We use Measurement in everything we do. Measuring is a math skill that students will use a lot in their lives. Teaching measurement skills allows students to grasp the basics to build upon those skills later. They will use these skills for everyday cooking, organizing objects, understanding time and money! Teaching them measurement also increases their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. So in this episode I am going to share with you quick and easy number talk lessons you can use with your students that will get them thinking about measurement in a fun way!Blog:Latest EpisodeTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

It’s no secret that I love math stations during my math workshop. They are a great way to engage students by using fun games, interactive notebooks, small group instruction; you name it! It is also similar to the reading workshop that students are used to in the primary grades, so they are familiar with the stations model’s expectations and routine. So, in today’s episode, I will share five math station games that are fun and engaging that you can place in your game center that is quick and easy. The best part is that you can use them with every math unit, so you just have to teach the game once, and then you are done! You may have to review the rules when you bring the fun back again, but you won’t ever have to reteach it! That right there is worth its weight in gold!Blog:Latest EpisodeEditable Math Games:Click hereTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

Word problems are one of those terms that can strike fear in the hearts of teachers and students alike. Teachers wonder how to teach word problems focusing on those “key words” and students struggle to understand those “key words” and what they mean.  It can be a frustrating process for both teacher and student. Yet, it doesn’t have to be. I was that teacher who taught those “keywords” to look for and hoped that it stuck in the brains of my students. I knew that there had to be a better way. That was when I was introduced to numberless word problems. I am telling you right now, it was a game-changer. My students were able to understand what the word problem was asking, and had a better chance of solving the word problem. So in today’s episode, I am going to share with you how to use numberless word problems to help your students solve without having to focus on those “keywords”. In just a few steps your students will have a better understanding of how to solve a problem, and not dread trying to solve them.Blog:Latest EpisodeTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

I have many different Number Talks activities that I do with my class to get them thinking. One of my favorite out-of-the-box Number Talks activities is Notice and Wonder. So in today’s episode, I am going to share what a Notice and Wonder activity is, share how I use it during math and how you can use it in other parts of your day.Blog:Latest EpisodeTPT Store:One Basic TeacherInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

Positional words are fun and easy to teach, though as a teacher, you might be wondering when you might incorporate them into your math lessons. There are so many objectives to teach throughout the year, when can you fit in positional words? Simple answer, during your geometry unit. When I teach geometry, I also teach positional words as well. Geometry and positional words do go hand in hand. It is an important skill for kindergarteners to learn, and there are plenty of ways to teach these words and make them interactive and fun for your students. In this episode I will share with you 5 easy and fun kindergarten activities for positional words.Blog:Latest EpisodeFree Math Games:Click hereTPT Store:One Basic TeacherMath Mats for GeometryNumber Talks for GeometryScoot for GeometryInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

Geometry can be a fun unit because it requires a lot of hands-on activities which are perfect for primary grades! Teaching 2D and 3D shapes in kindergarten can be fun and engaging. Students can sort shapes by attributes, they can find shapes in the real world, identify vertices, positional words, the list goes on! I find that my students love geometry because it’s so interactive for students and they have that concrete example that makes geometry so accessible. So in this episode, I am going to share with you 5 fun and engaging shape activities for kindergarten.Blog:Latest EpisodeFree Math Games:Click hereTPT Store:One Basic TeacherMath Mats for GeometryNumber Talks for GeometryScoot for GeometryInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com

Geometry can be a fun unit because it requires a lot of hands-on activities which are perfect for primary grades! Teaching 2D and 3D shapes in kindergarten can be fun and engaging. Students can sort shapes by attributes, they can find shapes in the real world, identify vertices, positional words, the list goes on! I find that my students love geometry because it’s so interactive for students and they have that concrete example that makes geometry so accessible. However, having Number Talks with a geometry spin can be tricky. I still do number talks with my students and I focus on geometry when I am teaching this unit. So I am going to share with you ideas that you can use to incorporate your number talks lesson into your everyday geometry unit. Blog:Latest EpisodeFree Math Games:Click hereTPT Store:One Basic TeacherGeometry Number TalksInstagram:@onebasicteacherEmail:meghann@onebasicteacher.com