More on Model Drawing! Addition/Subtraction

Helping your children tackle word problems can be a challenge.  Watch this short video to see how one teacher helps break word problems down to create a model.  This model helps students visualize and understand what process to utilize to solve the problem.

MODEL DRAWING STEP BY STEP

"Alicia had $6 more than Bobby.  If Bobby has $10, 

how much did they have altogether?"  

Student Interactivities

Have you logged on to the Think Central website and found the Student Interactivities?  Student Interactivities are short video tutorials for your child.  They are fun, interactive and motivating!  Be sure to bookmark the THINK CENTRAL log in page, and log in to check this great resource out.

THINK CENTRAL LOG IN

Every Day Counts!

Every Day Counts Calendar Math provides our elementary students focus and practice with key mathematical concepts.  It is the recursive review portion of our balanced math program and goes hand in hand with Math In Focus.  Students have practice with time, money, geometry, pattern, estimation, algebraic thinking and problem solving.  Calendar time is a quick 10 minute portion of our elementary student's day, but extremely important to build that firm foundation in number sense.

FIRST GRADE VIDEO OF EVERY DAY COUNTS - OCTOBER

FOURTH GRADE VIDEO OF EVERY DAY COUNTS

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EVERY DAY COUNTS

Bar Modeling on an iPad?

Do you have an iPad?  Are you interested in helping your child visualize complex math word problems with bar models?  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has developed a special app to help our children practice this problem solving method.  It is appropriate for grades two through five.  Check it out!

Bar Model App for iPad

Bar Modeling - Pictorial Understanding

Our wonderful trainer, Shelly, shared this article about bar modeling.  Developing successful problem solving skills is a key part of mathematical learning.  With this approach, students gain necessary skills for more complicated word problems as they continue through elementary school, as well as good number sense and the ability to solve complex problems.  This puts them on a solid path to algebra and higher-level mathematics. Thanks Shelly!

SINGAPORE MATH:  A VISUAL APPROACH TO WORD PROBLEMS - Model Drawing

Model Drawing - Multiplication Comparison Problems

“Sue has 12 coins.  Abe has 5 times as many coins.  How many coins does Abe have?”

Here is a video of a teacher introducing the model drawing concept to fourth grade students using multiplication comparison problems.  I love to see how excited the students get when the lightbulb goes on and they understand how to get the answer!  Notice how the teacher asks students to share their thinking, their strategy…  Also, notice how the teacher emphasizes place value as students are sharing their strategies and the class is talking.  We want to teach the most efficient methods with students, while honoring the multiple strategies children utilize.

Model Drawing Part Two - VIDEO

Introduction to Model Drawing

At our parent night last week, we practiced the strategy of using model drawing to help solve word problems.  Here is a video of a teacher introducing model drawing to a class of children.  This is a fourth grade classroom, and model drawing is a new concept to them.  The class is working through a subtraction word problem that a student created.  This is a good introduction to the process of model drawing.

VIDEO - MODEL DRAWING WITH 4TH GRADERS