Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Similes About Dividend and Divisor

Here are some examples of what my boys came up with when we were talking about divisors and dividends. The boys really got into writing these and could not wait to share with friends. I love how I could pull in some History, Science, and English while teaching the difference between a divisor and a dividend. This activity really helped the boys when they were reading division word problems to pick out the dividend and divisor.
  • The divisor is like the butcher and the dividend is like the meat because the butcher is cutting up the meat like a divisor divides the dividend. The divided is like the meat because it is being divided up.
  • A divisor and dividend are like a spectrometer and the test molecules. The spectrometer divides up the molecules for verification. (SCIENCE)
  • A divisor is like a lighter and a dividend is like a fuse because the lighter takes away from the fuse like a divisor takes away from the dividend.
  • The divisor is like a fish and the dividend is like a net. You can only put so many fish into a net.
  • A dividend is like a wooden house and a divisor is like termites because the divisor divides the dividend into pieces. Termites bite into wooden houses and tear them to pieces too.
  • A divisor is like a buzz saw cutting up wood because it splits it up. The dividend is like the wood being split up by the buzz saw because it is being cut up.
  • The divisor is like a cheese grader. It grades the dividend into small parts. The dividend is like a block of cheese. It gets graded up by the divisor, which is like a cheese grader.
  • A divisor is like an apple core. They both divide things into groups. A dividend is like a horde of fish. They both are divided into groups.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Explaining about how wording can make a difference.

We have talked about how every word problem is a little different. We have to put on our investigating hats and look for all the evidence. What is the problem asking us to solve? Are we using division, multiplication, subtraction, or addition? What would we do if we were in the situation? Then I have the boys write two sentences on why they chose the operation that they did. This helped them to evaluate their answer. Some of the boys were able to see why what they chose was wrong at first. Their answer did not make since and they reevaluated what they needed to do to solve the problem. I felt this was a great activity for the boys because they saw that even if they were wrong at first it was ok and were able to go back and get the right answer before turning in their problem.

An Example of two students comparing two word problems.

How to Solve Word Problems

We have been really digging deep this year to learn about the process of a problem and learn about every step we need to use to solve a problem. What are the parts? What do the different parts do in the problem to help solve them? These were questions that I asked the boys every day. For example, we have been talking about a divisor, dividend, and quotient in a division problem. We talked about what they mean to a division problem and wrote similes for the divisor and dividend. I will share the similes with you later.


The boys have really been able to solve and learn about word problems so much faster this year. I feel it is because we have dug so deep into what is involved in solving problems. I used to believe the only way to learn math was to do skill and drill. I now believe this is not true. Kids start taking ownership of their learning when they truly know what is going on and understand.


It was amazing what the boys where saying. I did not even tell them what the problem was about. Their assignment was to read it with their group and decided the operation. Then they were asked to write why they picked the operation that they picked.


This video shows what I am talking about.


Click Here


How To Videos

Here are two examples of the boys making their own how to videos. These videos are the results of the boys spending time writing out how to solve math problems and working on what goes into solving a problem. I let them put their own personalities into the videos. I hope you enjoy. :)

Video One

Video Two


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Making Corrections on Their Tests

Here are some examples of how I have my boys correct their tests and quizzes. They have to give me a reason on why they feel they have missed the question after reworking their problem. The boys enjoy this because it allows them to see what they need to work on for the next test.


The First Trimester -- Discribing a Problem

The boys and I have been talking about how detail in their description makes a big difference when explaining a problem. I started off having the boys solve a problem and then they explained, in their own words what they did to solve the problem. Most of the boys just wrote the steps and did not give any detail. As we continued through out the trimester the boys started putting detail and getting more exact in their explanation of the steps. One of the boys on a test question even used this to check his work and noticed he had done a step wrong. He said,"Mrs. May, this really helps." As the trimester went on I noticed boys were really thinking about the steps as they solved their problems. They even were able to explain to their classmates how to solve different problems and explain why. Some of my students that have struggled in math, stepped up and started participating in class and teaching others. The boys that have always been strong in math were noticing that they were having trouble explaining what they were doing, but enjoyed the challenge, as they called the description process.

Here are some different examples.
I feel these are great examples of how hard the boys are working.






I was wondering if any other schools are using this process to teach fractions? I would love some suggestions on how to make this even better. We are in the process of turning this activity into how to videos. The boys are going to share them with the fourth grade when they are done. I will share the videos when we have finished.