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| Math Games With Jane and Joanne |
T-Ball Multiplication
LEVELS
Grades 4 and upSKILLS
- multiplying a two-digit number by a one-digit number
PLAYERS
- 2
EQUIPMENT
- playing cards Ace (=1) through 9
- paper and pencil
GETTING STARTED
The object of this game is to make the largest possible product.
Each player draws three cards from the deck. Players arrange their cards to make a 2-digit number and a 1-digit number. They multiply the two numbers to reveal their product.
- Example
- Player 1 draws the cards 6, 8, and 2. She can create several math problems, including 82 x 6 and 62 x 8. She chooses 62 x 8 because those two numbers result in the largest product (496).
- Player 2 draws the cards 4, 7, and 5. She can create several math problems, including 75 x 4 and 74 x 5. She chooses 74 x 5 because those two numbers result in the largest product (370).
Players take three more cards each and continue playing until one player scores 15 points to win.
VARIATION
Take 4 or 6 cards to create 2- or 3-digit multiplication problems.
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Joanne Currah and Jane Felling have created two best-selling math game books -- Shuffling Into Math
(for teachers of grades K-3) and All Hands on Deck (grades 1-9). Each book includes simple instructions
for more than 100 math games that help children discover math concepts and reinforce math skills. Education
World is pleased to present a selection of those activities in this series.
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Joanne Currah and Jane Felling
created their company, BOX CARS & ONE-EYED JACKS, for the sole purpose of making math fun -- not threatening
or frustrating -- for children. Joanne and Jane spend many days each year on the road as they train
teachers to make math fun for kids and run Family Math Nights at schools. To learn more about the authors,
their books, and the services they provide, visit them at Education World®
Copyright © 2006 Education World
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Web Research Helps Students Choose Classroom Pets
Dr. Matthew Lynch
During word study instruction, students engage in challenging and motivational activities instead of simply memorizing a set of words. In order to become literate, students need hands-on practice with dissecting and rearranging word elements in a manner that permits them to generalize learning from remote, individual examples to entire clusters of words that are spelled the same way. In itself, word study is not a panacea, as there are exceptions to every rule. Students can, however, learn invaluable strategies that teach them how to read, write and spell words.
Word study also teaches students how to examine words so they can construct a deep understanding of how written words function.
Even though many educators and parents are totally against abandoning weekly spelling tests, it is my professional opinion that alternative methods of spelling instruction, such as word study, are more viable. If you are an educator who is still giving traditional spelling tests, I strongly urge you to give word study a try -- not because I said so, but because it will provide your students with balanced literacy instruction and exponentially increase their ability to read, write and spell.
About Dr. Lynch
Dr. Matthew Lynch is a Chair and Associate Professor of Education at Langston University and a blogger for the Huffington Post. Dr. Lynch also is the author of the newly released book It’s Time for a Change: School Reform for the Next Decade and A Guide to Effective School Leadership Theories. Please visit his Web site for more information.
If you have a question for “Ask Dr. Lynch,” submit it here. Topics can be anything education-related, from classroom management to differentiated instruction.
Screenshot of artwork by Ryan Vogler
Alex Murphy sits behind a desk, fondly remembering his crime-busting heyday. His infamous helmet, the dark visor that covered his piercing eyes, is nowhere in sight. With street crime extinguished, Murphy has pursued his passion for teaching health, physical fitness and advanced robotics engineering. He sees working with students as his next chance to change the world for the better.
Unfortunately, peer bullying is a big problem at Mr. Murphy’s school. Many kids face violent neighborhoods, unstable home environments, and a lack of role models for positive behavior. This leads them to act out by bullying other students.
As a crime-fighting cyborg, RoboCop’s “Prime Directives” were to: (1) serve the public trust, (2) protect the innocent and (3) uphold the law. In his new life as an educator, the ingenious Mr. Murphy has applied these directives to school-wide bullying prevention. The Prime School-Wide Directives, as they relate to bullying, have significantly improved student behavior. They include:
1. Serve the public trust
In RoboCop, citizens of crime-ridden 1980s Detroit came to feel as though law enforcement “had their back,” and Mr. Murphy recognizes that it’s equally important for students to believe that adults will protect them at school. He has ensured that all staff take seriously student reports of bullying. In addition, he has convinced school administrators that when a bullying situation arises, a concrete safety plan needs to be put in place for the targeted student. Since his state’s laws also require that parents of the targeted student be invited to school for a meeting, Mr. Murphy makes sure to sit in on these meetings and gather parent input on how to best ensure the physical and emotional safety of the student. And he never forgets to carefully document all safety measures implemented.
2. Protect the innocent
“Excuse me, I have to go. Somewhere there is a crime happening.”
As in his RoboCop days, Mr. Murphy continues to have a “sixth sense” about student bullying behavior. He knows that protecting the innocent starts with opening one’s eyes to peer cruelty. He has made sure that school staff monitor bullying “hot spots” and recognize all forms of student-to-student mistreatment when they occur—including not just physical assault, but also homophobic and racial slurs, disability-based teasing, social exclusion, and taunting based on weight or other physical characteristics. And since he knows much of the behavior occurs when adults aren’t watching, he also has trained students to be the school’s “eyes and ears” for observing and reporting bullying. To supplement these efforts, Mr. Murphy has encouraged staff to post supportive posters affirming everyone’s right to feel safe in the building.
3. Uphold the law
Just as he brought order to the streets with his no-nonsense RoboCop style, Mr. Murphy has helped institute a set of clear school-wide rules prohibiting bullying. He works with school leadership to ensure that these are consistently enforced. At the same time, he realizes that compared to a city under law-enforcement lockdown, a school should have a more caring climate.
He encourages staff to avoid simplistic, zero-tolerance bullying policies where bullying students receive harsh automatic punishments that do little to change behavior over the long term. Now, staff focus on re-educating the bullying student and providing constructive outlets for mastery/control and social status. Although targets of bullying often request harsh, robotic-gunfire-style punishment for the bullying student, Mr. Murphy makes it clear that he’s working hard to prevent the target’s future victimization. This is ultimately more satisfying for students who have been bullied.
Related resources
Bullying Prevention: What Your School May Be Missing
When is Bullying a Hate Crime?
The Best Bullying Prevention Schools Aren’t Doing
Stan Davis: Ask Bullied Kids What Helps Them
Lesson Plan Booster: How Can Students Help a Bullied Peer?
EducationWorld Bullying Prevention Page
EducationWorld School Climate Page
Article by Jason Cunningham, EducationWorld Social Media EditorEducation World®
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