5-Minute Fillers: Math and Time

Volume 39

Roman Numeral Math
Builds math computation skills and Roman numeral knowledge

Provide three math problems that involve adding, subtracting, or multiplying Roman numerals. Create problems appropriate for your grade level. For example, a teacher in grade 5 might provide the following problems:
 

XII + XXXVI = XLVIII (12 + 36 = 48)
CXXIX - LXI = LXVIII (129 - 61 = 68)
XIV X IV = LVI (14 X 4 = 56)

Pose the following question to students to start a lively discussion, or use is as a prompt for a quick journal-writing activity: What if you could be really good at something or have a special skill that you do not have now? What ability would you want to have? Why?

Money Math
Builds money counting skills

Photocopy a wide variety of coins. (If you teach upper elementary level or above, you might photocopy bills too.) Then copy the image of the coins onto a transparency. Cut out the coins. Place a variety of the cut coins on the overhead project. Have students count the amount of money you have displayed and write that amount on a sheet of scrap paper. For older students, you might ask them to make the same amount of money using some other combination of coins or you might ask them to figure the difference between the value of a dollar and the coins that are displayed.

Telling Time Match
Builds telling time skills

Use the Telling Time Match sheet. Draw ten times on the clock faces. Then write one of those times, at random, on each of the digital clock faces. Have students match the clock face with the digital clock that tells the same time. You could print out the page; or copy the page onto a transparency and display it on a screen for all to see, and have students write the answers on a sheet of scrap paper.

Analogy Puzzles
Analogies are a terrific tool for stimulating students to think critically. Write the following analogies on a board or chart. Challenge students to select the appropriate conclusion to each analogy. Have students share their responses and the reasoning behind them. Correct responses are shown in bold italic type.

1. Four is to rectangle as three is to _____.
a. tricycle
b. octagon
c. square
d. triangle

2. Crossing is to Xing as Christmas is to _____.
a. Chanukah
b. Holiday
c. December
d. Xmas

3. Century is to 100 as decade is to _____.
a. 10
b. dollar
c. era
d. period

4. Plane is to hangar as car is to _____.
a. driveway
b. garage
c. dealer
d. passenger

5. Edison is to light bulb as Gutenberg is to _____.
a. newspaper
b. rocket
c. telephone
d. printing press

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
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