If you're like me, you might recall math class with horror.  All of that mindless memorization, skill-and-drill, timed tests....  Yikes!  Luckily, today's kids have it so much better off.  Here are a couple of fun ways they can practice their math skills:

First In Math
You're probably tired of hearing about this program by now, but it really is a great way for students to practice their math facts and other math skills.  They love earning those virtual stickers!  Just let me or your Instructional Supervisor know if you would like to enroll your student in First In Math.

Math Playground
This free website has a wide variety of math games that are sure to appeal to your student.  Math Man, Meteor Multiplication-- there are games for every level of student, all the way through algebra.

IXL
This is another free website that has a plethora of resources organized by grade level and skill.  If your student is struggling with a specific concept, it is easy peasy to find an activity here to help him/her.

We have been having fun in RAMP!  The kids have been very engaged and are eager to earn their PA Cyber Prize Packs.  (I am giving out a piece of a sentence during every RAMP session; students have to collect them all to earn the prize.) 

Here are our upcoming RAMP sessions for the month of February:

Monday, February 3rd, 3:00 pm:  money
Monday, February 10th, 3:00 pm:  synonyms/antonyms
Wednesday*, February 19th, 3:00 pm:  compound words and contractions
Monday, February 24th, 3:00 pm:  writing sentences

*rescheduled due to the in-service day on February 17th

Sometimes rounding can be a little tricky, especially when you are rounding to different place values.  Here are some fun games and other resources you can use to practice.


Remember, we use rounded numbers to help us estimate.  Rounding gives us more manageable numbers to work with.

Just click on the name of the worksheet to go to the page where you can download them for free.

Rounding to the Nearest _____. by Have Fun Teaching

Rounding to the Nearest _____ by Super Teacher Worksheets (only a couple of these are free)

Rounding Worksheets by Kids Know It Network

Soft Schools Rounding Game

This is a good game for beginning rounders.  Round to the underlined digit.


Half-Court Rounding

This basketball themed game has several different levels-- rounding to the tens place, rounding to the hundreds place, and rounding decimals.  (Students can choose their own levels.)


Glowla's Estimation Contraption

Round the numbers to estimate the sum.  (You may want to have a piece of scratch paper handy if you're not too confident in your rounding abilities just yet.)

This month's tips are focused on math strategies.  

The website www.mathwire.com has some helpful instructional strategies for teaching math.  (Actually, these could be used for other subjects, too.)  I know that in my live Cyber++ class, the students especially like being allowed to use the whiteboards.  

Here is a strategy tool list that breaks down math strategies with visuals.  You can download it here:

Of course, it's been a long time since we were in elementary school, and the way math is taught now is probably different than what we remember!  You can download a glossary here:

Because of the vacations and Keystone testing, our RAMP schedule looks a little different for December.  We will only have 2 sessions this month.

Wednesday, December 4th, 3:00-- Fractions (Math)


**NO RAMP WEEK OF DECEMBER 9TH DUE TO KEYSTONE TESTING**

Monday, December 16th, 3:00-- Time Order/Sequence of Events (Reading)

If you haven't come to RAMP before, I hope you will start!  These hour-long sessions are a great time for the kids to interact with me and each other while practicing important skills.  I try to make them as fun as possible!  :)

**Please note that all RAMP sessions are recorded.  I'm happy to answer general questions that you may have at the end of our sessions, but private questions/concerns are better addressed in an email.**

Please note that our school and offices will be closed on the following dates:

Thursday, November 28-Monday, December 2 (Fall Break)

Tuesday, December 24-Wednesday, January 1 (Winter Break)

Enjoy your time off!

If you are on pace in the Little Lincoln curriculum, you are probably studying quadrilaterals right about now.  These can be tricky-- they have weird names, and they look very similar.  Here are some fun YouTube videos to help you.  (Keep in mind that YouTube may be blocked on student laptops.  There also may be ads.)

Knowing your basic math facts provides a crucial foundation to higher math.  Despite all of our technological advances and new educational theories, there really is no better way to learn math facts than to just memorize them.  *sigh*  However, there ARE some fun ways that you can practice them besides skill-and-drill!

1.  Get messy.  Show the problem and let your kid write the answer in sidewalk chalk, finger paint, shaving cream, glitter glue, whatever floats your boat.

2.  Get dice-y.  Roll two dice and add/subtract/multiply/divide the numbers.  (You can actually buy math dice online, but I like to take the cheaper route:  Buy a bag of 1" wooden cubes at a craft store and write the numbers on in permanent marker.)

3.  Get techy.  There are lots of free apps to practice math facts.  PA Cyber students also have free accounts on First In Math, where they can earn stickers for their accomplishments.

4.  Play Bingo.  Seriously, kids will practice ANYTHING if they get to do it by playing Bingo.  Write the answers on the Bingo cards and use flashcards to call out problems.