Measurement conversions can be quite overwhelming for some students! This is especially true if they do not understand the relationship between the different units of measurement. Notice I use the word “understand”, not the word “know”. Students can know that 1 foot is 12 inches with out really understanding how they are equal to each other. Below are suggestions for building understanding so that student can be successful with measurement conversions. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: February 2016
Resources for Decimals
In my last post I shared some of my strategies for helping students understand decimals. Today I would like to expand on that and share some of my favorite resources!
-
Scholastic Study Jams has a great tutorial on decimal place value which can be found here for FREE!
-
MathAntics has a great FREE video which explains fractions and decimals in terms of powers of ten and place value:
3. I have card games with fraction models on my TpT page which are great for naming, matching, comparing and ordering decimals:
Making Sense of Decimals
Recently I have been working with my 4th graders on decimals. We have been identifying decimals, naming decimals, comparing decimals, adding and subtracting decimals. For some students decimals can be daunting at first, but I have a few strategies to help them understand and be successful!
- Money! Get out the money and review the relationships between dollars, dimes and pennies. Give students a set amount such as $2.37 and ask them to show you with the money and write it out. Most students will already know how to write the amount of money with the decimal. Help the students who need it. This is a great time to ask the students what “the little dot” is called (decimal point) and what it means. If no one knows, fill them in. Then lead the discussion to the meaning of the words “tenths” and “hundredths” and relate again to money.
learningwithmrskirk.com 