Math for English Majors

 

I was an English major, which is probably why I'm so passionate about using manipulatives for math.  When I was younger, math didn't make a lot of sense to me because it looked like a bunch of numbers and signs on paper.  But, when real objects were used, it all began to make a lot more sense in my little brain.  So, I use as many math manipulatives as I possibly can. 

 Many of the ideas are listed in the teacher's manual (crackers, above); others are not, but I have objects on hand so that I can visually demonstrate concepts to my students, such as dividing by three.  

And this is one of my favorites -- a yardstick that folds into three feet and even has three separate colors, one for each foot.  

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Hands-on MATH!

Earlier this week we were studying geometry and measurements in math.  While the pictures in the book are nice, I've found that it's always more helpful for the students to see and touch real-life examples.  While learning about perimeters, we traced around the edge of a bread pan and measured it with a ruler.  To learn area, we drew in the tiles we needed to cover our "floor" and multiplied.   To learn volume, we filled the bread pan with 1" cubes and multiplied some more.

     To learn circumference, we used a pie pan and traced around the outside.  Then we measured the radius and diameter and then multiplied by 3 to get a close estimate.  When we checked it with a measuring tape, our estimate was within an inch!  

     A day later we used a fold-out yardstick, a regular yardstick, and three rulers to measure a yard.  For the liquid measures we used real food containers, and to count money, we used real money.  

 

     We are also studying about the English arriving in Jamestown and their interactions with the Native Americans.  So for art, we made little carrying pouches out of felt.  We used our math skills and found the measurement of the radius to mark our circles before we cut them.