Over the years, the author has learned that illustrated books can help dispel the myth that math is dull, unimaginative, and inaccessible. They can spark children's mathematical imaginations in ways that textbooks and workbooks often don't. Picture books can also help students who love to read--but think math isn't their thing--experience the…

Primary-level teachers can show their students that mathematics is all around them by turning classroom projects into opportunities for math practice. This across-the-curriculum activity gives pairs of students a problem-solving experience by having them figure out how to create journals with different numbers of pages. (SM)

Discusses why it is important to teach arithmetic, showing teachers how to match what they are teaching with children's real-world needs, presenting seven basics for teaching arithmetic today, and offering seven classroom strategies for implementing the instruction. The seven basics emphasize the importance of arithmetic skills and math facts as…

A discussion of how to use math manipulatives to teach elementary students focuses on essential program elements: what math manipulatives are and why they are used, common questions about math manipulatives, how one teacher introduced the geoboard into the classroom, and pattern block activities. (SM)

Presents an activity to assess primary students' understanding of ordinal numbers and ability to apply those skills to new problem-solving situations. The activity helps teachers view students' reasoning strategies. Students have to figure out the total number of dots on a strip of paper when they can only see a few but are given a clue that a…

This mathematics activity for K-3 students has students plant and measure the growth of bulbs. The activity teaches them to measure, collect, and graph data. The article presents a list of materials needed, instructions for creating a chart, and sample discussion questions. (SM)

When teaching primary mathematics, story problems with themes that are special to children (such as anything to do with animals) work well to develop their numerical reasoning. Children benefit from problem-solving experiences that help develop their number sense. The paper presents an activity for practicing numerical reasoning and offers three…

Three articles present elementary science, mathematics, and social studies activities. A hands-on science activity introduces students to microscopic water creatures. A math in action game has students build logic and number-sense skills. A social studies activity has students weave story cloths into conflict resolution. (SM)

Presents several across-the-curriculum activities for elementary teachers. Math activities include reading a book and dividing with beans. Science activities teach about caves and about the weather. A writing activity explains how to inspire students to write good stories. An art activity focuses on Chinese landscapes. (SM)

Simple, classroom-tested probability activities that capture students' interest, develop critical thinking skills, and reinforce addition facts are suggested. All activities involve investigating the probabilities of the sums that come up when two dice are tossed. (MT)

Textbook organization assumes that students can naturally make the jump from practicing a particular operation to applying it. But for students to apply their computational abilities, they need a variety of experiences that books alone cannot provide. Ways of providing these experiences are suggested. (MT)

Math can be the sort of homework parents respect, children enjoy, and teachers savor. Suggestions for achieving this are offered. (MT)

Graphing skills are growing in importance in our information society, presenting facts and concepts in newspapers, magazines, and on television. Graphs incorporated into teaching develop children's problem-solving skills. Ways to use graphs in the classroom are discussed, and examples are given. (MT)

Across-the-curriculum articles focus on four areas. A math activity describes optical illusions and the properties of shapes. A hands-on science activity presents the chemistry of secret messages. A writing lesson helps students capture the essence of character. An art lesson presents a project on medieval castles. (SM)

Presents two writing activities for math class that help students explore contexts for multiplication and write multiplication stories. (SR)