Tools and Exercises

Calculators: Evidence is growing that students’ intelligent use of calculators enhances understanding and mastery of arithmetic and helps develop good number sense. Moreover, teacher experience and considerable research show that most children develop good judgment about when to use and when not to use calculators. At Oak Haven, students learn how to decide when it is appropriate to solve an arithmetic problem by estimating or mentally calculating, by using paper and pencil, or by using a calculator.

Calculators are useful teaching tools. They make it possible for young children to display and read numbers before they are skilled at writing numbers. Calculators can be used to count by any number, forward and backward. They also allow children to solve interesting, everyday problems requiring calculations that might otherwise be too difficult for them to perform.

Please encourage children to use their calculators whenever they encounter interesting numbers or problems that may be easier to handle with calculators than without them. This includes numbers or problems that may come up outside of the mathematics period. Encourage them also to think about when not to use a calculator because it is easier and faster to solve a problem mentally.

Explorations: Explorations are independent or small-group activities that allow children to investigate, develop and extend math concepts. These are a key part of the math program in the early grades and often involve manipulating materials. During this time teachers interact with students, both for teaching and for assessment.

Games: Mathematical games are an important part of the Everyday Mathematics program at Oak Haven. They reinforce math fact computation and provide an alternative form of practice. They build fact and operation skills, but also reinforce other skills: for example, calculator skills, money exchange and shopping skills, logic, geometric intuition, and probability and chance intuition. Games can be repeated without repeating the same problem since most games involve generating numbers randomly. Rules can be altered to allow players to progress from easy to more challenging versions. Games are fun; families can play them at home to provide additional practice in an interesting way. Some games can be played by students across a variety of grade levels. Here are some games you can play at home. The games are described in detail in the Games section of our website. The numbers in parentheses indicate the appropriate grade level for each game.

Sample Games

Home Links (Kindergarten – 3rd grade)/Study Links (4th – 6th grade): These provide an important connection between home and school. Most are activities that require interaction with parents, other adults, or another child. They are designed to provide follow-up and review of skills and concepts, and an extension of the material covered in the daily lessons.

Journal: The journal contains the problem material and pages on which the children record the results of their activities. It provides a record of their mathematical growth over time and is used in place of student worksheets, workbook, and textbook.

Math Boxes: Math Boxes (the Everyday Math name for worksheets) are 4 - 6 short problems on a page used on a regular basis for review and practice. Many of these worksheets have blank boxes so teachers can individualize work for students.

Math Messages: Many teachers begin each day with a Math Message to be completed by the children before the start of the lesson for that day. Math Messages vary. They consist of problems to solve, directions to follow, tasks to complete, notes to copy, sentences to complete or correct, or brief quizzes. Most are used as lead-in activities for the lessons of the day or as reviews of previously learned topics. Follow-ups to the Math Messages usually occur during the lesson itself.

Math Tool Kit: Students use a variety of math tools throughout the year. Ruler, tape measure, geometry template, counters, money, and calculators are among the items kept in the math tool kit. Children learn responsibility for their learning tools and have them available when needed.

Minute Math (Kindergarten – 3rd grade)/5-Minute Math (4th – 6th grade): Minute Math and 5-Minute Math are brief activities for transition times and for spare moments throughout the day. The activities serve as a source of continuous review and provide problems for mental problem solving and arithmetic.

Projects: Projects cover an assortment of mathematics activities and concepts, and are built around various themes that interest children. The projects are cross-curricular in nature and often include the following science processes:

• Observing
• Using numbers
• Communicating
• Measuring
• Identifying
• Determining patterns and relationships
• Collecting, organizing, and graphing data