How to Make Fractions Fun: Identify Equivalents and Reduce to Lowest Terms

Here is a Halloween riddle: Which building does Dracula like to visit in New York City? Give up? It's the Vampire State Building!! (Ha! Ha!) Here is another riddle. What do ghosts eat for breakfast? Scream of Wheat and Ghost Toasties!

Okay, so what do these riddles have to do with teaching math? I have been attempting to come up with ways for my students to recognize fractional parts in lowest terms. As you know from this blog, I have used Pattern Sticks, the Divisibility Rules, and finding Digital Root. These are all strategies my students like and use, but to be a good mathematician requires practice - something most of my students dread doing. I can find many "drill and kill" activities, but they tend to do just that, drill those who don't need it and kill those who already know how to do it. So to drill and "thrill", I created fractional word puzzles for specific times of the year.

The one for October is Halloween Fraction Riddles. It contains ten riddles that the students must discover by correctly identifying fractional parts of words. For instance, my first clue might be:

The first 2/3's of WILLOW. The word WILLOW contains six letters. It takes two letters to make 1/3; therefore, the first 2/3's would be the word WILL. This causes the students to group the letters (in this case 4/6), and then to reduce the fraction to lowest terms. The letters are a visual aid for those students who are still having difficulty, and I observe many actually drawing lines between the letters to create groups of two. 

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Here is one from my Halloween resource.

Which part of a road do Ghosts love to travel the most?

1) The first ¾ of THEY. ____________

2) The first 1/3 of DETOUR, the last ½ of GLAD. __________

3) The last 1/3 of USE, the middle 1/3 of AND, and the 

     first 1/5 of DOUBT.    ____________

At first, I thought my students would breeze through the activities, but to my surprise, they proved to be challenging as well as somewhat tricky - just perfect for a Trick or Treat holiday. Maybe this is an activity you would like to try with your intermediate or middle school students. Just click on this link: Halloween Fraction Riddles.

The Absolute Best Ice Cube Science Investigation

As a budget-conscious educator, you know the value of resourcefulness. That's why I'm excited to share some simple yet effective science investigation activities that use everyday objects like ice cubes. These ideas are perfect for teachers like you who are looking to maximize learning potential without breaking the bank. So, let's get started!

Ice experiments are always fun, easy to set up, and often mess-free! Whether you're trying to beat the heat during summer or embrace the chill of winter, ice experiments are the perfect way to engage students and discover the fundamentals of scientific principles. These activities are a great addition to any STEM curriculum that can do in the classroom or at home. Every ice cube holds surprises waiting to be discovered. Supplementing these activities to your STEM curriculum will not only make learning fun but will also help students understand fundamental concepts in a hands-on way.

Hands-on ice cube units invite kids to:

• Ask questions
• Make predictions
• Test ideas
• Observe changes
• Try again when results surprise them

Hands-on ice cube units guide and direct the student through the six steps of the scientific method:

1. Investigating Properties
2. Interactions
3. Making a plan
4. Determining the Investigative Question
5. Prediction and Data Collection
6. Writing a conclusion based on the data.

Why not join this ice cube exploration and uncover the mysteries of ice with engaging hands-on activities that will fascinate, educate and interest your students? Let's turn ordinary ice cubes into unexpected tools for learning; then watch as your students become the ultimate scientists.

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The science unit consists of a three-page student investigation organizer, a property word list, an optional student checklist, and a four-point grading rubric for the teacher. Materials needed for the whole unit, things to do prior to the investigation, and initial instructions are included. Besides simple and clear step-by-step directions for each of the six lessons, specific supplies needed and visual examples of the charts used in the investigation are shown in detail. Each lesson is 30-45 minutes long and the complete investigation will take 6-8 days to carry out depending on the length of your science class. It is appropriate for grade 3-4.

How to Make Your Parent/Teacher Conferences Productive, Efficient, and Stress-Free

If you are like most teachers, you are preparing for your first round of parent/teacher conferences. Now that I teach on the college level, this is one activity I currently don't have to do, but when I did, I really did enjoy them. Why? Because I was prepared with more than just the student's grades. Here are some of the ways I got ready.

First, in preparing for parent/teacher conferences, what can you do on a daily basis? Is the conference based on simply talking about grades or are there additional items that need discussing? How can an observation be specific without offending the parent or guardian? How is it possible to remember everything?

I kept a clipboard in my classroom on which were taped five 6” x 8” file cards so they overlapped - something like you see in the two pictures above. Each week, I tired to evaluate five students, writing at least two observations for each child on the cards. At the end of the week, the file cards were removed and placed into the children's folders. The next week, four different students were chosen to be evaluated. In this way, I did not feel overwhelmed, and had time to really concentrate on a small group of children. By the end of 4-5 weeks, each child in the class had been observed at least twice. By the end of the year, every child had been observed at least eight different times.

Below are sample observations which might appear on the cards.

Student	Date	Observation	IEP	ESL
Mary Kay	9/20   9/23	Likes to work alone; shy and withdrawn;  wears a great deal of make-up. She has a good self concept and is friendly. Her preferred learning style is visual based on the modality survey.	X
Donald	9/19   9/24	Leader, at times domineering, likes to  play games where money is involved. His preferred learning style is auditory  (from the modality survey). He can be a  “bully,” especially in competitive games. He tends to use aggressive language with  those who are not considered athletic.

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By the time the first parent/teacher conferences rolled around, I had at least two observations for each child. This allowed me to share specific things (besides grades) with the parents/guardians. As the year progressed, more observations were added; so, that a parent/guardian as well as myself could readily see progress in not only grades, but in a student's behavior and social skills. The cards were also an easy reference for filling out the paperwork for a 504 plan or an IEP (Individual Education Plan). As a result of utilizing the cards, I learned pertinent and important facts related to the whole child which in turn created an effective and relevant parent/teacher conference.

To keep the conference on the right track, I also created a checklist to use during parent/teacher conferences.  It features nine characteristics listed in a brief, succinct checklist form. During conferences, this guide allows me to have specific items to talk about besides grades. Some of the characteristics included are study skills and organization, response to assignments, class attitude, inquiry skills, etc. Since other teachers at my school were always asking to use it, I rewrote it and placed it in my TPT store. It is available for only $2.00, and I guarantee it will keep your conferences flowing and your parents focused! When you have time, check it out!

Discover the Secret of Using Leaves in A Science Investigation

October, my favorite month.  October means football (Ohio State, of course), cooler weather, and gorgeous leaves. (It is also the month my husband and I were married.) In October, we see the leaves turning colors, and the deciduous trees shedding their leaves.

The leaves in our neighbor's yard have already begun to fall into ours which aggravates my husband because he is the one who gets to rake them. Maybe focusing on some activities using leaves will divert his attention away from the thought of raking leaves to science investigations.  

Remember ironing leaves between wax paper?  We did that in school when I was a little girl (eons and eons ago).  Here is how to do it.

1. Find different sizes and colors of leaves.
2. Tear off two sheets about the same size of waxed paper.
3. Set the iron on "dry".  No water or steam here!
4. The heat level of the iron should be medium.
5. Place leaves on one piece of the waxed paper.
6. Lay the other piece on top.
7. Iron away!

You can also use this activity to identify leaves.  According to my husband who knows trees, leaves and birds from his college studies, we "waxed" a maple leaf, sweet gum leaf, elm leaf, cottonwood leaf (the state tree of Kansas - they are everywhere), and two he doesn't recognize because they come from some unknown ornamental shrubs.

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Maybe you would like to use leaves as a science investigation in your classroom. I have one in my Teacher Pay Teachers store that is a six lesson science performance demonstration for grades K-2. The inquiry guides the primary student through the scientific method and includes: 

1. Exploration time
2. Writing a good investigative question
3. Making a prediction
4. Designing a plan
5. Gathering the data
6. Writing a conclusion based on the data. 

Be"leaf" me, your students will have fun!