![]() Decimal Points: We read 2.34 as two and thirty-four hundredths, not two point three four.When asking them about their answer, I’m always sure to ask “What the sum/difference/product/quotient.” Operations: I constantly ask my students what OPERATION they used to solve the problem.Here are the math topics I focus on the most: We discuss that it’s perfectly fine to occasionally use informal math talk, but the more we use formal math talk, the more automatic it will become (just like informal math talk!). The upper grades, we do a fun little lesson about formal vs. This helps my students remember the difference and infuses a bit of word study as well. Expressions are short, hence the “express” and “equa” is similar to equal. ![]() You’ll see in the anchor chart below that “Express” is underlined under Expression and “Equa” is underlined under Equation. We dissect the words expression and equation. I infuse proper math vocabulary into all of my lessons, but I do teach three explicit lessons on the skill. ![]() I never call out a student for using informal math vocabulary. It increases conceptual understanding of math conceptsĪ special note: Please note that I have used these strategies and expectations with all students, but students needing extra support or English Language Learners may need additional scaffolds, support, and accommodations.It gives every child a little knowledge boost as they progress through the grade levels.It improves performance on standardized tests (which almost always use proper, precise math vocabulary).It increases student comprehension and ability to tackle math word problems.Why it’s important to use correct, precise math vocabulary: You can laminate the alligators and put adhesive magnets on the back to use on your chalkboard or dry erase board.Īfter a teacher’s request, I’ve added a set of smaller alligators that you can use for small groups.This free PDF guide will allow you to have all of the math vocabulary resources right at your fingertips. If your child is a little older and is ready for it, use the alligators to compare: This was quite challenging for her, so after a few more problems I let her get back to her reading. Then I made it even tougher with the above example. With an accompanying illustration, she was able to see that those are equal. When I saw that she knew that “2,465 is greater than 2,456”, I created more challenging problems involving fractions. I started with some larger numbers to give her practice with place value. These simple on the floor activities were far too easy for my Seven, who is going into second grade. After figuring out the answer, I had him read it using the words on the alligator. I got out my color tiles from my teaching days. We used a few toys with my Five too, but it became obvious that to help him work with larger numbers we’d need small manipulatives. I would set out small piles and ask my Four to tell me which was larger without counting. ![]() He understood that when the piles had equal amounts, he needed to choose the equal sign. If your child has trouble, you could draw a simple number line and show him how the larger numbers are farther on the line. My Four had no trouble figuring out greater than/less than for amounts under 10. After doing a variety of counting activities over the last year, he can count objects up to about 20 without much difficulty. After counting each pile, he identified the larger one and chose which alligator he would need to swallow up the bigger amount. We started by getting out our toy food and putting it in small piles that I knew my Four could count. After printing on cardstock and laminating, I brought them to the playroom. You can do this activity using only two things:Ī) the free alligator printables (get them at the end of this post)ī) something to count, like a stack of toys or small math manipulatives (for older kids, you just need a dry erase or chalk board)Īmong the three kids (ages 4, 5, and 7) we learned more about:įirst, I created some simple alligator less than, greater than, and equal to printables.
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