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  • WAR Card Game Modified for Height Comparision

    Comparing numbers is very challenging for some students and likely speaks to a major gap in their number sense. It is also very challenging to address effectively with these students. The photo below shows an entry point into I have used with success in helping such a student. Even for these struggling students, taller and…

  • Superhero Math

    Superhero Math

    I was recruited to help a middle school student who is having a very rough time at this time in his life. It was shared with me that he likes Marvel superheroes and he is struggling with counting money and multiplication. Below are some ideas I presented for a test run and photos of the…

  • Making Proportions Meaningful (and Therefore Accessible)

    Making Proportions Meaningful (and Therefore Accessible)

    A student reported to our schools math lab where I reside. He had a handout on proportions shown in the photo below and stated that he didn’t know what to do. I find that in the vast majority of situations like this the student lacks the conceptual understanding of the topic. As is typically the…

  • Velocity, Acceleration, Speeding Up and Slowing Down

    Velocity, Acceleration, Speeding Up and Slowing Down

    DISCLAIMER: This is a very mathy, math geek post but it also has value in demonstrating instructional strategies and multiple representations. We all understand speed intuitively. Velocity is speed with a direction. Negative in this case does not indicate a lower value but simply which way an object is traveling. Both cars below are traveling…

  • Adding ones digits in 2 digit numbers with carrying

    Adding ones digits in 2 digit numbers with carrying

    A major obstacle in math for many students with special needs is carrying in addition problems. Below is a task analysis approach. First, I target the step of identifying the ONES and TENS place in the 2 digit sum in the ONES column (below it is 12). In a scaffolded handout I create a box…

  • The I in Instruction can be the same I in IEP and IDEA.

    The I in Instruction can be the same I in IEP and IDEA.

    I am consistently surprised by the reliance on canned items for students who struggle. There are different reasons students struggle but we know that there are secondary characteristics and factors that inhibit effective information processing that can be addressed with some Individualization. In a math intervention graduate course I teach at the University of Saint Joseph,…

  • More Than: Concept and Symbol

    More Than: Concept and Symbol

    The alligator eats the bigger number is the common approach for student to use inequality symbols (<  > <  > ). I find that students remember the sentence but many do not retain the concept or use the symbols correctly, even in high school. This post presents an alternative approach. Alligator Method The reason, I believe, is…

  • Sausage Fractions – Real Life Example

    Sausage Fractions – Real Life Example

    I have 3 kids and was cooking sausage for them. There were 5 sausage links available (below). How do I give each the same amount? Fractions! Each child gets a full sausage link. I then cut  the remaining 2 sausage links into 3 parts, 1 for each child. 1/3 of a link.   Each child…

  • Common Denominator – Why?

    Common Denominator – Why?

    We explain steps in great detail to students but often omit the underlying concept. The topic of adding or subtracting fractions with unlike denominators is an example of this.       The example above right is a short cut for what is shown above left. These short cuts, which math teachers love to use,…

  • Concepts vs Skills – Need Both

    Concepts vs Skills – Need Both

    In general math is taught by focusing on the steps. Conduct a Google search for solving equations and you will see the steps presented (below). You need a video to help your student understand solving and you typically get a presenter standing at the board talking through the examples. (I’ve posted on my approach to…