Numeracy Resources
Numbers & Operations
22? 30? 50? 100?
A teacher of children blogs about a challenging experience working with a student learning to count. An ABE teacher of basic numeracy may find many suggestions in the comments of this blog entry very useful.
An Excellent Lesson for Long Division
This blog post offers some important aspects to consider in how we teach long division to our students. How does place value play a role in long division, and how do I teach long division so my students strengthen that understanding? The post includes video, a word problem, and a lesson plan that you could use tomorrow!
Another Blog Post About Fraction Division
This blog post was created to help teachers understand a strategy for making division with fractions visual and meaningful for students.
Concept, Method, Procedure (The Secret Formula for Math Success)
Max Ray, of The Math Forum, explores developing procedures from conceptual understanding. His 5-minute video uses dividing by fractions as the topic for instruction.
Estimating
This workbook has activities to help students develop their number sense through estimation. As they work through the activities, they will look at different strategies for estimating in different contexts. Some of those strategies include partitioning, using your own body as a benchmark, as well as multiple strategies for estimating with numbers. The workbook offers strategies, examples for students to develop their own strategies, and then space to reflect on their learning. An optional video and asynchronous mini-course are also available.
Fast Growing Plant
An activity where students must determine how tall the plant was x time ago if it is a certain height now and how fast it will grow.
Fluency Without Fear
Turns out memorization, timed tests and flash cards are not the most effective ways to learn math facts! This article from Jo Boaler addresses developing students' fluency with math facts (such as times tables), including confidence and how some common approaches to math facts can be related to anxiety and loss of perseverance.
For Teachers: Please Don’t Teach Exponent Rules
A teacher writes about how he approaches operations with exponents so that the students make meaning and discover the rules for operations with exponents for themselves.
Fraction Talk (and Pie)
Math teacher Chase Orton lays out the instruction he used, starting with pictures of pies, in order to get students to use benchmark fractions.
- Advanced ABE
- Beginning ABE
- CCRS Level B
- Intermediate ABE
- Number Sense
- One-Room Schoolhouse/Multilevel
Fraction Talks
A Fraction Talk is a discussion-rich routine that invites multiple ways of identifying fractions. They are similar to number talks, but instead of drawing out strategies through mental calculations, students evaluate images of shapes and identify fractions. The Fraction Talks website has a huge collection of images to inspire discussion and exploration, as well as suggestions for using this routine in your class.
Geometric Subitizing: Counting Discussion Cards
The discussion cards posted on this site can be used to discuss counting and grouping strategies with students. This could be a great way to engage students using vocabulary around numbers and shapes.
How much did the temperature drop? Absolute Value
Robert Kaplinsky describes the lesson this way: "This lesson uses a time lapse thermometer video as a context for discussing integer operations and absolute value. The video should provide some added meaning to the classic temperature drop problem."
Instructional Strategies for Counting
These three blog posts from an elementary math coach describe instructional strategies around basic counting that may be useful for some ABE teachers addressing very basic numeracy.
Math Antics: Negative Numbers
This video introduces negative numbers on a number line, demonstrates comparing positive and negative numbers by comparing position on a number line. The video also models negative numbers using a picture representing sea level.
Math Antics: Types of Fractions
This video presents types of fractions (proper, improper, etc.) and addresses how students can use the structure of a fraction to make sense of where it belongs on the number line. The video points out that the relationship between the numerator and denominator is division.
Math Snacks: Counting
Online activities and videos for supporting students' understanding of math concepts such as ratios, scale factors, fractions, number lines, and so on. Some activities may need additional language learning supports (i.e. for beginning English learners). Videos are also available in Spanish and in a printable "comic book" form.
Math Snacks: Fractions
Online activities and videos for supporting students' understanding of math concepts such as ratios, scale factors, fractions, number lines, and so on. Some activities may need additional language learning supports (i.e. for beginning English learners). Videos are also available in Spanish and in a printable "comic book" form.
Math Snacks: Ratios
Online activities and videos for supporting students' understanding of math concepts such as ratios, scale factors, fractions, number lines, and so on. Some activities may need additional language learning supports (i.e. for beginning English learners). Videos are also available in Spanish and in a printable "comic book" form.
Math Visuals
Imagine that a math teacher made simple, attractive visuals to spark student discussion around counting and basic operations. Berkeley Everett did - and here it is!
Multiplication Representation Card
A printable matching activity for making connections between different representations of multiplication. Great to use as an ice breaker, a way to make groups, or just to get students out of their seats and talking to each other.
Multiply without Memorizing
This workbook has activities to help students develop their conceptual understanding of multiplication. As they work through the activities, they will look at different strategies for grouping, including arrays and decomposing larger multiplication problems into friendlier numbers. The workbook offers strategies, examples for students to develop their own strategies, and then space to reflect on their learning. An optional video and asynchronous mini-course are also available.
Number Lines and the Coordinate Grid, Part 1
Every number can be thought of as a point on the number line. Because of this, number lines are important for all kinds of mathematics - they are used in algebra, geometry, statistics, and many other kinds of mathematics. In Part 1, students study (1) plotting points on a number line, including fractions, decimals, and signed numbers; (2) measurement and distance on a number line; and (3) absolute value. For teachers wishing to build on number line concepts to connect to the coordinate grid, there is a Part 2 for these materials.
Number Lines and the Coordinate Grid, Part 1 – Integers
Every number can be thought of as a point on the number line. Because of this, number lines are important for all kinds of mathematics - they are used in algebra, geometry, statistics, and many other kinds of mathematics. In Part 1, students study (1) plotting points on a number line, including fractions, decimals, and signed numbers; (2) measurement and distance on a number line; and (3) absolute value. For teachers wishing to build on number line concepts to connect to the coordinate grid, there is a Part 2 for these materials.
Progression of Addition and Subtraction
What is a progression that builds to a conceptual understanding of addition and subtraction? In this 7-minute video, Gfletchy demonstrates strategies that teachers can use to develop students' conceptual understanding as a building block to fluency.
Progression of Division
What is a progression that builds to a conceptual understanding of division? In this 8-minute video, Gfletchy demonstrates strategies that teachers can use to develop students' conceptual understanding as a building block to fluency.
Progression of Early Number and Counting
What is an instructional progression that leads to conceptual understanding of counting and numbers? This 8-minute video lays out a progression for children learning these concepts, but ABE teachers of students with beginning numeracy will find useful ideas here.
Progression of Multiplication
What is a progression that builds to a conceptual understanding of multiplication? In this 6-minute video, Gfletchy demonstrates strategies that teachers can use to develop students' conceptual understanding as a building block to fluency.
Progressions: Illustrative Mathematics
Videos and tasks on math content progressions related to fractions in the Common Core standards.
Rational Number Project: Fraction Operations and Initial Decimal Ideas
Free lessons from the Rational Number Project about fraction concepts: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Understanding of decimals is introduced as well. Teacher's guide, worksheets and colored fraction templates included. These resources help develop conceptual understanding.
Rational Number Project: Initial Fraction Ideas
Free lessons about fractions: concept, equivalencies, ordering, adding and subtracting. Teacher's guide, worksheets and colored fraction templates included. These resources help develop conceptual understanding.
The Power of Exponents, Part 1
In these materials, students learn about exponents and roots as well as how to break numbers down and examine how they work. Topics in part 1 include: (1) multiplication, including factors, multiples, and arrays; (2) characteristics of numbers, including factors, prime factorization, and finding common factors between numbers; (3) an introduction to exponents, square roots and cube roots, with connections to geometry; and (4) what it means when an exponent is 1 or less (fractional exponents, to the power of zero, and negative exponents).
The Power of Exponents, Part 1 – Introductory
In these materials, students learn about exponents and roots as well as how to break numbers down and examine how they work. Topics in part 1 include: (1) multiplication, including factors, multiples, and arrays; (2) characteristics of numbers, including factors, prime factorization, and finding common factors between numbers; (3) an introduction to exponents, square roots and cube roots, with connections to geometry; and (4) what it means when an exponent is 1 or less (fractional exponents, to the power of zero, and negative exponents).
The Power of Exponents, Part 2
In these materials, students learn about exponents and roots as well as how to break numbers down and examine how they work. Part 2 focuses on (1) place value, powers of ten, and scientific notation; (2) powers of two and exponential growth; (3) variables and exponents; and (4) operations with exponents (multiplication, division, and raising a power to a power).
College & Career Readiness (CCR) Math Standards
Looking for more specific information about the College & Career Readiness (CCR) Math Standards? Check out the CCRS Math Resources section of the CCR Standards resource library!