Math Journals

Math Journals, or problem solving notebooks are a great way to get students writing about their mathematical thinking. They are also especially effective for giving you a glimpse into their problem solving process. I use math journals almost daily in my class and often start with this strategy to help my students more coherently explain their thinking. Teaching 4th grade in Nevada means teaching the dreaded constructed response math questions for our state test. One thing that I have been…

Using math journals in kindergarten and first grade is an interactive way to cover many of common core standards and mathematical practices. Students solve word problems using manipulative and showing their learning in a more abstract way. These work grea

I don't know about you, but differentiating instruction has been a big push at my school. I'm completely on board with this idea...I know it's so important to meet the needs of all your students where they are. However, I was having a very hard time implementing differentation into my classroom. I felt that I was already juggling so much, and I thought that differentiating meant I would be having to make two or three sets of lesson plans to be able to give my students what they needed. I…

As a kindergarten and first grade teacher, I loved teaching math. Don't get me wrong! Literacy is my baby. However, I have a special place in my heart for math interactive notebooks! The amount of growth that my students demonstrated made me excited to move on to the next unit. Math notebooks were great tools

Why use math sorts? Discussions Differentiation Aligned to the standards No-prep FUN! 1. Discussions We constantly tell students to show their work or explain their thinking. Using math sorts weekly will give students practice in putting their thinking into words. Your students will use math vocabulary as they explain how they sorted their cards. They […]

The value of math journals is highly dependent upon the kinds of prompts you select. After many failed attempts at trying to explain these types of prompts and discuss their pros and cons, I decided to put the information into a table for easier navigation. (Click HERE to view the image below as a PDF)

Daily math journal FREEBIE for you! Daily math journals are a way to spirally review math skills throughout the year. Here is a math notebook freebie for you!

Here is a fun way to motivate students in a math journal or math workbook! As you teach a new concept or unit of study, introduce the reference tools...

I absolutely LOVE interactive journals!!! I am still working on other subject areas, but for now I use them in Math and Science. Here are some sample pages from my September Math Journal Prompts in action: I have always taught thematically, so the main themes in the September pack are Apples and Farm. However, about half of them are general prompts (like the dice, ten frame and putting numbers in order). All of these are based off standards taught early in the year for K students. If you're…

Do you use math journals in your kindergarten, first grade, or second grade classroom? These 40 FREE no-prep journal pages are as simple as print and go. They are a great math warm up for your primary students, and give them an easy way to practice their math skills at the start of your math time. Your students can glue their journal entry right into their notebook to keep for the entire year as well. A great activity to start implementing in the classroom.