Math Archives

What is Singapore Math?

August 8, 2014 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Singapore Math is an incredible curriculum with a clear scope and sequence for students in grades K-6. It was created in 1998 based on best practices learned from math instruction in Singapore, a country that consistently ranks at the top of international assessments of math achievement. It takes a non-traditional approach to math education that emphasizes depth and strong conceptual understanding over memorization. Singapore Math emphasizes the instructional progression of concrete to pictorial to abstract when introducing new concepts and skills.

$Singapore Math$

Singapore Math focuses on teaching students the tools to fully comprehend mathematical computation by making use of visualization techniques, which includes number bonds and bar modeling. This process strengthens a student’s mental math abilities with regard to computing, decomposing, and manipulating numbers in ways not always taught explicitly in schools. The Singapore Math approach helps students to develop strategies for determining solutions and discussing their problem solving process.

For more information and resources about Singapore Math, please visit their official website.

By Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed.
Board Certified Educational Planner and Learning Specialist
My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Using Children’s Books to Enhance Mathematics

August 7, 2014 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

$children's books to enhance mathematics$ In this article in The Reading Teacher, Allison Hintz and Anthony Smith (University of Washington/Bothell) suggest ways to use children’s books to enhance mathematics instruction and make it more vivid for students. The key steps, they say, are (a) choosing a good text, (b) exploring the text in a read-aloud and discussion with students, and (c) extending the text by getting students to explore ideas after the read-aloud is finished. Here are some books they suggest, along with the math links and suggested age-ranges:

Text-dependent Children’s Books To Enhance Mathematics:

Double Those Wheels by Nancy Raines Day – Doubling, counting by groups – Grades K-2
Equal Shmequal by Virginia Kroll – Equal and fair – Grades 3-5

Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometry by Cindy Neuschwander – Geometry – Grades 2-4

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean and Eric Litwin – Number recognition, counting back – Grades K-1

Tiger Math: Learning to Graph from a Baby Tiger by Ann Whitehead Nagda and Cindy Bickel – Data and statistics – Grades 3-5

Idea-Enhancing Children’s Books To Enhance Mathematics:

Actual Size by Steve Jenkins – Estimation, measurement – Grades 1-3

The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins – Adding on, counting up – Grades 2-4

Move Over Rover by Karen Beaumont – Adding on, counting back – Grades K-2

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster – Number sense, geometry – Grades 4-6

Ten Flashing Fireflies by Philemon Sturges – Fact fluency, combinations of ten – Grades K-2

Illustration-Exploring Children’s Books To Enhance Mathematics:

Ancient Greece by Anne Pearson – Geometry, estimation, counting – Grades 3-5

Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno – Counting on by ones, groups – Grades K-2

I Spy a Dinosaur’s Eye by Jean Marzollo – Counting and cardinality – Grade K-2

Lonely Planet Not for Parents Extreme Planet by Lonely Planet – Representing and interpreting data – Grades 4-6

There Is a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems – Addition and grouping – Grades K-2

“Mathematizing Read-Alouds in Three Easy Steps” by Allison Hintz and Anthony Smith in The Reading Teacher, October 2013 (Vol. 67, #2, p. 103-108); the authors can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].

By Brittany Cogan, Learning Specialist

College Essay Tips and Tricks

July 14, 2014 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

The spring and summer seasons are a great time for rising seniors to start working on their college essays. There are numerous books, expert guides, and how-to checklists for writing the the most important few-hundred words of a high schooler’s career; however, there really are only a few key things to keep in mind. When discussing ideas and approaches with your child, make sure to relate the following:

DON’T rehash your resume. Are you a debate club junkie? Have you won numerous awards for your arguing acumen? Is your debate coach writing one of your recommendations? Then it’s covered–don’t write about debate team or anything related in your essay.

DON’T use obvious or overused examples such as a story about how you fell down during a cross country race and managed to finish, or one about how you got a C in Chemistry in the fall but worked hard to raise it to an A in the spring. The former is a generic trope that doesn’t reveal anything about you; the latter will be obvious from your transcript.

DON’T try to be funny. Admissions counselors are reading the essay to get a better, more well-rounded sense of who you are. If you come off as chummy, you will look like you don’t take the school or the application process seriously. Even worse, your sense of humor could come off as offensive. Save your jokes for your texts with friends.

DO show. DON’T tell. Boring verbs=boring sentences=boring essay.

Example Prompt: Explain your desire to attend Princeton University.

Boring Intro: “Since I was a kid, I always knew I wanted to go to Princeton because it has a good English Department. I have always loved reading and writing, and Princeton’s program is one of the best the nation. The Great Gatsby is my favorite novel in particular, and, since F. Scott Fitzgerald attended Princeton, I know I would like it there.”

Better Intro: “In my family, we call my Aunt Beatrice “Aunt Bookie” because every time I go to visit her in New Brunswick, she sends me home with armloads of books to read. She introduced me to Alice and the rabbit hole, Milo and his tollbooth, Bilbo Baggins and Middle-Earth, and, most importantly, Nick Carraway and West Egg. When I finished the Great Gatsby, she suggested that we take a trip to nearby Princeton so I “could see a college for writers.” As we walked around the campus, I began to imagine I was Fitzgerald dreaming up Gatsby’s extravagant parties…”

DO be vulnerable. DON’T be defiant or depressing. Were you scared after your mom lost her job? Did your brother’s rare cancer put stress your relationship to him? It’s OK to highlight rough patches in your life as long as you do so to illustrate what you learned about yourself or how you grew as a person. If your grandmother dying last year was the hardest thing you’ve ever had to go through, that’s perfectly fine to write about–just make sure your story has an arc.

Finally, remember that the essay is only one piece of the application pie. Your personal statement could be the best one in the pile, but if your grades, recommendations, test scores, and extracurriculars are not up to par, it won’t be what gets you into school. That being said, if you have a solid application, an essay that provide insights into who you are that the admissions team otherwise would have no indication of from the rest of your documents will be an enormous asset in setting you apart from the other applicants.

By Daphne Muller, Private Tutor

Why Spelling is (Still) Important

June 10, 2014 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Spelling is a basic skill that has become neglected, but here is why spelling is still important, perhaps more than ever!

In recent years, electronic devices have become equipped with powerful spell check systems that automatically correct our spelling mistakes. In addition, we often use Google as our dictionary. Many highly-educated, successful, intelligent people have this trouble. Some say spelling stifles creativity by blocking the writer’s flow of ideas, while others argue that there is a stigma against people who do it poorly. Unfortunately, a bad speller can easily be mistaken for a bad student.

It is not merely stigma though, for young students, spelling may be the key to becoming successful readers and writers.

Spelling Improves Writing

Some students find spelling to be incredibly easy, noticing immediately when something does not look right. For others, words are unpredictable and confusing. The English language can seem daunting and filled with strange rules and inconsistencies. Students who struggle with spelling often feel insecure about writing anything. They may say “I hate writing” or “I have no good ideas.”

Often, these same students are creative thinkers who express themselves well verbally. What holds so many students back is the fear of not being able to spell. For these students an explicit reading program like Preventing Academic Failure (PAF) is vital. Through programs like these, students learn the English language’s rules and patterns and begin to read and spell words with ease.

Spelling Improves Reading

Spelling and reading are inextricably linked: learning how to spell is learning to read. Learning the way spelling works helps with decoding, which improves overall comprehension. The more a student understands these building blocks of language, the more fluent their reading becomes.

A Place for Inventive Spelling

Inventive spelling is the process of making words phonetically, which leads to unconventional examples of writing the same words. While exact instruction is helpful for students in first grade and above, inventive spelling does have its place.

Students in Pre-K or Kindergarten who are just learning how to form letters and words should be taught inventive spelling to learn sound and symbol correspondence.

They should practice pulling sounds in words apart and blending them together. Only as students gain experience writing, should they begin to learn spelling rules. Even as students advance through the upper grades, students should always have a place to journal without worrying about spelling. Even adults misspell words and there is always value in learning to proofread, edit and rewrite.

By Joanna Brown, Reading Specialist

What is the Reggio Emilia Philosophy?

May 16, 2014 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

The Reggio Approach derives its name from its place of origin, the town of Reggio Emilia, located in northern Italy. Following World War II, Louis Malaguzzi, a teacher, along with a small group of parents, became interested in building a new school in Reggio Emilia where education would be viewed as a communal activity and sharing of culture would take place through joint exploration between children and adults. Malaguzzi’s approach focused on young children’s development in a setting where they would be encouraged to explore their environment and express themselves through multiple forms (movement, words, arts, dramatic play and music).

In the last several years, what is now known as the Reggio Approach, has become a popular model in the United States, particularly in early childhood education. Traditionally many preschools have employed pre-planned and theme-based curricula where the teachers choose the topics to teach and select activities to accompany them. In this model, the teacher presents only activities deemed age appropriate and plans monthly or weekly themes and lesson plans for an entire year before it even begins. The selection of themes is often based on the assumption that all children will benefit and be interested in the chosen subject. This traditional model lumps children into projects based on age rather than interests, capabilities and learning styles.

In contrast, a cornerstone of the Reggio philosophy is emergent curriculum. Emergent curriculum responds to children’s immediate interests rather than focusing on a narrow or calendar driven topic. As the name suggests, the study of a topic emerges from the interests and ideas of the children. The topics explored are gleaned from children’s discussions as well as interests demonstrated throughout different areas of the classroom. Once the topics of interest are identified, teachers act as co-collaborators, helping the children make decisions about the direction of inquiry and launch into in-depth studies of the concepts, ideas and interests that arise. The resulting investigations have no time limit and can span from several weeks to the whole school year.

The environment serves as a third teacher in the Reggio philosophy. The approach advocates that teachers play close attention to the myriad of ways that space can invite interaction. Small touches such as storing colorful objects in transparent containers can pique children’s curiosity and imagination. The design and use of space in a classroom encourages encounters, communication and relationships. Every corner of every space has an identity and purpose, rich in potential to engage. Spaces are valued and cared for by the children and teachers.

In the classroom, children should have the opportunity to explore and use many materials to discover and to communicate what they know, understand, wonder about, question, feel and imagine. In my classroom, there are an abundant variety of quality materials available to the children, beautifully organized and maintained by the adults and children together. In order to encourage young children to investigate their environments to the fullest, tools are placed carefully within the reach of the child so he or she explore, investigate, question and create. Through their ongoing explorations, children are then able to learn the qualities, possibilities and limitations of each material.

Written by: Editorial Team, My Learning Springboard, Inc.