Kick Start Your School Year with Word Wall Activities

Seventh grade word wall- includes pictures for each word. 

Understanding mathematical vocabulary and terms is essential to student success with grade level content and skills. Like many teachers, I used word walls to display these important words, but I didn't always give my students an opportunity to interact with the words. 

Over the years, and with some trial and error, I have learned that my students will retain the words much better if I include regular opportunities to review the words. 

I know what you're thinking-- time. When do I have time? Well, I've got the answer! Read on to explore some of my favorite ways to review important mathematical vocabulary and terms in 10 minutes a day. 

1. I'm Thinking of a Word Wall Word: Once a week, take 5-10 minutes out of the day to review the words. Choose a word to define and say, “I’m thinking of a word wall word that means (insert the definition here).” Ask students to raise their hands to respond. Repeat the process for 5-10 words. Over time, with regular use of this activity, students will become more proficient with their math vocabulary. 

2. Find the Relationship: This is a great way to have students think about the relationship between words. Ask two students to pick a word from the word wall. Have student groups determine how the words are related. After all student groups have had the opportunity to discuss the relationship, share-out as a class.  For example, on the Multiplication & Division Word Wall, Student A picks the word 'array' and Student B picks the word 'remainder.' Once the students have had some think time, they discuss the relationship between an array and a remainder.

3. What's the Relationship?: Put 5 - 7 word wall words on the board. Have students determine how the words are 

related to each other. This activity is completely open-ended. Be sure to allow students think time to determine the relationship. Note: This activity could also be used as a pre-assessment to see what your students understand about the vocabulary and terms related to a specific topic. 

4. Illustrate It!: Give each student a whiteboard. Have students create a visual definition, illustration, for each word. Then have students discuss how their visuals match the definition with a partner or other classmate.

5. Match-up: This makes a great impromptu grouping strategy for pairs. When new words are introduced, create a definition and illustration on separate index cards. Before beginning a partner activity or for a quick state change, hand out enough index cards (unpaired) so that each student has an index card. Have students study their card and then find the student with either the definition or a correct illustration to match. 

6. Compare/ Contrast: Pick two words from the word wall. Have students complete the sentence: A (An) __________ is like a (an) __________ because ___________________. They are different because __________________________________________________. For example: A rectangle is like a square because they both have four sides. They are different because a square must have four equal sides and the sides on a rectangle do not have to be equal.

7. Headbands: Prepare sentence strips with one vocabulary word each. Wrap each sentence strip and staple the ends together. Give each student a "headband." Without looking at the word, ask students to put the headband around their heads. Have students walk around the classroom asking other students questions about their word until they are able to guess what word is on their headband.

8. SWAT-It!: This has always been a class favorite! Use an 8.5 inch x 11 inch size paper to program a 3 x 3 unit rectangle with 9 vocabulary words. Project the rectangle onto your classroom whiteboard so that the students can reach all of the rectangles with a fly-swatter. 
Ask for two volunteers to come to the front of the room and stand on the left and right side of the Swat-it! board. Hand each student a fly-swatter. Read a definition. The students use the fly-swatter to swat the word that matches the definition. The first student to swat the correct word is the winner. 

9. Always, Sometimes, Never: Create a statement using two word wall words. Have students determine whether the statement is always true, sometimes true, or never true. Discuss the students' responses using examples or counterexamples to support the claims. For example: All even numbers are composite. (Answer: Sometimes true. The number 2 is even and prime.)

How do you use your word wall? Please share ideas below. 

Kick Start Your School Year with Critical Thinking

The next idea I would like to share is a new one that I recently learned about over the summer while completing training for a math group I joined in my school district called Math Rocks. The website is called "Which One Doesn't Belong?" The basic idea is to share a picture with your students and discuss which picture or element of the picture does not belong. Here's the beauty of it: There is no right or wrong answer. As long as students can justify their response, their answer is correct. Here are some ways you can use this in your classroom: 

• Display a picture. Have students determine which one doesn't belong. Designate a corner of the room for each picture. Ask students to go to the corner of the room that represents which picture/ element they believe doesn't belong. Once students meet-up in their chosen corners, students discuss their reasoning for why their picture doesn't belong. Then have the groups share-out.
• Display the picture. Challenge individuals or small groups to determine why each picture could be the one that doesn't belong. As a class, share your reasoning.
• Display the picture. Designate a corner of the room for each picture. Randomly select students to go to each corner. Then ask students to go to their assigned corner. Once students meet-up, have them determine a reason why their picture does not belong. 
• Have students determine a picture to add that would complete the set (depending on their "rule" for the set.).
• Have students determine an object that would not complete the set (depending on their "rule" for the set.)
• Have students create their own "Which One Doesn't Belong?" picture. Use the pictures throughout the year to challenge your students. 

Hint: The best way to display the pictures is to screen shot the page and then using an editing tool, like Paint, to crop the picture. 

Super Cute Idea: Play the Sesame Street song "One of These Things is Not Like the Other" while students are thinking about their response or have them sing the song while moving to their designated corner of the room. Click here for a short YouTube version of the song and/ or a simple example of the "Which One Doesn't Belong?" activity. 

Kick Start Your School Year with Graphing

One of my favorite things to do at the beginning of the school year is delve right into graphing. In the past, graphing has always been one of those skills that gets slighted because it always tends to land right before our state test on our yearly scope and sequence. A few years ago, I decided to try and integrate graphing activities throughout the year to avoid providing my students with a hurried graphing unit. Here are some ideas for how to get your students graphing from the very first days of school. 

• Create a Birthday Bar Graph with the number of birthdays in each month of the year. I typically use the one-inch graph paper on a roll that you can find at math manipulative companies, such as EAI Education. I have also used the one-inch graph paper available on a large tear-off pad from Office Max/ Office Depot. Tip: The regular 3" by 3" Post-it Notes work great on the one-inch grid paper because they line-up perfectly with the horizontal and vertical grid lines. For a variation, convert the data to a line (dot) plot using the birth month number instead of the month's name. If you choose to make both graphs, you can compare and contrast how they are alike and different with your students. 
• Create a Distance Traveled Bar Graph (Histogram) illustrating how far students traveled over the summer. Ask students to record a city and state or country they traveled to over the summer (or at any time if your students didn't travel much). Use the Travel Math website to get the driving or flying distances. Then have students use Post-it Notes (see above) to indicate the distance they traveled on the class histogram (a bar graph with intervals instead of discrete values). This type of graph isn't generally introduced until middle school, but given the authentic situation, students should be able to understand the practicality of the intervals on the graph. 
• Create a Learning Styles Triple Venn-Diagram showing the learning styles of the class. I often use one of the learning styles surveys that is available on the web to find out more about how my students learn best. After we get the results, we graph it! I typically use a Triple-Venn Diagram to display this data because some students have a tie for how they learn best, i.e. visual and tactile. However, you could also use a Pictograph or a Bar Graph to display the same data. Just decide in advance how to handle the students that may end up with two learning styles. 
• Create a Scatterplot illustrating the relationship between the number of vowels in a name and the number of syllables. In Texas, our fifth graders learn about scatterplots. In order to help them understand the purpose and eventual usefulness of a scatterplot, I use this graphing experience because students should see a 1:1 ratio; however, some names will not follow this ratio exactly. The data provides several interesting discussion points.

One of my favorite ways to display the data is on a class data wall. This allows the students to refer back to the data all year long. Since I usually use large graph paper for the initial activity, I transfer it to small graph paper for the data wall. See the picture for details. 

Kick Start Your School Year!

This is my safari-themed fourth grade classroom from a few years ago. 

It's time to go back to school! Admittedly, this is my absolute favorite time of the year. Energy is high. Everyone is rejuvenated and feeling relaxed from summer vacation. And, the prospect of a new group of students with a new set of talents, challenges, and abilities is exciting. Everything is clean. The school supplies are new. The room looks like it will never look again. It's back to school time. The very best time of the year!

In honor of back-to-school, I will be sharing some of my favorite back-to-school ideas, strategies, tips, and tools to get your year started on the right foot. I will also share some new things that I discovered over the summer.

The series will run through the end of next week, so check back each day for a new post. In addition, you can add your email address under "Join the Routty Math Club" on the right sidebar to get the new posts delivered directly to your inbox each day. Happy Reading!

Joining the Math Twitter Blogosphere . . . Finally

I'm so excited to announce that I've finally tapped into the wonders of Twitter. For the past few years, I was reluctant to join because I was unsure of how Twitter worked and it's inherent rules and procedures. However, through a community of teachers that I recently became acquainted with, I was encouraged (a.k.a. forced) to join the Twitter world as a condition of participating in the group. I am a true believer that all things happen for a reason and was actually excited about my gentle push shove into the Twitterverse. Admittedly, it's been a very positive experience. There are so many math conversations happening all over Twitter. There is actually something called the Math Twitter Blogosphere (#MTBoS) with a bunch of people talking about and sharing all things related to math. There's even a cool math chat with a bunch of elementary math people on Thursday nights (#ElemMathChat) where everyone is talking about math. It was intimidating at first, but after participating in my first one, I think I'll feel more comfortable next time. So cool! I've met some awesome math people-- even some whose books I have read (#starstruck). All in all, joining the Twitterverse has given me a new outlet for loving and learning about math. Thank you @bstockus and #rrmathrocks! Check me out on Twitter!

Confessions of a Middle Grades Student- Rule #6

Hello All! Please share your thoughts about ways to help students understand the role of the equal sign.

Calling All SuperKids!

Do you know what your students are passionate about? I'd like to share a First Day of School activity with you that will help you and your class get to know your super talents within. 

Two years ago, I looped with my fourth grade class up to fifth grade and wanted a really unique theme for the year. Since my students had made such huge gains during the previous year, I decided to call them SuperKids to encourage them to take their attitude, behavior, and achievement to the next level. In an effort to kick off the school year with the theme, I asked them to create their own SuperKid character.

I adapted this idea from another one I sometimes use at the start of the school year. I start by reading The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown. The book contains a bunch of poems about different things in our world. It's pretty simple and written for a younger audience, but I just use it as a model. We then discuss the format the author uses to create each poem.

It generally goes, "The important thing about ___________ is that it is__________." Then it gives more details about the object. It concludes with, "But, the important thing about ___________ is that it is__________ (repeated from the first line)." I ask the students to create a poem in this format about their talents. For the Superkid edition, I asked them to say, "The important thing about (first name) is that (she or he) is a super ___________." They then give some details about their super persona. They end with, "But, the important thing about (first name) is that (she or he) is a super ___________(repeated from the first line)."

Now for the fun part, I ask the students to create a model of a superkid using construction paper. This is always an interesting task because some of the students really struggle to make their person proportional. Sometimes, the torso is big and both the arms and legs are small. It's quite comical at times! For the Superkid edition, I asked the students to create a Superkid. Basically, this meant that their person should look a little more superhero-like than human-like. As an example, I made one for myself too. I called her SuperTeacher.

This turned out to be such an awesome activity! It really gave me a glimpse of what my students were most passionate about! I learned a lot about my students from this activity and I'd already been acquainted with these kids for an entire school year!

To finish, I post all of the student posters in the hallway with a sign that says "Meet the Superkids." It's a great display for the start of the year and for Open House.

BONUS IDEA: Read below the pictures for another first day idea!

See the pictures below to meet "Conservationist Chloe" and "Sashay Savvy Savannah." 

As a little bonus, I am also sharing my "Super Kid Recipe." I used it as a motivational tool and opportunity to instill the Superkid attitude in my students on the first day of school.

It makes for a great first day of school snack because so many students tend to show up without one. Please note: This recipe does contain cashews. Be sure to poll your students before serving nuts. All of the other ingredients should be okay for general nutritional/ dietary needs. 

If you want to add a little real world math to the first day of school, set-up large amounts of the ingredients at a station and have the students use measuring cups to measure-out their snack mix into a plastic bag and shake it up. Yea! Fractions on the very first day of school! 

Click on the recipe card below for a free download. 

Each recipe yields one Superkid! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Texas SIZE Link-UP: Let's Get Organized!

As teachers, we all know how important it is to be organized in the classroom. It just helps the days run more smoothly. However, we weren't all born with the organization gene (if there is one). With this in mind, I would like to share a few ways to keep your math manipulatives organized and ready for students to grab quickly and quietly throughout the day. 

Game Boxes

I started creating game boxes a few years back when I had some extra school boxes that needed a purpose. Because I use games daily to reinforce grade level content and skills and to provide extra intervention or challenge, I decided to fill them with common game materials that students typically need to play games. (See the picture above.) Once filled, I place the boxes in a cabinet that is accessible to students. When we get ready to play games, either as a class or in small groups, students grab a game box and game board. Material pick-up literally takes less than one minute. When game time has concluded, students replace the materials in the box and then return the box to storage. 


Game Markers

Another strategy that I use to keep my classroom running smoothly is to package my game markers. My class plays lots of quick games like Cover Up!, Connect, and Bingo to review skills. It can be time-consuming and tedious to hand-out markers to students before game time begins; so I started organizing my centimeter cubes and transparent chips into small containers that I found at Staples. (See the picture above.) Once filled, I organize the containers by color into a large basket. Whenever it's time to use them, I pull-out the basket and student pairs grab one container of cubes and one container of chips. Having these prepared in advance makes prep time super quick and easy. My students can take-out materials, play a game, and return materials in 10 minutes. No kidding! When game time has concluded, students replace the materials in the containers and then return them to the storage basket. By the way, when I have that random group of three, one student grabs a pre-packaged bag of beans to use as markers. Click the game links above for freebies!

Math Toolbox

The last organization tip that I have is my math toolbox. I got the idea after seeing all of

those cute toolboxes that teachers were creating with the toolboxes that you buy from the hardware store. (See the picture above.) This toolbox is filled with all of the materials that I need when I am working with a small group. It's the perfect size for my small group learning table in the classroom. The toolbox can also be used as a go-to place for students to find the math tools they need to make sense of the work they're doing in the classroom or as a stand-alone math station toolbox with materials needed to play games or complete task cards and/ or menu work.

I've included a free download of the labels here. Just place a text box over each oval and type your math tool name into the space. If you're trying to match the font, I used Hello Fonts Poppin' Tags. 

I've created the labels to fit the toolbox shown here; however, you can print them and use them to label other math tools in your classroom as well. For example, you can slip them on the inside of a plastic container and attach the label with double-sided tape. Enjoy!

I Challenge You: Turn Your Beliefs Into Actions Blog Hop

Recently, Whitney Alexanderson from With Love From Whitney posted a challenge for all of us teachers. After attending a church service where her pastor preached about knowing what you believe in, she challenged the teacher-blogger community to really think about what we believed in as educators and to create a blog post declaring those beliefs. 

When I first saw this challenge, I thought, "Well that's easy." But it wasn't as easy of a task as I first thought. While I know what I believe in, putting it on paper makes me feel so accountable. If I write it, I have to live it! And I have to be open to other people's criticism about what I say and how I act. So, here I am. These are my words. These are my beliefs and they will become my mantra for this school year. 

While I'm not in a classroom of my own, I will encourage the first and second year teachers that I mentor, as well as, the staff as a whole to rise to this challenge and provide the kind of education that all kids deserve. 

What are your beliefs? Please share them in the comment section below. 

Click the button below to visit the next blog: 

Math Rocks Mission #3- Goal Setting

Because my role this year is not as a classroom teacher, my goals are more related to my professional growth and work as a mentor teacher. 

First, I would like to challenge myself to read more professional books. With all of my graduate school work, it is challenging to find the time to read for my professional pleasure; however, there are lots of great books that people have been buzzing about lately and I feel left out of "the know." So, even though it will be hard, I am challenging myself to read at least one professional math book each semester. 

Second, both myself and the other mentor teacher with whom I work have expressed a desire to work more closely with our mentees. After year one of this grant program, she and I both felt like we had difficulty consistently supporting the needs of all of our teachers. This year we have decided to have a daily schedule so that teachers know when to expect our support. I'm really looking forward to this structure as I feel that it will help me get to know each teacher and the needs of his/ her students better. 

Third, I want to spread my knowledge with the campus teachers and staff with whom I work. While many teachers know that I have a passion for math, they do not know to what extent. In fact, 95% of the teachers do not know that I even have a blog or that I write math curricular materials for fun in my spare time. So this year I want to challenge myself to speak-up and offer to deliver a training on a useful math concept or topic. 

In terms of obstacles, my biggest challenge is my graduate school work. After working all day, my evenings are filled with night classes and homework. I very rarely get any additional time to work on other things. On top of that, I am a newlywed and need to make time with my new hubby a priority as well. Clearly, time is not something that I have an abundance of; however, since I am anticipating these potential roadblocks, I am spending the last few weeks of summer front-loading as much work as I can so that I can be ready for the new school year to begin. Over the past few weeks, I have been cleaning up my blog, creating new activity packs, scheduling new blog posts, and reading in my spare time so that I will be ready to shift my focus once I am back at work and at Baylor in August. 

What are your goals for this school year? What obstacles do you anticipate? Please share. 

Math Rocks Mission #1

I recently joined a program in my school district titled, "Math Rocks." It's a community of district math teachers collaborating together to decide how to help our students become more successful math students through building professional relationships and being curious teacher-learners. On our first day, we were assigned the task of creating a blog and writing a blog post. 

Here's the prompt: What is one thing that happens in your classroom that makes it distinctly yours? It can be something you do that is unique in your school… It can be something more amorphous… However you want to interpret the question! Whatever!

One of my hallmarks is using math journals in the classroom. Over the years, it has provided me with the most concrete evidence of where my students are in their thinking and their understanding of the skills and content on which we are working. Journals also make great assessment tools and provide concrete evidence for student data meetings. 

I wrote a post about how I use journals in the classroom last fall. Check it out here. 

New Product: Multiplication and Division After Math Pack

Check out my Multiplication and Division After Math Pack! It includes three learning games that reinforce multiplication and division of larger numbers. Check it out at: http://bit.ly/RMTMultiplyandDivide

Confessions of a Middle Grades Student- Rule #5

Hello All! Please share your thoughts about ways to address this misconception. And, for the upper grades teachers, how can we "undue" this rule when we begin working with fractions, decimals, and integers?

TpT Seller Challenge: New Freebie- Cover Up! Mental Math Games for K-5

Whew! I made it just under the wire, but I finished the third challenge! 

Check out my new FREEBIE!

Great for summer review! This K - 5 freebie includes eight mental math games correlated to the Common Core Math Standards for review and challenge. There are two types of games. One-star games review basic grade level content. Two-star games provide a challenge for the grade level content. The games include the following skills: make ten, ten more or ten less, two-digit addition, multiplication, division with remainders, and multiple operations. 

Check it out at: http://bit.ly/RMTCoverUpMentalMath 

#TPTSellerChallenge

Confessions of a Middle Grades Student- Rule #4

Hello All! Please share your thoughts about ways to address this misconception. And, for the upper grades teachers, how can we "undue" this rule when we begin working with fractions, decimals, and integers?

Confessions of a Middle Grades Math Student- Rule #3

Hello All! Please share your thoughts about other ways to help students understand the "order" of subtraction in the early grades. What might be a better early grades strategy?

TpT Seller Challenge: Dare to Dream

The Week 2 challenge for the TPT Sellers Challenge is to share my goals and dreams for my TPT business. After joining the seller community one year ago, I have found a lot of enjoyment in this venture and have big plans for the future!

• Share knowledge and grow professionally with other colleagues and scholars- This community is full of knowledgeable people. I learn something new with every person I met, product I create, and blog that I read. 
• Pay off debt- Getting an advanced degree while trying to live my life have come at a big cost. I look forward to paying off the debt, one bill at a time. 
• Be a successful entrepreneur- I started this business because I wanted to work for myself and do things The Routty Math Teacher way! I am looking forward to gaining more followers, getting more participation, and creating and selling more products. TpT Top Ten Sellers list- here I come!
• Stay at home with my kids- While I do not have kids yet, I am looking forward to the future. I am getting married in 17 days. Yes, 17 days. Wow! We both want children and are planning for me to be able to spend time at home so that I can enjoy all of those precious moments.
• Travel the world- So after 35 years, I just received my first passport-- for my honeymoon in Cancun. Now that I have it, and a willing travel partner, I look forward to traveling more. All I need is some help for making it through the plane ride! :o(

What are your dreams for the future? Please share! 

#TPTSellerChallenge

TpT Seller Challenge: Problem Solving on the Farm with a Brand New Cover!

Hello Again! This TPT Seller Challenge has me going makeover crazy! I just updated the cover of my best-selling product- Problem Solving on the Farm. This pack encourages you to expand your students' problem solving toolboxes while they become familiar with strategy terminologies and procedures, as well as, explore and evaluate multiple methods to solve problems. Check it out athttp://bit.ly/RMTProblemSolvingontheFarm. ‪

#TPTSellerChallenge

TpT Seller Challenge: Math Journal Rubric & Scoring Guide with a Brand New Cover!

Hello All! I joined a TPT Seller Challenge this week and have just completed the first challenge. I am so excited to share it with you-- a new product cover for my essential Math Journal Rubric & Scoring Guide pack. Journals are a great way to integrate writing in math and encourage your students to communicate their thinking mathematically through written expression. This guide makes a great planning tool for the new school year. Check it out at http://bit.ly/RMTMathJournalGuide. ‪#‎TPTSellerChallenge‬

#TPTSellerChallenge

Confessions of a Middle Grades Math Student: Rule #2

Please share your thoughts about how using keywords can be misleading for students. Also, please share ideas for teaching students how to analyze word problems more effectively.

Confessions of a Middle Grades Math Student: Rule #1

Please share your thoughts about how to address this potential pitfall when teaching this topic.

New Blog Series!

Hello Routty Math Teacher Community,

Welcome to my new blog series-- Confessions of a Middle Grades Math Student!

While we all look forward to summer as a time for some much needed rest and relaxation, we also spend considerable time preparing for the new school year. With that in mind, I will be providing purposeful professional development to support your summer learning as we prepare for the new school year. 

Over the course of the summer, I will be providing insight into the rules, tips, and strategies that students bring into the middle grades mathematics classroom from earlier grades that do not support the development of more advanced skills. 

I will introduce a new topic each week, drawing the majority of the topics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) article titled, "13 Rules that Expire" by Karen S. Karp, Sarah B. Bush, and Barbara J. Dougherty (2014). You can download a free preview copy from NCTM here. In this article, the authors describe rules that "expire" and are no longer valid at a certain point in a student's mathematics career.

Through this blog series, I will explore these rules and offer suggestions on ways to better support our students' growth and understanding of the mathematical content and skills underlying them. The information will be presented from the student's perspective so that we might gain some insight on how our students internalize what we say. 

It is my hope to generate some discussion and get feedback on these ideas. Please feel free to comment here within the blog or on The Routty Math Teacher Facebook Page.

Happy Reading!

Clipart Courtesy of: http://www.phillipmartin.info/clipart/homepage.htm

Hello Routty Math Teacher Community!

I appreciate your patience while I am finishing up a project-heavy semester of grad school for my doctorate degree. My March hiatus has become a little longer than expected. However, even though I have been focusing on finishing this semester's graduate school work, I have been brainstorming lots of new ideas for you! I will be beginning a new series soon that will become a major focus for The Routty Math Teacher blog. It will address common teaching strategies that lead to misconceptions later in mathematics. I plan to address the strategy and then give some tips and tricks on how to refocus the lesson to provide support for what's to come later. Thank you so much for your support! Please subscribe to my site for updates as they become available. See you soon!

Math Picture Books to Love: Math Curse

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka

• Target Skill(s): Math Anxiety and Math in Our World
• Book Synopsis: A young girl goes through her day plagued by all of the math problems she encounters in her world until she discovers a way to escape her nightmare. 
• Math Involved: This book deals with math anxiety, as well as, the numerous places math plays a role in our lives. 
• Questions to Ponder: 
• Why do some students fear math?
• What do you think about math?
• What is math anxiety? How can you deal with math anxiety?
• When do you use math outside of the classroom?
• Activity Ideas: 
• At the beginning of the school year, use the book to introduce students to math class. Then, ask students to create a poem, picture, acrostic, story, or other creative piece to describe how they feel about math. 
• As the first page in a journal or math notebook, have students use math to describe themselves. Click here for an example. 
• Discuss how we use math in our everyday world. Then, complete my After Math activity (from my Engaging Mathematics blog series). 
• Book Link on Amazon: http://bit.ly/MathCurse

Math Picture Books to Love: The Greedy Triangle

The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns

• Target Skill(s): Attributes of Two-Dimensional Geometric Figures
• Book Synopsis: Triangle was unhappy doing the same old things. One day, it met a shapeshifter who changed its shape into a quadrilateral. After living for a short while as a quadrilateral, Triangle decided it no longer wanted to be a quadrilateral. Again and again, the shapeshifter changed dissatisfied Triangle into other shapes until Triangle finally decided it was happiest as a triangle. Triangle went back to the shapeshifter to return to its old shape and enjoyed the rest of its life. 
• Math Involved: This book involves geometric vocabulary and terms associated with two-dimensional shapes. 
• Questions to Ponder:
• What is a triangle? How do you know when a shape is a triangle?
• What shapes did Triangle change into? Describe them in order?
• Where do we find shapes in our world? Give an example. 
• Why do shapes with a lot of sides roll more easily than shapes with fewer sides?
• Activity Ideas: 
• Have students go on a shape hunt to look for 2-D shapes around campus. Then, have students share their findings. 
• Play, "Who Am I?" Provide descriptions of various 2-D shapes without identifying the shape. Then, let students guess the name of the shape. For example, "I have four sides and I am home plate on a baseball field."
• Give students a variety of shapes and have them sort the shapes by attribute or other feature.  
• Book Link on Amazon: http://bit.ly/TheGreedyTriangle

Math Picture Books to Love: What's Your Angle Pythagoras?

What's Your Angle Pythagoras? by Julie Ellis

• Target Skill(s): Pythagorean Theorem 
• Book Synopsis: Pythagoras was a curious boy who lived long ago in ancient Greece.  Pythagoras was a problem solver and liked to solve the problems of those around him. While traveling with his father, Pythagoras met a man named Nef who told him about a knotted rope he used to make right angles so that his square corners are perfect. After the encounter, Pythagoras made his own special knotted rope and used it to discover the secret of the right triangle. Pythagoras used this knowledge to create squares along the legs of a right triangle. Through his exploration, he discovered that the total number of squares on the two shorter legs equaled the number of squares on the longest leg. Pythagoras tested his hypothesis on various other right triangles and discovered that his hypothesis was indeed correct! 
• Math Involved: This story analyzes the relationship between the legs on a right triangle and introduces the Pythagorean Theorem.
• Questions to Ponder:
• What relationship did Pythagoras discover?
• What is the Pythagorean Theorem? Give an example.
• How can we prove the Pythagorean Theorem? 
• How do you use the Pythagorean Theorem to find sides of right triangles? 
• Will the Pythagorean Theorem work for any kind of triangle?
• What is a hypotenuse?
• Activity Ideas: 
• Give students a variety of triangles (with whole centimeters sides). Have students measure the sides of each triangle and determine which ones show that the short side squared + the long side squared = the hypotenuse squared. 
• Practice solving the problems on pages 24 and 29 of the book.
• Create a model of Pythagoras's discovery. Have students write what they learned at the bottom.
• Book Link on Amazon: http://bit.ly/WhatsYourAnglePythagoras

Math Picture Books to Love: Spaghetti and Meatballs for All

Spaghetti and Meatballs for All! by Marilyn Burns

• Target Skill(s): Area and Perimeter
• Book Synopsis: The Comfort family wants to have a family reunion. They plan to invite 32 guests. In order to accommodate all 32 family members, they decide to order 8 four-person tables and 32 chairs. Once the guests begin to arrive, the family members begin to push the tables together so that the family members can sit closer together. However, each time the family changes the table arrangement, Mrs. Comfort objects and says the new arrangement won't work. Finally, after multiple attempts, the Comforts return to Mrs. Comfort's original floor plan. 
• Math Involved: This story involves finding the combined area and perimeter of table arrangements. 
• Questions to Ponder: 
• If Mrs. Comfort ordered enough tables and chairs for all of the family members, why couldn't they all sit at the different table arrangements?
• Why did Mrs. Comfort object each time the family changed the seating arrangement?
• What happened each time two tables were pushed together? 
• How many tables would you have ordered for the family so that everyone could sit together? Explain. 
• Activity Ideas: 
• Review the various table arrangements from the story. Make a record of them. Have students find the combined area and perimeter of each arrangement.
• Provide students with 8 squares. Then, have students create and record a variety of arrangements. Next, have students record the area and perimeter of each arrangement. Finally, have students determine the arrangement with the largest perimeter and the smallest perimeter. 
•  Have students create a table arrangement diagram (similar to Mrs. Comfort's diagram) to show how many tables would be needed for all of the Comforts to sit together. 
• Book Link on Amazon: http://bit.ly/SpaghettiAndMeatballsForAll

Math Picture Books to Love: How Much is a Million?

How Much is a Million? by David Schwartz

• Target Skill(s): Relative Size of Numbers One Million and Beyod
• Book Synopsis: This book was written some years ago but is a great way to emphasize the size of large numbers. The author does a solid job of relating the size of a million, a billion, and a trillion in a language that young students understand. For example, the author says, "If you wanted to count from one to one million, it would take about 23 days." He uses the same comparisons for a million, a billion, and a trillion. 
• Math Involved: This book emphasizes the size of large numbers using pictures and descriptions.
• Questions to Ponder: 
• How do you think the author was able to create these statements? Did someone really count to one million? Is there a fish bowl large enough for one million goldfish?
• Which description helped you understand the size of a million, a billion, or a trillion the most? Why?
• Activity Ideas: 
• NCTM Illuminations Activity- How Much is a Million?
• Have students brainstorm where they might find a million of something. For example, there are a million fish in the sea or a million blades of grass on the lawn. 
• Have students convert some of the measurements in the book to a different unit. For example, 23 days is 552 hours. 
• Book Link on Amazon: http://bit.ly/HowMuchIsAMillion