Problems for Math Teaching in Elementary Levels

Make math lessons engaging using inventive problem sets and activities.

Creating interest in mathematics during elementary school years can give students the confidence and the practical skills to excel in higher mathematics courses in later years. In addition, the math skills learned during elementary school are often the most frequently used during day-to-day adult life. Use creative approaches to foster interest in subjects such as arithmetic, fractions, measurement and geometry.

Cookie Sharing Problems

Create interest in arithmetic skills such as division, fractions and subtraction using a tray of freshly baked cookies. When first introducing an arithmetic function, use a round number of cookies. Once students have progressed, you can use the same number of cookies as there are students in the classroom. Instead of presenting the students with math problems phrased in normal terms, such as, "What is 16 divided by 4?," propose various scenarios to the classroom. For example, ask them "What if I give all of these cookies to Alvin, Vera, Guillermo and Tillie?" (Substitute the names of four children in your classroom.) The children will shriek to think that those four children will receive all the cookies. Assure them that you want to be fair; you need to divide all 16 cookies among the four children, evenly. Eventually form the questions so that all the cookies are evenly distributed among all the children in the class.

Fact Families

For the lower elementary school grades, you can introduce the basics of arithmetic by teaching students to identify "fact families." For example, show them that 2 + 3 = 5 is one addition fact. Ask them to find three more "related" members of the same fact family; elicit the students to provide "3 + 2 = 5," "5 - 3 = 2" and "5 - 2 = 3." Have students work in groups to write out more fact families.

Engaging Drills

Once students have understood the reasoning behind basic arithmetic functions, help them to solidify their recall with drill activities. You can make this relatively rote aspect of learning more interesting by creating variations on the basic fill-in-the-blanks multiplication table problem. Mix up written and oral problems; for an interesting oral drill, have the students stand up and toss a balloon around the room, from student to student. Each student to receive the ball must answer a basic arithmetic problem you ask them. When students get the problem wrong, they must sit back down. The last one left standing is the winner.

Measuring Problems

Elementary math skills include a basic familiarity with various measurements. Teach your students how to convert between various measurements by reading them realistic word problems. Insert students' names into the problems to spark the class's interest. For example, ask the class, "If Javi is four feet and 10 inches tall, what is his height in inches?" You can even call students to the front of the class and measure their heights to give the problems a "real life" interest.

References

• Math Man: Sample Problems from Chapter 2
• Math Steps: Inverse Relationship Between Addition and Subtraction
• AAA Math: Fourth Grade