Math Strategies for Grade 2
By the time kids reach the second grade, they should be familiar with certain basic math concepts, such as numbers, simple addition and subtraction, telling time and skip counting. Their second year in elementary school math will be a period of reviewing and mastering these basic skills, as well as moving on to more advanced topics, such as multiplication and division, shapes and solids, measurement and fractions. As the subject becomes more difficult, teachers must utilize a number of strategies, which will allow them to make the lessons more compelling and get the pupils' attention.
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Visualize the Lesson
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Children understand more easily what they can see. For example, if you are talking about fractions, draw a pizza divided in equal pieces on the board. Likewise, when you add, subtract, divide or multiply objects, you or the pupils should draw them first and then count them. School books' tasks always refer to certain objects, such as houses, cars or apples, so use your and your pupils' creativity to make every new topic easier to understand.
Make Pupils Part of the Lesson
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Do not just lecture about mathematical values and expect children to understand you. Use the Socratic method: Ask them specific questions, which have an obvious answer, but eventually lead to a hard problem's solution. For example, ask them how they eat a pizza with their family. They don't have one for everyone, instead they cut it in pieces. Each one takes an equal number of pieces. After they have given you these answers, you will tell them that they have found the meaning of division.
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Use Games for Learning
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Classroom activities will help you keep the balance between fun, keeping children focused and motivated, which is what school is all about. You can introduce simple games, such as imitating a customer paying a grocer, teaching children how to count money or connecting shapes and solids with famous buildings, like the parallelepiped with the UN headquarters in New York City. It will be a method of evaluating how well your pupils have understood the concepts you have discussed earlier in the class and if they can put their math skills into practice.
Rewarding Homework
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When it comes to assigning tasks for homework, don't be too demanding, but give them tasks which will allow them to review what you taught in the classroom. In addition to the usual "45 + 37=?" exercises, give them real-life problems, like the farmer who owns 12 sheep and wants to offer them as gifts to three friends. Ask them how many sheep each person will get if each gets an equal number.
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References
Resources
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