Best Practices for Teaching Math Grades 1-3

June was just around the corner and I was running out of ideas to keep my first graders busy and happy. Report cards were almost done and I needed something fun and educational to fill the last few days of school. Then it hit me: why not let them plan their own party? I know what you're thinking: that sounds like a recipe for disaster. How can 6 and 7-year-olds handle such a complex task? Well, with a little guidance from me, they could. And they did! It was a performance-based math task that challenged them to use their math skills in real-life situations. A performance-based math task is a problem that requires students to apply their mathematical knowledge and skills in a realistic and novel context. In this case, students had to use their math skills, such as collecting data, problem-solving, and counting money, to plan and create their own end-of-the-year party. It was an amazing experience that I want to share with you. Here's how we did it! The Big Plan Before we could h...

Growing up, I was pretty good at math except for problem-solving.  When I think about it, we were just sort of expected to be able to solve problems if we knew the math.  We weren't actually taught how to solve them.  Thank goodness that has changed! Problem-solving is an essential part of mathematics education, and it is a skill that can be developed and nurtured at an early age. In the Ontario math curriculum for the primary grades, problem-solving is a significant focus, with students expected to develop problem-solving strategies and apply them to a range of mathematical situations. Because I didn't think I was good at problem-solving, I made it a priority to learn how to teach it.  In fact, most of my math programming focused on solving problems.  And my students really became excellent problem solvers! This was my approach to teaching problem-solving: Emphasize problem-solving strategies:  Teach students a variety of problem-solving strategies, suc...