|
|
 | |
| |
 Grades 6–8 Math Activities
What Are Numbers Made of?
-
Help your child think about how numbers and operations relate to
each other, and help her become fluent in math facts. Do “number
studies” with your child.
Here's what you need:
-
| |
|
| Grid paper (made up of little squares. Make your own using
plain paper and a centimeter ruler.) |
| |
|
| Square tiles (optional) |
| |
|
| Pencil |
Here's what you do:
-
Begin by asking your child to choose a number and come up with
everything she knows about that number. For example, suppose the number
is 60. Some facts your child might know about 60:
| |
|
| 30 + 30 = 60 |
| |
|
| There are six 10’s in 60. |
| |
|
| One hundred 60’s is 6,000. |
| |
|
| If you divide 360 by 6, you get 60. |
| |
|
| If you have a cake cut into 60 pieces, then 30 pieces would
be the same as half the cake. |
After your child has listed some facts, help her organize them
and expand the list. For example, categories could include: addition
facts with 60 as the sum (total), factors of 60 (numbers that you
can multiply to get 60), numbers that have 60 as a factor, fractions
involving 60, etc. Your child can then try to list 5 or 10 facts in
each category. Use the categories and lists to help raise additional
questions.
Here are some questions to explore using grid paper. (Square tiles
or blocks may help as well.) Help your child come up with ways of
keeping track of different answers.
| |
|
| What are all the different rectangles we can make using
60 squares? What are their dimensions? Their perimeters (the distances
around them)? Their areas (numbers of squares that fill them)? How
many different rectangles can we find? How can we be sure we found
them all? |
| |
|
| Suppose we make garden plots using 60 feet of fencing? What
are all the different-size plots we can make? What are their dimensions?
Their perimeters? Their areas? How many can we find? How can we be
sure we found them all? |
| |
|
| What are the different shapes and patterns that we can make
using 60 squares? |
Keep going...
-
Let your child’s interest and curiosity take this activity
in different directions. For example, your child may want to learn
the times facts “down cold.” Or she may become interested
in finding all fractions that are equivalent to fractions that have
60 as the denominator (bottom number). Once your child has spent time
exploring a number, let her choose another number to study.
Grades 6–8 Math Activities
|
|
