Math Vocabulary

What about “Vertical”?

Last week I gave you a challenge.  What did you come up with as a memory tip for the math definition of “vertical”?  Here’s my idea.  Write the word starting at the bottom and go up vertically.  By doing the exercise, kids will remember that vertical mean “an upright position.”

VerticalWhat do you think?  Memory tips are fun to do and make a difference.  To remember the meaning of “horizontal”, just write it across the page with the letters spread out.

horizontalLet me know how your kids are responding!

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September 18, 2009   No Comments

Remembering the Meaning of “Parallel”

How many kids struggle with the definition for “parallel”? Let’s make it easy for them. There are three parallel lines in the word!  Wow!  Just color them a bright color and exaggerate their size.  Whenever you exaggerate something and make it visual, the brain will remember because it is out of the norm!

parallelIsn’t this fun?  Try the word “vertical”.  See if you can figure out a memory tip to remember that “vertical” means “an upright position.”

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September 4, 2009   No Comments

More Math Memory Magic

When I was teaching third grade, I noticed children missing a word problem because they couldn’t remember if the word “sum” was an adding word or subtracting word. I could tell them a million times but nothing helped until I made up this  little rhyme, they could easily remember!

“Sum” apples are green
“Sum” apples are red
“Sum” is the answer
When you add in your head!

After learning the rhyme I told them the word spelled “sum” in the rhyme was incorrect. It should have been “some”.  The kids loved writing sentences using both “some” and “sum”.
Some add to get the sum!

Word problems have a lot of confusing words, like sum, difference, altogether, total, in all, less than, etc. I remember  being asked, “Mrs. Yates, is “difference” an adding word or subtracting word?”  Again a short little rhyme to the rescue.
Difference, difference
What can it be?
The subtraction answer
Don’t you see?

It’s hard for kids to remember a lot of the math words. We need to give them memory tips to help them remember.  Just turn on the creative juices and come up with your own little pictures and rhymes to help your kids remember.

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August 27, 2009   No Comments