Book Description

"The real-world connection and use of manipulatives, games, and items from home will hook 21st-century learners. I spend a considerable amount of time searching for appropriate lesson ideas. No more! This collection of lessons—across all math standards—provides more than enough resources to enhance my teaching." —Rachel Hull, Fifth-Grade Teacher George Washington Elementary School, Eleanor, WV "This well-organized resource enriches any math curriculum with easy-to-follow and abundant ′out of your seat′ activities to engage a variety of learners. The best components are quick formative assessments within each activity that provide an immediate perspective on each child′s understanding and progress." —Jennifer Harper, Fourth-Grade Teacher Cavendish Town Elementary School, Proctorsville, VT Imaginative mathematics activities that maximize the brain′s learning potential! Demonstrating instructional principles discussed in David A. Sousa′s bestseller, How the Brain Learns Mathematics, this resource provides brain-friendly, ready-to-use mathematics lessons for Grades 4-5. Teachers will find step-by-step guidance and all the necessary reproducibles for mathematics instruction that involves group work, reflection, movement, and visualization. Through activities such as Scuba Division, Party Planners, Sunken Treasure, and Parachute Drop, intermediate learners will enjoy developing skills connected with multiplication and division, fractions and decimals, geometry and measurement, algebra, data analysis, and more. Aligned with NCTM standards and focal points, the instructional strategies enhance motivation and content retention, address individual intelligences, and: Promote writing as an important learning tool Use concrete models to make concepts meaningful Connect mathematical ideas to the real world Incorporate graphic organizers to help students organize their thinking Teach creative problem solving Deepen and revitalize instruction using Sousa′s proven brain-compatible approach for helping every student develop self-confidence in mathematics!