Thank you, John Venn!!

Hello!

Understanding the differences and similarities between physical and political maps can be slightly challenging for seven and half year olds. 

To simplify it, I decided to use a Venn diagram in my Social Studies class.

Before doing this activity, students should be familiarized with what are physical and political maps. 

Start with the differences since they are easier to identify. Have both the maps displayed and ask your class to brainstorm some of the differences between them. Write down on the board as they discuss. 

Next, move on to talking about the similarities. Have them written in the center on the board. 

Something like this:

Once the discussion is over, draw circles in a way that the similarities are in the overlapping part of the two circles and the differences  on the either sides.

Encourage your class to draw their own Venn diagrams and they could even illustrate, if they wish to. 

For example:

Google search image

Some other subjects/topics where Venn diagrams have helped me make learning fun are:

• Social Studies - Understanding the similarities and differences between maps and globes, latitudes and longitudes, comparing festivals, religions and so on. 
• Language Arts - a comic strip and a short story, poems and stories, singular and plural (the nouns which do not change can be in the centre; like - deer, moose, sheep)
• Science - plants and animals, stars and planets 

Although a Math concept, but Venn diagrams have proved to be very useful across subjects and concepts. I often try to integrate them in my class. I hope you like the idea and try them out.

Please feel free to suggest more concepts where I could apply Venn diagrams in my classroom.

Baking Fractions!

Hello!

This activity is my personal favourite as we don't just learn about fractions as equal parts of a whole but we also get to eat them!!

This is a follow-up activity on the topic and kids should be familiar with simple vocabulary like whole, halves and quarters. 

You could also take this opportunity to revisit 'Time Words' while talking about the steps for baking a pizza. 

You will need:

• pizza base (preferably wheat base)
• pizza sauce
• veggies (I used onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and corn)
• lots and lots of cheese
• oregano seasoning (optional)

Set up stations for the activity and divide your class into teams/groups. Have a teacher at each station.

Station 1 - First, the kids will come and pick up a pizza base (the teacher should remind them that the pizza base is a whole)

They will also spread some sauce on it. 

Station 2 - Next, the team will move to station 2 to place veggies on the pizza.

Station 3 - Then, the group will spread some cheese and add oregano seasoning.

Station 4 - After that, the teams will take the prepared pizza to the kitchen to be baked in the oven with the help of their teacher. 

While the baking happens, you could play a quick quiz to recap the lesson. You could ask questions like:

1. How many halves make a whole?

2. How many quarters make a whole?

3. How many quarters make a half?

4. If I eat 2 out of 4 slices of pizza then, what fraction of the pizza did I eat?

5. If you ate 1 out of 4 slices then, what fraction of pizza you did not eat?

Finally, once we smell some freshly melted cheese we can take out the pizza and show it to the kids. 

This is the most important part of the activity as the fractions will appear now! 

With the help of a pizza cutter, divide the pizza into two equal halves (showing the two halves to the class) and then further divide the halves into quarters(again, show the 4 equal parts) 

Now comes the most awaited part - Eating the Fractions!

Ready to eat??

Students will be super thrilled to eat the pizza. This activity will make the unit most interesting and memorable not just for kids but also for you. At last, ask the kids to write and draw the fraction of pizza they ate. 

P.S. If you do not have access to kitchen in school then, the same activity can be done using paper plates (as pizza base) and colourful chips of paper (as toppings). 

Subtraction Poem

Hello!

When it comes to subtracting numbers, it may be a little confusing for young ones. For my class of 7-8 years old, I used this wonderful subtraction poem to help them understand the concept better.
It also made my lesson interesting and enjoyable.

The poem goes like this:

Now, the first rule is for subtraction without borrowing. 

Write a problem on the board and the rule beside it. Ask your class to look only at the ones/units place to be able to apply the rule. You can circle/highlight the units place as done in the picture.

Ask them if the digit in units place is more on the 'top' (point at the digit) or on the 'floor' (point at it). Then let them repeat the rule together and tell them that they don't have to 'stop' and they can subtract 6 from 8 (as in the picture).

The second rule is for subtraction with borrowing. This might take some time.

Have another subtraction question on the board. Write the second rule beside it and ask them to check only the units place. You could question them if the unit on the 'floor' (point it out) is more or less than the unit on the 'top' (again, point it). In the above case, 8 is more than 2 hence the rule applies. Tell them that since there is more on the 'floor' they will have to go next door and borrow 10 (1 ten) more.

Kids should understand that we are borrowing 1 ten or 10 and not 1 or a unit.
Once you borrow 10 more the tens place loses one ten and hence 6 tens become 5 tens whereas the units place gets 1 ten hence 2 becomes 12 (1 ten + 2 units OR 10 + 2).

The third rule is the simplest of all!!

Write another subtraction question with the same digits in the units place for both 'top' and 'floor'. Ask them to read aloud the rule and check if it applies to the question you have written. In case of the above example, both the units place have 3 and hence 0 is the game (3 take away 3 is 0).

With the help of the Subtraction Poem, teaching subtraction with borrowing became very simple for me. Kids recited the rules while doing the problems and the steps became pretty clear.

The strategy worked wonders for us and I hope it does for you as well! 😃

Money Spent Well!

Hello!

This activity will take you outdoors with your class! 

As part of the unit on money in Mathematics, I took my class for some shopping. The trip was planned to give them a realistic experience in dealing with money. It also helped them use their skills of adding and subtracting two-digit numbers, effectively.

You will need some planning beforehand:

• I suggest that you inform the parents a week before the trip and ask them to send a shopping bag and some money with the kids in an envelope/purse (we kept it to 50 rupees for all).
• A demo of the shopping activity in class before the actual trip helps. Students get a practice in calculating the money spent (addition) and the change they would get back (subtraction).
• Discuss some of the points to remember; like: asking for a bill, checking the price of an item before buying and being courteous to the staff.

Let's go!!

On the field trip day our excitement levels knew no boundaries!! 

It was a short yet fun ride to the departmental store. On reaching there, we divided ourselves into smaller groups, each accompanied by a teacher. The aim was to buy a few items within our budget keeping in mind to bring back some change.

Kids enjoyed exploring the different sections and picked up the items they needed. They were thrilled to shop and at the same time careful with checking the prices before adding them into their shopping bags. I too bought something for my kitchen. 👧

At the billing counter, they calculated the money spent (adding up the numbers) and the change they should get back (subtracting the total from 50).
Like good customers, they asked for their bills! It was a pleasure to see them spend their money wisely!

We had an exciting time and we came back with a feel-good shopping experience.

P.S. - If you are unable to take your kids out then, you could set up a shop in your class or at home using empty cartons, wrappers, stationery items, etc and the kids could experience something similar indoors.

Am I Growing?

Am I Growing?

Hello!

Little ones are ever excited to find out if they are growing tall. It makes it even more fun for them if their teachers become a part of their journey!

I did the 'Am I Growing?' activity with my students as an integration of their Science and Math topics.

As young scientists, the activity helps them predict reasonably and as budding mathematicians it allows them to understand the concept of inch as a standard unit of measurement.

Before you start the activity you will have to keep the following resources ready:

1. A height chart which could be hung anywhere in the classroom (available on Amazon).
2. A worksheet with 3 main columns - date, time and prediction for the students to record their data.

Let's begin!

Gather your students around and ask them if they know their height. Believe me, you will be amazed to hear their responses! Make a note of how many used a standard unit of measurement while sharing the information with you. Once the discussion is over, show them the height chart and ask them if they know the reason for having it in the classroom? Their views will vary and they will have ideas of their own!

Speak to them about the activity and tell them that they will be recording their height (in inches) every month for the next one year. Every time they check their height they will have to go back to their place and record the data in the worksheet provided. You must ensure that they write the date, height and their prediction for next time. For the prediction, you could get responses like; 'I will not grow even a little by next month', 'I will grow by an inch', I will become shorter', 'I will grow 10 inches', etc. It will be a delight to watch them compare their prediction to the actual data. Some may show disappointment, a few will be happy, a group of them may even be startled. So, be prepared!

To be certain that they do not misplace their recording sheet you could stick it in their Science notebooks. It should stay safe unless, their dog eats their Science notebook!!

To add to the learning, you could ask the students to pair up and measure the height for each other. This will help them become better team players.

I hope you enjoy doing the activity and it is effective in your classrooms too!