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You are here: Home / math / Motivating Math Ideas
math

Motivating Math Ideas

April 16, 2012

If you read my guest post over at Think, Wonder, and Teach last week, you learned a little more about my journey to love math. Math was always my favorite subject as a student until I hit high school geometry sophomore year. I’m great with numbers, but anything to do with spacial reasoning and shapes just isn’t my thing. As I look back at what when wrong on my education journey, I also realized that my geometry teacher wasn’t really excited about math either. When my weakness was paired with a less-than-enthusiastic teacher, my motivation to learn went out the window. Recognizing that, I’ve made it my personal goal this year to do more with math engagement in our classroom. Fortunately, I don’t have to reinvent the wheel every day because there are lots of fabulous teachers out there with motivating math ideas.

The first idea has been challenging for my students, but because I teach the highest ability class, I wanted to try it. Math Spies is blog set up as math puzzles. Students navigate through the blog as they solve the problems. It reminds me of the Choose Your Own Adventure chapter books and the format is extremely motivating. If you teach older students, I think they’d love Math Spies!



The second idea is one I briefly shared with you last week as I was gearing up for my Innovation series. It didn’t get its own post, so I wanted to touch on it again. Symbaloo is a free website that lets you turn your computer’s bookmarks into a game board. I saw Adrienne at Unless Teaching using it for her math workshop and just had to try it with my students. I was able to grab her board to get me started and then add and remove tiles to personalize the board for my students. My favorite tile is a free flashcard program called Xtramath.org. You can give each student a free account to practice their facts. The program tracks their progress to move them through addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The website will even email you when a student completes a level so you can print out a certificate. My students are LOVING the board. You can have them play from the Symbaloo website itself or you can copy/paste the game board onto your own class website. If you like my board, feel free to grab it for your class and make changes as needed.

Finally, I just found a new fraction lesson last week. Amanda at The Teaching Thief made fun Fraction Me people with her students. Students used colorful squares to create self-portraits. Then they used fractions to describe their creations. I plan to work with ordering fractions, equivalent fractions, and numerator/denominator review when I teach this lesson next week. I grabbed one of her images to tease you into going over to her blog to see all of her cute examples. You’ll be glad you did!

I have more motivating math ideas to share with you in the future. Until then, what are some of your favorites?

fractions math facts math games math story problems resources websites
by Christi Fultz 

About Christi Fultz

wife • mom • teacher • writer • tech obsessed • sometime crafter • beach lover | Empowering entrepreneurs through branding & website design

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Comments

  1. Mary Bauer says: April 16, 2012 at 1:39 pm

    Thank you Christi for recommending Math Spies to other teachers. My students have been enjoying this site and suggesting plot lines for me this year. I would love to have more students learn that math is fun.

    • Christi at Ms. Fultz's Corner says: April 16, 2012 at 10:21 pm

      I love that they are suggesting ideas too. I'm happy to share it!

  2. Mrs. Hallman says: April 16, 2012 at 5:46 pm

    The fractional me is adorable!!! I made Fraction Bots from Ginger of Classroom Freebies which are equally adorable. I will totally incorporate this next year as I am almost finished with my fraction unit. Then I will have the students respond to a prompt about fractions somehow integrating writing with the math and art!! Thanks for this fabulous idea!!!

    • Christi at Ms. Fultz's Corner says: April 16, 2012 at 10:22 pm

      Great idea!

  3. The Science Penguin says: April 16, 2012 at 11:56 pm

    I love the Fraction Me! So cool!

    The Science Penguin

  4. Amanda says: April 27, 2012 at 5:37 pm

    Thanks for the shout-out! ~Amanda @ The Teaching Thief

Christi Fultz

wife • mom • teacher • writer • tech obsessed • sometime crafter • beach lover | Empowering entrepreneurs through branding & website design

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As an experienced third grade teacher with a Masters in Elementary Education and K-12 reading license, I know educational resources need to be both inviting and engaging to capture students' interests. I am passionate about creating user-friendly resources to help all students learn while saving valuable prep for teachers. Read More…

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This Is 3 // Charlotte girl, being your momma is a This Is 3 // Charlotte girl, being your momma is a gift. I cannot believe you turn THREE tomorrow! You have the most adventurous heart, love your babies, and always keep us on our toes. We love you!
Lake Love // Even though our trip was cut short th Lake Love // Even though our trip was cut short this year, I’m thankful we made it to Marblehead. It’s my absolute favorite spot on Lake Erie. Just swipe to see that sailboat and sunlight on the water. Absolute peace.
Happy Last Day // We had a lot of changes last sum Happy Last Day // We had a lot of changes last summer, but the move back home to Louisville has been even better than I expected. Kindergarten was so special and Carter had the sweetest teacher. Today was a much-needed bright spot. Here’s to what’s next.
Joy // I shared this in stories, but it deserves a Joy // I shared this in stories, but it deserves a permanent place in my feed too. When do we lose this endless wonder and joy?? These kids are here for a good time all the time. 

They loved a night in a hotel to swim and play. It wasn’t a relaxing experience away with a spa like many of my trips pre-kids, but it was exactly what we needed.
Proof Of Mom // Took the kids to opening day at @k Proof Of Mom // Took the kids to opening day at @kentuckykingdom today. After moving back to Louisville last summer, it’s been fun exploring old places that are “new” to my kids. The new ownership seems to have big plans for the park. Carter is eager for the water rides to open. We’ll be back soon!

#kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #kentuckymom ⁠#locallouisville #louisvillelove #mylouisville⁠ #howwelou #louisvilleigers #momsaroundlouisville #momlife
Happy Easter // So blessed to be their momma. 🐰 Happy Easter // So blessed to be their momma. 🐰

#kentuckyblogger #kyblogger #louisvilleblogger #igerslouisville #derbycitymama #kentuckymom  #locallouisville #louisvillelove #mylouisville⁠ #howwelou #louisvilleigers #momsaroundlouisville #momlife #instagrammom #momsofig
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