Things That Should Be Banned From the Elementary Math Class…

1) “Touchpoint Math” 2) The Calendar3) The 100 Chart4) Fact Families5) Base Ten Blocks6) “Gallon” Man7) The “9s” Trick8) Reducing Fractions9) Running Equal Signs10) Silly Mnemonics and “Cutsey Poo”11) Timed Tests for Math Facts12) The Words “Guess” and” Magic”

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1. “Touchpoint” Math

A system where digits are assigned touch points, and sums are figured by counting all the points.

2. The Calendar “Routine”

What day of the week is it? Yesterday? Tomorrow?What month is it?What’s the weather ?What is the date today?Yesterday? Tomorrow?What is the calendar pattern?What comes next?How many days have we been in school?

Visually overwhelming

Assumes tracking ability

Encourages confusing terminology

The 100 chart is not an optimal model of our number system.

90 is a “low” number.

2 is a “high” number.

89 is “closer” to 100 than 92 so its bigger.

3. 100 Chart

4. Fact FamiliesTeacher models:2+3 = 53+2 = 55-2 = 35-3 = 2Students “over-generalize”

and add:

5+2 = 3

5+3 = 2

3-2 = 52–3 = 52-5 = 33-5 = 2

5. Base Ten Blocks

25 + 37 with base ten blocks“OK. 10,20, 21,22,23,24,2510,20,30,31,32,33,34,35,35,37.10,20,30,40,50. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. That’s 60. 61, 62.”

Ten Frames

25 + 37 solved with ten frames

“So, I see 5 tens, then if I put these two fives together, I have 6 tens

and 2 left over – that’s 62.”

6. Mr. “Gallon” Man

How many ounces in a gallon? Who cares?!

7. The “nines” trick for multiplication facts.

8. Reducing Fractions

“Reducing Fractions”

4/8 2/4 ½ If I reduce 4/8 to ½, it will be less fattening.

9. Running Equal Signs

2 + 6 + 4 = 2 + 10 = 1213-3 = 13-3-1 =10-1 =9

(Examples from CCSS document 1.OA)

10.“My Dear Aunty Sally” mnemonics

Bottoms Bigger? Better Borrow! Order of Operations (?)

Dead Mice Smell Bad Foil FOIL

11. Timed Tests Of course children should learn and be fluent

in math fact retrieval, but timed tests perpetuate the myth that math is about being fast and discourage persistence and promote thoughtlessness and jumping to conclusions.

Timed tests are only effective for students who are goal oriented and who can perform in pressure situations. Timed tests reward few and punish many. They can have a lasting negative effect on student attitudes and should be avoided.

12. The Words “Magic” and “Guess”

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“Guess”

Stomp out Bad Math!

Stomp Out Bad Math!

Thank You!

Angela Giglio Andrews Math Intervention Associates Tel:630-378-0995

auntymath@comcast.net Kdg. teacher, Math Intervention Teacher 1-3, Gifted Math Teacher 3-

5, 1st Grade Intervention Math Specialist, Naperville #203, (1984-2005)

Asst. Prof. of Math Education, National Louis University, (2005 – 2011)

Math Recovery Specialist and Trainer, author, lecturer and consultant.