Odd Man Out: Identifying Sums of Numbers as Odd or Even

In this lesson, students use a visual model using snap cubes or grid paper to build numbers in two columns to show whether they are odd or even. They then use the models to generalize about sums of odd and even numbers.

Magic Ten: Practicing Combinations to Ten with a Card Trick

Everyone loves a good card trick, and this lesson allows young students to learn a fun and impressive trick while simultaneously practicing and mastering the all-important combinations of ten. In this trick one student is a “mathemagician.” He presents a deck of cards to his classmate, who removes three cards from the deck. After some fancy card work, the identities of the three cards are “magically” determined to everyone’s amazement.

Exploration of a Balance

Focus on patterns and relations that can be developed from the exploration of balance, mass, length of the mass arm, and the position of the fulcrum.

Creating, Describing, and Analyzing Patterns

Use interactive math applets to learn about repeating and growing patterns.

Links Away

Explore the five models of subtraction (counting, sets, number line, balanced equations, and inverse of addition) using links.

4.1 Creating, Describing, and Analyzing Patterns

Encourage students to use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling to build their own patterns or recreate one from given square arrays.