Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Using Ordinary Notebook Paper Day 3: Math Journals

Welcome to iHN's Hopscotch at Blog, She Wrote! My topic for the 10 day series is Ten Ways to Use Ordinary Notebook Paper. Thank you for joining me. Please take a moment to subscribe, so you don't miss out- you can follow, subscribe by email or RSS feed (just look to the right!) and follow Blog, She Wrote on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. I'd love it if you'd stay connected and visit again!

Today's notebook paper topic is: Math Journaling! Math Journaling is a great way to see how your student is processing math concepts. On a math journal page, you are trying to get your student to write about the math concept. You can use math prompts, have them explain a new concept you are ready to have them nail down, encourage drawing, etc. It's a creative way to practice math and it offers another way to learning for kids who think outside the traditional math box.




There are many resources available which will encourage a great math journal experience in your homeschool. 
  • Math Journals at Blog, She Wrote- a link that takes you to posts about our math journals.
  • Math Journal Pinterest Board- follow the link and check out math journaling ideas from around the internet.
  • Books- There are a great many books devoted to creative math problem solving and puzzles. I've made a Pinterest board called resources for math to share my favorite math journaling resource books. I'll try to add some links on my living math page as well.
  • Magazines- I often find relevant ideas in magazines that can be used in math journaling. I like to use a local regional magazine, for example, to create journaling activities. There are many ways to incorporate some math skills with some application to magazine topics.

I tasked my kids to make a geometry journal page last year.

This journal entry was an activity to accompany my fifth grader's Beyond FIAR study of Homer Price- on highways and interstates. The book is Real World Math for Hands On Fun.

This was a favorite- making a journal page devoted to all the math skills you use when you play the game Monopoly. This was especially fun after reading some strategy and history books about Monopoly. Like The Monopoly Book


If you haven't done any math journaling at your house, I encourage you to give it a try. I enjoy seeing how my kids will make a page so they can remember a concept. It's a pretty open and creative process and although my focus is on using notebook paper, don't be afraid to make the journal page interactive and use some lapbook elements as part of the page. The ideas I've shown here are just a few and are meant to illustrate that it doesn't have to be fancy and well planned to make a great page.

If you already do math journaling, tell us about something you enjoy using as a resource.

______________________________________________________

Please visit the other bloggers participating in iHN's Hopscotch over the next two weeks. While you are taking a look at the other Hopscotchers, check out the Pin It to Win It giveaways sponsored by Prufrock Press.
______________________________________________________



4 comments:

Sara said...

Thank you for all of these ideas! My struggle is connecting the good ideas to what we do day-in-day-out.

I think a little planning ahead would help in this regard! Thanks again for a great series!

Heather said...

You are welcome Sara. Thanks for reading!
Heather

Claudette said...

I found this blog and loved this post. I plan to do a journal page on Algebra. My boys are convinced that they won't have any use for this subject later in life, in the "real world." I hope they can learn from our journal experience.

Anonymous said...

Heather, would you email me? I have a boy who is very strong in maths and storming ahead with Saxon but I also have twin girls, only 9 months younger, who we have tears with a few times a week, always over maths (we now use mathusee). We have done living maths in the past,using resources you have recommended and they loved and fully understand these maths concepts. To move to full time living maths program scares me. Maths, although a strength of mine, is the subject I find hardest to teach and explain. However the girls have been asking to learn in a more practical, hands on way. (maths and science are the only subjects I use curriculum for so they are used to very hands on approach to school)Please help!
thefungang@btopenworld.com