Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities, Grades 3-5

Helping teachers prepare elementary students to master the common core math standards

With the common core math curriculum being adopted by forty-three states, it is imperative that students learn to master those key math standards. Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities, Grades 3-5 is the only book currently available that provides activities directly correlated to the new core curriculum for math. This text assists teachers with instructing the material and allows students to practice the concepts through use of the grade-appropriate activities included.

Students learn in different ways, and Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities, Grades 3-5 acknowledges that fact through the inclusion of suggestions for variations and extensions of each concept to be used for students with different abilities and learning styles. The activities and lessons are as diverse as the students in your classroom. Inside Teaching with Common Core Math Standards With Hands-On Activities Grades 3-5, you will find:

• Clear instructions to help you cover the skills and concepts for the new math core curriculum
• Engaging activities that enforce each core math standard for your students
• Various suggestions for ways to instruct the concepts to reach the diverse learning styles of your students
• Complete coverage of mathematical calculations, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving strategies appropriate for grades 3-5

Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities, Grades 3-5 prepares students to achieve success in the important area of mathematics. As your students gain an understanding of the common core standards, they will build confidence in their ability to grasp and manipulate mathematical concepts as they move forward to the next level.

About This Book v

About the Authors vii

Acknowledgments ix

Section 1: Standards And Activities For Grade 3 1

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 3.OA.1 2

Activity: Combining Groups 2

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 3.OA.2 3

Activity: Breaking into Groups 3

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 3.OA.3 4

Activity: It’s a Match 4

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 3.OA.4 8

Activity: Equation Tic-Tac-Toe 8

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 3.OA.5 10

Activity: Applying Properties 10

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 3.OA.6 13

Activity: Number Scramble 13

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 3.OA.7 17

Activity: Multiplication and Division Bingo 17

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 3.OA.8 21

Activity: Which Equation? 21

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 3.OA.9 24

Activity: Color the Multiples 24

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 3.NBT.1 27

Activity: It’s Around 27

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 3.NBT.2 30

Activity 1: Helping Zero Find a Place 30

Activity 2: Finding Sums and Differences 31

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 3.NBT.3 34

Activity: What Does It Equal? 34

Number and Operations—Fractions: 3.NF.1 37

Activity: Making Fraction Bars 37

Number and Operations—Fractions: 3.NF.2 39

Activity: Placing Fractions on the Number Line 39

Number and Operations—Fractions: 3.NF.3 41

Activity 1: Squares and Fractions 41

Activity 2: Balancing Fractions 43

Measurement and Data: 3.MD.1 45

Activity 1: Time to Read 45

Activity 2: What Time Is It? 46

Measurement and Data: 3.MD.2 47

Activity 1: Make a Metric Monster 47

Activity 2: A Lot of Water 49

Measurement and Data: 3.MD.3 52

Activity: Picture Graphs and Bar Graphs 52

Measurement and Data: 3.MD.4 54

Activity: Hand Spans 54

Measurement and Data: 3.MD.5 57

Activity: Covering the Area 57

Measurement and Data: 3.MD.6 59

Activity 1: Measuring Areas 59

Activity 2: Measuring Areas with Appropriate Tools 60

Measurement and Data: 3.MD.7 63

Activity 1: Tiling and Finding Area 64

Activity 2: Decomposing Areas 65

Measurement and Data: 3.MD.8 67

Activity 1: Area and Finding Perimeter 67

Activity 2: Perimeter and Finding Area 68

Activity 3: Designing a Vegetable Garden 69

Geometry: 3.G.1 72

Activity: Classifying Quadrilaterals 72

Geometry: 3.G.2 75

Activity: Decomposing Figures 75

Section 2: Standards And Activities For Grade 4 81

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 4.OA.1 82

Activity: Multiplication Tic-Tac-Toe 82

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 4.OA.2 84

Activity: What’s the Problem? 84

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 4.OA.3 86

Activity: Equations and Problems 86

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 4.OA.4 89

Activity: The Prime Challenge 89

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 4.OA.5 92

Activity: Number Generator 92

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 4.NBT.1 94

Activity: Making Models of Place Value 94

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 4.NBT.2 97

Activity: Expressing Numbers 97

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 4.NBT.3 100

Activity: Rounding Numbers 100

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 4.NBT.4 103

Activity: A Numbers Chain 103

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 4.NBT.5 106

Activity 1: Finding Errors in Multiplication 106

Activity 2: Stepping Forward with Multiplication 107

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 4.NBT.6 109

Activity 1: Demonstrating Division 109

Activity 2: Division Puzzles 110

Number and Operations—Fractions: 4.NF.1 113

Activity: Finding Equivalent Fractions 113

Number and Operations—Fractions: 4.NF.2 115

Activity: Comparing Fractions 115

Number and Operations—Fractions: 4.NF.3 118

Activity 1: Decomposing a Fraction 118

Activity 2: Mixed Number Game 119

Activity 3: Problems, Models, and Equations 120

Number and Operations—Fractions: 4.NF.4 127

Activity: Complete the Rows 128

Number and Operations—Fractions: 4.NF.5 130

Activity: Fraction Bingo 130

Number and Operations—Fractions: 4.NF.6 134

Activity 1: Matching Fractions and Decimals 134

Activity 2: Locating Decimals on a Number Line 135

Number and Operations—Fractions: 4.NF.7 139

Activity: Decimal Battle 140

Measurement and Data: 4.MD.1 142

Activity: Our Two Units of Measurement 142

Measurement and Data: 4.MD.2 144

Activity: Word Problems with Measurement 144

Measurement and Data: 4.MD.3 147

Activity: Measuring Rectangles 147

Measurement and Data: 4.MD.4 151

Activity: Pencils and Line Plots 151

Measurement and Data: 4.MD.5 154

Activity: Making an Angle 154

Measurement and Data: 4.MD.6 157

Activity 1: Measuring Angles Virtually 157

Activity 2: Angle Estimate and Measure Game 158

Measurement and Data: 4.MD.7 160

Activity: Decomposing Angles 160

Geometry: 4.G.1 164

Activity 1: Drawing Geometric Figures 164

Activity 2: Shapes and Structures 165

Geometry: 4.G.2 168

Activity: Drawing Two-Dimensional Figures 168

Geometry: 4.G.3 171

Activity 1: Line Symmetry 171

Activity 2: Classroom Line Symmetry 172

Section 3: Standards And Activities For Grade 5 173

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 5.OA.1 174

Activity: Evaluating Expressions 174

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 5.OA.2 179

Activity: The Expression Game 179

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: 5.OA.3 182

Activity: Analyzing and Graphing Patterns 182

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 5.NBT.1 184

Activity: What’s My Number? 184

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 5.NBT.2 188

Activity: Charting Patterns in Powers of 10 188

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 5.NBT.3 190

Activity: Creating Numbers 190

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 5.NBT.4 193

Activity: Round the Number 193

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 5.NBT.5 196

Activity 1: Modeling Multiplication 196

Activity 2: Finding Errors in Multiplication 197

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 5.NBT.6 200

Activity 1: Piecing Together Division 200

Activity 2: Modeling Division 201

Number and Operations in Base Ten: 5.NBT.7 204

Activity 1: Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction of Decimals 204

Activity 2: Modeling Multiplication and Division of Decimals 205

Number and Operations—Fractions: 5.NF.1 209

Activity 1: Adding Parts of a Whole 209

Activity 2: Finding a Match 210

Number and Operations—Fractions: 5.NF.2 214

Activity: Adding and Subtracting Fractions 214

Number and Operations—Fractions: 5.NF.3 217

Activity: Relating Fractions to Division 217

Number and Operations—Fractions: 5.NF.4 219

Activity 1: Modeling Multiplication of Fractions 220

Activity 2: Tiling Rectangles with Fractions 221

Number and Operations—Fractions: 5.NF.5 225

Activity: Scaling Numbers for Multiplication 226

Number and Operations—Fractions: 5.NF.6 228

Activity: Expanding a Recipe 228

Number and Operations—Fractions: 5.NF.7 231

Activity: Dividing Unit Fractions 231

Measurement and Data: 5.MD.1 235

Activity 1: Measurement Bingo 235

Activity 2: Measurement, Conversions, and Word Problems 236

Measurement and Data: 5.MD.2 242

Activity: Line Plots and Plant Height 242

Measurement and Data: 5.MD.3 247

Activity: Building a Rectangular Prism 247

Measurement and Data: 5.MD.4 249

Activity: Finding Volume 249

Measurement and Data: 5.MD.5 251

Activity 1: Finding the Volume of a Rectangular Prism 251

Activity 2: Using Formulas to Find the Volume of Rectangular Prisms 253

Activity 3: Packing Rectangular Prisms 254

Geometry: 5.G.1 257

Activity: Constructing a Coordinate Plane 257

Geometry: 5.G.2 260

Activity: Graphing Relationships 260

Geometry: 5.G.3 263

Activity: Naming Quadrilaterals 263

Geometry: 5.G.4 267

Activity: A Hierarchy of Two-Dimensional Figures 267

Index 271

Teaching the Common Core Math

Standards with Hands-On

Activities, Grades 3–5

JUDITH A. MUSCHLA has over twenty-five years of experience as a mathematics educator in South River, New Jersey. As a team leader, she wrote several math curriculums and conducted workshops for teachers and parents.

GARY ROBERT MUSCHLA taught in Spotswood, New Jersey, for more than twenty-five years; his specialties include mathematics at the middle school level, reading, and writing. Judith and Gary have coauthored several very successful math activity books, including The Algebra Teacher’s Activities Kit, Hands-On Math Projects with Real Life Applications, The Math Teacher’s Book of Lists, and Math Starters.

ERIN MUSCHLA-BERRY teaches mathematics at Monroe Township Middle School in Monroe, New Jersey and has collaborated with Judith and Gary on four previous math books, including Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities, Grades 6-8 and Math Starters, Second Edition.

Ready-to-Go Activities Correlated to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

The Common Core math standards have been adopted in almost every state. This book is the first to provide hands-on activities specifically created to address all Common Core Standards for Grades 3-5. Brief background information on each standard, detailed instructions, and handy reproducibles make implementing these activities a breeze, and most activities can be done in a single class period.

All of the activities in Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities are designed to capture students’ attention and to help them build critical thinking skills, learn how to communicate math concepts, and hone problem-solving abilities. In addition, many of the activities are marked according to three special components:

• Collaborative learning
• Real world tie-in
• Technology-based lesson

There’s no guesswork involved here. You’ll know immediately what each lesson requires, how to set it up, and what to watch out for as students learn. The authors have also included plenty of suggestions for adapting activities to your unique classroom setting. No one knows your students better than you do, and with this book, you’ll be able to use the Common Core math standards to build the foundation for math success.

Praise for Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities, Grades 3-5

“Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities, Grades 3-5 is a valuable tool for all teachers who want to actively engage all students while meeting the needs of their different learning styles. This book utilizes hands-on activities to satisfy the Common Core standards while allowing for differentiated instruction. A must-have for all teachers who want their students to practice the basics as well as challenge them.”

—Linda Bystrek, Elementary School Teacher, Old Bridge Township Public Schools, New Jersey