How to Plan Age-Appropriate Math Lessons Using Classroom Items

Math is one of the subjects a person either loves or hates when they are in school. Math classes can be really boring or really interesting. It is important to make math classes interactive and fun if you want your students to find math interesting. It is also important to take the age level of a student into consideration when designing instructional lesson plans for math classes. If both of these factors are taken into consideration math classes can be exciting and educational.

Teaching strategies and instructional methods in the mathematics classroom should be age appropriate. In order to teach the mathematical concept of measurement to students in a lower elementary grade there are
certain methods that should be used.

The concept of measurement in lower grades can be explained by using wooden blocks. Kids can be asked to compare the blocks to see the difference in sizes. They can figure out which are bigger or smaller. They can also observe the height differences and the differences in width.

Rulers are also necessary tools for children in lower elementary grades, and they can be used in many mathematical lesson plans. The kids can use the ruler to measure the amount of a difference between the blocks. Students do not have to be limited to using the blocks and the ruler.

It would also be fun to use other objects found around the classroom in order to complete this assignment. Students can look around and pick different toys and objects in the classroom that can be compared and measured. Any objects the student find they can measure, and that helps get the students involved.

In middle school measurement is more complex, but rulers are still an essential. As students move into middle school they can learn about measuring as well. Now that they already understand size differences they can learn how to add and subtract measurements as well. As a project that illustrates this point the kids can all pick different items and measure them.

The students can than practice adding the lengths together; they can also subtract them apart as well. This lesson can help work students into learning about volume and mass which is an important lesson for middle school children. Letting the students use their own abilities to determine the size, volume, and mass of objects can keep the students involved and interested.

When teaching mathematical concepts to children in is key to keep in mind the education level of the students. It is also important to construct activities that help get the students to participate. Using simple tools that you can find around the classroom is easy and beneficial and should be applied to all math classes.

written by Sarah Ganly