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Brain Gym - Math 3/4: Math Talks, Critical Thinking Skills, Word Problem of the Day

In this ongoing class for Grades 3 and 4, learners develop number sense, practice mental math strategies, improve critical thinking and visual spatial skills, and apply math concepts to real-world situations by solving word problems.
Kate Hoefert
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(371)
Class
Play

What's included

1 live meeting
40 mins in-class hours per week

Class Experience

US Grade 3 - 4
This class will help your learner improve all facets of their math brain.  Each class will be broken into three parts: Math Talks, Critical Thinking Skills, and Problem of the Day.  

Math Talks are focused 10-minute discussions and instruction on mental math strategies.  Learners will solve 3 to 5 mental math problems, exploring multiple ways to solve and discussing the most efficient strategies.  The purpose of Math Talks is to provide learners with multiple strategies for solving so they can use the one that works best for them.

The Critical Thinking Skills portion of class will alternate between solving logic problems, identifying and extending patterns, and improving visual-spatial thinking and memory.  While not numbers based, this part of class will strengthen the logical-mathematical portion of your learner's brain.

The final part of class is the Problem of the Day, the connection between learning math and using math.  Learners will apply math skills to real world situations through a complex word problem.  Different ways of representing the situation and solving the problem will be encouraged. 

MT (Math Talks), CTS (Critical Thinking Skills), POD (Problem of the Day)
-Nov 8 / Week 1: MT - addition strategies, CTS - visual patterns, POD - money (decimals)
-Nov 15 / Week 2: MT - addition strategies, CTS - visual memory games, POD - perimeter
-Nov 22: NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING BREAK
-Nov 29 / Week 3: MT - addition strategies, CTS - number patterns, POD - perimeter
-Dec 6 / Week 4: MT - addition strategies, CTS - auditory memory games, POD - fractions
-Dec 13/ Week 5: MT - subtraction strategies, CTS - logic problems, POD - money (decimals)
-Dec 20 / Week 6: MT - subtraction strategies, CTS - visual patterns, POD - reading a graph
-Dec 27: NO CLASS - WINTER BREAK 
-Jan 3 / Week 7: MT - subtraction strategies, CTS - visual memory games, POD - fractions
-Jan 10 / Week 8: MT - subtraction strategies, CTS - number patterns, POD - units of measure (customary length)
-Jan 17 / Week 9: MT - multiplication strategies, CTS - auditory memory games, POD - area
-Jan 24 / Week 10: MT - multiplication strategies, CTS - logic problems, POD - units of measure (customary capacity)
-Jan 31 / Week 11: MT - multiplication strategies, CTS - visual patterns, POD - units of measure (customary capacity)
-Feb 14: NO CLASS 
-Feb 21 / Week 12: MT - multiplication strategies, CTS - visual memory games, POD - money (decimals)
-Feb 28 / Week 13: MT - division strategies, CTS - number patterns, POD - perimeter
-Mar 6 / Week 14: MT - division strategies, CTS - auditory memory games, POD - area
-Mar 13 / Week 15: MT - division strategies, CTS - TBD, POD - TBD
-Mar 20 / Week 16: MT - division strategies, CTS - TBD, POD - TBD

Other Details

Supply List
-pencil
-colored pencils
-lined paper
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined January, 2021
4.9
371reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Maryland Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Eighteen years as a public school teacher in Maryland and two years as an Outschool teacher have provided me the opportunity to teach learners from diverse backgrounds with a variety of learning styles.  I began my teaching career in elementary school, teaching all subjects and earning my Masters of Education with a certificate in Gifted Education from Johns Hopkins University.  Later, I added both Middle School Math: 6-9 and ESOL Pre-K-12 certifications to my professional certificate.  Most recently, I taught middle school math, working with both accelerated students and those with Special Education needs.  Because of my varied experiences, I have many strategies to help all kinds of learners.

Math is my passion because while there may only be one correct answer, there are often many different ways to solve the same problem.  Exploring those different ways and finding a method of solving with which each learner feels most confident is what I love to do.  I like to incorporate hands-on strategies, games, and interactive activities into my lessons to make math less scary for reluctant mathematicians and more engaging for everyone.

When I’m not thinking about math, I enjoy baking, cake decorating, drawing, working in my vegetable garden, and sewing.  In my spare time, I can be found hiking, kayaking, bird watching, doing a puzzle, or assembling furniture.  I look forward to meeting your learner!

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$15

weekly
1x per week
40 min

Completed by 38 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-11
3-8 learners per class

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