Arithmetic With Slate and Slate Pencil


One activity students have enjoyed involves such reader level work in arithmetic.

Goals:  to solve problems using different operations; to compute using slate and slate pencil.

Materials:
Procedures:  The teacher writes six to ten single and double-digit problems on the chalkboard, the easiest coming first and the most difficult coming last. For example:
1. 5 2. 14 3. 24 4. 37 5. 50 6. 79
4 7 6 29 44 63

The teacher then instructs the students:
First reader group, find the sums of problems numbers one through six.
Second reader group, find the differences of problems one through six.
Fourth and fifth reader group, find the products of problems one through six and prove your work.

If you need help, raise your hand.

Recitation and Evaluation:  After several minutes the teacher then calls forth each grade separately to recite the answers for the assigned operation. By taking turns, each student states one or two responses orally. Of course, other children may be listening (and learning) as every grade is called to recite. Students enjoy the exercise because it not only calls for different mathematical operations, but also gives practice with slate and slate pencil. And the "eighth graders" may have to go back in their memory banks to recognize the terms sums, differences, and products.

Illinois learning standards 4 B and 6 B

Continue to with arithmetic.
Return to the Introduction.