Learning Processes used in Math Snacks animations, games and learner guides.

• Skill development
• Vocabulary development
• Conceptual understanding
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Problem solving

Using the Animations

• Atlantean Dodgeball: Understanding and using ratios and proportions to represent quantitative relationships. Relating and comparing different forms of representation for a relationship. Developing, analyzing, and explaining methods for solving problems involving proportions, such as scaling and finding equivalent ratios. Representing, analyzing, and generalizing a variety of patterns with tables, graphs, words, and, when possible, symbolic rules.
• Bad Date: It guides students in: Understanding and using ratios and proportions to represent quantitative relationships. Developing, analyzing, and explaining methods for solving problems involving proportions, such as scaling and finding equivalent ratios. Solving problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts.
• Number Rights: Comparing and ordering fractions, decimals, and percents efficiently and finding their approximate locations on a number line. Building new mathematical knowledge through problem solving. Solving problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts.
• Overruled!: Developing, analyzing, and explaining methods for solving problems involving proportions, such as scaling and finding equivalent ratios. Solving problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts. Representing, analyzing, and generalizing a variety of patterns with tables, graphs, words, and symbolic rules.
• Ratey the Math Cat: Understanding and using ratios and proportions to represent quantitative relationships. Building new mathematical knowledge through problem solving. Solving problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts.
• Scale Ella: Using factors, multiples, prime factorization, and relatively prime numbers to solve problems. Developing, analyzing, and explaining methods for solving problems involving proportions, such as scaling and finding equivalent ratios. Using factors, multiples, prime factorization, and relatively prime numbers to solve problems.

1. Remember: These are math snacks, not full meals. These videos are intended to be parts of larger units to teach very important math concepts. They can be viewed by an entire class using a Smartboard or lcd projector; in small groups using multiple computers; or individually on computers, Ipads or Ipods.
2. View the Math snack multiple times. First, watch the snack for entertainment purposes. Second, watch the snack and make a note of mathematics vocabulary. Finally, watch the snack and plan how you are going to use it with your students and what concepts you think it will address.
3. Read the Teacher guide for the Math Snack you are planning on using and try to incorporate the recommended questions while viewing the snack.
4. Plan on using at least one of the additional activities recommended. These activities have been developed and used by teachers with actual students and have been found to be useful in developing the mathematical concepts targeted by the snacks.
5. Work through the learning guide COMPLETELY. The learner guides have been developed to have both easy and challenging content and it is vital for you as the teacher to understand where students may get frustrated or confused by the math content. The answers for the learner guides are provided in the teacher guide but it is important than you understand that there are multiple ways for students to arrive at the answers and it may not be the way you think. Be open to the wonderful ways the students may approach each problem.
6. Consider where the math snack will fit into your unit: Is it going to be an introduction to a particular topic? Is it going to be the finale of a series of lessons? Is it going to be used in the middle of covering a particular topic? Will I have students view the snack before and after the unit?
7. Decide if there any other math snacks that can be used in conjunction to the one you have chosen.

With your students, watch the video. Spend about 10 minutes discussing the big ideas or key points in the video. Some of the best practices recommended for this discussion include:

• Ask students to identify the key math concepts identified in the video and record student answers and post them in the classroom for further discussion.
• Ask students to identify the key math vocabulary identified in the video and post this list of vocabulary words in the classroom for further discussion in related lessons.

Distribute the Learner Guide and ask students to complete the activities. You may wish to have them work individually, in pairs, in small groups, in a large group or a combination of these depending on your students.

After students have completed the activities, it is VITAL to review the questions and answers with them. It is important that students develop the correct concept image after viewing the videos and using the learner guides. Remember, some of the content is challenging and may require guidance.

Guide students through the problems if needed and ask students to share the various ways they arrive at their answers, especially if there are multiple ways to do the same problem.

Some guiding questions may include:

• How did you arrive at your answers?
• Can you think of other ways to arrive at the same answer?

If answers are incorrect, determine if the mistakes are due to computation errors, or whether or not students are struggling with the mathematical concepts.

If you are planning on using a Math Snacks game to teach number combinations, number line, coordinates, there are a few things we would recommend:

1. Play the game MULTIPLE times to be sure you understand how the game works and how the math concepts are taught to the students by using the game.
2. Read and understand the math concepts each game is intended to cover.
3. Secure lab time and secure the proper number of computers, Ipads or Ipods for students to play the games. At this time, the only game that is supported on Ipads and Ipods is Pearl Diver. All other games are accessible on the web and can be used on a PC or Mac.
4. Please remember all games can be played by in multiple ways. Games can be played individually, in pairs, in small groups or in one large group using a Smartboard depending on the technology available in your classroom or computer lab.
5. Decide if there any other math snacks that can be used in conjunction to the one you have chosen that will enhance student learning of the topic and plan how to use them both.

Specific video discussion questions, a list of bonus activities, and answers to learner guides can be found in the teacher guides developed for each Math Snack.