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 MAYbe it's time for a new Brick Math free Lesson of the Month! Let's go back to Addition, and give you a lesson that is foundational to many other lessons throughout the Brick Math curriculum. This one teaches students about place value, and also shows how to add using the place value method. To get this lesson, from Brick Math Addition, click here, and you'll also get a new free Brick Math lesson every month after that.  In this lesson, the bricks are used to show the place values of ones, tens, and hundreds. A 1x1 brick models the ones place; a 1x2 brick models the tens place; a 1x3 brick models the hundreds place. Students start by creating models of 3-digit numbers. Once they understand how to model numbers, they use brick models to help them add numbers. It's a great way to explain the concept of place value, which is pivotal to so much math content that students will encounter in the years to come.  This Lesson of the Month shows pages from the Addition Teacher Edition first, and then shows the corresponding workbook pages for students to use from the companion Addition Student Edition. Students move from a concrete representation of the math to a more abstract representation by drawing the models, then finally to a fully abstract understanding of the math when they describe it in words. In this way, Brick Math helps students gain a deep, true understanding of math, which sets them up for future success as they move through the K-8 curriculum.  The Brick Math curriculum is divided into 13 separate content areas:
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra. Students can start anywhere in the curriculum. Brick Math can be used as a complete math curriculum or brought in as a supplement to help students who aren't having math success with other programs. Check BrickMath.com to learn more!
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 We just read in the New York Times about the latest results of the NAECP tests, showing a startling decline in math scores among the lowest-performing students since 2013. No, this isn't a COVID story -- it goes much further back.  According to the article, eighth-grade students scoring at the bottom of standardized math tests were making slow but steady improvements since about 2000. In fact, all students seemed to be bringing their scores up, until 2013. Then the lowest-performing students' scores started to dip down, and those scores continue to nosedive through today. What's the reason for the drop in math scores? Researchers point to a variety of possible causes. One is the end of the No Child Left Behind program instituted in 2002. The program was controversial and eventually was discontinued because many felt it over-emphasized math and English to the exclusion of all other subjects. Another theory is the rise in smartphones. Before 2013, less than half of the adult population in the US had smartphones. Today, 90 percent of adults and teenagers have smartphones. The article points out the "one in three 9-year-olds" has a smartphone. We all how much time a smartphone can take away from other activities. Further, school funding was cut in years 2011-2012, and the effects of that began to appear shortly afterward. But most likely, says the article, we are not focusing on our lowest-performing students anymore, and they are suffering from the lack of attention. A look at results in Mississippi, traditionally one of the worst states for student performance, shows that because of efforts being made for the bottom 25th percentile of students, scores are on the rise.  Here's what we at Brick Math take away from this research: your lowest-performing students can improve, but only if you find instruction methods that work for them. Brick Math helps students learn K-8th grade math when other teaching methods have failed them. By allowing students to "see the math," they develop a foundational understanding of basic math concepts. As they continue throughout the Brick Math curriculum, they build on their mathematical knowledge and they really learn the math, often for the first time in their experience. It's exciting to have students who beg their teachers to stay in for recess and keep doing Brick Math (true story!). And we love hearing from students who say, "I finally understand math! I can SEE it!"  Brick Math is a complete math curriculum for kindergarten through 8th grade that models the math with bricks. The curriculum is divided into 13 separate content areas: Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra.  Students can start anywhere in the curriculum. Brick Math can be used as a complete math curriculum or brought in as a supplement to help students who aren't having math success with other programs. Check BrickMath.com to learn more!
 No April Fool's here -- money is on everyone's mind! This free Brick Math Lesson of the Month teaches students the value of coins: pennies (while we still have them), nickels, dimes, and quarters. To get this lesson, from Brick Math Basic Measurement, click here, and you'll also get a new free Brick Math lesson every month after that.  Modeling with bricks gives students a tangible representation of the math concepts. In this lesson, students create models of the various values of coins with each stud on the bricks standing for one cent. Then the lesson shows how many nickels are in a quarter, as well as dimes in a quarter. You can extend the concept by having students create other money values, or by adding monetary values together. It's an easy yet powerful way for students to learn coin values, and they won't forget them!  This Lesson of the Month shows pages from the Basic Measurement Teacher Edition first, and then shows the corresponding workbook pages for students to use from the companion Basic Measurement Student Edition. Students move from a concrete representation of the math to a more abstract representation by drawing the models, then finally to a fully abstract understanding of the math when they describe it in words. In this way, Brick Math helps students gain a deep, true understanding of math, which sets them up for future success as they move through the K-8 curriculum.  The Brick Math curriculum is divided into 13 separate content areas:
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra. Students can start anywhere in the curriculum. Brick Math can be used as a complete math curriculum or brought in as a supplement to help students who aren't having math success with other programs. Check BrickMath.com to learn more!  The uncertainty around funding education is growing around the US. If the federal Department of Education is eliminated or greatly reduced, many educators are questioning whether Title I and other funds will be affected. At a time when budgets are tight, we’re pleased that Brick Math remains a very affordable curriculum for supplemental math instruction in grades K – 8. The program teaches math by utilizing plastic building bricks as manipulatives. It’s easy to teach and fun to learn!  The components of Brick Math are simple: For each of the thirteen math subjects, the teacher uses a Teacher Edition book of lesson plans, and each student uses a Student Edition workbook. Brick sets curated for the entire Brick Math program can be used by one student or shared between two students.  That’s it. There are no other materials to purchase. Paperback Teacher Editions cost $19.95 each and Student Editions cost $14.95 each. PDF versions of the books cost $4.95 each. The Brick Set costs $60. We offer the materials at a discount when grouped in “bundles” for grades K-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8. We also offer discounts for schools for large purchases. Even when money is tight, schools still need to find the best ways to help their students learn. We think you’ll find that Brick Math is a very effective, as well as a very affordable program to help your students build math success.
 We recently had a question from an elementary math teacher in Hawaii who wanted to know if Brick Math was suitable for RTI in grades 1 - 6. It’s a good question, and we thought we’d give everyone more information about using Brick Math for intervention.  The program is built on separate math subject matter, starting with Counting and Cardinality for the earliest learners, and going to Pre-Algebra. You choose the subject(s) that your students are working on. You can go straight through a lesson book from start to finish, or begin anywhere in the lesson book that you choose based on what your students already know. It’s a modular kind of program and very flexible. The brick sets are designed to work for all the subjects in the program. They can be used by one individual student or shared between two students.  Teachers often tell us that Brick Math has worked well in an intervention setting because it presents the math in a different way than the students have seen it before. It’s tactile, and it engages students first because they enjoy working with the bricks, but also because it requires them to translate the 3-D brick models to 2-D drawings and then into words.  Brick Math Teacher Editions are the lesson books that the teacher uses. The Student Editions are the workbooks that students write in to record their math work, as well as completing chapter assessments. They also include a chart to track students’ progress toward mastery, which is useful for teachers who see RTI students regularly. The Brick Math curriculum is divided into 13 separate content areas:
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra. Students can start anywhere in the curriculum. Brick Math can be used as a complete math curriculum or brought in as a supplement to help students who aren't having math success with other programs. Check BrickMath.com to learn more!  The Brick Math FREE Lesson of the Month for March 2025 teaches students what subtraction is all about. It's from Brick Math Subtraction, and it's for early learners, giving them a concrete representation of what subtraction really means. To get this lesson, click here, and you'll also get a new free Brick Math lesson every month after that.  The lesson, "What Does It Mean to Subtract?" shows students very clearly how subtracting works, and also introduces the vocabulary of subtraction -- minuend, subtrahend, and difference. Students build models of simple subtraction problems, then draw them and explain the math shown in their models and drawings.  That's the procedure followed throughout the entire Brick Math curriculum. Students move from a concrete representation of the math to a more abstract representation by drawing the models, then finally to a fully abstract understanding of the math when they describe it in words. In this way, Brick Math helps students gain a deep, true understanding of math, which sets them up for future success as they move through the K-8 curriculum. This Lesson of the Month shows 2 pages from the Subtraction Teacher Edition first, and then the corresponding workbook pages for students to use from the companion Subtraction Student Edition.  The Brick Math curriculum is divided into 13 separate content areas: Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra. Students can start anywhere in the curriculum. Brick Math can be used as a complete math curriculum or brought in as a supplement to help students who aren't having math success with other programs. Check BrickMath.com to learn more!  One of the big advantages of Brick Math over more traditional math teaching methods is the way the program engages students’ creativity in the learning process. Students learn by discovering the math concepts themselves, which builds true math fluency, not just rote memorization of facts.  We recently received an inquiry asking about how a kindergarten student should draw the brick models as prompted in the earliest book in Brick Math, Counting and Cardinality. That got us started thinking about how much creativity is built into the Brick Math program.  Here's how we responded to the question: When it comes to how a child will draw the brick models, there is room for a lot of creativity. Some will draw the outline of a brick around the perimeter of the studs on the baseplate paper, and others will fill in the studs without drawing an outline at all. Students can use colored pencils, markers, crayons, or a regular pencil. What a teacher is looking for is simply a drawing that indicates that the student understands the concept modeled with the bricks and can translate it from three-dimensional to two-dimensional.  In other words, anything goes when drawing the brick models as long as the teacher can recognize that the drawing shows the student's understanding of the math. You want your students to find their own way to represent the brick models on paper. That's part of the Brick Math method that helps reinforce the learning. We offered a couple of examples of how drawings can be made, from later subjects in Brick Math: Data and Advanced Measurement. They may help teachers understand what to expect students will draw in these more complex topics.  But part of the Brick Math method is allowing students to figure out the math for themselves. That's what they are doing when they build brick models, and also when they draw the models they have built. These are key steps in the learning process that allow for each student to develop creativity in exploring the math. PS - We did also note that if a student doesn't have the fine-motor dexterity to draw the models, you are welcome to eliminate that portion of the lessons. The drawing should not be a frustrating exercise for students who aren't ready to do it. Likewise, young students who aren't writing words can always tell the teacher orally how the math works instead of writing down their description. Brick Math is flexible for most learners! The Brick Math curriculum is divided into 13 separate content areas:
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra. Students can start anywhere in the curriculum. Brick Math can be used as a complete math curriculum or brought in as a supplement to help students who aren't having math success with other programs. Check BrickMath.com to learn more!  Baby, it's cooooold outside (at least where we are)! So here's something to warm up your students: a free lesson that shows the meaning of multiplying by bundling bricks into sets of 10. From Brick Math Multiplication, the lesson is called "Place Value/Bundling Multiplication". To get this lesson, click here, and you'll also get a new free Brick Math lesson every month after that.  There are two math problems in this lesson of the month to show how the bundling technique works: first, 2 x 25, and second, 3 x 12. In both problems, the math is modeled to show the sets. The problems also show the difference in modeling if the numbers are reversed; i.e., 25 x 2 or 12 x 3. This Lesson of the Month shows 4 pages from the Multiplication Teacher Edition first, and then the corresponding workbook pages for students to use from the companion Multiplication Student Edition.  The Brick Math curriculum is divided into 13 separate content areas:
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra. Students can start anywhere in the curriculum. Brick Math can be used as a complete math curriculum or brought in as a supplement to help students who aren't having math success with other programs. Check BrickMath.com to learn more!  Happy 2025! Let's start off the year with a free Brick Math lesson from Addition. It teaches the concept of adding with the "change" number unknown; for example, 2 + ___ = 5. To get this lesson, click here, and you'll also get a new free Brick Math lesson every month after that. An important concept to learn in addition is being able to determine the solution when any one part of the equation is unknown. In the Brick Math program, students start learning to add with an unknown result. They then learn to add when the change number is unknown, and then, when the start number is unknown. In this way, students learn the part-part-whole relationships between numbers.  The "Change Unknown" lesson models an equation with bricks, leaving the "change" term blank. Then students develop their own strategies to determine what the change number is, by counting up, one-to-one correspondence, or by matching studs. The lesson shows students how to move the studs from the start location and place them on the result location, comparing uncovered studs that show the number that will be in the change location. The lesson also gives students practice using the addition vocabulary words addend and sum.  The second half of the Lesson of the Month comes from the Student workbook for Brick Math Addition. These are the pages students will use as they follow the teacher's lesson. In these pages, the students respond to questions and draw the brick models as they build them. This is all part of the Brick Math learning method, which starts with building brick models, then drawing the models, and then explaining the math in words. It's a proven method that gets real results with students.  The Brick Math curriculum is divided into 13 separate content areas:
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra. Students can start anywhere in the curriculum. Brick Math can be used as a complete math curriculum or brought in as a supplement to help students who aren't having math success with other programs. Check BrickMath.com to learn more!  The FREE Brick Math Lesson of the Month for December 2024 comes from Brick Math's Subtraction. To get this lesson, click here, and you'll also get a new free Brick Math lesson every month after that. This lesson teaches students how to subtract within 20 and uses a strategy called "ten-frames," which helps students see the numbers as they relate to the number 10. Ten-frames are a wonderful way to introduce the base ten system early on.  The lesson starts with pages from the Teacher Edition of Brick Math Subtraction. Modeling with bricks, the teacher shows the concept of subtracting 6 minus 4, and then 12 minus 8. In each case, the models are built on ten-frames, which help to show the numbers as part of the base ten system. The lesson uses important subtraction vocabulary words like subtrahend and difference.  The second half of the Lesson of the Month comes from the Student workbook for Brick Math Subtraction. These are the pages students will use as they follow the teacher's lesson. In these pages, the students respond to questions and draw the brick models as they build them. This is all part of the Brick Math learning method, which starts with building models, then drawing the models, and then explaining the math in words. It's a proven method that gets real results with students.  Try this subtraction lesson with your students. We think you'll find that they love learning with Brick Math. As one student told us, "Now I can SEE the math!" The Brick Math curriculum is divided into 13 separate content areas: Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra. Students can start anywhere in the curriculum. Brick Math can be used as a complete math curriculum or brought in as a supplement to help students who aren't having math success with other programs. Check BrickMath.com to learn more!
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