Happy New Year! We're starting off the year with a Brick Math lesson that demonstrates very clearly what "decimal" means. It's taken from Brick Math Decimals Using LEGO® Bricks. Typically, decimals are introduced in 4th grade, and the topic is explored extensively in grades 4 to 6. To get the January 2024 Brick Math Lesson of the Month, "Understanding Decimals," plus a new lesson each month, click here.  Each Lesson of the Month includes the Teacher Lesson Guide as well as the Student Workbook Pages that correspond to the lesson. 

Decimals can be very tricky for students to understand at first. The method shown in this lesson, modeling a decimal within a 10 by 10 grid of bricks, clearly shows 100 as the whole and the decimal as a part of that whole. Like all Brick Math techniques, the models make the math both visual and tactile, which helps many students gain a deeper understanding of the mathematical concepts.

Teachers and parents tell us all the time that they always wanted to use LEGO® bricks to teach math, but didn't know how to get started. 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 topics: 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. It 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.
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Brick Math works in many applications: for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and affordable.
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If you are a math teacher or a parent with a student at home who is learning K-8th grade math, check brickmath.com. The website includes videos for both teacher training and direct instruction of students. You can learn more about how Brick Math improves students' math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. ​

Math scores in US are still lower than most other industrialized countries, according to the results of the PISA exam, given to students around the world. While reading scores have improved a bit, math still lags far behind in this test of 15-year-olds. In fact, in math, the US ranks 28th out of 37 participating countries.

Why the discrepancy between the US and other countries? According to the New York Times, other countries consider math to be a learned skill, but in the US, math is seen more as a talent. This type of thinking can be very detrimental to students who may be pigeonholed early as not being a “math kid.”
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At Brick Math, we firmly believe that every student can learn math. According to author Dr. Shirley Disseler, “There is no such thing as a student who is bad in math. They just need to be taught with methods that work.”

Brick Math uses LEGO® bricks to model math in 13 subjects from kindergarten through eighth grade. Students learn the “why” behind the math, which is key to building their math skills over time. The Brick Math program is perfect for visual and tactile learners. It makes math, which is an abstract concept, into concrete representations that students can see and feel. Brick Math is a modular program that can be brought in wherever students are falling behind in any of the 13 subjects in the K-8 math curriculum.

Brick Math is a K-8 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 13 different math subjects: 
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions,   Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra.
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Brick Math works in many applications: for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and affordable.
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If you are a math teacher or a parent with a student at home who is learning K-8th grade math, check brickmath.com. The website includes videos for both teacher training and direct instruction of students. You can learn more about how Brick Math improves students' math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. 

The FREE Brick Math Lesson of the Month for December 2023 is all about a tricky subject: Fraction Division. It comes from Fraction Division Using LEGO® Bricks and helps students understand a math subject area typically taught in grades 4-6. To get the December 2023 Brick Math Lesson of the Month, "Understanding Fraction Division," plus a new lesson each month, click here.  Each Lesson of the Month includes the Teacher Lesson Guide as well as the Student Workbook Pages that correspond to the lesson. 

The Lesson of the Month comes from Chapter 1 of Fraction Division. It's a great way to demonstrate the meaning of dividing fractions. Often students don't understand what dividing by a fraction really is, even if they can handle the mathematical algorithm of multiplying by the reciprocal. This lesson clearly shows the concept and relates it to division by whole numbers.

The lesson starts with a review of division by whole numbers, reminding students that "16 divided by 8" means breaking 16 into 8 groups , with 2 in each group. Then the lesson moves to an example with fractions, using the same terminology so students easily make the connection. The brick models help to demonstrate the concept. And this lesson includes two fraction division problems to help your students solidify the learning.

Brick Math is a K-8 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 13 different math subjects: 
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions,   Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra.
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The free Brick Math Lesson of the Month for November 2023 is a way to teach early learners about the value of money -- specifically, pennies, nickels, and dimes. To get the November 2023 Brick Math Lesson of the Month, "Understanding Money," plus a new lesson each month, click here.  Each Lesson of the Month includes the Teacher Lesson Guide as well as the Student Workbook Pages that correspond to the lesson. 

Using bricks to model coins is a simple and effective way to explain to students how much each coin is worth and to start their knowledge of our monetary system. A 1x1 brick represents one cent, and groups of five and ten are easy ways to show the value of a nickel and a dime. Students will quickly learn how to model various coins and will begin to understand how to count money using the techniques in this lesson.

If you are a math teacher or a parent with a student at home who is learning K-8th grade math, check brickmath.com. The website includes videos for both teacher training and direct instruction of students. You can learn more about how Brick Math improves students' math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. ​

The October 2023 FREE Brick Math Lesson of the Month comes from Addition Using LEGO® Bricks. It helps students understand that there are many ways to combine numbers. To get the October 2023 Brick Math Lesson of the Month, "How Many Ways to Make 6?" plus a new lesson each month, click here.  Each Lesson of the Month includes the Teacher Lesson Guide as well as the Student Workbook Pages that correspond to the lesson. 

In the lesson, students model all the different ways numbers can be combined that total 6: 6 + 0, 5 + 1, 4 + 2, etc. Building a tower of bricks, students begin to understand what addition really means. It's a foundational skill that early learners need to have, and this Brick Math lesson turns the numbers from abstract to concrete.

If you are a math teacher or a parent with a student at home who is learning K-8th grade math, check brickmath.com. The website includes videos for both teacher training and direct instruction of students. You can learn more about how Brick Math improves students' math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. 

The lesson on mixed numbers first shows that a whole number can be divided into equal parts, and then shows how one more of that fractional part is added to the whole to make the mixed number. It's a very effective way to teach the concept of mixed numbers. It also shows the power of the Brick Math program, which makes math concepts visual and tactile so all students can learn them.

If you are a math teacher or a parent with a student at home who is learning K-8th grade math, check brickmath.com. The website includes videos for both teacher training and direct instruction of students. You can learn more about how Brick Math improves students' math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. ​

We think teachers are among the most generous people on earth. Not only do teachers give of their time and talents during the school day, they volunteer as coaches and club leaders after school and on weekends, just because they love kids and want to help. Most teachers we know also dip into their own pockets to buy items for their classrooms; in fact, research shows that teachers spend about $500 a year of their own money on supplies and curriculum that they know their students need and their school won’t buy.

There’s a better way to find that extra money for your students: apply for a grant. There are many opportunities for funding curriculum.

​One of the most common questions we receive from teachers is, “How can I find the funds to purchase Brick Math for my classroom?” If you want to bring Brick Math to your classroom or school, we suggest several possible sources of funding that other teachers have used:

• Title 1 Grants: These grants are available from the federal government based on school populations of low income students. We have seen a big uptick in schools ordering the Brick Math curriculum using Title 1 funds. Many schools tell us they plan to use Brick Math for intervention, to help struggling students learn basic K-8 math. Since Title 1 funds are intended to be supplementary to state and local funding, schools often use them to purchase additional curriculum to help students when more traditional methods haven’t worked. Brick Math is perfect for that purpose.

​• Teacher discretionary funds: In many schools, teachers receive a stipend to pay for classroom amenities and/or curriculum. Many teachers have purchased Brick Math with their discretionary funds to test the program in their own classrooms.
 
• PTA funding – Often, Parent-Teacher groups offer money to fund new programs that teachers want their students to try. Check with your school’s PTA or PTO to see if they can help purchase Brick Math for your classroom or school.

• Third-party grant programs: Generous non-profit foundations offer grants to fund curriculum like Brick Math. Many focus on STEM-related curriculum materials, and their awards range from a few hundred dollars to $50,000 or more. Look at smaller individual grants if you’re trying to fund Brick Math for your classroom, and check out larger grant programs if your school wants to bring in Brick Math on a larger scale.
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​Thousands of schools around the world utilize Brick Math to help students “see” the math in the K-8 curriculum by modeling with LEGO®-compatible bricks. The 13 math subjects in Brick Math range from Counting to Pre-Algebra.
 
Brick Math is a different approach to teaching math; the lessons utilize LEGO® bricks as manipulatives, and students model the math as they learn. For students whose learning style is hands-on, Brick Math is the research-based teaching solution that teachers and schools have been looking for. And what’s more fun than learning with LEGO® bricks?!

​The results of national testing are in. Math scores for 13-year-olds are down by 9 points since just before the start of the pandemic. For lower-performing students, declines are even larger: 12-14 points.
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​The NAEP’s Long-Term Trend Assessment for Mathematics looked at the math performance of 13-year-olds across the US in 2020 and again in 2023. In every region of the country, and in every gender and racial group, students have declined in their math performance.

​According to Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, the pandemic accelerated the math decline, virtually wiping out the performance gains students made from the 1970s to 2020.
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How do educators help students turn this around so kids can start building math success during the K-8th grade years? Brick Math is a solution that has been shown to increase test scores and improve students’ mathematical knowledge base. It’s a complete K-8 curriculum that teaches math by modeling math with LEGO® bricks. It’s fun to learn and easy to teach!

The 13 math subjects in the Brick Math curriculum start with Counting and Cardinality for the earliest learners and go through Pre-Algebra (typically taught in late middle school). Students and teachers can start at any point in the curriculum. The materials are simple and very affordable:

• A Teacher Edition for each subject with complete step-by-step lesson plans and student tracking
• A Student Edition for each student with space for drawing brick models, additional problems, and chapter assessments
• A Brick Set for 1 or 2 students with all the bricks needed for the entire 13-subject curriculum

​In-person and online professional development is available for schools that want to fast-track the program into their curriculum.
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The 13 subjects in Brick Math include:
Grades K - 2:

• Counting and Cardinality
• Addition
• Subtraction

Grades 3 - 4:

• Multiplication
• Division
• ​Basic Fractions
• Basic Measurement

Grades 5 - 6:

• Fraction Division
• Fraction Multiplication
• Decimals
• ​Advanced Measurement and Geometry

Grades 7 - 8:

• Data and Statistics
• ​Pre-Algebra

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​Dr. Shirley Disseler, author of the Brick Math series, developed the concept after years of working with LEGO® Education. “I wanted to use LEGO® bricks to teach the basics of the math curriculum. It’s the perfect manipulative for teaching students the why behind the math to help them develop true mathematical understanding.”
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​Students and teachers around the world are using Brick Math: as a whole-school curriculum, for students who are struggling to learn math, and for gifted education. The program aligns with state and national standards and is based on research from the most respected educators in the field. Homeschoolers are also using Brick Math with great success.

For more information, check BrickMath.com or contact [email protected].

The Brick Math FREE Lesson of the Month for August 2023, "Absolute Value,"  is from our brand-new book, Pre-Algebra Using LEGO® Bricks. It's a great way to demonstrate the meaning of absolute value when you begin to introduce the concept. To get the August 2023 Brick Math Lesson of the Month, "Absolute Value," plus a new lesson each month, click here.  Each Lesson of the Month includes the Teacher Lesson Guide as well as the Student Workbook pages that correspond to the lesson. 

The lesson demonstrates absolute value using a number line built from bricks. Each stud represents a number, with a blue 1x1 brick in the center of the line to represent zero. Green bricks represent positive values on the number line, and red bricks represent negative values. The lesson teaches the vocabulary of absolute value, showing the "integer value" of numbers. Once students understand the concept of absolute value, they can move on to performing arithmetic operations with them.

​Brick Math is a K-8 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model  13 different math subjects: 
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions,   Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra.
Data and Statistics and  Pre-Algebra expand the Brick Math curriculum to include grades 7 - 8. Brick Math works in many applications: for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and affordable.
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If you are a math teacher or a parent with a student at home who is learning K-8th grade math, check brickmath.com. The website includes videos for both teacher training and direct instruction of students. You can learn more about how Brick Math improves students' math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. 

​Brick Math is proud to announce our brand-new 7th - 8th grade content with two new subjects added to the curriculum: Pre-Algebra and Data and Statistics. As with all the Brick Math curriculum, the content is taught by modeling the math with LEGO® or LEGO®-compatible bricks, giving students a hands-on experience that helps them gain deep understanding of the mathematical concepts. Each subject has a Teacher Edition that guides the teacher through the step-by-step lessons as well as a Student Edition that is a workbook for students to draw their brick models and includes student assessments for every chapter. The Brick Math brick set works for these new subjects, too.

​The new content extends Brick Math to a complete K - 8 curriculum solution for schools​ as well as for homeschooling. Brick Math is ideally suited for students who haven’t been able to learn the concepts through more traditional methods.

In Pre-Algebra, students are introduced to topics that help them prepare for high school math. These include integers, fractions, square roots, step equations, linear equations, and decimals. Students learn how to solve basic equations using variables. Modeling with bricks, students engage in problem-solving activities that expand their knowledge of:
• absolute value and positive/negative numbers
• exponents, including negative exponents and multiplicative inverse
• rules of integers
• algebraic expressions
• equations and ​inequalities
• slope

​In Data and Statistics, students learn the basics of representing and interpreting data with line plots, bar graphs, histograms, and box plots. They learn how to measure central tendency through mean, median, mode, and range. Then students move on to learn about coordinates, line graphs, and scatter plots. Finally, they learn how to graph and calculate the slope of a line. The final chapter is an introduction to both theoretical and experimental probability. Modeling with bricks, students engage in problem-solving activities that expand their knowledge of:
• visual models and graphs of data sets
• measures of central tendency
• coordinate grids
• slope
• theoretical and experimental probability

Both books progress through these topics in modules, moving from more basic to more complex in each chapter. Most students learn these Pre-Algebra and Data and Statistics topics in grades 7 - 8.

​We have had so many requests to extend the Brick Math program through eighth grade, and it’s finally here! We’re excited to share the new Brick Math content with you.
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Brick Math is a K-8 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model  13 different math subjects: 
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions,   Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, Decimals, Data and Statistics, and Pre-Algebra.

Brick Math works in many applications: for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and affordable.
​
If you are a math teacher or a parent with a student at home who is learning K-8th grade math, check brickmath.com. The website includes videos for both teacher training and direct instruction of students. You can learn more about how Brick Math improves students' math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program.