This lesson teaches students about the factors of 16. To get the March 2021 lesson, and a new lesson each month, sign up here. This might be my favorite lesson in the entire Brick Math curriculum, because it does so many things so well:
I use this lesson often when I’m demonstrating how well Brick Math works as a complete learning solution for elementary math. It always helps someone new to the program understand how effective the Brick Math methods are. Try the lesson with your student(s) today to demonstrate factors. The first two pages are from the Teacher Lesson Guide. The next two pages are for the student to use as they learn. There is a baseplate on the last page where the student can draw his/her final model of the factors of 16, plus space to list all the factors of 16. We guarantee they will have that “aha” moment when you teach factors this way! Brick Math’s Basic Fractions Using LEGO® Bricks is a great way to get started with the topic of fractions. It starts by teaching the concept of fractions and progresses through unit fractions, addition and subtraction of fractions, and both like and unlike denominators. The use of LEGO® bricks to model the math makes it fun to learn, too! Brick Math is a K-6 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 11 different math subjects: Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, and Decimals. It works well for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and are not shared between students. It adapts easily to online instruction. If you teach math or have a student at home who is learning 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 student math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program.
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Learning to add is an important building block of the math curriculum in the early years. Addition is a foundational skill that leads to success in all the math subjects that follow. How can a student learn to add in a way that teaches them to understand the why and how behind the process? Here are five keys to learning addition for young students: 1. Putting things together in like sets: Addition concepts start to form long before children learn to add in school. When they begin to group things together into like sets, children are beginning to develop the basic idea of addition. A set is a physical representation of a number, and young children learn to group similar items into sets, counting up to the number of that set. 2. Strategies of counting on, counting back, and one more: Early number skills provide a foundation for learning addition. Students must be fluent in counting before they are ready to learn to add. When a student has learned to count on (forward), count back, and put one more with a group, the student has progressed far beyond simply memorizing a string of numbers in order (like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), and is ready to learn to add. 3. Direct modeling of the process of addition: Many educational researchers have shown that teaching students by directly modeling the math with physical objects leads to greater understanding. Brick Math uses LEGO® bricks to model the math. It’s the perfect tool because of the visual and tactile nature of the bricks. Each stud counts as 1, so students can see and feel the numbers they build. 4. Vocabulary of math: It’s important for students to learn the right words to describe the math they are learning. When they know what the words addend, sum, result, solution, and altogether mean, they can talk about addition. Teachers and parents should be careful to use the term addition symbol rather than plus sign when discussing what is happening in an addition problem. “Plussing” is not a word, and the word plus only represents the symbol of the math, not the action. Every chapter in Brick Math starts with a list of the key vocabulary students will learn in those lessons. 5. Addition within the context of 10: Early on, students need to understand that the number system is based on tens. LEGO® bricks can be used to model addition against a physical background of 10 studs. This is a great way to start representing the number system of ones, tens, and eventually, hundreds. The illustration here shows how to model 14 + 5 = 19 with LEGO® bricks while introducing the idea of groups of ten. Addition is the stepping-stone to all other math, so it’s critical that kids understand it fully. It leads directly into subtraction as the opposite process to addition. In second or third grade, a firm understanding of the process of repeated addition leads to comprehension of multiplication. Brick Math’s Addition Using LEGO® Bricks is a great way to teach young learners about addition. It starts with teaching the concept of addition and progresses through place value and adding larger numbers. The use of LEGO® bricks to model the math makes it fun to learn, too! Brick Math is a K-6 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 11 different math subjects: Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, and Decimals. It works well for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and are not shared between students. It adapts easily to online instruction. If you teach math or have a student at home who is learning 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 student math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. Whether or not the groundhog saw his shadow today, Brick Math has a great lesson to help kids understand what subtraction is all about. The lesson is called "Missing Term Subtraction," and it uses both LEGO® bricks and pencil and paper to give students the perfect hands-on process for understanding subtraction. This method shows students how to invent strategies to solve math problems, which is a skill they need to learn early and practice often. Here, they'll use what they know about addition to solve the subtraction problem. This lesson uses a subtraction diagram, which is in the Student Workbook pages. It reinforces the vocabulary of minuend, subtrahend, and difference. Print out the Student pages so your student(s) can actually place their bricks on the paper diagram. You'll guide the student(s) through the subtraction of 12 - 4 during this lesson. They'll place bricks in the diagram and develop their own ways to show the solution of 8. One way to show the solution is illustrated here. After students model with bricks, always follow up by having them draw their models and explain in words what they have done. In that way, you'll help them solidify their learning. Brick Math is a K-6 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 11 different math subjects:
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, and Decimals. It works well for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and are not shared between students. It adapts easily to online instruction. If you teach math or have a student at home who is learning 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 student math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. Happy New Year! The Brick Math Lesson of the Month for January 2021 teaches students the basics of addition using LEGO® bricks. It's a simple, yet very effective, way to show students what it means to add two numbers together. Try it with the numbers shown in the lesson, and then use the same technique with other numbers until your students fully comprehend the meaning of addition. To get the January 2021 lesson, and a new lesson each month, sign up here. Try this with your students, at home or in the classroom (or in the virtual classroom). The Brick Math system of representing numbers with LEGO® bricks is the perfect way to introduce students to the concept of addition. If your students are very young, you could use the same technique with larger DUPLO® bricks. The lesson starts with the Teacher's Lesson Guide. All the steps for teaching students how to model the numbers 3 and 4 are included. Then the lesson shows students how to model the addition of those two numbers and find the sum. The corresponding pages from the Student Workbook follow, with space for the student to write responses as well as draw the models they have built. Brick Math is a K-6 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 11 different math subjects:
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, and Decimals. It works well for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and are not shared between students. It adapts easily to online instruction. If you teach math or have a student at home who is learning 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 student math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. Many parents and teachers face a difficult dilemma. Research shows that children are finding it tough to learn math concepts during the pandemic. All the evidence points to 2020 as a year when many children will be falling behind in learning basic math. The good news: there is a way to supplement students’ math instruction—and make it fun so kids will enjoy learning! It’s called Brick Math: Teaching Math Using LEGO® Bricks. Brick Math incorporates the LEGO® bricks that kids love and uses them to teach elementary school math concepts in a fun and exciting way. But it’s not a gimmick—Brick Math is a serious learning method, backed up by research and rigorous testing. Brick Math works as a supplement to other math curriculum because the program is modular. There are 11 different subjects covered in the program that spans grades K – 6:
Here’s how Brick Math works: Choose the subject area that your students need. For example, if they are having trouble understanding the idea of fractions, the Basic Fractions Using LEGO® Bricks books zero in on that topic. The Teacher Edition has all the lessons that can be taught by a teacher or parent, and the Student Edition is the work-along book for the student, with additional problems, chapter assessments, and a chart to track the student’s progress. The 250-piece Brick Set has all the bricks for every math subject, and basic LEGO® bricks work if you have them already. Kids really enjoy learning with Brick Math. “My class will often choose doing more Brick Math rather than recess,” was a comment from a fourth-grade teacher. A homeschooling parent told us, “My son was struggling with understanding quarts, pints, and gallons until we tried Brick Math. He loves LEGO bricks, and now he builds and remembers math problems!”
For more information about how Brick Math works, visit BrickMath.com. You’ll find videos for students and teachers or parents, plus samples from each of the 11 subjects to help you decide which books are right for your students. The Brick Math Lesson of the Month for December 2020 teaches students how to model decimals using LEGO® bricks. The system really helps students understand the meaning of decimals, because different-sized bricks represent tenths, hundredths, and thousandths. To get the December 2020 lesson, and a new lesson each month, sign up here. Try this with your students, at home or in the classroom (or in the virtual classroom). This system of representing decimals with bricks is a great way to reinforce the idea of decimals. The lesson starts with the Teacher's Lesson Guide. All the steps for teaching students how to model several different decimals are included. The corresponding pages from the Student Workbook follow, with space for the student to write responses as well as draw the models they have built. The illustration below shows, on the left, the brick model for the decimal 0.23, and on the right, a drawing of that same model. Brick Math is a K-6 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 11 different math subjects:
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, and Decimals. It works well for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and are not shared between students. It adapts easily to online instruction. If you teach math or have a student at home who is learning 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 student math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. What makes a math curriculum right for homeschooling? There are several factors to consider when you’re searching for the best way to help your child learn math. 1. Student Engagement The best teaching methods work when students enjoy the learning process. Research has shown that “time on task” is a critical element in determining educational success. The longer a student will stay with a task while learning, the more the student will learn. Brick Math is #1 in student engagement. Kids love to use LEGO bricks to learn K – 6th grade math! The process of building math models with LEGO bricks keeps students engaged with the program, which results in learning. 2. Practical Application Math is a conceptual subject, which can make it harder for some kids to learn. Experts agree that finding ways to make math concrete through representation of the math with manipulatives substantially increases a student’s understanding of the math. The entire Brick Math program has been created to make math real and tangible to students, by modeling the math with LEGO bricks. Students who learn with Brick Math often say, “Now I understand the math! I can see it!” 3. Modular Program Math is a subject that builds on prior knowledge. For example: if you haven’t memorized the multiplication tables, you will have trouble understanding factors, and will then be mystified when trying to find the lowest common denominator. Brick Math is built in 11 modules, ranging from Counting and Cardinality in the early years, through Advanced Measurement and Geometry around grades 5 – 6. You can bring in any of the 11 Brick Math modules when your child is ready to learn that subject. Many parents use Brick Math to reinforce a math subject that their child has not learned fully from another math curriculum. 4. Easy to Teach When you are homeschooling your child, you need to be comfortable with the material so you can teach it properly. And especially with math, the teaching methods used when you were younger are not the ones being used today. Brick Math makes the teaching process easy for parents to use. The Teacher Edition of each subject has step-by-step lessons that you follow to teach the topic. There are illustrations of all the brick models you will build, as well as illustrations of the correct models that the student will build, so you’ll know they are learning. Short videos on the Brick Math website show you exactly how Brick Math works, so you’ll feel very confident when you work with your child on the lessons. You’ll know your child is learning, because the Student Edition for each subject includes an assessment in every chapter and a chart to track your child’s progress. 5. Affordable Homeschooling materials can be very pricey, and when you need to buy a new curriculum every year, the cost of so many programs can be prohibitive. Brick Math is a very affordable curriculum: One Teacher Edition ($14.95) and one Student Edition ($9.95) per math subject (less than $25 for each subject). Use the LEGO bricks you already own, or get a Brick Math brick set for $60, which includes all 250 bricks needed for all 11 subjects, plus two 6” x 6” baseplates, packed in a sturdy divided storage box for easy access and clean-up. That’s a total of less than $80 to get started, then $25 to add on new subjects. 6. Based on Sound Academic Research and Practices When selecting homeschooling curriculum, look for programs that are based on the most up-to-date academic research and ideas. Especially in math, you want to be sure your child’s curriculum is keeping up with the latest information. Brick Math was developed by Dr. Shirley Disseler of High Point University, an expert in math education and learning using LEGO bricks. She created the program based on the current findings into how students learn math. The Brick Math program has been tested with thousands of students, and has been shown to be highly effective at helping students learn math in the elementary school years. Parents across the US have been astonished to discover how well their children learn math with Brick Math after trying in vain to learn from other methods. Brick Math is a K-6 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 11 different math subjects:
Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, and Decimals. If you have a student at home who is learning 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 student math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. Last month, the Brick Math lesson was about Customary Liquid Measures (cups, pints, quarts, etc.). We got a LOT of comments about how the US should be using metric measures (liters, grams, meters, etc.) like the rest of the world! Well, we can’t control that, but we know that kids need to learn metric measures, too—and luckily, Brick Math also includes lessons on metric measures. So the Brick Math Lesson of the Month for November 2020 is about modeling and converting metric measures and is taken from Basic Measurement Using LEGO® Bricks. To get the November 2020 lesson, and a new lesson each month, sign up here. The lesson starts with the Teaching Guide. It begins by showing how to model the metric system with bricks, using a 1x3 brick as the base unit (liter, gram, meter) and 1x1 bricks to model the tenfold increases or decreases from the base unit. The model includes the vocabulary you need to talk about the metric system (Kilo, Hecto, Deka, Deci, Centi and Milli). Then, using the model, students learn how to convert from one metric value to another: in this lesson, from the base unit of meters to centimeters (1/100). You can use this method to convert any metric values. Pages from the Student Workbook are included after the Teacher’s section. Have your student work along with you using these pages to draw their brick models and answer questions about the lesson. It’s important for elementary students to get comfortable with the metric system, even if we here in the US don’t use it in our everyday lives. Students will soon encounter the metric system as they move forward in math, so building a strong foundation (with bricks, of course!) for understanding the metric system is key, typically in grades 2 – 4. Brick Math is a K-6 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 11 different math subjects: Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, and Decimals. It works well for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and are not shared between students. It adapts easily to online instruction. If you teach math or have a student at home who is learning 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 student math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. It’s been well established that fractions are tough for many students to learn. And it’s also clear that fractions are a very important building block for learning the higher-level math that follows, including decimals, ratios, and algebra. So we need a learning system that helps students achieve a deep understanding of fractions, not simply a regurgitation of some formulas or tricks. Luckily, Brick Math: Teaching Math Using LEGO Bricks includes techniques that really work when teaching students what fractions are all about. Here are four ways you can make it easier to learn fractions (all the illustrations and techniques here are from Brick Math's Basic Fractions Using LEGO Bricks–Teacher Edition): 1. Math is conceptual, so a student first needs to understand the idea of a fraction. The best way to learn that is by providing a visual presentation of a fraction. Brick Math, which teaches math using LEGO bricks as the modeling tool, is the perfect way to show what fractions are. A 1x1 brick next to a 1x2 brick clearly represents a fraction of 1/2. A LEGO brick with 2 studs next to a brick with 4 studs? Clearly showing 2/4. A four-stud brick next to an 8-stud brick models 4/8 without question. The studs on a brick are easy to count, even for young learners, and there is no mistaking the fraction that the bricks are showing. 2. Fractions refer to parts of a whole, but the whole must be defined clearly to understand the size of the fraction. The techniques used in Brick Math work well to clarify the concept of the whole. If the whole is 8, the brick that represents ½ of that whole has 4 studs. But if the whole is 6, the brick that represents ½ of that whole has 3 studs. LEGO bricks demonstrate this idea clearly. 3. Adding and subtracting fractions relies on students’ knowledge of multiplication. To find a common denominator, a student must have memorized multiplication tables to understand the idea of factors. That’s a hurdle many students have trouble with. But factors are easy to show with Brick Math. Students discover factors for themselves by manipulating the bricks. The illustration here shows all the factors of 8 in a way that students can immediately grasp (8, 4, 2, and 1). 4. It can be hard to understand how to put fractions in order. What’s bigger: 2/3 or ¾? That question becomes easy to answer using the Brick Math technique called the “fraction train.” That’s a way of modeling equivalent fractions with common denominators to visually demonstrate which fraction is larger. (Spoiler alert: ¾ is larger, because it is equivalent to 9/12, while 2/3 is equivalent to 8/12.) There’s so much that’s hard about learning fractions. Brick Math makes the learning process easier so students can develop deep understanding of the math. That’s the key to future math success. Brick Math is a K-6 math curriculum that works for all students, whether they are in a classroom or learning at home one-on-one. If you have a student at home who is learning math, check brickmath.com. The website includes videos for both teacher/parent training and direct instruction of students. You can learn more about how Brick Math improves student math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. If you are a teacher, check brickmath.com to learn how the curriculum can work in your classroom, whether it's in person, virtual, or hybrid. Brick Math is a K-6 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 11 different math subjects: Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, and Decimals. It works well for math intervention, for enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and need not be shared between students. It adapts easily to online instruction. Contact us with any questions. This month's free Brick Math lesson is about Customary Liquid Measures -- the ones that are used in the United States (i.e., NOT metric system). Taken from the Teacher and Student Editions of Basic Measurement Using LEGO® Bricks, the lesson is the perfect way to show young learners the relationship between gallons, quarts, pints, and cups. The lesson uses different sizes of bricks to represent the four different liquid measures. Once students know what each brick represents, then they compare the bricks next to each other to determine how many of a smaller measure equals a larger one. Like all the lessons in Brick Math, it's a straightforward, clear way for students to quickly grasp the concepts being taught. And, like the whole Brick Math program, it's easy to teach and fun to learn! To get the October 2020 lesson, and all the lessons that follow each month, sign up here. Brick Math is a K-6 math curriculum that uses LEGO® bricks to model 11 different math subjects: Counting, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Basic Fractions, Basic Measurement, Fraction Multiplication, Fraction Division, Advanced Measurement and Geometry, and Decimals. It works well for homeschooling, math intervention, enrichment, and as a whole-school program. Materials are simple and are not shared between students. It adapts easily to online instruction. If you teach math or have a student at home who is learning 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 student math test scores and hear what people who are using Brick Math have to say about the program. |
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