1510 Divisible Numbers

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? With the amount of math classes I've taken over the years, I've never been taught some of the shortcuts that are out there for testing number divisibility. I was blown away by how easy this process is. Any textbook out there will refer to them as rules of divisibility, but I still like to call them shortcuts because of how easy it just made my life...too bad it took 30+ years.


The "rules" state, a number is divisible when you can divide one number by another and the result is a whole number. Now, for every number 1-12, there is a special rule that follows it and I encourage you to take a look at these tricks. It's almost freaky how this works out and it makes you wonder how someone figured this out. Knowing these tricks, rules, or shortcuts can really make reducing numbers or fractions a breeze. I can't tell you how long I would spend punching each number into the calculator to see if it was divisible or not. Now, I've made a little cheat sheet with all the rules on it that I keep with my math work and just refer to it when I need it.

Students will be able to memorize 2, 5, and 10 with no problems because they are easily recognizable, but what about 3 or 9? Here is a video that might help them out.

I aspire to be this teacher in a couple of years. If I can rap, I can get my students to learn the divisibility rules, or shortcuts!

1510 - Working with Manipulatives

With so many different manipulatives available on the internet, how do you choose which ones are the best? You Tube is always my first stop shop for help as they provide countless video options for all ages to to explore. This is where I start, and it's pretty reliable. Yes, there is some non-factual videos on there, but for the most part, you can find what you need. Here is one on using math manipulatives for teaching addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. As you can see, it's done very professionally and looks legit. So, are there better options on the internet that are more reliable? You betcha.

The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is another great place to start in your search. This site is grade specific and covers multiple topics. As a teacher, this is an absolute bookmark for future references. If you ever get stuck or have a student you need to help, but you are unsure of how to help them, this site can help.

If you're not convinced manipulatives can help you teach, read this article from Marylin Burns, who is a creator of manipulatives for over 30 years. She gives great perspective on their effective use and how to implement then into your classroom. My favorite is how she allows parents to get their hands on them too, as it's important for parents to understand why children are using the material.

When looking for the best place, do your research and check them out, talk to other teachers or parents to see if they have had a positive experience with one over another. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Hey, Ho, Let's Go! - General Information

Here we go, I'm diving head first into school again and there is no easing into it, I'm going pedal to the metal, full speed ahead. What have I got myself into? It's been 10 years since I last picked-up a book and now I'm looking at 10 credits. How will I do this, especially during the summer? I want to be on the boat soaking up the sun and swimming in the water. The end goal of becoming a teacher is pushing me to accomplish these classes so I can still enjoy my summers.

Last week, I attempted to do my math assignment and all of a sudden I realized I couldn't remember how to divide fractions. What was I doing wrong? I was bound to figure this out on my own because I knew how to do it, I just couldn't remember. I was too stubborn to look it up in the book, or ask someone for help, so I spent over 45 minutes on one problem. Are you kidding me? 45 minutes? This can't go on, I have to figure this out because my time is too valuable (and the sun was getting warmer). So, I broke down and consulted Mr. You Tube. He fixed my problem and within 2 minutes, I was on my way. Lesson learned I guess.

So, here we are. Week 2 and we're looking at doing a blog for math class. How do I keep this interesting enough for people to continually read it? We are talking about math here. This is what I need to figure out, not only for this assignment, but as a teacher too. How do I keep you engaged and wanting to come back for more? The good news is, some of you have to check-out my blog and for you, I will try and put a smile on your face. I'm excited to I accept this challenge.