Math Journals - Prompts and Vocabulary

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Pinterest is an absolute treasure box of great ideas for teaching. Today, I found fantastic examples of Math Journal entries on Runde's Room to use with upper elementary students. Her ideas branched off of A Teacher's Treasures Interactive Student Notebook sold on Teachers Pay Teachers.

I've used math journals before, but not like these jewels. Their use in the lesson structure follows Common Core standards to the T!

Journals are a great place to focus on vocabulary. Students can explore meaning, use, and examples while taking ownership of new words. Here is a link for visual vocabulary cards that could be adapted to student notebooks.

Ladybug's Teacher Files offers sets of visual vocabulary cars for use on word walls. These could be adapted to journal entries as well.



Dr. Deborah Wahlstrom has several ideas for using visual vocabulary -link doodling that would also be useful with journals. To use link doodles with students, simply call out the math vocabulary word. Have students doodle, draw or write the picture of the word until you call out the next word. Students connect the doodle path with a link line. After all the words in the set have been called out, have student go back and label each of the drawings. This is the time to check for spelling also.



Update: 7/26/2012
Found a site with a listing of exemplars suitable for math journals and groups discussion.

Update 8/3/2012
Even 1st graders can use interactive journals. Visit this site to download pdf files suitable for primary LAPBOOKS!

And Ashleigh offers a FREE download "Draw a Story Problem." The activity is designed to be used as a center activity. However, this would be a wonderful ongoing addition to student interactive journals.