Hands on fifth grade math

[Sarah0000]

Any ideas for full curricula, supplements, or even just activity kits to play around with new fifth grade concepts such as proportions and square roots before starting BA5? Something that will give him a solid conceptual understanding of what they are before he approaches it in a workbook format?

[Sarah0000]

Sorry, should have mentioned he'll probably finish up BA4 and LoF elementary within the next four months. But it looks like there are several topics in BA5, especially C and D, that he's only barely been introduced to and that makes me a bit nervous since he's been doing BA largely independently after hands on learning with me and I'd like him to keep that fun, easy relationship with BA.

[HomeAgain]

Shiller (Montessori)
Right Start (various manipulatives)
Gattegno (c-rods)
EducationUnboxed.com
AIMS
Magnatiles math guide (link goes to the download page for the pdf)

[Jackie]

Any work with fractions or reducing fractions will get at ratios/proportions. We used Developing Fraction Sense; it’s hands on but not super exciting. Also, lots of cooking.

[Cake and Pi]

A foam Pythagorean theorem set might be fun: https://www.amazon.com/Didax-Educational-Resources-Pythagorean-Theorem/dp/B01D94R6HI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542002320&sr=8-1&keywords=pythagorean+theorem+tile+set

Play with 1" wood cubes (or the equivalent) to get a feel for volume and cubing. My DS#3 was absolutely tickled when he discovered that 8^2 = 4^3 by playing with our blocks.

Practice naming and playing with plastic or wooden geometric solids. We used to have a set that was clear and hollow and lined with a paperboard cutout of it's own net. You could remove one face to take out and flatten the net or fill the shape with whatever. Very cool set.

Play Prime Climb to get extra practice with prime factorization. You might encourage him to keep a list of the prime factorizations of numbers as he plays them or they otherwise come up (e.g. in BA 4C). My DS#1 and DS#3 each have their own list of the prime factorizations of 2-300 mostly filled out. It comes in handy in BA 4, BA 5, and also AoPS Prealgebra.

We love, love, LOVE Algebra Lab Gear, both the blocks and the Beginning Algebra book. DS#3 got very good with integer arithmetic and with handling variables through ALG activities.

[Sarah0000]

Thank you all...and follow up question.

Can you recommend a concise guide or website that explains the upper elementary/middle school level math concepts from a teaching perspective? What to teach and what kind of understanding you're looking for from the student? I've been using the Right Start Activities for the Al Abacus for this purpose but it doesn't go that high. I need the concepts broken down a little bit so I can think of age appropriate learning activities.

[HomeAgain]

31 minutes ago, Sarah0000 said:

Thank you all...and follow up question.

Can you recommend a concise guide or website that explains the upper elementary/middle school level math concepts from a teaching perspective? What to teach and what kind of understanding you're looking for from the student? I've been using the Right Start Activities for the Al Abacus for this purpose but it doesn't go that high. I need the concepts broken down a little bit so I can think of age appropriate learning activities.

I like this one for a quick overview: https://www.worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study.aspx