Constructing an analog clock will teach second-graders to read the time in blocks of five. Games using money can teach students to count the different coins and paper bills. Teachers can give students construction paper, so that children can cut out money and paste the bills into craft projects. Pie graphs can teach second-graders fractions and decimals, and daily charting of outside temperatures will introduce coordinate graphing skills. Also, teachers can offer blocks for students to create different shapes.
Teachers can introduce different triangles to introduce the idea of angles and the differences between perpendicular and parallel lines. Elaborate graphing projects should also be introduced to second-graders in the later part of the year. Teachers should assign projects that second-graders can touch and feel to understand the abstract concepts. Constructing an outdoor classroom is an ideal solution to helping second-graders understand advanced math concepts. Teachers should judge course load according to their class's abilities.
Third-grade students can construct their own multiplication tables with wooden paint stirrers and markers. Volumes can be learned with measuring projects in an outdoor classroom using water and sand. Fractions can be learned with graphing, and math vocabulary such as numerator and denominator should be understood. Students can make three-dimensional shapes to understand volume, and teachers can make measuring assignments around the classroom to learn about area and perimeter.
Scale can be learned by measuring real-life objects around the school. Mapping their school is another project third-graders can use later in the year. Advanced concepts would also be measuring the radii of circles, using string or constructed compasses. Children can complete pictures using symmetry with pictures that are half filled. Also, third-graders can learn advanced math concepts by building elaborately shaped models of pyramids and cubes.