Real Life Math

When creating lesson plans for our Math Workshop I like to make it as relevant as possible.  Current events, commercials, sports and short clips help stimulate the students into thinking mathematically.

Here are a couple of suggestions to consider:

Scores on ESPN

Toy Ads from favorite stores like Target

Short clips from YouTube

Tracking Santa at Norad Tracks Santa

Pricing on the back of books

Pictures of things that are important to you and/or them

Objects in your classroom

Pictures of cool objects

Letting students know that the things they are learning in school really do apply to their real world is so important.  Math is about thinking and there are opportunities everywhere!

Merry Math

I last posted about my struggle with two-digit addition with regrouping and have had some time to think about possible solutions.

My personal go-to is reading.  I read current and relevant texts when I'm unsure of what to do next.



One of my favorite books for meeting with mathematicians in small groups is Math Exchanges by Kassia Omohundro Wedekind.  On her blog Math Exchanges, she wrote,
In my book I talk a lot about how math exchanges must be both contextually meaningful and mathematically significant. Many times “contextually meaningful” means relevant or useful to the life of the mathematician solving the problem. 
This got me thinking about giving students situations that were relevant to them.  And after Thanksgiving what else is there but TOYS?!



In the text, Learning to Love Math by Judy Willis, she shared her theory about learning from video games.  She wrote,
Video games are an example of the lure of achievable challenge because they help students reach personally desirable goals...These goals can be translated into mathematics as long as we use the model of achievable challenge (through differentiation and individualization) and connect our teaching goals with students' personal goals and interest.
This challenges me as an educator.  I have to find the achievable challenge for each student knowing that they will all be different.  For my whole group lessons, I determined that I would use the Gradual Release of Responsibility by amping up the problems each time.



Maggie Siena wrote, in her book From Reading to Math,
There is no one best way to teach math.
Confidence is paramount.
Professional development is important for teaching all students.
Everyone has the potential to understand math.
What I really honed in on in my personal quest was the idea that the student had to have confidence. Again this leads me to the GRR and teaching with Concrete, Representational and Abstract sequence.  I need to give the students in my class every opportunity to feel successful and to do this I need to create building blocks that they can stack and depend on to support them.


Here leads to my freebie!  I wanted to create materials to use the first week back that incorporated all these great things I've learned about math instruction.

Click on the link or pictures to pick up yours :)

SANTA'S TOYS: Two-Digit Addition with Regrouping

I hope you enjoy this week and give thanks for all that you have because life is precious!!

80/20?! What about 20/80?

Do you follow the 80/20 rule in which you expect 80% of your students to achieve mastery of a standard, skill or unit?  I do...mostly.

When starting a unit, I pre-assess my students to find out their understanding of the topic.  After the unit, again I assess and measure growth.  We began two-digit addition with regrouping 5 weeks ago and the results are in folks...only 37% mastery.  Honestly I feel like a failure.  You have had those moments too....right?

So I can't sit back and allow that to be good enough.  I started reflecting on my craft right away and trying to figure out what I could have done and what my next steps are going to be.  I didn't get too far.  New solutions weren't calling out to me.

Fast forward to this evening when I called my dad and after a bit I started talking about my problem. Now my dad isn't an educator and sometimes I wonder if I bug him when I talk school but he had a brilliant solution.  He broke it down and said,

                      "How many did you want to pass?" At least 80%.  
                      "How many did you expect to pass?" 70%  (that was a hopeful on my part)
                      "How many did you expect to do better than they did?" Four or five.

His advice after listening was that I need to focus on the students that I expected to do better than they did.  Seems simple, right?  I had a why didn't I think of that kind of moment.

Sometimes I get so caught up in supporting the lowest quartile that I let moments with the majority of my class pass by.  I don't think I will fix this problem overnight.  I want everyone to succeed and I feel like there isn't enough of me to go around.

What I can do is work with those students who I expected to do better.  The students that are so close to mastery but didn't reach it this time.  I can help them strengthen their skills quickly.

And I'll do what I always do when I don't know...get advice from an expert by reading.  So here's what I'll be reading tonight (it's a wonderful book).

Conviction

On Election Day, I left pondering my beliefs and convictions as an educator.  I am seeing so many articles, posts, videos, and papers sharing the unease in our education system.  I am watching teachers throw out what is working for what they are being told to do.  I am hearing teachers say that they don't want to do this anymore.  I agree, I've had quite enough.

BUT I'm not giving up (yet) because I have conviction!

                conviction: the feeling of being sure that what you believe or say is true

Whenever one person stands up and says,"Wait a minute, this is wrong," it helps other people to do the same. -Gloria Steinem

This post is more about encouraging to do what is right for each of your students.  You know them, you spend a lot of your waking hours caring for their minds and hearts, you think about them in your dreams, while you're driving the car, in the shower, while you're watching TV.  You become an expert on each child.  You are their voice in this crazy system.

It's about being alive and feisty and not sitting down and shutting up even though people would like you to. -Pink

I am encouraging you to teach!  I mean it...literally teach.  We have all done it but lately we are so focused on testing and accountability that the teaching is getting lost.  I get it, it's staring you hard in the face, and you have a lot riding on testing BUT what if you were teaching your students without being concerned about the test and gave them the strategies and skills to kill that test.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. -Martin Luther King Jr.

The NEA has launched a campaign to end "Toxic Testing."  In their article, they state, "This is what educators can control — their practice."  You are an educated professional with a real, actual, growing and changing brain...you have so much to offer (think of all the hours you've spent becoming an expert at what you do). Don't let politics take that away from you.  Don't become a minion.  Stand up for your beliefs.  Speak with conviction.  Hold true to your values about teaching.  

To believe in something, and not live it, is dishonest. -Mahatma Gandhi

I know many of you think, "That's what I'd like but it's not reality."  Make it your reality...only you can. Let's break this down into making it a possibility. I wrote a post recently in which I outlined my non-negotiables called Nope, not going to happen....  In it I shared the seven things that I hold true deep down that I'm NEVER willing to give up.  Figure out your own non-negotiables.  Stick to those.  With other things that you don't have strong beliefs or opinions on let yourself meld a bit to what the expectation is from your school, county and/or state.  I say that with a bit of caution....still be a consumer.  Still shop like you would for a new cell phone making sure it is reliable, updated, a quality product and tested/researched.  Ask your co-workers, your trusted friends, your mentors or coaches.  Do your homework....don't just follow along without question.

Defend your beliefs with courtesy & compassion but defend them. -Jeffery R. Holland

I started to write the hurdles that I am facing in my own educational life, but then I thought this isn't a laundry list of my grievances...because lord knows we all have them!  This post is about empowerment and conviction.  This post is encouragement to all the teachers that aren't feeling good about what they are doing daily.  This post is about community and coming together for something more important than politics.  It's for our students, it's for our future, it's for the well-being of our nation.  So go all and TEACH!!

-Vote
-Go to School Board meetings
-Talk to your union representative
-Join the NEA
-Write to senators, representatives, governor, legislator or commissioner
-Encourage your co-workers
-Talk to your administrators
-Plan a meeting with your superintendent
-Educate yourself on what the test is testing vs. the standards you teach
-Educate yourself on research about best practices
-Teach like no one's watching

Mathematicians at Work

I wanted a time during the day that the students could engage in mathematical activities that would support our previous learning in class.  Throughout the years I have tried many types of math stations/centers/rotations and many have worked very well.  This year I wanted to form partnerships in which mathematical understandings and discussions could take place at a deeper level. In the past, I think students thought they were just playing games rather than applying the strategies and understandings they have gained during our lessons. When students are grouped in twos, I feel that it is easier for both voices to be heard.  At the beginning of the year I had 22 students and wanting groupings of 2, that left me with 11 different activities.  I also knew that I wanted to give this time a title that was a reflection of what they really were doing.  So rather than centers or stations we called it Mathematicians at Work.

Mathematicians at Work

I am blessed to have a lot of time for mathematics...a full 75 minutes!  If our time was allotted differently I would tighten everything much more (see alternate schedule below).

Our schedule:

10 minutes - Number Talks

10-15 minutes -  Mini-lesson

20 minutes - Guided/Independent Practice

20-30 minutes - Mathematicians at Work (Small groups/Conferring)

5-10 minutes - Share

Alternate schedule:

5 minutes - Number Talks

10 minutes -  Mini-lesson

15 minutes - Guided/Independent Practice

20-25 minutes - Mathematicians at Work (Small groups/Conferring)

5 minutes - Share 

Here is what I have included in our Mathematicians at Work during our place value unit:

Click on the link to pick up all of these here: MathematiciansatWorkActivities

For this activity you will need numbers written on small bits of paper and crumbled up.

Secret Code

The materials needed for Monster Math are a small box, a spinner and 10 bottle caps.  Write numbers 0-9 on the bottle caps and place in small box.  Write 10 more, 10 less, 100 more, 100 less on spinner and you are ready!

I quickly made targets three targets, one for hundreds, another for tens and the last for ones.  I printed on different colored paper and  bought googly eyes.

 This activity is based off Bozo's Grand Prize Game. You will need small buckets (or any container), some post-its to label and ping-pong balls.  Write numbers on the ping-pong balls.

This activity was part of a freebie from last year.  Click on the link to pick it up:  Adding and Subtracting with Place Value

This is a great activity that gives me a lot of information about each learner.  They take turns being the teacher.  I get to hear their mathematical talk, hear how they formulate questions, watch them coach students, see their accuracy with problem solving and hear all about strategies.  The students LOVE this activity!

Get a deck of cards or two.  Write numbers on the jacks, queens, kings, aces, etc. and it is all set.  On this particular day, one student was absent so their partner joined in to play War.

You will need two cookie sheets, two tops and print out a grid of numbers on two papers.

You can tell that Mathematicians at Work have simplistic activities but the students really do get to apply their understanding of the concept.  Everyday we change to a new activity.  Once we finish a rotation we do it one more time.  So it last for 22 days...which is super nice for planning and preparing.

The other great thing about Mathematicians at Work is that I get time EVERY SINGLE DAY to meet with small groups or confer with my students.  I am very clear about where they are in math because I have the time to listen and understand.  For more about my small groups: Math: Guide Groups, Games and Resources.