The last two weeks have been incredibly busy - Open House, first progress reports, four new students and papers to grade. Getting back up to full-speed is really time-consuming!
I'm spending a great deal of time thinking through my lessons to make them top-notch. I'm still having a hard time estimating the amount of time I need. On paper, it looks like there is plenty of time to accomplish all that I plan for the students. In reality, I'm biting off too big of a chunk! I have forgotten about all the little things that are not "planned" parts of the class period that absorb all those precious moments. Prime time gets shorter after attendance, passing out flyers, homework, picture packets, dress code issues, explaining progress reports, and handling all of the spur-of-the-moment student crises!
Today I am looking forward to a discussion with two of my classes on the Problem of the Week. They have had about a week to think over the Cat Walk problem from the Math Forum website. http://mathforum.org/ The problem is one of proportional reasoning - a cat takes a different amount of steps than a dog to cover the same distance. Students are to find the distance a cat will cover in 24 steps. I am curious to see the methods of approaching this problem. The students are going to share their work and talk about their reasoning.
I wonder....
How many students will have their homework.
How many students communicated their thinking in writing.
If I can lead this discussion by allowing the students to do most of the talking!
If students will enjoy the process of tackling a more difficult problem without being led through
the steps.
If they will gain the ability to persist even when it is challenging.
I am prepared to keep at it! I know that my students can get better at solving problems. I need to persist even when the going gets tough just like they do! We are ALL in the learning process here.
The other task today is to continue our work with prime numbers in all classes. We're entering vocabulary into our math notebooks (Frayer Model) while I work with small groups.
I wonder.....
If I have bitten off too big of a chunk today? All I can do is monitor and adjust, right?
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Twist on the Penny a Day Problem
I had to share this with all of you. You probably have seen this problem in another form.....do you take the offer to earn money by doubling the amount you earn each day starting with a penny or do you take a million dollars for the month? Muhhahahahahahah...
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Taming the Dragon
There is a paper dragon snarling and breathing fire in a folder somewhere on my desk. It is known as THE PACING CALENDAR. It roars a few times throughout my day and begs for attention. It reminds me at 2 a.m. that I'm not covering enough curriculum in order to do it all. I've fed it a few tidbits this week to keep the flames of stress to a flicker, but the dragon demands attention at the most inconvenient times.
What is all this talk about dragons? It is my greatest enemy in being an effective teacher: TIME. I don't feel I ever have enough of it in each class period, in the week, in the school year. Just not enough time to do it all the way "THEY" say it should be done.
What I am relaxing into is the concept that digging deeper into student thinking and problem-solving takes time. If my students are to really benefit from that hour with me, I need to give them space, opportunity to make mistakes, find ways out of their misconceptions, and support to try again.
The sweetest sound that slays the dragon came yesterday....I could have cried or leaped into the air with a backflip! While working with a partner on the Arranging Tables problem, a fledgling of mine SHOUTED and threw his hands in the air, "I got it!!!!" I went over to him and his partner, and we talked through his solution. Although it wasn't quite correct according to the criteria, they persisted and persisted until they figured out one of the possible solutions! VICTORY! That really doused the whimpering dragon's fiery breath on my desk!
What I saw yesterday from all five classes was total ENGAGEMENT for ALL learners. I saw persistence. I saw students willing to record their thinking by using diagrams. I heard focused conversations about math problem solving. Teacher Heaven. I took a deep breath and told them we would keep working on this problem on Monday. (The dragon backed up into the cave and let out a whimper...) We are about the work of developing our mathematical brains here. We are not in a race to some finish line. The lessons that these students are learning through this lesson are invaluable for the long-term.
My students are inspiring me. The damsel in distress is ME - thank goodness they are willing to come to my rescue!
What is all this talk about dragons? It is my greatest enemy in being an effective teacher: TIME. I don't feel I ever have enough of it in each class period, in the week, in the school year. Just not enough time to do it all the way "THEY" say it should be done.
What I am relaxing into is the concept that digging deeper into student thinking and problem-solving takes time. If my students are to really benefit from that hour with me, I need to give them space, opportunity to make mistakes, find ways out of their misconceptions, and support to try again.
The sweetest sound that slays the dragon came yesterday....I could have cried or leaped into the air with a backflip! While working with a partner on the Arranging Tables problem, a fledgling of mine SHOUTED and threw his hands in the air, "I got it!!!!" I went over to him and his partner, and we talked through his solution. Although it wasn't quite correct according to the criteria, they persisted and persisted until they figured out one of the possible solutions! VICTORY! That really doused the whimpering dragon's fiery breath on my desk!
What I saw yesterday from all five classes was total ENGAGEMENT for ALL learners. I saw persistence. I saw students willing to record their thinking by using diagrams. I heard focused conversations about math problem solving. Teacher Heaven. I took a deep breath and told them we would keep working on this problem on Monday. (The dragon backed up into the cave and let out a whimper...) We are about the work of developing our mathematical brains here. We are not in a race to some finish line. The lessons that these students are learning through this lesson are invaluable for the long-term.
My students are inspiring me. The damsel in distress is ME - thank goodness they are willing to come to my rescue!
Friday, August 9, 2013
Arranging the Tables
This morning we are going to dive into a review of factors and multiples through a task I found on the NRICH math web site.
http://nrich.maths.org/964
http://nrich.maths.org/964
The task is to find a way to seat those 44 people with no empty seats at any table. I want students to find a way to record their thinking and to explain their final answer in sentences as well. There are multiple ways to make the arrangement so early finishers will be asked to find more ways. Are there any patterns to finding the ways? Does knowing the factors of 44 help you to solve this task? Why or why not? Are there factors of other numbers that are useful? What are they and why are they helpful? We can have some group sharing of solutions with feedback from peers.
Students will add their solution to their notebooks, and we will also make a Frayer model of their vocabulary words - factors, multiples. I've got an exit ticket prepared to check on their understanding of factors. Sounds like more than enough for one lesson - probably two! Oh, yeah....some time today we're having our first fire drill! Thanks for letting me think through my lesson with you all.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Dodge Middle School - An "A" School for Another Year!
Just wanted to brag about our school this morning - we received an A grade for the hard work of our students and staff. We are so proud! I have the priviledge of being a part of this great group. We are the only middle school in our district to have an A rating. This is no easy task - we are a magnet program and our students are chosen by lottery. Our student body is "like a box of chocolates" - we never know what we're going to get! Some think that we get to pick and choose, and that's why our students achieve so much. Not so! It's a lot of effort, commitment, and focus by students, parents, and staff! Here's to all of you!
http://dodgemagnet.weebly.com/
http://dodgemagnet.weebly.com/
Interactive Student Notebooks
Interactive Student Notebooks are another great tool that I am implementing this year. I have always had students keep a notebook, but it has usually just been a place to take notes and do a little practice. As I have been looking at all the amazing ideas on Pinterest and on teacher blogs, I have come to realize what a powerful asset an ISN can be in my class. My hope is that kids will take ownership of their notebook and see how it can help them deepen their learning. They may even use it for homework or studying. Ahhhh....a teacher's dream!
So we started by getting the basics pulled together in the notebook. All of this takes time, and I am impatient. I feel like I should be getting "more" accomplished in the area of curriculum. I have to keep reminding myself that time spent on procedures, routines, and the basic structures for the year will pay off in the long run!
I have borrowed and stolen all the great ideas for my notebooks from other teachers who are so kind to publish on the web. Thanks to you all for sharing! I will post throughout the year to share my victories and a-ha's about this new process. For today, we're putting the last of the pieces - a sheet to keep track of their progress on standards, an "iPocket" for those unglued pieces, a reference sheet for geometry formulas, and finishing two reflections. That ought to be enough to keep us busy today!
If you see that I have used your idea, would you give me a shout-out so that I can give you credit?
I must keep better track of where I have gotten these great ideas!
So we started by getting the basics pulled together in the notebook. All of this takes time, and I am impatient. I feel like I should be getting "more" accomplished in the area of curriculum. I have to keep reminding myself that time spent on procedures, routines, and the basic structures for the year will pay off in the long run!
I have borrowed and stolen all the great ideas for my notebooks from other teachers who are so kind to publish on the web. Thanks to you all for sharing! I will post throughout the year to share my victories and a-ha's about this new process. For today, we're putting the last of the pieces - a sheet to keep track of their progress on standards, an "iPocket" for those unglued pieces, a reference sheet for geometry formulas, and finishing two reflections. That ought to be enough to keep us busy today!
If you see that I have used your idea, would you give me a shout-out so that I can give you credit?
I must keep better track of where I have gotten these great ideas!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
NUMBER SENSE
I never really understood or was taught or asked exactly what "number sense" was. You see, I am a dinosaur. I left the university quite a long time ago, and teaching methodology didn't include all these important ideas that I am learning these days. Jo Boaler's class is opening up a whole new world to me!
Number sense is the ability to use numbers flexibly and creatively. Hmmmm....I was never taught this in school. I was one of those students who learned procedures and algorithms. I knew my facts inside and out from multiple hours of drill and practice (all we had back then...). My teachers never showed us how to decompose numbers to solve problems. Manipulatives? That was my pencil. Group work didn't occur. It was me and the pencil and paper. I never intuitively figured math out either. I would always be amazed how other adults could tear apart numbers and add/subtract/multiply/divide so quickly without pencil and paper. How did they do that? Number sense.
My sixth graders are going to get lots of practice with this concept this year. I know that being able to strategically look at a math problem is where the meat of the mathematics lies. Yesterday I asked a straightforward question: What comes next in the sequence 40, 48, 56, 64...and what is the rule? They all knew what came next (no biggee), but I was interested in the way they explained HOW they figured it out. There were multiple answers - AMAZING! "They're multiples of 8." "I added 8." "I subtracted to find out." We are off to a great start to opening up conversation about our thinking.
Today I'm giving them a dot pattern problem that I saw in Jo's class on video. I'm drooling with anticipation about our juicy conversation today. We're also going to talk about "growing our brains" as well. I'm so grateful that my teaching practice continues to expand - even after 34 years - there's always something new to learn!
Number sense....
New math book arrived yesterday. I can't wait to dig in.
P.S. Thanks, Sidney! You helped me be a little braver in the land of blogging!
Number sense is the ability to use numbers flexibly and creatively. Hmmmm....I was never taught this in school. I was one of those students who learned procedures and algorithms. I knew my facts inside and out from multiple hours of drill and practice (all we had back then...). My teachers never showed us how to decompose numbers to solve problems. Manipulatives? That was my pencil. Group work didn't occur. It was me and the pencil and paper. I never intuitively figured math out either. I would always be amazed how other adults could tear apart numbers and add/subtract/multiply/divide so quickly without pencil and paper. How did they do that? Number sense.
My sixth graders are going to get lots of practice with this concept this year. I know that being able to strategically look at a math problem is where the meat of the mathematics lies. Yesterday I asked a straightforward question: What comes next in the sequence 40, 48, 56, 64...and what is the rule? They all knew what came next (no biggee), but I was interested in the way they explained HOW they figured it out. There were multiple answers - AMAZING! "They're multiples of 8." "I added 8." "I subtracted to find out." We are off to a great start to opening up conversation about our thinking.
Today I'm giving them a dot pattern problem that I saw in Jo's class on video. I'm drooling with anticipation about our juicy conversation today. We're also going to talk about "growing our brains" as well. I'm so grateful that my teaching practice continues to expand - even after 34 years - there's always something new to learn!
Number sense....
New math book arrived yesterday. I can't wait to dig in.
P.S. Thanks, Sidney! You helped me be a little braver in the land of blogging!
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