Angela Phillips, I could ask you a serious question like your take on the benefits of conceptually based mathematics teaching over the more traditional approach you used at the beginning of your career, but really what I’m dying to know is...
Now that you’ve taught with Roger all year, does he ever make a math mistake in front of the kids? Suzanne
Suz, In answer to your question, “Now that you’ve taught with Roger all year, does he ever make a math mistake in front of the kids?”, sadly, the answer is No! The man’s brain contains perfectly clear skies that are never clouded. Of course, I’ve tried to catch him making a mistake in front of the kids just to have some fun, but it’s not worked out to my advantage. Each time the result was my own error, indicating that my own brain contains partly cloudy skies. There’s the Weather Report on the former Meteorologist! Lookin’ for Sunny Days~ Angela
Showing posts with label Math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Math. Show all posts
Friday, April 18, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
How can 1st teachers prepare kids for 2nd Math? (Wanda Lankford)
Question to Wanda Lankford Dear Wanda Lankford,
WOW! All I can say it WOW! You are such an amazing teacher and friend. I know that you touch the hearts of every child in your classroom. My kids from last year come and see me everyday and I ask them about their favorite part of their day. It NEVER fails to lead to something you have done in your class. My kids love you and all of your strategies that will help them in life. SOOOO my question is… As a 1st grade teacher, I am getting my kids ready for 2nd grade Math. Are there any strategies or Math skills that I can teach that will help them for 2nd grade? I feel that there is a big disconnect between 1st and 2nd grade Math! Help!
Heidi,
WOW! Thank you so much for your kind words. As much as your students say how much they love me it is evident that they still have a great deal of love and admiration for you. Whenever you stop by my cottage they go crazy with happiness! Thank you for passing on such beautiful minds!
Now to answer your question: Are there any strategies or Math skills that you can teach that will help students be more prepared for 2nd grade?
Answer: After chatting with my awesome 2nd grade Math team, here are a few suggestions: If your students are drawing pictures please encourage them to group
- In sets of tens
- When using tally marks, group in fives
- Be familiar with Combinations of Tens
- Be familiar with skip counting patterns
- Understanding Doubles.
- Recognizing coins and their values.
- Using the 100’s chart.
Hopefully this list is not too much. Just know that when I’m with my 2nd grade Math team we are excited about teaching and jump for joy when our students get it! With that said what you and your team have been doing has been great! So keep up the great work in 1st grade.
With love,
Wanda
Math Strugglers (Tammi Sani)
Tami Sani, I hear you are wonderful and have incredible results at teaching math to students who consistently struggle. Do you have any suggestions for general classroom teachers to improve our practices with students who frequently struggle? Joe 
Dear Joe,
First and foremost thank you for your kind words. I feel quite honored receiving the pixie pointer. Teaching at Chets alongside incredible leaders, coaches, and teachers has made quite a difference in the way I tackle math with my students. Here are a few tips that I find useful with the children in my care.
* manipulatives, manipulatives, manipulatives...... Your visual and tactile learners will have an extremely difficult time grasping new skills unless manipulatives are used. I find that you have to model repeatedly to your struggling learners HOW to use the manipulatives.
*TRUST..... Earning a struggling child's trust and getting them to the point where they communicate with me what they don't understand is key to my success with them.
*mnemonics......... My students know that I live by the motto "Whatever it takes!" and I will do whatever it takes to get them to commit math terms to memory and understand math concepts. I sing, make up poems, rap, etc, etc, etc.
*repetition..... A national conference my special ed. team and I attended years ago had a presenter share with us that most learning disabled children need to hear something 1400 times before it is committed to memory. This really helped me become more patient with my learners. Don't think that just because you've taught a skill more than once that everyone is going to grasp it. Your naive learners will need repetition.
I hope you find these useful. I will be glad to share my songs, rhymes, etc. with you. Happy teaching!
Fondly,
Tammi
First and foremost thank you for your kind words. I feel quite honored receiving the pixie pointer. Teaching at Chets alongside incredible leaders, coaches, and teachers has made quite a difference in the way I tackle math with my students. Here are a few tips that I find useful with the children in my care.
* manipulatives, manipulatives, manipulatives...... Your visual and tactile learners will have an extremely difficult time grasping new skills unless manipulatives are used. I find that you have to model repeatedly to your struggling learners HOW to use the manipulatives.
*TRUST..... Earning a struggling child's trust and getting them to the point where they communicate with me what they don't understand is key to my success with them.
*mnemonics......... My students know that I live by the motto "Whatever it takes!" and I will do whatever it takes to get them to commit math terms to memory and understand math concepts. I sing, make up poems, rap, etc, etc, etc.
*repetition..... A national conference my special ed. team and I attended years ago had a presenter share with us that most learning disabled children need to hear something 1400 times before it is committed to memory. This really helped me become more patient with my learners. Don't think that just because you've taught a skill more than once that everyone is going to grasp it. Your naive learners will need repetition.
I hope you find these useful. I will be glad to share my songs, rhymes, etc. with you. Happy teaching!
Fondly,
Tammi
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Is there a 2nd-3rd grade Math gap? (Ashley Russell)
Ashley Russell - How has the experience of being a 3rd grade Math teacher helped you with your transition to 2nd grade? Do you feel there is a gap between the 2nd and 3rd grade Math curriculum. If so, do you have suggestions as to how to better bridge the gap? Kathi
In my opinion, my experience as a 3rd (and 4th) grade teacher has been an enormous asset in my work as a 2nd grade teacher. Even though I have not taught 2nd grade, I feel like I have an advantage because I know what the students will be expected to do next year (and the next for that matter.) As I teach, I often find myself “slipping in” 3rd grade terminology or skills thus making my job easier for next year as I hope to loop my kids to 3rd grade. I also feel that I have been able to help my 2nd grade math colleagues better understand what their students will be expected to do next year as I am on the only one who has taught in the intermediate grades.
As far as a “gap” between 3rd and 2nd grade goes, when I taught 3rd grade I used to think there was a gap but now I have come to a new realization. As I have been teaching my heart out this year, I have come to understand that students in 2nd grade must learn everything that is taught. There is absolutely no room for missing any of the concepts in order for them to be “successful” in 3rd grade. This so-called “gap” seems to be the result of any concept that was not learned in 2nd. The curriculum is set up well enough; however, it is my job as a 2nd grade teacher to make sure that the concepts are not just taught, rather that each child has a deep understanding of the concepts. No math concept can be skipped in 2nd grade. Great question!!Ashley
In my opinion, my experience as a 3rd (and 4th) grade teacher has been an enormous asset in my work as a 2nd grade teacher. Even though I have not taught 2nd grade, I feel like I have an advantage because I know what the students will be expected to do next year (and the next for that matter.) As I teach, I often find myself “slipping in” 3rd grade terminology or skills thus making my job easier for next year as I hope to loop my kids to 3rd grade. I also feel that I have been able to help my 2nd grade math colleagues better understand what their students will be expected to do next year as I am on the only one who has taught in the intermediate grades.
As far as a “gap” between 3rd and 2nd grade goes, when I taught 3rd grade I used to think there was a gap but now I have come to a new realization. As I have been teaching my heart out this year, I have come to understand that students in 2nd grade must learn everything that is taught. There is absolutely no room for missing any of the concepts in order for them to be “successful” in 3rd grade. This so-called “gap” seems to be the result of any concept that was not learned in 2nd. The curriculum is set up well enough; however, it is my job as a 2nd grade teacher to make sure that the concepts are not just taught, rather that each child has a deep understanding of the concepts. No math concept can be skipped in 2nd grade. Great question!!Ashley
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Artist Trading Cards (Jen Snead)
QUESTION: Dear Jen Snead,
I love the idea of your art trading cards! How can we incorporate that idea into our classrooms? (example - at dismissal time, etc.) And what's the easiest way to create a card? Melissa
Thank you for thinking of me to send and share Tinkerbell! What fun!
Artist Trading Cards are tons of fun and they seem to be exciting for all the students that have been involved in their making. The best way to make the card is to cut down white posterboard into 2-1/2-by 3-/1/2 inches. I believe one posterboard makes about 40 cards. Then have students use crayons, markers, watercolor paints (or any kind of paints), construction paper and glue or just about any two-dimensional art medium you can think of, to decorate or create a picture of their choice.The neat thing is, because of their size, they don't require a large amount of time.
Have the students write their first and last name on the back of the card, along with the date it was completed. They may also write a brief "artist statement" if desired. It could be a sentence telling about the artwork or what inspired them.
The really fun part is the TRADING!! After students have built up a small number of cards; let them begin trading with each other, or even with another class. Pretty soon they will have their very own private art collection.
ATC's can be incorporated in a variety of ways. Because they can be used in almost every academic subject, they can be used as a fun review of a concept learned during the day. Examples are:
MATH - create a repeating pattern to decorate a card.
SCIENCE - draw an animal that you learned about and include the habitat in which it lives.
ELA - Listen to a story and illustrate what you hear. Add as many details as you need to tell the story (or scene) in your picture.
SOCIAL STUDIES - design your personal symbol that tells about you and your family.
These are only a few ideas. Really, the sky is the limit with ATC's!
Jen Snead
I love the idea of your art trading cards! How can we incorporate that idea into our classrooms? (example - at dismissal time, etc.) And what's the easiest way to create a card? Melissa
Thank you for thinking of me to send and share Tinkerbell! What fun!
Artist Trading Cards are tons of fun and they seem to be exciting for all the students that have been involved in their making. The best way to make the card is to cut down white posterboard into 2-1/2-by 3-/1/2 inches. I believe one posterboard makes about 40 cards. Then have students use crayons, markers, watercolor paints (or any kind of paints), construction paper and glue or just about any two-dimensional art medium you can think of, to decorate or create a picture of their choice.The neat thing is, because of their size, they don't require a large amount of time.Have the students write their first and last name on the back of the card, along with the date it was completed. They may also write a brief "artist statement" if desired. It could be a sentence telling about the artwork or what inspired them.
The really fun part is the TRADING!! After students have built up a small number of cards; let them begin trading with each other, or even with another class. Pretty soon they will have their very own private art collection.
ATC's can be incorporated in a variety of ways. Because they can be used in almost every academic subject, they can be used as a fun review of a concept learned during the day. Examples are:
MATH - create a repeating pattern to decorate a card.
SCIENCE - draw an animal that you learned about and include the habitat in which it lives.
ELA - Listen to a story and illustrate what you hear. Add as many details as you need to tell the story (or scene) in your picture.
SOCIAL STUDIES - design your personal symbol that tells about you and your family.
These are only a few ideas. Really, the sky is the limit with ATC's!
Jen Snead
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Technology in Math/Science (Melissa Ross)
QUESTION: Dear Melissa Ross:
The word around school is that you use a lot of technology in your teaching. Please share your wisdom. What form of technology do you use (i.e., Elmo) and how do you incorporate that into Math/Science instruction? Debbi Harbour
I use a lot of different kinds of technology daily. I use my document camera, projector, and the Internet for everything! Once you have played with it a little, it's not that hard to use, I promise! I use the camera for a lot including:
Read alouds so the kids can follow along. There are a lot of great ones online too.
Mini-lessons to demonstrate how to use a manipulative (example - showing kids how to make 15 cents using coins) or how to put something together for a Science experiment. Check out this great site for online manipulatives for any grade level.
Take pictures of the way to set up cards for a card game they play for Math ahead of time so I can have it posted during the work period.
I leave anything I have written for my mini-lesson up during the work period.
Background information for science lessons. Here are some great sites on worms, space, science clips, or National Geographic for Kids.
I use other technology such as podcasting, blogging, interactive websites, CPS system, computerized chalkboard, smartboard, etc., but I probably shouldn't take up the entire book. Come see me if you are interested in more!
Melissa Ross
The word around school is that you use a lot of technology in your teaching. Please share your wisdom. What form of technology do you use (i.e., Elmo) and how do you incorporate that into Math/Science instruction? Debbi Harbour
I use a lot of different kinds of technology daily. I use my document camera, projector, and the Internet for everything! Once you have played with it a little, it's not that hard to use, I promise! I use the camera for a lot including:
Read alouds so the kids can follow along. There are a lot of great ones online too.Mini-lessons to demonstrate how to use a manipulative (example - showing kids how to make 15 cents using coins) or how to put something together for a Science experiment. Check out this great site for online manipulatives for any grade level.
Take pictures of the way to set up cards for a card game they play for Math ahead of time so I can have it posted during the work period.
If they are all on the carpet for the min-lesson and I need to show 
them something somewhere in the room, they can't see from the carpet, I turn the head of the camera so that it is filming whatever I need to show them. I then have one of the kids go and point to that item. When they are "on camera," they think they are on WCEE - They love it!
I leave anything I have written for my mini-lesson up during the work period.
Background information for science lessons. Here are some great sites on worms, space, science clips, or National Geographic for Kids.
Calendar Math Reinforcement. Guess My Number and Math Playground. 
During closing I use it to have students share a piece of work (strategy they have worked on, etc.) It saves a lot of time because they don't have to rewrite it. Their handwriting also gets neater during the work period because they want to put their work up. I then take a picture of the work with the camera to post on my blog or to e-mail parents.
I also use it for fun to play math games - Place 23 cubes under the camera - freeze the image, remove cubes, unfeeze it. How many cubes were removed?
I use other technology such as podcasting, blogging, interactive websites, CPS system, computerized chalkboard, smartboard, etc., but I probably shouldn't take up the entire book. Come see me if you are interested in more!
Melissa Ross
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