First blog post

 

Number Talk

  I chose to do multiplication since that was the unit we were in. My decision to do 4 related problems was to informally assess where my students were prior to beginning the unit on multiplication and division. I was pleased that all of the students were very comfortable with multiplying. I wished that I had not done the first problem because I would have had more time to extend the problems to multiplying a 3 digit number. I did not have multiple answers to go through which was kind of a good thing but, also means I could not determine if any students were not able to use a strategy to solve. What particularly pleased me, was that one of my students later raised their hand  and asked whether I realized how all these problems were related. He then proceeded to let me know. Yay!  Recording the strategies was simple enough but there have been instances where I have struggled in the past. I also find it difficult to not say “good strategy”. Sometimes my students have to remind me that what I think is good may not be for someone else:) Next onto multiplying with three digit number…

Mission 6- Classroom Clock in fourth grade

The challenge for mission 6 is not an easy one for me. Why? Guilt! We have 80 minutes for math and 20 minutes of that is for Tier 2 math, which I provide as well. So here is how my time is broken into daily. Start off with problem-solving (20-25 minutes) this includes sharing strategies. Next is the lesson for the day (20 minutes) including independent practice if needed. Computational fluency( number talk, quick images or counting circles) or spiral review (15-20 minutes) typically using a word problem. I do this whole class, on white boards gathered at the carpet. Next I provide Tier 2 for my students who need it, while giving my other students additional problem solving(20 minutes). I may take 5-10 minutes out of the next block to review the problem solving that was given during Tier 2. Not ideal. So what’s wrong here. First I would like to do computational fluency and spiral review every day and secondly, it would be preferable not  to go into my science block to finish up math. That’s where the guilt comes in.

I do believe that students are doing the most talking in my classroom. We are also learning that discourse is okay. I want to build independence and resilience in my class but I continue to have students who become paralyzed when they hit a road block. I think with time this will improve.

 

In looking at my clock, I am needing to evaluate each component and how much time I am spending on each. Can I shave off any time? One resource that really helps is the Suggested Unit Plans. Knowing what parts of the Origo lessons to include and or skip helps tremendously. So my goal in the coming weeks to shave off time (5-10 minutes) from the lesson component.

Mission 5 Call to Action

My first week in 4th grade was awesome! One of the reasons I joined Math Rocks was to up my math game.  I’ve always been a pretty good reading and writing teacher, so I thought to grow as a teacher I would improve on my abilities in teaching math. It was a fantastic week as we embarked on the You Cubed activities. My kiddos loved the videos and we referred to them often. My word for Math Rocks is- Adventure. That’s how I want my students to see math, they will be solving problems, using what we know and pushing ourselves just like what they might do when in an adventure. The adventure this week was doing some of the You Cube challenges. I saw students struggling and heard many of them say “I don’t get this”. I reassured them that they would in time, just keep trying, your brain will grow was my mantra. Frankly, I was somewhat amazed how some just gave up. I reminded them of the videos, and a few went back to trying. I also had them draw 3 symbols that represented how they felt about math. Most were positive but some were not. I conferenced with some students and assured them that together we were going to change their feelings about math. My students energized me this week and I am hoping this will continue through the year.

Mission #4

The big idea for me from the video was not to focus just on solving problems and getting the right answer. Don’t teach “tricks”, but teach how to look at a problem and figure out what you know and what steps might be taken to figure out what you don’t know. Unit 1 in fourth grade is place value to 999,999. We want students to be able to order and compare numbers and determine a product of 10 or 100 using their understanding. How will I prioritize my time? I think the video states a case for using  word problems to teach these concepts. Most of my time will be spent looking at problems from the assessment resources with my students and to really delve into those problems. Also, using number talks to teach computational fluency and understanding of place value will also be important. For me looking at the misconceptions in the unit helps me front load some of my teaching to avoid those misconceptions. I will also want to incorporate some Stepping Stones lessons- but honestly I will need to look at those lessons carefully and determine what my students need help with rather than going through the lessons one by one.

This mission gives me a lot to think about, especially how to be intentional about every math lesson.

 

Mission #3

After watching the video, I am reaffirmed in my plan to be very deliberate this year with every lesson. As a new fourth grade teacher I feel it is important to really get to know the TEKS well. In teaching k-2 my entire educational career, I have gotten to know the TEKS very well and it has has definitely put my teaching at a different level. Although I understand that sometimes we get comfortable and teach ” the way we always did in the past”, this is not fair to our students.  I will really need to become familiar and consistent in getting to know my new TEKS. Two things that struck me while I was looking at my standards were  TEKS 4 (1) C and 4(1) B. For 4(1) C- I think we load up our students with tools to solve problems but maybe don’t spend enough time talking about what is efficient and what is the most appropriate tool to use. For 4 (1) B, I know that I did not do a great job with applying math to everyday life and hope to do a better job this year. I believe I need to give students more of the buy in and hope that I can get to do this by knowing my students. The adventure continues……

My First Blog Post for Math Rocks

Math Rocks, rocks! It has been a very informative session today. So excited to comeback tomorrow. I joined Math Rocks because I want to be the best math teacher I can be. Going through school, it wasn’t my favorite subject but I wanted to get better. I don’t think I ever had a teacher who pushed me to get better or truly expected me to excel. I truly believe everyone can excel in math. I want to be that teacher! Anything less would be unfair to my students.