After a rough start, my leveled Math class is going smoothly at last. My students have gotten into a routine of a whole-class lesson on Monday (with pre-test), differentiated instruction based on the pre-test on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, finishing with another whole-class lesson on Friday with a final, standards-based quiz on that day. Most students are seeing growth as they graph their pre- and post-assessments. With this leveled group, I have often found that the class doesn't usually fall into three groups, like I have seen with heterogeneous groups in the past. Quite often, they only fall into two groups. This has lead to some changes in my I Love Math groups. Most of the time, I divide the class into two groups. One works with me while the other works on their Ten Marks or Manga High assignments on the computer. Then the switch. When there is a preponderance of students who have mastered the pre-test, I will often include Wednesday as an additional whole-class lesson.
This past week we worked on rounding. Rounding was one of those skills that no one in the class was even close to mastering, even after the first whole-class lesson. I had to dig deeper in order to meet my students' needs.
The first resources I used was Learn Zillion. Using the Quick Code LZ525 you can see a great lesson that uses a number line to show how to round. We used the following template:
For each number, they created an individual number line and place the original number as a dot on that number line. This was a time consuming process, but after doing several together, the light bulb went on for many struggling students who could finally SEE what it means to round.
After a differentiation day where I reinforced this method, I taught method number 2. This I introduced as a "game" I called "Slap! Trap!". I passed out a place value chart and a highlighter. (Kids always get excited when the highlighters come out!) Students used a pencil and the chart to write the number to round.
I announced: "Round to the nearest thousands!". Students repeated: "Thousands, thousands, thousands, slap, TRAP!" When they say slap, they use their left pointer finger to cover the digit in the given place.
When they say trap, they color the digit in the next place to the right with the highlighter. If the digit they "trapped" is 5 or more, the digit they "slapped" will go up by one. If not, it will stay the same.
All the digits to the right of the slapped/rounded digit turn into zeroes. Any digits to the left of the slapped/rounded digit stay the same. After the number line method, this seemed like a shortcut to many students.
After instruction, some students gravitated to one method; some to the other. In the end, all students benefitted from learning both methods.
Those of you that know me well know my passion for differentiated groupings that I call "I Love Math" groups. I Love Math is a structure that divides the class into a high, average, and low group and cycles those groups through three different stations. Once the students get the rotations (which are always in the same order no matter what group the child starts with), things run like clockwork. In the past I have always had an aide, Title One teacher, or special education teacher in my room to help ensure things go smoothly. That way two of the groups have adult supervision.
This year, for the first time, our grade has been required to level for Math. Since I was in the fifth grade at the time, I could not attend the meetings where they assigned teachers to the different levels. I have one of the average groups. Two of our classes (mine and the high group) do not have a support person in the classroom for Math. The other six specialist are divided among the bottom three classes. This is my first year trying I Love Math groups by myself. I knew it would be a real test of the structure that I love so much. If I can do it alone, then there is hope for other teachers who are solo practitioners. And yes, even a leveled Math group has enough differences in it to warrant differentiated instruction.
First of I decided that I needed to have I Love Math groups a lot more often. In the past I have done them regularly (once or twice a week), but only as needed. I know that the more I do them, the better the students get at it. I decided that this year I would have a whole class lesson on Monday which would end with an ungraded pre-test. This would be used to create differentiated groups Tuesday through Thursday. Friday will be another whole class lesson and post-test.
I also knew that I needed to use technology to help me keep track of the progress of my students in the same way that another person used to do. Luckily I found Ten Marks, a free site where I can assign specific skill lessons for my students.
After one week of following this plan the results have been fairly good. Technology has been the biggest challenge. Our wireless internet is not always reliable and the students are not used to logging in to the computers and finding websites in a timely manner. I hope that time and experience will help the students complete this part of the task more quickly and easily. If not, I may have to alter the activities or the order. I wish I had enough computers for all of the students to start on them and then move to other activities, but the most I can get are 8.
Great ideas are worth the time it takes to make them successful. I'm up for the challenge!
This summer I have embarked on a number of curriculum projects, mostly around the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). For Math I wanted to increase the amount of differentiation and technology as well as firmly ground my teaching in the Common Core. The first thing I noticed when I counted up the standards was that there was the same number of standards as full weeks in the school year. That means that my students will have to master one standard a week! At first that thought was quite daunting. My next thought was this is an opportunity to have a very organized curriculum based on a single standard each week. This is how I decided to organize and pace each week:
At the top of each week/page is the unit title, which part of the unit. vocabulary, skills, and the Common Core standard.
Monday will be a whole class, non-differentiated lesson straight from my Math program (Everyday Math). At the end of the Math lesson, I will give a short assessment on the standard of the week. For this part of the weekly plan I didn't reinvent the wheel. Teachers Pay Teachers has several short, one page per standard bundles that are specific to my grade level. I will use these to pre-test my students and put them in differentiated groups for the next three days of the week.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays are differentiated instruction days. Students will participate in rotational groups I call "I Love Math" groups. For more information on I Love Math Groups, listen to this podcast or watch this video (the first of 5 parts) on Youtube. Technology will help make differentiation easier. I will use the Ten Marks website on Tuesdays and the Manga High website on Thursday. Both websites allow me to assign lessons/activities and also have fun games and activities for students who finish early. Scoot Pad is a similar website (click the names for links).
Friday we are back to another whole class lesson from Everyday Math. One Friday I will give the post-test (a different "one-pager" from TpT) and this will be graded.
So that's my curriculum pacing guide for next year. I haven't offered this as a product on TpT because it is personal to my situation- a labor of love, if you will. However, if you would like a free digital copy to tweak for you own use, email me at cjones@sau61.org.
Additional EDM/CCSS Alignment Resources:
First, the "official" CCSS alignment from EDM, then the more realistic version from New York.
I recently finished one of my professional books for the summer: Assessment in Perspective: Focusing on the Reader Behind the Numbers by Claire Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan.
In this book the authors talked about triangulating data. This means taking data from different sources and compare them side-by-side to build a complete profile of a student's strengths and weaknesses. I thought a nice way to do that would be in graph form. So I created a data triangulation form for my Math class. My form is specific to the grade level I teach and the assessments we use. For you, dear reader, I have created a generic form that you can use with any grade level and whatever assessments you use.
Teaching additive volume is certainly the most complex of the Common Core Core Measurement and Data standards. I first approached the task using hands-on activities and partner work. After two class periods of instruction, I wasn't getting the results I had hoped for. Time for Plan "B". I decided to try direct instruction.
I started preparing the way I often do nowadays- by going on You Tube and looking for a video on the subject. Using the term "additive volume", I found the following video:
The description had a link to a site. This is how I found Learn Zillion. Learn Zillion is a FREE site where registered teachers can find short, quality videos that directly correlate with the Common Core standards in Math or ELA for grades 3 through high school. Teachers can use the movies to introduce or reinforce a concept or they can download the slides and create a presentation on their own. Students can rewatch these videos to help with homework using a "quick code" that their teacher gives them.
I knew the class would need lots of examples for in-class practice and homework. My favorite site for creating lots of worksheets on the same subject is Worksheet Works. On this site you can set the parameters for the Math assignment and then the site will generate a worksheet and answer key using random numbers. You can generate as many worksheets as you want on a given topic. I printed five worksheets using only composite shapes:
1 to model using a document camera
2 to create a double-sided guided and independent practice worksheet
1 page for homework
1 sheet cut up to make a matching game
Here's how the two lessons went:
Day 1
Materials:
computer that can run PowerPoint or You Tube videos, document camera, 1 copy of the modeling worksheet and answer key, copies for students of double-sided worksheet and homework, two different colors of highlighters, markers, or colored pencils, calculators (optional)
Activity Flow:
1. Review the formula for volume of rectangular prisms using chant and actions. (15 minutes)
2. Show the Learn Zillion movie or slideshow on volume of composite figures. (15 minutes)
3. Project the modeling worksheet using a document camera. Show the students how to divide the shape and color each one a different color. Then go over how to use the "clues" (numbers on the sides) to determine the length, width, and height of each shape. Add the volumes together for the answer. Approach each shape like a puzzle. Watch for the common errors of not knowing that shapes are sometimes labeled on their parallel sides and that often you must use subtraction to find out the length of a side of only one shape. Use the gradual release of responsibility model as you work. (15 minutes)
4. Pass out the student worksheets, highlighters, markers, or colored pencils. Do the first several examples with the students. Then have the students try some on their own. To boost their confidence, I projected the answer key on the board. It told them the correct answer, but not how to get it. I encouraged students to work on their own, using the answers to check their work. If they got stuck, they could raise their hand. (15 minutes)
5. Tonight's homework: homework worksheet (send home Learn Zillion quick code for help) and bring in an empty cardboard box tomorrow
Day 2
Materials:
same as Day 1 (included extra blank copies of last night's homework), tape and glue, index cards (3 per box), cardboard boxes (teacher should bring extras from home)
Activity Flow:
1. Go over the homework with the students. (5 minutes)
2. Using the homework as a guide, divide the class into two groups. Those that did well on the homework will continue with yesterday's worksheets. Again, you will project the answers to act as support. Those that did not do well on the homework will go over it with you using a fresh copy. Allow them a few minutes to work on the in-class assignment, too. (15-20 minutes, as needed)
3. Cooperative Group Activity: Divide the class into pairs. Have each student pick a cardboard box from the ones that were brought in. Each pair will: 1) Decide on the same unit of measurement for their boxes. 2) Measure and find the volume of their boxes separately and label the measurements by taping the index cards on their box. 3) Add the volumes of their boxes together and tape them together. (About 30 minutes)
Frequent evaluation is the key to helping students not pick up bad habits, particularly in Math. It may seem counter-intuitive to evaluate student responses early in the process of learning a new skill, concept, or algorithm but it is vital in order to stop bad habits from developing. One way I do this is with peer partners.
One example is an exit slip I did at the beginning of a unit on volume. I had just introduced the algorithm of length X width X height, moving students away from the "counting cubes" concept. The front of the exit slip (shown) was all counting cubes. The back was rectangle prisms that did not have cubes, but had measurements instead. It was clear, looking at the front, that only 1/2 the class really mastered counting cubes. Never fear, half the class has mastered this skill. What to do? Partners, of course!
I divided the exit slips into two piles: those that mastered counting cubes and those that didn't. I randomly assigned partners by writing the same number on the top of their paper. The following day, I passed back the exit slips. I had the students meet with the person with the same number. When meeting together, they had two jobs: 1. Figure out what each person did wrong. Write it down on the index card attached to the exit slip. Sign each other's cards. 2. Fix the incorrect problems and pass the work back in.
Having students fix their own work is a powerful teaching opportunity. It teaches students perseverance and problem-solving. The more adept student learns as well. They get to take on the role of a teacher.
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