Good afternoon!
We had a very Math filled day today. This morning we reviewed perimeter, area, and volume. Students were given lots of practice work to help develop their understanding of volume, and all students conferenced with me at the red table. Students were asked to construct a rectangle with a given perimeter, a given area, and then to calculate the volume of a shape. Students were allowed to create their own shapes, so we had some really interesting shapes to try and solve! Working in small Math groups this year means that I get the opportunity to talk to the students one-on-one on an almost daily basis. It also means that I am better able to take notes or to adjust my teaching so that we are constantly moving towards our end goal. Here is an example page from my conferencing binder:
I am to quickly note which students are NY, DEV, or ACH the key learning outcome we are focusing on that day. I am able to take notes on the Math skills and processes we are using that day, and I am better able to track which students were present for daily activities and formative assessments. All of this information means that the next time I conference with a particular group or student, I will already know whether I should remodel something or if we are ready to move forward. It also means that I have a better understanding of which students may need more support with their practice.
Working in small Math groups also means that students are able to have strategies and techniques modeled for them on a much more individual basis. I am able to keep extra manipulatives on hand for students who are more visual or kinesthetic. Once students have demonstrated a skill or outcome, they are able to return to practicing, leaving me more time to work one-on-one with a student who may need some individual support that day. We usually work in our groups 2-3 times in an average week. Students rotate through a variety of different stations: explore, practice, games, mathletics, etc. but all groups get the opportunity to sit down with me to have mini-lessons or more guided practice; whatever that particular group needs! Overall, I have really enjoyed the Math groups this year. It has created a much more collaborative and supportive classroom environment. Even the students are more comfortable in explaining how they found/reached an answer, and students frequently help each other with their practice work.
We also began to construct a cubic meter today. Students worked together to create sides made out of recycled paper that were each one meter long. we don’t have it quite finished yet, but we are excited to see how big one cubic meter actually is tomorrow. This should help us to have a better understanding of some of the larger shapes that we are going to be calculating the area of!
Agenda:
Read 20 minutes
Reading Journal – Friday (Ninja – Compare the character in your book with a character in another book: 3 similarities and 3 differences)
Book Orders – April 30th
Jump Rope For Heart – April 30th
Mathletics Meet-up: Wednesday @ 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm
Math: pgs. 143-144 #1-5, 7, 8
Unit Test – Friday
Science: Switch Projects – April 25th
L.A. – Bridge to Terabithia Character Maps (Wednesday)
Bridge to Terabithia Similes/Metaphors (Wednesday)
Social: Interior Plains Questions (Wednesday)
Girls Inc. Forms – ASAP
