Student learning is no accident!
I frequent a Sunday night Twitter chat, #edchatri, where amazing educators from all over the US help me approach the coming school week with the right attitude. During these chats, I discover amazing resources shared by fellow educators, who I now consider to be my colleagues, despite the geography that separates us. There are some Sunday nights that the quantity… Read More
Dear Teachers, Thanks for wanting to jump back in with us as we dig into Assessment in Instruction! This is the last of the 4 challenges- and I know you’ll finish strong! To get started, think about which level you feel most accurately describes your daily teaching experiences… Level 1: There is little or no assessment or monitoring of student… Read More
‘An Environment of Respect & Rapport’… This is an area I find myself discussing quite often with teachers. At least once a week, I have conversations with teachers about how tricky they find this particular domain/ standard to assess. Recently, I attended a presentation about how some teachers and mentors are tackling this very topic. Before we think about how… Read More
So, your school department actually has a manual for you and it’s full of printables… They were designed by educators and statisticians… and people that must know more about teaching this content than you do… so why aren’t you students engaged? Well, I am writing this post to make sure you don’t “throw out the baby with the bath water!”… Read More
According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), the 4Cs: Critical thinking and problem solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity and Innovation are infused in learning. Watch and listen to how ASCD describes 21st Century Skills. In the video P21’s video library, the section titled “In Practice,” features sample lessons incorporating 21st Century Skills for any grade level/ content area…. Read More
Let’s think about where we are starting! If you missed the rubrics I posted yesterday, you may want to check them out. Level 1: Questions are rapid-fire,and convergent,with single correct answers. All discussion is between teacher and students; students are not invited to speak directly to one another. -> Level 2: The teacher frames some questions designed to promote student… Read More
“The ones who are doing the talking are doing the learning”
Talking About Fractions in Math Class • Write Solutions
There is no example stronger than that of talking about fractions in math class.I'm not wasting kids' time anymore, and I've prioritizing their conceptual learning over following procedures. They're doing the work themselves- and the room is a buzz of learning!Don’t ditch the concrete!
3 Keys to Teaching Fractions • Write Solutions
In the era of "new math," upper elementary teachers are tasked with teaching fractions. Here are three keys to teaching fractions in fourth grade, fifth grade or sixth grade.Conceptual understanding is more valuable that practicing a procedure EVERY SINGLE TIME. We’re starting the {practically} eternity long fraction study that IS fifth grade😂😂😂
I’ve been teaching fractions since it was a sixth grade thing- and I had to step back at least once a year then- to remind myself that some kids are just not developmentally ready for a certain concept. When they are, I will know. There’s no sense in teaching kids a bunch of procedures that mean nothing to them, just so that they arrive at an accurate answer.
Today, I had an aha moment when hardly anyone in one class could talk to me about WHY we need common denominators when we add or subtract fractions.
We need to back up. We need manipulatives in hand. We need to PROVE that 1/2, 2/4 and 3/6 are equivalent. You need to be SURE the value isn’t changing, just the name- and the size of the parts of the whole.
We grabbed fraction strips today for the first time this year. They made a difference. Stay tuned. I’ll post some videos and practice problems that help us prove that it makes sense to call 2/3 a name like 6/9- and we’ll do it with the strips.
They’ll get it. Not all of the same day- and DEFINITELY not in the same way. But they’ll get it and they’ll be able to TALK about it.
What are you doing to build fraction sense? We played Fraction Top It (War) in small group today... and I saw some lightbulbs get bright!! 💡💡💡
We’re establishing “15 minutes of alone time in our rooms” every day after school to unplug and decompress. Read a book, Stare at the wall, close your eyes. I’m hoping it resets everyone ❤️
