Anyway, let's talk about something more exciting....Chapter 3 of Guided Math! This chapter was my aha! chapter. I loved everything about it and it really made me feel like this something I can implement into my class next year. Not just something I can implement, but something I WANT to implement. For me, Math Warm-ups will be my number one goal to start in September. I have tried many different types of "bell work", "minds on" and other such activities in the morning but nothing really worked well or at least well enough hat I was happy with it. Last year, after the Book Whisperer Book Study, I tried having my students independent reading every morning when they arrived at school before we started class. I really liked it. It worked well, the students knew what to do and they easily transitioned into the school day. But...then I would stop them reading and start Math class! So after my students were in a literacy frame of mind, we would immediately start math. Needless to say, we didn't keep up the reading all year because it just didn't make sense.
Now, I have a new plan. Math Stretches!!!
If I plan to start my teaching day with math then it just makes sense that my students should start their day warming up to math. I will keep the independent reading routine in place as well, but instead I will move it to the beginning of my literacy block...where it should be.
I was really struck by how much of this book reminds me of The Daily 5. I have the word "stamina" written all over the margins. I think that a lot of what the sisters write about muscle memory applies well here and that actually using the two programs/ideas/systems (etc) in conjunction would be a great idea! On page 69 I highlighted almost the entire 2nd paragraph and wrote "MY GOAL" in bright marker. How amazing would it be to be able to describe your math class with words like "respectful ambience", "student participation", mathematical vocabulary", "big ideas". I want to be able to recognize the value in my students' comments and construct meaning that prompts students to dig deeper.
This I feel is my own personal greatest area of need. I am, myself, a good math student, but I do not feel that I have enough experience as a math teacher to really feel comfortable analyzing my students comments in the moment. This is something I want to get better at.
I loved all of the math stretch ideas presented in this chapter and my mind has been whirling every since. As a relatively new math teacher, I appreciated how each activity was broken down and explained in detail. I feel confident that this is something I can start in my classroom next year on Day 1. I am also a HUGE routine/schedule person so the idea of doing the same activity each day of the week is right up my alley. I do think I would switch them around a little bit...
Monday- Data Collection
This would be a great refresher after a weekend away and simple enough that all students will be able to jump right in.
Tuesday- Number of the Day
Wednesday- What's Next?
I like the idea of using this Math Stretch in the middle of the week. Not really sure why, it just appeals to me. LOL
Thursday- ________Makes Me Think Of
Friday- How Did My Family Use Math This Week?
I would like to move this to Friday because it could become part of my student's weekly homework and it gives busy parents a few more days to get it done with their children.
Some things I still want to think about:
- Calendar board- this idea interests me a lot but I am not sure how it would work in an upper primary classroom, like Grade 3? I am hoping that another book study participant is willing to share this and outline how this looks in their class.
- Problem of the Day/Week and Math Current Events- hmmm?
I am hoping to make a Math Stretch planning template and post it as a freebie soon. Now, I am off to read what other people are writing about this great book.
6 Brilliant Teaching Thoughts:
Very interesting about how you had your literacy warm-up and then math followed so you had to drop it. My problem is that my schedule has a two hour literacy block FIRST. So I'm sort of thinking, how can I do a math warm up, and then jump into literacy? Feels like a bad match-up, but I guess I need to test it before I really form an opinion.
I switched up the weekly plan as well- I put How Did my Family Use Math Last Night? as Last Week and had it as my Monday morning. My thinking is I want to give the kids a chance to find something across the whole week and weekend as opposed to one night. Also, I could send a list home on Mondays or Tuesdays to parents as to what sorts of math activities would be going along with current or past content that they could easily make time for at home.
And I kept Data Collection as Friday, thinking that if I used that as a week long collection or art glyph project, we could go over our observations in the math huddle.
Calendar math is something I'd done religiously in the past with my second grade, but not this past year. But in my experience, I could use a whole 45 minutes at calendar time! So this will be a challenge for me to pare down to just ten minutes. And I'm thinking that actually I might have to merge the math stretch with the calendar time. The program, Calendar Counts! has K-6 series, and I used this program as a fourth, fifth, and second grade teacher. I'm planning on adapting it to this Guided Math attempt.
It was indeed, and awesome chapter. I devoured this book in two days flat. The math current events and mathematical job responsibilities also inspirational. I went ahead and got the Arthur Hyde book she referenced on different occasions and am now eating that book up. It gives me new insight into the idea of a problem of the day.
Kinda sad I can't wait for school to start so I can try it out, eh?
http://themeekmoose.blogspot.com
@ The Meek Mouse- Not sad at all. A part of me (a small part) almost wants the summer to fly by to get started. I am going to go and check out those books you mentioned. Looks like I'm going to be doing some more reading.
I have the same thing written all over my margins! :)
I haven't heard of this book! I must be under a rock!!! I am looking it up on Amazon and getting it. I am such a reading guru, that math often gets overlooked. Oh and I'm your newest follower :)
Twins, Teaching and Tacos.
I created a flipchart and powerpoint for math stretches. Here it is, if you're interested:
ThinkShareTeach
Hi Beth,
I am glad you addressed The Book Whisperer....I started that last year and what a diff.! The kids came in quiet, focused and their reading improved:) I am not sure I am ready to give that up BUT we have the same line up as you....we go straight into Math block....what to do?????? AHHH! Help???
4th Grade Frolics
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