Parents Need to Know

Misconceptions are part of the mathematical package, but some misconceptions are due to well-meaning adults who teach their children shortcuts without first building a solid conceptual understanding.  I'm certainly not pointing my teachery finger.  I suppose it's safe to say that parents are teaching their children the same way they were taught.  What goes around comes around.  I feel like things are changing though for us math teachers.  At least they are for me.  With that change, comes a need for educating parents too.  They deserve to know that the way they learned math might look different than the way their children are learning it.  That's why I started a math wikispace a handful of years ago.  I wanted parents to see what kid strategies looked like, and that none of them involved algorithms or slick tricks.  This year I changed over to a class website, but I made sure to add a page exclusively for math problem solving.  If you're interested in checking out how I'm trying to let my parents in on how we do things, click on the graphic above.  You'll notice that I've already shared some math problems and kid strategies.  If you continue scrolling to the first post, you'll be able to read a short note I left for parents to prepare them for what they would be seeing.  They need to know.

P.S. So far our strategies are pretty basic.  Even at this time of year I typically have mathematicians who are using sophisticated strategies, but not this time around.  Regardless, parents will still be able to see how the kids' thinking develops throughout the year as kids figure out math in ways that make sense to them.  Not a single trick or algorithm will they find.  What a journey it should be for both kids and parents alike.

Happy Birthday Graph

There seem to be a plethora of ways to display and honor birthdays in the classroom.  Mine is pretty simple.  For years now, I've made it into a graph in my calendar area.  

I only tape the top of each picture down, so that when a child flips it up, they can see the birthday on the back.

It's not overly cute, but it is effective and pretty simple too.  I tend to be about simple.  :)

Saturday Sayings: Comments or Questions?

This quote seems so very appropriate for where I am right now in the way I'm trying to improve my math instruction.  In the past few years, I've made many changes to the way I teach math and especially to problem solving.  Mathematicians share their strategies, not only with neighbors, but with the whole group.  That kind of sharing obviously involves lots of talk.  The change I'm trying to make this year is removing most of myself from that talk.  

It used to be that a child would draw their strategy on the board, and then I would kind of take over, asking them questions and prompting them in certain ways while the class watched and hopefully listened.  It was a step in the right direction, but it was missing something - less of me and more of them.  Now the child who is sharing takes over from the beginning, shares whatever they want to say about their strategy, and says, "Comments or questions?"  It's been cool to watch what happens next.  Typically the class asks insightful questions and the child is forced to think about why they made the choices they made and then find a way to communicate those reasons to the class.  Even though I'm there to turn the conversation in ways I feel would be most beneficial, it's cool to hear them doing most of the talking.  I've a ways to go on this journey of learning how to improve my problem solving instruction, but hearing kids do more talking about how math makes sense to them makes me believe I'm on the right track.  Comments or questions?  

Ten Frame Teen Practice (freebie)

Last week I shared about using ten frames to help build an anchor chart for the teens.  (Look here.)  After creating the chart, we used these colored sets of cards to work on those numbers a little more.  The cards match the three sections of the chart perfectly.

There are all kinds of things that can be done with them, such as:

Put any set of cards in order.

Match up the same numbers from each set.

Play concentration with any two sets or all three for those who are up for it.

Click on the graphic for your own copies.

I'm sure there are a myriad of ways these cards could be used.  Please share!

Calendar Make-Over

My calendar has taken on a new look this year, and even though I'm still getting the hang of it, I like where it's going.  

We're keeping track of days with ten frames.  I totally swiped the idea from Leslie at Kindergarten Works.  Take a look at her version here.  It's been a brilliant change for us.  Learning about ten frames has been so natural this way.  I've hardly had to teach the idea.  I also love the way they're beginning to understand the place value concept.  So many of them can already tell me what that 3 means in the 35.  They can describe the 3 complete ten frames as well as come up and show me.  They can do the same for the 5.  The ten frames provide such a great natural visual.  Thank you Leslie!

Instead of the typical monthly calendar that goes up at the beginning of the month and down at the end, I've got the whole year on the wall.  This idea came from Mardelle at Weeds in the Garden.  You need to read her post here.  It made me think about how to use the calendar in a more authentic way that matters to kids and their lives.  I admit, I'm still finding my way, which is why you need to read her thoughts on how she pulls it off.

So go see Leslie and Mardelle.  I'm guessing you'll find some inspiration too!

Saturday Sayings: Immovable, Strong, and Steady

This is the first and most likely the last time I'll do something like share a scripture for my Saturday Saying, but it seemed like the only thing I could really pull off today.  After a rough start to the year and an even tougher last few weeks, this morning it's hard to imagine that I have any wisdom worth sharing with other teachers.  After 19 years of feeling like I'm doing okay, year number 20 makes me feel rather under-qualified for the job.  It probably sounds rather melodramatic, but it's where I'm at.  I should probably apologize for the times when my blog has given the impression that all things Miss McMorrow are in a constant state of greatness. That is far from the truth, especially right now.  So if you are up against challenges in your classroom that make you want nothing more than to crawl into bed as soon as you possibly can, I know how you feel.  

I woke up this morning to the verse above.  "...stand firm.  Let nothing move you."  I've allowed challenges in my room to move me to a completely uncomfortable and foreign place, a place where I wonder if I can really pull this off.  The Living Bible says, "...since future victory is sure, be strong and steady."  I'm unsure of what that victory in my situation will look like, but I want to claim that promise as mine.  Simply remaining immovable, strong, and steady would be a victory right now, but I'm praying for even bigger victories.  If you needed this verse too, I'm claiming this promise for you as well.  Your labor is not in vain.

Ten Frame Teens

I have fully embraced the power of ten frames in my room.  Van de Walle is right.  He says young mathematicians recognize 10 in a ten frame much more easily than 10 cubes linked together to make a long train or the 10 in a base ten rod.  When they see that train, they still want to count each and every one of its cubes.  When they see a full ten frame, they're convinced it's 10.  No counting needed.  I've also enjoyed using ten frames to teach teens.  We recently made this chart together.  

By the way, the full ten frames are blue.  The extra ten frames are green for distinction purposes.  When the ten frames were completed and glued, I asked, "What do you notice?"  They noticed all kinds of things, and eventually their comments led us to the point of adding all the numbers to the chart as well.  

I found the inspiration for the chart below on Pinterest.  Unfortunately, the link didn't lead me to its owner, but it's a great tool regardless.  I simply chose to modify it by using the ten frame model, since it's one that we're embracing completely and understand well.