Taking Math Outside!! Math Trails

 Math, Primary Perspective  No Responses »
May 292013
 

Math Trials

The opportunity to move the learning outside of the classroom can often serve to engage students in mathematics.  Math can come alive and be seen in the world beyond the four classroom walls.  One way to move math out of the classroom is with math trails.   Math trails are like scavenger hunts with a math spin to them.  As students move along the “course” they have opportunities to explore, observe, discuss, and connect with math in the world.

To get you started on designing your own math trails the NCTM has a great article called Designing Math Trails in the Elementary Classroom.  They have ideas on how to select a site, on- site activities, classroom follow through activities, and cross curricular connections.

The Canadian Math Trail is a great site for ideas about math trails created across Canada by teachers.

Supporting Subitizing Through Literature

 Math, Primary Perspective  No Responses »
Apr 102013
 

There are some great print and online resources out there for supporting students subitizing skills.  I have highlighted some of them below along with a website you can visit for ideas on extending the learning beyond the book.

Ten Black Dots

 Creating A Ten Black Dots Book with your students.  

 

Press Here

Press Here Activities

 

12 Ways to Get to 11

Activity Using Cuisenaire Rods

 

 

Subitizing- A Fundamental Skill for Primary Mathematicians

 Math, Primary Perspective  No Responses »
Apr 042013
 

Subitizing is the ability to instantly see how many in a small collection of items without counting.  Dots on a die, shapes on a playing card, number of fingers held up on a hand, are all examples of subitizing in action.  In order to subitize successfully students need to see the whole as a collection of objects as well as the individual units.  Subitizing is considered to be a fundamental skill for supporting students understanding of number and ability to perform number operations.

In the primary years students should be given regular and consistent opportunities to subitize in order to build their skills, improve number sense and lay the foundation for future mathematical learning.  In kindergarten numbers to 5 should be focused on for instant recognition.  Once students are familiar with familiar representations of 1 to 5, larger collections can be used to encourage students part-part-whole thinking.   For example, on the card below students may instantly recognize a three and a four and then add the numbers together to know that there is a collection of seven dots on the card.

dot card

As the collections get larger students can be encouraged to use their estimation skills to think about “how many” and “how do you know”.  Our Saskatchewan Curriculum refers to this fundamental skill through several outcomes from Kindergarten to Grade 2:

  • Kindergarten- NK.2 Recognize, at a glance, and name familiar arrangements of 1 to 5 objects, dots, or pictures.
  • Grade 1- N1.2 Recognize, at a glance, and name familiar arrangements of 1 to 10 objects, dots, and pictures
  • Grade 2- N2.1 Demonstrate understanding of whole numbers to 100 (concretely, pictorially, physically, orally, in writing, and symbolically) by: 
    • representing (including place value)
    • describing skip counting
    • differentiating between odd and even numbers
    • estimating with referents
    • comparing two numbers
    • ordering three or more numbers.

This video is an excellent example of a kindergarten teacher who is using Quick Images to build on her students subitization skills, and create opportunities for mathematical conversation.

subitizing video

Information about Subitizing

Subitizing-What is it? Why Teach it?

Pinterest Board on Subitizing

Resources to support teaching Subitizing

Dot Cards and Ten Frames

Sparklebox Dot Cards

 

Reading in Mathematics? Absolutely!!

 Literacy, Math, Primary Perspective  No Responses »
Jan 222013
 

Reading in Mathematics?  When I was a student in elementary school these two subjects were not only separate but almost complete opposite.  Today however, my perception has changed and I see more similarities between the two than differences.

First of all, there IS reading in mathematics…reading of textbooks, word problems, literature, the whiteboard…the ability to read supports the student’s ability to take in information, comprehend problems and creating meaning.

Secondly, reading at it’s very essence is thinking.  It is the interpretation of a set of symbols (letters and words), and using our understanding of the symbols to create meaning.  This process must involve thinking.  Likewise, mathematics is the interpretation of a set of symbols (numbers, objects, representations, letters, and words) to create meaning, and gain understanding.   This process must also involve thinking.   Since both subjects are looking to strengthen thinking it only makes sense that we use the strategies and supports for strengthen student thinking, and comprehension in reading to strengthen thinking and understanding in math.  Creating consistency between the strategies can foster students ability to make connections and allows them to build on an existing foundation within a new context.

In reading we use the Super 7 Reading Strategies to support thinking and comprehension.  In mathematics these same strategies can be built upon to support mathematical thinking comprehension.

Reading

Math
Making Connections

  • Text to Self
  • Text to Text
  • Text to World
 Making Connections

  • Math to Self
  • Math to Math
  • Math to World
Visualizing

  • Creating a mental image to help construct meaning
 Visualizing

  • Creating a mental image to help construct meaning
Inferring

  • Drawing conclusions
  • Making predictions
  • Reflecting on reading
 Inferring

  • Constructing answers
  • Estimation
  • Reflecting on mathematical thinking
Determining Importance

  • Determining topic and main idea
  • Determining author’s message
  • Using knowledge of narrative or expository text features/structures
  • Determining relevance
 Determining Importance

  • Determining what is given in the problem
  • Determining what we are being asked to discover
  • Using existing knowledge in mathematics to solve new problems
  • Determining relevance
Synthesizing

  • Reviewing, sorting and sifting through information leading to new insight as thinking evolves
 Synthesizing

  • Reviewing, sorting and sifting through mathematical problems and information which leads to new insights in math
Monitoring and Repairing Comprehension

  • Monitoring understanding and knowing how to adjust when meaning breaks down
 Monitoring and Repairing Mathematical Thinking

  • Monitoring understanding and knowing when to stop and adjust (when thinking breaks down)
  • Identifying where thinking broke down and trying another solution
Questioning

  • Clarifying meaning by asking questions before, during and after reading to deepen comprehension
 Questioning

  • Clarifying mathematical thinking by asking questions before, during, and after solving problems to deepen understanding
  • Asking questions of others about their strategies for solving problems.

 

So next time you are explicitly teaching comprehension strategies to your students in reading consider the possibility of expanding on those strategies in mathematics.  As Maggie Siena  (2009) so eloquently puts it “we can become more effective teachers of mathematics by drawing from our successful experiences with teaching literacy.  It’s the art of lighting two candles with one flame” (p.2).

 

cc.- http://www.flickr.com/photos/steveritchie/6067642964/

Siena, M. (2009). From reading to math. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions.

 

Exploration in Mathematics- Allowing Explorers to Flourish

 Math, Primary Perspective  No Responses »
Dec 122012
 

Exploration by it’s very nature is a step into the unknown.  Armed with no map, no set of steps, no set path, the explorer embraces the excitement of discovery with a willingness to get lost in the adventure.  Imagine for a moment exploration that was planned, with every destination known, every step predetermined…it would not be as much fun, it would not belong to the explorer, and it would not be exploration.

Mathematics is a place where exploration is not only possible…it is necessary.  Through exploration and play we can breath life into the learning of mathematics, as we open up opportunities for imagination, creativity  curiosity and wonderment.   These qualities can carry the mathematics beyond the textbook, the worksheet, the drill and practice.  They can make mathematics come alive.  This exploration needs to belong to the explorer and the explorer in every learner needs to be given opportunities to discover and create in mathematics.  There may be  times when we would want to give students the map with the route laid out and support them on reaching the destination but there should also be times where students face a problem or situation and need to reason your way to the other side, without the road map.   In those times it becomes about finding their own way, embracing the different but equally valid paths/solutions of others, and truly discovering not only the science of mathematics but it’s artistry and creativity as well.  This exploration does not need to happen in isolation.  Explorers can join resources and thinking power to help navigate the journey and share in the excitement of discovery.

In this video Dan Meyer‘s describes the problems facing mathematics education when we take all of the exploration out of the subject.

1. Lack of initiative- Translation- I don’t want to do it!

2. Lack of Perseverance- Translation- It’s too hard!  I give up!

3. Lack of Retention- Translation- I don’t know.  Blank look.

4. Aversion to word problems- Translation- Can I just have a sheet of numbers.

5. Eagerness for a formula- Translation- Can you just show me how to do it?

By purposely and deliberately creating an environment where mathematics exploration and discovery flourish we can harness the inner mathematics explorer in our students.

 

Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit.  Frank Borman

The Day My World Fell Apart

 Math, Professional Learning, Science  No Responses »
Dec 072012
 

My Melt Down

I remember the day my world fell apart in the face of new pedagogy in mathematics. I was working in a rural school division in Saskatchewan and was in the middle of a Cognitive Coaching workshop with 50 people that I did not know… and the facilitator asked for a volunteer to model a problem solving conversation.

  After teaching for 14 years I had reached a point where I felt I did not know anything about teaching and learning. I ended up being a crumbled mess on the floor of that workshop – embarrassed at my emotional outburst and doubting my ability to teach, or facilitate, or guide, or whatever it was I was supposed to be doing.

That was six years ago.

So, how did I get past the Earth shaking moment when I lost my ability to believe I could meet the many challenges that I was facing?

 

My Journey

  1. Professional Learning – I went to a math workshop where the facilitator gave me a ‘living example’ and helped me to understand what some of the language really meant, including Constructing knowledge, formative assessment, and inquiry. I finally understood that these aren’t things  I DO in my classroom, rather they are a way of being; a way for my students and I to interact in order for all of us to move forward – not just me moving forward with my well designed and superbly crafted lesson plans of the past.
  2. Professional Community of Learners – As Physics teachers, we formed a community of learners.  There were 14 of us that were awarded a McDowell Research Grant. We spent time planning, collaborating, critiquing, and reflecting together. These discussions gave me my ‘Living Examples’ and helped me to figure out how my students and I were to interact with the curriculum so that we could all explore the teaching and learning of science and mathematics… together.

So here I am six years later, and to be honest what I know now is not necessarily more than what I knew in the past – in fact, I know even more about how much I don’t know. But I no longer feel powerless. I know that there are people I can learn from and learn with. That has made all the difference.

Anchoring the Learning- Anchor Charts in Math

 Math, Primary Perspective  No Responses »
Nov 202012
 

An anchor on a boat can hold it in place, prevent it from going adrift, off course or lost.  In the same way anchor charts can hold thinking.  They can help learners get back on course by reminding them of discussions, activating prior knowledge, and point them in the right direction.   In mathematics anchor charts can be powerful instructional tools that support and enhance student learning.

Communication is an important process in our Saskatchewan Mathematics Curriculum.  To effectively communicate in mathematics students need to represent their mathematical thinking concretely, pictorially, symbolically  physically, verbally, in writing, and mentally.  With so many ways to communicate it is important that teachers support students in learning how to effectively communicate.  Anchor charts provide an opportunity for teachers to model thinking in writing, support and record the learning of the class, and build mathematical vocabulary.  By supporting communication in your  mathematics classroom you can help students to clarify, reinforce, and modify their understandings of mathematical  ideas.

To realize the potential that anchor charts can hold it is important to consider a few things when using them in mathematics:

  • Students will use them more if they have helped create them.  To prevent them from becoming wall paper co-construct them with your students.
  • Refer to them frequently during instruction and practice.  If a student asks a question which can be answered on the chart refer them to the chart.
  • Focus on one mathematical concept per chart.  Too much on a chart can limit its effectiveness and create visual overload.
  • Use mathematical vocabulary.  These charts will become a jumping off point for mathematical vocabulary building,  discussions and writing.
  • Don’t limit yourself to text.  Pictures, graphic organizers, models, even actual manipulatives can be taped to the chart to  support the concept.   Just remember to not overload the chart.  White space can make learning easier.

 

I Can…. Chart

Thanks to Holly Portas from the Saskatoon Mizbah School for sharing her grade 2 Pattern Anchor Chart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Math Wall in Progress

Thank you to Laurel Clark from Forest Grove School for sharing her Grade 1 Math Word Wall.

 

 

 

 

Kindergarten Colours

Thanks to Erin Broughton from Lester B. Pearson School for sharing her co-constructed colour charts. These are a great way to study attributes and sorting rules.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steps to Solve Word Problems

Thank you to Debbie Durand from Forest Grove School for sharing here problem solving anchor chart.

 

 

 

 

 

Connecting Ideas- Grade 2 Linear Measurement Concept Map

Co-constructed concept maps can be created as students learn about each idea of a concept.  As the unit develops so does the map and with it  student understanding.

Using PWIM to Connect Math to the World

 Math, Primary Perspective  No Responses »
Oct 172012
 

In Saskatoon Public Schools the Picture Word Inductive Model has become a powerful approach for teaching and learning in Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.  The rich photographs provide an amazing opportunity to look into a different place, culture, and experience and then connect that to the learning in those subject areas.  But can it be used to support teaching and learning in Mathematics?  I believe that it can.  In mathematics one of the ideas teachers and students strive to achieve is the ability to connect the math in the classroom to math in the world.  The PWIM photograph can provide a “window” into the world and this “window” can be opened to mathematics. 

For example, in this Grade 1 photograph of a market math is everywhere.  There is math in the street, in the produce, in the shapes, in the people…everywhere.  As I look at the photo through a math “window” I can see several mathematical outcomes that could be explored and extended. 

N1.1- Say the number sequence, 0 to 100 

  • Students can count vehicles, fruit, boxes and people and discuss why would we want to know this information.

N1.6- Estimate quantities to 20 by using referents.

  • How many bananas do we think might be in the box? 

N1.9- Demonstrate an understanding of addition of numbers with answers to 20 and the corresponding subtraction facts, concretely, pictorially, physically, and symbolically.

  • Can we (teachers and students) use the context in the photograph to create and solve problems involving addition and subtraction? 
  • Example: How many white boxes plus how many brown boxes= total number of boxes?

P1.1- Demonstrate an understanding of repeating patterns (two to four elements)

  • Looking at the men’s shirts what is the pattern we see?  Can we recreate this pattern?

SS1.4- Compare 2-D shapes to parts of 3-D objects in the environment.

  • What are the shapes we see in the photograph? How do the shapes compare?

Using PWIM photographs to extend mathematical concepts and foster connections to the real world can create a rich and powerful learning opportunity for students.  By looking at your mathematics curriculum and  your photo the window to mathematics in the real world can be opened.

 

Inquiry in Mathematics

 Math, Primary Perspective  No Responses »
Oct 152012
 

In Saskatchewan our provincial curricula are built around one central core…inquiry.  Inquiry is a philosophical approach to teaching and learning that empowers students to explore and discover.  Through inquiry students are active participants in the creation of understanding and knowledge.   They are asked to be curious, to wonder, to question, to reflect, to share and to think

In Mathematics inquiry is often seen through problem solving.  By collaboratively solving and creating mathematical problems students construct and deepen their understandings of concepts, strengthen their strategic competence, and develop their logical reasoning skills.  As students engage in problem solving they need to attend to 4 important stages in the inquiry/problem solving process:

Stage 1: Understand the Problem-  This very important stage is often overlooked in the classroom.  It is often assume that students understand the problem in front of them but this assumption can by costly.  Without a solid understanding of what they are being asked to do, students are often stumped before they start.  Time spent carefully dissecting a problem and ensuring understanding can be critical to success.

Stage 2: Make a Plan- Just like the construction of a building, the construction of a mathematical solution requires forethought and a plan.  Having a carefully considered plan of attack can help students construct their solution successfully.  Problem Solving plans or strategies can include:

  • Acting it out
  • Using a model
  • Drawing a picture
  • Guessing and testing
  • Looking for a pattern
  • Making a chart or a graph
  • Working backwards
  • Making an organized list
  • Using logical reasoning   

Stage 3: Carry out the Plan -In the words of  Nike - Just Do It!

Stage 4: Look Back -  This stage involves careful reflection, checking to see if your answer makes sense, and considering the solutions of others.  Considering the solutions of others and comparing them to your own provides an opportunity for understanding and learning to be collaboratively constructed in the mathematics classroom.

For more information on Problem Solving in Mathematics check out these great resources avaliable in the Saskatoon Public School CMC:

Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students by Marian Small

Making Math Meaningful

Introduction to Problem Solving by Susan O`Connell

 

Creating a Community of Mathematicians

 Math, Primary Perspective  No Responses »
Sep 242012
 

September…in teaching it is a month of new beginnings, many possibilities, new crayons and community building.  September community building lays the foundation for learning in the classroom, develops relationships, establishes norms and provides an environment where learners can thrive.  Community building is often seen as not specific to any one subject, however the process of establishing a community of learners that is subject specific can lay the foundation of learning within each area.  In mathematics September provides an opportunity to create a Community of Mathematicians.  This community of mathematicians can create positive interdependence within the classroom, promote interactions, build group skills and allow for the possibility of group processing (O’Connell, 2005).

One way to build community amoung mathematicians is to construct with students an anchor chart about the question “What does a mathematician do?  This can create rich discussions and some possible answers such as:

A  mathematician…

  • listens to the ideas of other mathematicians
  • encourages other mathematicians
  • follows directions
  • knows what to do in mathematician’s workshop
  • takes time to take all the information he (she) has and puts it all together
  • uses strategies
  • stops and thinks
  • writes to remember her (his) thinking
  • asks questions
  • shares his (her) thinking with other mathematicians
  • keeps trying
  • shares manipulatives

O’Connell, S.  (2005) .  Now I get it.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann.

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