Behavior Routines to Practice Challenging Concepts

In the classroom, there are so many issues that come up that teachers create special incentive systems to help motivate better choices.  Having a routine that students practice daily really helps them to focus on specific behaviors and can be used to build their skills on more challenging math topics. In 2nd grade, some students were having trouble during computer time. They were not treating the computers well, purposely causing them to malfunction, and not focusing on iStation or ST Math.

To help with this, Ms. M decided to give students points each day that they showed integrity with the computers. Rather than giving them a tally mark or coloring in a box each day, she used it as a teachable moment with fractions. See below for how class points are tracked and all the rich math conversations and practice that can be incorporated in this behavior routine. Also, notice that the reward is also academic rather than a treat or non academic time :) Great ideas, Ms. M!

Focus on Fluency: Red Light/ Green Light: Couting by Ones

Counting practice daily is really important because it helps students build and maintain counting skills, as well as serves as a foundation for adding and subtracting within 100.

Here is a quick and easy game that will both practice counting and help kids get their wiggles out.

1) Say a number between 1 and 100.
2) When you say "green light" students begin running in place and counting aloud together, beginning with the number you said.
3) When you say "red light" students stop counting and freeze.  Any students who are still counting or moving after you say "red light" sit down until the next game.
4) Continue playing starting with a new number each time you say "green light".
5) Play until only a few students are left standing, then have everyone stand and play again.

A suggested sequence of start numbers: 15, 28, 35, 48, 55, 68

Focus on Fluency: Shake Those Disks

Here is another fun activity from Eureka math that can be used to build fact fluency. This one takes a bit of prep work and probably about 5 - 10 minutes to play.

Students will play in partners, for each pair you need:
(6) two color disks, beans, or coins (you can make them by spray painting one side of beans)

(1) Shake Those Disks 6 board

Instructions:

1) Once students are in partners, tell them they will take turns as the "shaker" and "recorder".

2) The shaker shakes the beans and tosses them on the table.

3) The recorder then records the roll on the Shakes Those Disks board.

Example: If the shaker tolls 4 red and 2  white, the recorder puts an X on the graph above the 4 and 2 number bond.

4) Players switch roles.

You can play this with any amount of beans, depending on which facts you want to focus on. The goal is for students to build automaticity with facts within 10. 

Have fun!

Cognitively Guided Instruction: Introduction

One of the most helpful resources in learning more about CGI is the book Children's Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction. They recently came out with a new edition and it is full of incredible resources. As I really spend time on each chapter, I will share with you key takeaways, as I know teachers don't always have the time to read through entire books about teaching strategies :)

Introduction: The book starts by explaining the ideas behind CGI and the goals of teaching math in this way. It does not promise to provide a model for the perfect CGI classroom, because each one is unique. Rather, the goal of the book is to give teachers the chance to collaboratively and independently make sense of the principles in relation to their own classes and teaching styles. In elementary school we are learning about whole numbers which should provide a foundation for learning about fractions and decimals, and lead to a seamless transition to learning algebra. 

The introduction really just set the stage for how to approach the reading and principles that will be presented, stay tuned for chapter 1 that focuses on children thinking and problem types...

CGI Charts & Number Lines

Yesterday, I spent the morning at KAO and was amazed by the awesome job they are doing with CGI story problems. Kindergarten can be especially challenging, because everything is new to them but kindergartners were digging in with so many different strategies and couldn't wait to tell you all about them.

In our PD last week we talked a lot about how to get kids to try out other strategies and one idea Ms.R came up with was providing students with a number line. We didn't want to print the number line on the paper because that would choose their strategy for them, so they decided to put number lines on the table alongside the cubes that students can write on and tape to their papers.

So many students were doing great work with the number line and many were drawing their own rather than using the print out. It has really increased the use of different strategies in their room!

Here are the charts from the 2 classes that show all the amazing strategies that these Kindergartners are coming up with:

Also, notice the great idea around taping another chart paper over the first, so you do not have to re write the problem for both classes. Nice time saving trick for teachers who have 2 classes per day :)

So excited to see how these students continue to grow as mathematicians!