After the Start: Interactive Notebooks - What I've Learned

So we're in about week four of school now and I've been working pretty hard at using interactive notebooks (Math Survival Guides - MSGs) within both my algebra 1 and geometry (both 8th grade) math classes.  I like where they are going and the kids seem to be on board, but I've learned some things and thought I'd pass that information on to you… (pictures at the bottom)

1) Taking time to help the kids get set up and organized: I started off pretty well with having them create their cover page and gluing their small paper for username and passwords.  We even counted out the next 5 pages for a table of contents and I gave them a paper clip on the first day of school to hold those together.  This helped a lot, but I should have had the kids fill out the first few entries for the table on contents instead of leaving it blank initially.  Some of the kids who lost their paper clips forgot that they needed 5 pages for the TOC and proceeded to put some of their foldables there.  We're slowly redoing things and catching them up, but if I'd had them enter a bit more I think we would have avoided it.

2) Don't skip pages: I designated the first four pages (after the TOC) as review pages for geometric formulas.  This would have worked great (and is still okay for some) if I'd taken the time to fill them out prior to starting curriculum work.  However, we jumped right into curriculum, which started on page 5 and that messed up some of the kids who didn't remember to leave the first four pages blank.  Next year:  either put the formula review pages in the back or fill them out prior to the first day of curriculum.

3) Post your titles every day: We try to fill out a two-page spread each class period with the left (odd pages) having foldables, drawings, or diagrams and the right with vocal, notes, and reflections.  I didn't start out by posting the titles on the board, just said them out loud.  I've learned to write the page and title on the board and have them copy it directly to their TOC (color coded hopefully) and to the correct pages.

4) Be very specific: This kind of goes along with #3, but you have to be very specific (especially if you're type A like my) with the kiddos about where you want things to go.  I actually write the page numbers on the copies of the foldables for them and I constantly state where they should go.  As they are cutting and gluing I am always walking around to make sure they are putting things in the right space.

5) INBs (MSG) take time! I initially started by having a warm-up as well as trying to teach and complete the MSG.  What I've found is that I need to incorporate their warm-up into their MSG.  For me, this means their warm-up might be completing vocabulary on the right side (in the "write" section), working some sample problems on the right, or completing their foldable activity or drawing on the left side.  By doing this I'm feeling less rushed for them to complete their MSGs.  Also, its making their MSGs something that they are always referring to and using rather than something we rush to fill out.

6) Neatness counts: This is one place where I'm going to have to decide how to grade.  There are students out there who just don't want to take the effort to make their notebook look nice and I need to decide where the line for neatness will be drawn.  I keep reminding them that neatness is part of their grade.  I'd love some feedback from you on how you deal with this part of INBs.

7) Be flexible! As much as I want to complete a two-page spread in one class period, sometimes we run out of time and I have to let things go.  Some days we'll come back to in the next class and some we end up skipping.  I'm still trying to find the right balance and over the next year am sure I'll come up with adjustments and other strategies to make it work.

8) Stay on top of things: I didn't want to complete the entire MSG over the summer so that I would have the flexibility to make changes.  That being said, I definitely have to take the time to stay several days ahead so that I know what's coming up, how to incorporate it into my lesson, and to have copies made and delivered on time.  I'm also posting pics of each spread into our class webpage, so I need to have those ready to go for the students as well.  Its a work in progress.

I think that so far, with a few tweaks, things are going fine.  I'm learning daily how to make the MSG a useful and engaging tool for the students.  I've had comments from other teachers who've come and seen them that they like both the foldables as well as the reflection pieces all in one place.  I'm going to keep using them and will update more as the year goes on.  I think that I'll have to redo it again next year, but I might create the pages in a binder with page protectors so that as the students take and use them they have less damage.  Any other feedback or suggestions you can provide would be great!

Here are some sample pages we've completed in both classes:

September Currently

Where has time gone???  It seems like I was just enjoying my summer and now I'm deeply entrenched into school, curriculum planning, and evening activities with my kids.  Summer went by too quickly!  I have so much to update, but thought I'd start with the late September Currently (go to Farley's page to see ALL of them).

Listening - Will the laundry ever get done??  I'm so good at washing and folding… then we end up just picking out of piles since they make it to the rooms but not put away.  Anyone with me on this??

Loving - With all the rains lately in Colorado, soccer fields are completely saturated.  Although I don't necessarily enjoy Sunday make-up games, it's nice to have a Saturday off from getting up early and shuffling the kids to their teams.  Not that I don't enjoy watching them - I do - but I was excited to not "have" to get out of bed today!

Thinking - This was really random, but it's fall and I'd love to go out and get a tall salted caramel mocha… :)  Just need to get off the computer, dry my hair, and talk hubby into going!

Wanting  - To finish grading the first tests of the year and update curriculum, but have to find the motivation to do so.  Maybe that coffee will help!

Needing - I don't know about you, but I eat great for breakfast and lunch, mostly because I pack them for school.  Once I get home, though, between soccer, dance, scouts, music lessons, theater, and all other activities, it seems like we're just a grab-and-go family.  I would love for dinner to be ready when I get home!

On that note… - I need to plan dinners better.  I want to find something fun to do with the kiddos this weekend (UNO anyone??).  I need to remember to take time for me!

Happy Fall!

Gearing Up for the Start! Post #2 (Classroom Decorations)

Oh, the hours I could spend (and money too…) on decorations.  Although I don't have aspirations of many elementary school teachers with decorations (bless you all), I do enjoy setting up my class for the beginning of the year.  One of the things I'd like to ensure, is that my bulletin boards don't become stale or boring as the year goes on.  I need to come up with interesting things to change them out with.

So far this year, I've created two bulletin boards that I'm in love with:

This first board is covering both the Mathematical Practice standards and the cool posters I've referenced before.  I had them printed in color on white card stock at Staples for about $1 each, then laminated at my school.  I hung them on the board and then surrounded them with the rick-rack border. I'm still unsure if this is how I'll leave it because the border might overwhelm the posters, but it's like that for now.  I plan to reference these often this year, so wanted them front and center for the kids to see.

I also included on this board the IB Mathematical Criteria for grading.  Since we're an IB school, these are items I also have to incorporate into my curriculum and things I wanted my students to be just as familiar with.  I created these in MS Word with borders and just printed them out.  I glued them together (homemade… that's why it is just a bit crooked) and also had it laminated.

I guess you could call this my "standards" board.  I probably should have put butcher paper in the background, but that's a project for another day :).

I absolutely LOVE my next board.  A big shout out to Ana Haywood and her "Math Around the World" web page.  I totally appropriated everything from this site.  It looks like she might not work at this school any more, but I certainly couldn't take any credit for the information.  I'm planning to implement these worksheets (some mandatory, some for extra credit) this year as well as add to the collection.  It's pretty amazing and I don't even want to know how much time she put into it!  Anyway, I went a step further and created a bulletin board for the worksheets, highlighting the countries.  I'm really going to encourage my students to take part in filling out the board completely so that we can cover all of the continents.

I have a ton of other posters up, but these two seem to catch the eye of a lot of other teachers.  The top I got many years ago when I was teaching in Oklahoma… I have no idea where.  I had to put the border around because one of the corners looks like my dog chewed on it???  I created the pink poster last year when we learned that the math teachers and science teachers were all using different terms for graphing.  I created this listing all terms we used and then gave all math and science teachers laminated copies to post.

So… it's a good start for the year.  I'll need to update with butcher paper and then come up with something maybe to change things up with come second semester.  All in all, a job well done, I think!

Gearing Up for the Start! Post #1 - Prep Work

I cannot believe that there is only one week left before school begins!  Officially I have to report back to work on Wednesday.  Unofficially…. I've been back on and off for about 2 ½ weeks now.  Some summer in the future I'll have enough planned and ready that I'll have at least a month where I don't have to think about school :).  Not so right now…  But that's okay, because I love everything that I've been putting together in my classroom and with my two new 8th grade math teachers!!

Here are some things I've been working on:

1. Getting supplies purchased and put together;
2. Organizing thoughts from Minds on Mathematics (book study);
3. Decorating (obviously…);
4. Creating a "Math Around the World" bulletin board and notebook;
5. Math Survival Guides (woo-hoo!!!!), aka interactive notebooks;
6. Lesson plans;
7. I'm sure there is more and I'm just not thinking of them right now… :).

I'll be posting lots more soon on all of these topics - with pictures!

One of the things I've done is to create little notes that I'm going to laminate and tape into my plan book with reminders about all of the awesome prompts that I were in Minds on Mathematics (Wendy Ward Hoffer).  A huge shout out to Melanie from Confessions of a Grade 6 Math Addict who originally created these and allowed for sharing.  I've tweaked mine some, but I loved her outlines and colors.  I think these will be great reminders to me for class discussions and reflection time in the MSGs.  

(Okay… totally cool… this is the first time I've figured out how to embed a .pdf file in my blog.  Here's the website I used.)

Speaking of plan books… I was on Pinterest the other day (can you say LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!) and came across a pin about teacher plan books from Erin Condren.  Now, I am pretty fussy about my calendar.  I use Outlook on my computer because I get a lot of meeting appointments sent my way electronically, but I'm still an old-fashioned, big picture girl.  I like to see the long term plan ahead of me, so usually a two-page monthly calendar (with lines) is what I like to have.  Our planners at school are great (and free…), but they are a little smaller than what I'd like.  I'm also not particularly fond of spending a huge amount of money when I can create something myself.  However….. with all of the checklists I'd like to have after reading Minds on Math this summer, as well as a host of other things, I tried to weigh the time it would take me to make my own versus purchasing one of these.  They are so darned cute I'll bet you can imagine what I did :).  Yep… I bought one.  I'm so excited and it's totally personalized.  I guess that means no pedicure before school starts...

August Currently

I'm linking up with Farley again for the August Currently.  This one caught me by surprise :).  I'm not ready for August…….

I've had a super-productive summer though, so I can't complain.  I've gotten a lot of things prepped for the new school year; I had a great visit with my little sis' and her girls; ALASKA - do I need to say anything else??  Now I'm back at work here and there getting my classroom ready and meeting with my two new 8th grade math teachers.  Really I'm not supposed to go back until August 14th, but there's no way I could wait until then and be ready on time.  I'm having fun browsing through my Pinterest Boards though at all the neat ideas that I've come across.

Listening - So my kiddos new favorite movie is "Pitch Perfect".  I've been doing a lot of driving them back and forth to camps and sports, so they watch it (and I get to listen) over… and over… and over… and over.  It's a good thing I like Ace of Bass.

Loving - I found some fantastic 8 ½ x 11 posters of the Mathematical Practices (you can find a link on a previous post).  They are easy to read, colorful, and fun!  I've already had them printed up on card stock at Staples and laminated at school.  Pictures to come soon…

Thinking - I need to set aside some time for ME before school begins.  I think a trip to B&N is in order to find a good book.  We are taking the kids to a Rapids game tomorrow, so that will be fun too.

Wanting - I started using the Zone eating plan recently.  How come these meals won't just put themselves together when I go into the kitchen.  I actually like the plan, but its tough when I need to make a grocery run.

Needing - To make my kiddos a priority in the next two weeks.  My son would like to go golfing a the local par 3, we need to hit the pool, and we should do some fun cooking experiments.  Just have to put it all on the calendar…

B2S Must Haves

1. Definitely those Mathematical Practices posters.  They are awesome!!
2. I've been trying to find a good way to put supplies on the tables and finally found some small caddies at Mardel in various colors.  Now to stock and label them!
3. More foldables :).  I'm totally into this and created my first one today (posting soon about that too).  If you have any great foldables for 8th grade, algebra 1, or geometry, send me a message or follow me on Pinterest!

Minds on Mathematics: Chapter 10 (Sharing and Recognition)

So… I've finally caught up with my chapter posts since vacation!  Phew…. that was a lot of reading and reflecting, but I've done it.  I really loved this book and know that I'll refer to it over and over again.

Speaking of reflection, that's what this chapter was about.  The author discusses the importance of granting our students time each day to think about what they have learned.

Metacognition - thinking about our thinking - is the last step in a daily math workshop.  It gives the student time to sit back and process the items that they've covered during the class period.  They can think about things they understand, topics that are still unclear, and "a-ha" moment, or state something in a different way to help cement material.  It allows students to take a short, quiet moment to put the period at the end of the class and finalize their thoughts (instead of that mad rush of shoving papers in backpacks, tossing books on the shelf, and running out the door because the bell rang).

For my own classes, I will be utilizing my math journal (Math Survival Guides, MSG) for this purpose.  I will actually be doing this twice during my 111-minute class period.  I am going to have students reflect just prior to the mini lesson in the middle of class and again at the end.  Below is an example of a page I've created for one of our first units:

Notice on the right side the three topics - Write, Reflect, Review.  I am going to have my students complete one set of pages (for example, this is 5/6) each class period.  The left will hold drawings, foldables, and creative items.  The right side will almost always be Write, Reflect, Review (now that I'm typing, maybe I should switch the last two…?).  Write will contain any important information outside of the notes I'd like students to have.  Reflect will be something they think about and can write on prior to our lesson - possibly bringing in some background knowledge or items from the notes they are working on.  Review will be my "end of the day" piece, similar to the exit ticket.  I liked all of the suggestions listed in the book and mine will vary between questions for clarification, to explaining their understanding, to writing about what they'd like me to go over.  Since it will be in their journals, I'll probably collect them on quiz/test days to grade and may also glance at them while walking around during work time.

I do like the idea of reflection, but I have to come up with a system that works for me.  I tried exit slips, but being able to read, grade, and possibly give good feedback became overwhelming.  I'm excited to try the MSG system and see if it works.  I'm hoping this helps get the students in the habit of reflecting at the end of each class period.

Mind On Mathematics: Chapter 9 (Conferring)

Conferring is not something I've done systematically within my classroom at all.  I know I've seen it done within my own children's elementary classes, but middle school is a whole new ball game!  I think I've done it informally when I circulate between my groups - looking for understanding, stopping to explain things, etc.  But… I haven't ever kept a record of the conversations or looked for particular items that were preplanned.

My biggest take-away from this chapter was on the classroom management of conferring.  I never thought to explain about it to the students, it was just something I did.  However, by setting clear expectations and following the "never interrupt" rule, I think it will help with noise level and activity when you are not looking around.

The two things I see that I will have to work on are the record keeping system and time management.  I guess I will have to decide what exactly I'd want to keep track of within the records.  Hmmmm…. that's going to take some thought.  I'd love some feedback and ideas from anyone who has done this before.  I also will need to set a goal of how many students I will confer with each class period.  If I leave it random, I know that I have the potential to just let it go.

Good chapter - tons to think over on this one!

Minds on Mathematics: Chapter 8 (Work Time)

Hoffer describes four aspects of Work Time during a math workshop:

1. Planning around vigorous tasks that drive understanding;
2. Planning students' working groups to ensure that all are thinking;
3. Training students to engage as independent mathematicians during work time;
4. Stepping back from helping and instead serving as facilitator and data collector.

I've seen this work within my own field testing with very positive outcomes.  I gave two incentives for my class:  a lunch pizza for the highest scoring group and getting to keep their group (if they wanted) if the entire group scored 70% or higher on the test.  This really seemed to motivate everyone and scores soared!

One thing I will need to work on is #1 - vigorous tasks.  I have two new math teachers at my grade level and I think they are going to be a big help with this.  We will basically be rewriting how we teach each unit, based on the aspects above.  I've really been utilizing Illustrative Mathematics, Inside Mathematics, and the Mathematics Assessment Project (MARS) site.  They have great interactive investigations to really challenge the students.

I also liked the strategies Hoffer suggests for grouping students.  I loved the Appointment Clock way of grouping and think I might use that with our journals.  I agree with the thought that students can definitely tell when they are grouped by ability level.  My daughter hates that… She came home this year and asked me, "Why do the teachers always put a smart kid with the kids who don't do anything?".  I had to feel a little guilty when she asked because I know I've done this before.  I appreciated talking to her about her perspective.

This chapter is full of such practical ideas for a math workshop and I can see them really working well within my block class.  I will definitely bookmark it and come back to check it out again before school begins!

Minds on Mathematics: Chapter 7 (Mini Lessons)

Chapter 7 in Minds on Mathematics discusses the mini lesson.  I think this is great, especially since I teach such a long block each day.  I started using mini lessons last spring and think that they work out great.  Instead of the sleepy, bored, or uninterested stares I get when teaching up on the board, the students have tons of time to work on their activities and only have to engage as a full group for short time periods.

"A mini lesson is a quick and strategically designed to support students in developing acuity as independent mathematicians: a short, focused segment of whole-group instruction led by the teacher for ten or fewer minutes." (p. 103)

What I loved about this chapter were all of the practical suggestions - things I need to ensure I'm doing.  I loved the explanation on modeling your thinking.  I always assume I'm doing that, but not necessarily to the level explained.  Hoffers examples of how to show thinking strategies will be good to reference later: Real-Life Examples, Anchor Charts, Context, Thinking Aloud, and Hold Thinking will become resources in my teaching toolbox.

One thing I didn't necessarily think was great for the middle level were the quick checks for understanding.  I often use a version of the Fist of Five when my students are all facing forward, but I don't think I'd use the Stand-ups or Line-ups to check on how they are doing - too much of a lack of privacy for the students.  One thing I will have them do is draw a happy face, frown face, or face with a squiggly line on their paper and I'll walk around to see their understanding that way.  Everyone likes to draw faces (I see some great artwork this way) and they don't have to worry about what others think.

Minds on Mathematics - Chapter 6 (Opening)

Now we're getting into the meat of things…!  I thought this was a great chapter.  I know that most of us probably start with some sort of warm-up activity.  I know I do.  What got me in this chapter was on how to structure the warm-up.  We've used Math Minutes previously and this year I've decided to write my own.  I wanted to have half of my questions be strictly review of material learned throughout the year, and half of my questions be a recap of what was learned during the previous class.  It looks something like this:

So, I was really into this (and have created my first 10)… until now.  After reading this chapter, I may have to rethink this a bit.  Or at least rethink the next 10 :).  I don't really have any open ended questions (except maybe #5) and I liked the reference to using those during warm-up time in chapter.  Since I have 111 minutes during my class period, I have some flexibility with the length of the warm-ups and have found that 10 questions is a good length.  Possibly I could keep the 5 Review questions and then have the Recap question be something more open ended (maybe not called Recap?).  Hmmmmmm……………..

I liked the Accountability Structure Hoffer suggests on page 96.  It is important to have a way to ensure that students are participating in the warm-up activity, especially if it's not going to be graded.  I liked the "Give One - Get One" strategy - I haven't heard of that before.

I also liked the short synopsis of homework at the beginning of class.  I too grade very little homework and find that it helps keep up with paperwork.  However, this means there have to be plenty of other graded assignments, simply for parents to see how their kids are doing.  I tend to go for the Weekly Quiz, using the homework as a basis for it.  This takes a little shuffling since we are on the block schedule, and turns into more of a quiz every other week, so that I've seen the students around 5 times.

Good, working chapter.  Excited to keep going!

Minds on Mathematics - Chapter 5 (Discourse)

This is a key chapter in the text, because without constructive and meaningful discourse among students, a math workshop will not be successful.  My favorite quote in this chapter is, "When students are engaged as learners, sharing, discussing, and evaluating one another's thinking in a mutually supportive (emphasis mine) setting, they are constructing their own understanding of the concepts at hand".  I love this… It's difficult to do, but if you can, the math that will be happening in the classroom will be wonderful!

Hoffer contends that discourse:

1. Engages learners - students want to talk to each other.  Working together gets them excited.
2. Promotes understanding - it helps students explain their reasoning and talk over ideas.
3. Develop communication and collaboration skills - they need to know how to work together.
4. Supports academic language development - students need to know, understand, and use the vocabulary.

In order to promote discourse there needs to be an atmosphere of respect in the classroom.  Students need to feel welcome to share ideas or questions.  I really liked the prompts that are listed on pg. 76 - 77 and I plan to post them in my room.

This chapter holds a wealth of information on discourse, all of which I really enjoyed.  I'll have to read it again and figure out what I missed the first time, but all the ideas are easily implemented and worthwhile.

Minds on Mathematics: Chapter 4 (Community)

I enjoyed this chapter because it reinforces what I found last spring when I field tested a learner-centered classroom - student like working together!  When I had the students fill out their post-survey on this type of classroom, the two most frequent comments they wrote were, "I like being able to work at my own pace" and "I like that we could work with others".  I found that I had more "math" going on in my classroom using this method than in the traditional teaching style.

I agree with the book, though, you have to set your expectations and let students know when they are not performing the way you desire.  They should be talking math, not about their weekends (although, that will happen, it just shouldn't be the focus for the majority of the time).  I like the discussion on page 52-53 about "norms" and having the students help develop what will essentially be the classroom rules.

I like that the author really broke down how to run a collaborative classroom.  It's not easy and you have to be willing to give up some control.  Your classroom will not be quiet, either, but students will be engaged.  This was very difficult for my type-A personality, but I ended this class each day so pleased with my students' work, so it was worth it.  

She talks about accountability - not having one student hold the group together - by using individual preparation, entry and exit tickets, peer observations, and warm calling.  I added on to this by having each group member give their other group members a grade that I would also take into consideration.  I gave a each individual a separate "group" grade at the end of the unit based on my observations and the secret grade of their peers.  Students could give a 3 (my group member worked hard for a majority of the unit and participated with the group), 2 (my group member mostly worked with us, but didn't always participate with the group), 1 (my group member worked with us sometimes and didn't really participate), or 0 (my group member didn't work with us at all).  I think this really helped those students who don't like group work because they feel like they always carry the group, feel better because they had a little control.

Great chapter!

Mathematical Practices

So I'm now officially more than half-way through getting my second master's degree.  My first degree is from the University of Oklahoma, officially titled "Master of Education in Educational Instructional Psychology and Technology" - a long title for teaching with technology with some extra thought about the human mind and how we think.  Although I was glad to get the degree at the time, I've found that much of the technology is now outdated.  Since I took 12 years off from teaching to have my kiddos, I thought that it was time to learn about current educational theory.

Shameless plug…
I researched for quite a long time because I wasn't interested in going back to school for a master's of pure math.  Basically (being totally honest here) because I've been teaching just algebra for so long, I was afraid I wouldn't remember anything at a higher level.  On a complete fluke, I came across mention (In a discussion thread, buried way down somewhere) about a program at Montana State University.  I did some research and calling around and found that this program offers a Master's of Science in Mathematics for Math Educators!  I've been in now for a year and a half and I think it is fantastic.  It is mostly online with a small requirement for three weeks during one or two summers at the campus (which is in a beautiful location in Bozeman, MT, not too far from Yellowstone NP).  If you're looking to further your education, this is a GREAT program!

Ok… back to Mathematcial Practices.  This class I took this summer was all about teaching around the new Common Core standards and the Mathematical Practices.  I'll tell you what, I understand them so much more and will definitely have to look at my units and see if I'm covering everything.  I was back in my classroom a little this week and was thinking that I wanted to post something about the practices so my students are familiar with them.  As I was browsing online I came across these:

Oh my…. they are AWESOME!  The practices are listed and broken down easily for the students to understand.  Now I take absolutely no credit for these, but they were easily available by just doing a search for "math practices" and then clicking on images.  Search around and you'll be able to find several PDFs already created for you.  I can't wait to post them on my bulletin board!

Minds on Mathematics: Chapter 3 (Tasks)

So I'm back from a fantabulous trip to Alaska and am feeling quite refreshed!  The bad thing about coming back from vacation is you have no excuse to not think about work-related things.  That being said… time to catch up on the Minds on Mathematics book study!!

My favorite line in this chapter is, "Struggle is central to growth; when we wrestle to make sense, our hard-won comprehension will not easily be lost or forgotten."  This is SO true and is something I struggle with daily in my classrooms.  It is easy, as a teacher, to stand up and lecture, especially when we "get it".  Why don't they all get it??  We think we have great ways to present things, we give meaningful examples, and we ask students to practice.  Yet many of them still leave our classrooms wondering what they've learned.  I liked this chapter because it addresses this issue that I think many of us want to deal with but may not know how.

(Note: Hoffer mentions Understanding by Design (1998) by Wiggins and McTighe.  I've read this and used it in a graduate class and it has become my main resource for backwards planning.  It's an easy read and a great book to have in your own teaching library.  I highly recommend taking a look.)

Hoffer discusses our need as a teacher to cover all of the material, which I can certainly relate to.  I do feel pressure from the direction of the state tests to get everything completed before March, simply so my students have seen everything.  However, I'd really like to work deeper rather than give a one-day overview.  I think that to do this, we need to get away from students getting it "right" to students working through longer and more complicated tasks - "higher cognitive demand"!

I think there will end up being a lot of front-loading with developing these types of tasks, but it will be worth it.  I appreciate all of the graphics the author includes with examples of questions and different cognitive levels.  Now I guess I'll need to get back to work… vacation is over!

Whale watching was awesome!

Holding a 29-day old sled dog at the Seavey's - this year's Iditarod winner. 

"Booty Bear" - gave us a great show in Denali National Park.

July Currently & What I've Learned....

I'm linking up with Farley for the July Currently!  I've learned a ton of stuff in the month since I started blogging. 

• Pictures are a must!  I'll try to upload at least one with each post.  Otherwise pinning to Pinterest isn't very exciting.
• A "linky" party... where you link to other websites and follow their instructions to participate along with others to answer questions etc.  (Had to learn how to do this through a lot of trial and error - sorry to anyone I may have bothered while trying this on my own!)
• I need to learn HTML....
• You should post to other blogs to get yourself out there.  People aren't just going to "happen" across your blog.  Be LOUD! :)

Thanks to those of you who've stopped by and read some.  I'd love to hear from you with your comments and suggestions to make Mission: Math better!



LISTENING - I'm at an IB Conference in Keystone, CO right now and it's awesome.  Don't you get so excited and motivated when you go to something like this (like the NCTM this year in Denver - fantastic!!)?  I've just started and hope to learn how to effectively implement IB and the Common Core together.
LOVING - These mountains are beautiful.  It makes me want to go check on our trailer that's been sitting in storage since we moved to CO.  I wonder how many rodents have made my trailer their home...
THINKING - Alaska is quickly approaching!  I'm so excited for this family vacation and to see a place I've never been to.  We're cruising up and then spending an extra week.  No math allowed!
WANTING - I need more summer.  Four weeks have gone by so quickly and by the time I get back from vacation I'll only have about two weeks before I have to go back.  I'm not ready!
NEEDING - I want to create a craft supply box for each table grouping in my classroom.  I tried taking a Blue Moon box (my husband was really happy) and covering it with duct tape, but I don't know if I like the way it looks.  I've see painted and glued cans as well, but I don't know...  No need to break the bank here! 

Happy July everyone!

Minds-On Mathematics - Book Study

Today I'm linking up with Sherrie at Middle School Math Rules! for a book study on "Minds-On Mathematics" by Wendy Ward Hoffer.

 

This week we're in chapter 1, which is an overview of the "math workshop", which, as the title states, is used "to develop deep understanding in grades 4 - 8".

Questions for this chapter:
1.  What were your biggest ah-ha moments from this chapter?
2.  What components of math workshop are already present in your classroom?
3.  What are your next steps for planning for math workshop in the coming year?

What were your biggest ah-ha moments from this chapter?
Since I already use a version of this (learner-centered classroom), I don't think I had a huge ah-ha moment.  I liked learning about the history and purpose of math workshop, especially the thoughts of Vygotsky and his theory of proximal development, which really states that working in groups is great for kids (p.2).  I also liked that Hoffer linked the need for math workshop to the Common Core Standards.  As stated, math workshop allows students to "experience focus... congruence... and rigor" (p.2).  I loved the belief that students are capable of brilliance!

What components of math workshop are already present in your classroom?
The format of my classroom is very similar - warm-up; mini-lesson; reflection; and a huge chunk of work time.  I usually do my mini-lesson during the middle of our 111-minute block as a way to break up some of the time.  I thought it was interesting in the sample lesson in the book how the teacher modeled by using "think-aloud" and then had the students pair up and discuss what they saw.  There was a lot of think-pair-share going on and that type of discourse is something I'd like to work on. 
The biggest difference in the book model and what I do is the type of problems given during the work time.  I completely understand the ideas in the book, but I wonder if there is a balance between working multiple problems and working the challenging tasks.  I hope that is addressed in a later chapter.

What are your next steps for planning for math workshop in the coming year?
My next steps are to continue planning for a math workshop type classroom (I only field-tested this type of model for one unit in one class last year).  There is a lot of front loading and I think that assessments need to be completed first.  You cannot be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of planner.  I believe this takes much forethought and planning to implement it properly.  I'm up for the challenge... are you?

Currently… June!

I'm so enjoying the time I take to sit down and write all of this and I appreciate those of you who've stopped by to take a look!  I've jumped on the bandwagon to post a "Currently" for the month, just to give you an idea where my head is at (or really it's just what I'm thinking of for one particular moment, but we'll pretend otherwise…).  Many thanks to Sherrie at Middle School Math Rules! for her help showing me how to do this!

I'm truly enjoying summer.  I probably spent too much time the first two weeks off doing school work and spring summer cleaning, but my sister is here now with her two girls and they and my littlest are really enjoying some play time.  Not to mention that it's her birthday WEEK so we've had meals out, pedicures, spa treatments, etc.  We're feeling extra fortunate as well since we just missed the fires and tornados that happened here last week.  Now it's on to fun, sun, and vacation!

I have about ten days left with my sis and nieces and the two big kids come home from camp, so we're going to try to get in some water time, mini-golf, and hit some local attractions.  I promise to take at least one day for myself and not think about cleaning or curriculum!  After that, I'll be attending IB training for a few days, then off to ALASKA!!!!  I won't be able to have my phone or iPad on during that time (those stinkin' roaming charges), so I know it will be great.  Camera is primed and ready...

Setting up Interactive Math Notebooks (INB, MSG)

At the Annual NCTM conference in Denver I was inspired by a booth and presentation on foldables. I am in love with them!!!  I'm not such the creative type myself, so I purchased two books full of templates ready to go.  Then, I found myself overwhelmingly inspired by all of the photos and information on Pinterest as well!  I've even gotten to the point that I had to get out of my "School" album and create and album for foldables and INBs all on its own!

So, now that I have all these resources, I decided that I actually needed to sit down and do something with them.  I've been toying with the idea of interactive notebooks for the last semester or so.  Our science team uses them and I think they have the potential to be totally cool and useful.  There are so many fantastic ideas and as much as I'd love to fit every single one of them into the notebook, I don't think that's possible!  So, here are the things I decided I wanted to do: (oh, and I'm going to call them Math Survival Guides, or MSGs)

Inside Cover & First Page:
I have two web sites the kiddos need to keep track of and I cannot tell you how many times someone would come up to me and tell me they forgot their logon information.  I decided they could glue a little strip to write that information on to the inside cover so that it is always available to them.  I'm sure I'll still get asked… but maybe a little less.  I also took one of the manilla pockets that divided the notebook into 3 sections and cut it up and glued it to the inside cover as a pocket.  I felt like this will give them a sturdy place to put items that need to be glued or flash cards.  The right side is the cover page, and I'm hoping the students will be a little more creative than I have been :).

Inside Cover w/ pocket and Cover Page

Table of Contents:

I'm still working on this page.  I am going to have them color code each unit, so you can see that Unit 1 (Geometry) is going to be green.  I'll give all the students one paperclip to hold the five pages they'll need for the TOC together so they don't have to flip through them every time they open the MSG.  I'm also going to have them include the date for each page, but I don't want to do that here since I'm hoping to use this for multiple years.  On the left I'm still thinking about what to put… rubric, standards (this is what I'm leaning towards), rules, etc.

TOC - still working on left side

The next four pages are for "reminders" of geometry formulas.  By 8th grade (according to Common Core) they should have already learned everything except for the Volume formulas, so these are basically a place for them to refer to as needed.  Notice that under each flap I've used pencil. I think color is great, and for their titles, drawings, etc I'd like them to be as creative as possible.  However, when they are doing actual math manipulation, I think it is important that they use pencil even in their notebooks.

Reminder formulas

More reminder formulas

The next four pages are the start of the real "meat" of the first unit.  We are going to start with transformations.  After looking at many, many examples, I decided that foldables and drawings will be on the left side and and response items will be on the right.  This is basically because I really dislike writing on the left side of a notebook because the spiral gets in my way the closer I get to the end of the page!  Just personal preference.  My first foldable I appropriated from tothesquareinch and I think it's fantastic!  I don't have a school budget for colored paper (*sigh*), so I added color to the actual figures instead.

Transformations #1

You'll notice my right side.  I've decided to complete one page a day on the right (remember, we have 111-minute blocks, so plenty of time).  The top (Write) part is where I may have the students put vocabulary for the day, work out a problem, jot down an important note, etc…  The middle part (Reflect) I will have them do during the middle of our class during "mini-lesson" time.  The bottom part will be completed at the end of class (sort of like an exit slip), but I won't always collect them (ohhhh, I have so much more to write about this - but another day).

Transformations graphic organizer

I'm still working on this page (transformations day #2), but I liked this graphic organizer from the Alden Schools.  I've written "What are the properties of transformations?" on the outside flap.  

I'm hoping that now that I've started this that things will move a little faster.  This is probably close to about 3 hours worth of work, but I had to make a lot of decisions about placement and other things (this is my type-A coming out here).  Let me know your thoughts and what some of your ideas for interactive notebooks are!

Creating Effective Warm-Ups

I'll confess… I love warm-ups.  They are my sanity keeper.  They give me just a moment of peace at the beginning of class to get my head back into place after the chaos (organized chaos, of course) of the last period.  They allow me just a minute or two of silence where, in my mind, I can just sit back and close my eyes and relax.  In reality, peaceful though it may be, this is my time to take attendance, address small issues, and make sure I'm ready to begin another 111-minute class period.

I like the structure that having a warm-up allows as well.  My students know that when they come into the room, that they go straight to the shelf near the door and the warm-up will be sitting there.  I just love if there is a day that I've forgotten to put the warm-up out changed routine and a student comes up to me and says, "Where's our warm-up?".  It just makes me smile…

In the past we've used Math Minutes or MathMate's as part of our warm-ups.  Since I'm in the process of integrating both 8th grade Common Core standards as well as Algebra 1 or Geometry into the same year (see my previous post about this craziness), I'm worried that the pace we'll have to work at will not allow for as much processing time as I'd like for each topic.  Depth of knowledge is also a concern, but that's for another post.  This summer I'm working with the other two 8th grade math teachers and we are going to come up with our own warm-ups that will both review previous topics as well as look at what was learned in the last class session.  I'm in charge of the first 10 and have gotten a jump on them. I think I'm going to call them "Recap & Reviews" since the first 5 questions will be related to things that they students learned in the past and the second 5 questions will be related to the homework topic.  (With 111-minute class periods a 10-question warm-up is quite doable.)

Here's a sample of my RR for the second day of learning.  The first 5 questions come from 7th grade standards since we won't have been in 8th grade for more than a week yet, and the second 5 questions are covering translations and reflections from the prior class.

I'm hoping, that by including the Review section, we will be able to continually remind students of things they learned during the year instead of trying to have them remember just before state testing time.  I'll keep you posted on my thoughts...

Implementing Common Core

Colorado is a Common Core state and this year we are officially past the transition period.  I like the idea of Common Core and think there is a lot of value in it.  Here's my dilemma: our school district has an initiative that all 8th graders will finish middle school having completed Algebra 1.  So, instead of teaching 8th grade math, I teach both Algebra 1 and Geometry.  However, since we have not yet transitioned to the PARCC assessments (correct me here, but I think with PARCC the students can test on the actual class they are taking??), I have to pack in both 8th grade Common Core standards as well as either Algebra 1 or Geometry standards into one year.

This isn't so difficult with Geometry since these kids are advanced and I can cover most of the 8th grade standards within warm-ups.  It's a lot tougher with those kids in Algebra 1 since, for many of them, this is their primary introduction into algebra.  Although I've been able to create a scope and sequence for the year, I'm worried about depth of knowledge.  I guess I'll be doing a lot of progress monitoring this year and have to reevaluate at the end of the year once more.

Here's what I've come up with:
Unit 1 - Transformations, Triangle Properties, Parallel Line Properties
Unit 2 - Number System (focusing on irrational numbers), Radicals, Pythagorean Theorem, Distance Formula, and Exponents
Unit 3 - Solving Equations
Unit 4 - Functions
Unit 5 - Graphing Linear Functions
Unit 6 - Systems of Equations
Unit 7 - Polynomials
Unit 8 - Quadratics (the algebra part - we moved the graphing part to the beginning of Geometry for time)

Units 1 - 4 are first semester and Units 5 - 8 are second semester.  I have about 35 blocks each semester per class to work with.  My goal is to continually use the items in Unit 1 within the other units if possible (for example, bring back transformations with graphing to work on slopes and equations of the line).  I don't want to teach something in August and not have them see it again until state testing in March!

What types of issues are you encountering with the implementation of Common Core?  What has been successful?

Mission: Math

I've come to the conclusion that if I want something to happen, then I just have to write it down.   Right?? I've been reading blog after blog this year, pinning items to my Pinterest account, bookmarked url's on my laptop, and have so many ideas spinning around in my head that I almost don't know where to start.  I'm hoping that this blog will give me some focus and, in the process, allow you to see my train of thought, inspire you to implement some of these ideas, and share some of your own creations.  Here's to hoping…

I currently teach 8th grade math, although really it's not 8th grade math, it's Algebra 1 and Geometry (2 of each class).  My school is on the block schedule and I have a crazy 111 minutes each block to motivate the kids to do math.  That might seem like a lot to those of you with traditional schedules, but I'm always amazed at how quickly the time goes.  I also have a daily 40-minute class ("Bridges") populated with about 25 students who need a little extra help (push?) with mathematics.

You should see the list I have going on my laptop of things I want to implement this year.  It's crazy long and I'm going to have to weed through it soon.  I know that summer is going to fly by way too fast…

My Top 3 Goals for 2013 - 2014

• Implement Interactive Notebooks with foldables (I'm going to call them MSGs - "Math Survival Guide" - sorry for any confusion to those of you military affiliated :))
• Create a "learner-centered" classroom.  I field tested this last year with good results and now want to use it with all classes.  This will be a lot of front-loading and revising this year.
• Incorporate more IB (yes, I'm at an IB school too) daily.

Sooooo…. I think you'll see that I'm a bit of a rambler as I like to think as I type.  I'll stop here for now and post again later with some more summer thoughts, but I hope that you'll enjoy following on my journey!