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...

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 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.

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?