Word Problems

This week on the blog, I want to take a look at instructional strategies for teaching students to understand and solve word problems.   

I ran across this infographic and knew I was on the right track! 

I too was a firm believer in tricks.  Simple quick techniques I could teach my students to get the right answer.  That is what is important right?

The tricky part of solving word problems is truly digging deeper and understanding the relationship between the numbers and actions in the problem.  
Such tricks like CUBES or CUBS will produce the right answers sometimes.  Keywords will produce the correct response sometimes but what happens when students get to a problem that does not respond to the "tricks?"  

How do we do this?  How do we get students to problem-solve without tricks?

Numberless Word Problems: It stops those number grabbers in their tracks!  They help students begin to generalize and plan a strategy. 

Number Routines: Number Talks where students have the opportunity to interact with non-routine kinds of problems to help them develop problem-solving routines.  

Think Alouds: Just like in reading, model your thinking as you solve a problem.  

Vocabulary IN CONTEXT:  Meaning not teaching keywords as a strategy but teaching them to show how they relate to the content within a word problem.  Students need to understand that the math term SUM is the result of addition but just because they see it in a word problem doesn't mean they should add all the numbers together.   

Students need to make sense of what is happening in the problem before they can develop a plan for how they will solve it.  

Take a moment and read about The Stop Sign Strategy from I Heart Recess.  What are your thoughts? 

Guided Math

This week on the blog, I want to focus on a component of math workshop.  Guided Math!

What is Guided Math? 

Guided math is very similar to our guided reading structure.  Students work in leveled groups that allow the teacher to target students' needs and scaffold learning.  During your guided math lessons you will be able to reteach, reinforce, and expand on concepts, strategies, and skills.  

Check out this video!

Guided math is a way for you to reach students at their levels.  Your mini-lesson will be on grade level material/standards.  Students may even work on grade-level material as seatwork to practice a skill.  During your math center rotations, you will be pulling your guided math groups based on their level.  

What does Guided Math look like in a classroom?
The Owl Teacher has a great infographic of what guided math looks like in a classroom running math workshop.  
Warm-Up: Number Talk
Mini-Lesson:Focus on the standard from pacing guides. 
Active Engagement: This is the independent PRACTICE time with the new skill/concept.  
Guided Math: Students rotate through DIFFERENTIATED centers and teachers pull small leveled math groups. 
Closing:Time to share success, assign homework, discuss any difficulties.  

I LOVE this progression of addition and subtraction video from Graham Fletcher!  It is awesome for pinpointing where students need support.  Or if they have mastered a skill, what are the next steps? Use this to help make your groups.  
Check out more progression videos by clicking his name above. 

I LOVE this tip from Thrifty in Third!  She color-codes her lessons according to her students' understanding.  At a simple glance, she can see which areas her students need support in. 

Be sure to head over to Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits and download this freebie on how to launch guided math!   It is filled with ideas and tips for arranging your classroom, manipulatives, rotation options and games. 

Grab these FREE math Posters too!  Perfect for your guided math area. 

Simply Skilled in 2nd grade has a fantastic file for you all about Guided Math and freebies for your center rotations!  

Clothesline Math

After spending time talking about launching math workshop last week, I thought it would be helpful to share a site that will provide you with some engaging hands-on math stations & number talks!  Here it is!   

Clothesline Math!

Clothesline Math is a simple way to get some number sense practice every day!  The number line is a manipulative resource for teachers to model new learning and for students to practice that new learning in centers.  Students will have benchmark numbers to organize on the clothesline.  Discussions will naturally begin in small groups.  

Read more about the procedures of Clothesline Math and grab a FREE accountability sheet by clicking below!

Daniel Kaufmann and Kris McCaffery have put together amazing math resources for teachers!  Be sure to check out the resource tab.  It is filled with FREE resources for you to use with your students!


Clothesline Math is broken up into grade levels.  Each grade level is broken up into skills with a Google link to follow for resources.  

Can you use a clothesline for things other than math? Check out Mrs. T's first grade unscramble sentences! 

Or this!!!! From Frugal Fun 4 Boys! 

I love this simple idea and I you all can find ways to spin it in lots of different directions.  Like making words or retelling a story!  

Math Workshop

We are heading into the 2nd part of the school year and we will be shifting our PD focus from reading workshop to math workshop.  You all have done an amazing job implementing READ and other workshop models in your classrooms.  Your students are benefiting so much from the STRONG literature focused mini-lessons, small group and center practice you are providing.  

I can't wait to see this same progression begin during our math blocks!

What is Math Workshop?
Math Workshop is a FRAMEwork that allows students to interact with new math concepts, practice strategies in a variety of ways, and respond to problem-solving both verbally and in written form. 

The components of math workshop are as follows:

• Open-ended problem solving
• Small-Group Instruction
• Student Choice
• Practice Time  

Check out this video from The Not So Wimpy Teacher on math workshop.  I love that she maps out how she uses her time.  She talks about differentiation, engagement & assessment and how they are important parts of the workshop model. 

There are 7 basic characteristics of math workshop.  As you begin to implement your workshop,  start small and begin adding these characteristics as you become more comfortable with how you want your math workshop to run.  

1. Students doing most of the math.
2. Students making choices
3. Students enthusiastically talking about their mathematical thinking and reasoning with each other. 
4. Teachers facilitating, clarifying, connecting, monitoring and collecting data as students solve problems. 
5. Students working collaboratively
6. Teachers allowing students to struggle with challenging mathematics. 
7. Teachers working with small groups and or individual students.  

(Characteristics from Math Workshop by Jennifer Lemp)

How do I begin Math Workshop in my classroom?
Beginning math workshop will take some planning.  The 3 important things that you will need to consider are your classroom arrangement, routines & procedures and your math community.  

• Classroom Arrangement-Where and how will you store your materials?  Where will students work? 
• Routines & Procedures-How will students know what they are responsible for during math workshop?  How will they know when to clean up?
• Math Community-How will students become comfortable talking and taking risks with math? How will students communicate their thinking?

Luckily we are running reading workshop so I have found that mimicking the same arrangement & routines/procedures that you use in reading will help your students hit the ground running. 

Check Out Core Inspiration's blogpost about Differentiated Workshop below.  I really like the acronym MATH for this workshop model.  It will allow you to meet in small groups to reinforce new material, engage in individual practice, accomplish our Istation time, and use manipulatives for hands-on math practice.  

Here are some FREEBIES to get you started!

 

I will be posting more about math workshop in the coming weeks.  Feel free to share some of your successes below!