The Science of Math

Happy end of the week everyone! I am going to warn you on this one.  This blog is going to jump around a bit.  Only because I got some really good news!!!  AND...I couldn't wait to share it.  So let's just agree that this will be a TO BE CONTINUED post.  (As I find out more, I will let you know!)

I had the opportunity to attend an in person PD from DPI on math this past Thursday.  It was so good to be back in a group setting and to be able to share with other educators.  

While there, we focused on the Understand, Diagnose, and Take Action model for unfinished learning. I know that we have spent a good bit of this year digging into data to then take action.  

I am looking forward to unpacking some of our math standards in the future with a focus on identifying the prerequisites needed to access grade level content.  

With the pandemic and the loss of instructional time our students have had, we all know it is super important to make sure that we look at unfinished learning but also keep in mind that all unfinished learning doesn't need to be treated the same.  Sometimes it just means giving students more time or need to put forth more effort.  

This post from Achieve the Core is fantastic and it really digs into the idea of unfinished learning.  Be sure to check it out! 

Okay now to the TO BE CONTINUED part...

Jemma got wind of this in her afternoon part of the training. (I only went to the morning.). So, I will be digging more into this for use next week.  

The Science of MATH!!!!!!  

Just like our components of The Science of Reading there are components of Math. 

Click to download! 

This video digs in! 

Stay tuned for more information about how we can use this information to support our math students! 

Number Talk Review

Hi Park View! Thank you for the amazing work you are doing in your classrooms.  It was so darn fun walking around with our Board of Ed and seeing the delight in their eyes as they entered our classrooms.  We loved being able to share all the awesome things that go on at PVES every day!  

This week on the blog, I wanted to revisit number talks.  I know Wendy, our math coach, has been working with a group of our teachers to build some new number talks for us.  We also have some new teachers that were not here when this what an initiative.  

As a refresher, we know that consistent Number Talks give students the confidence to manipulate numbers/math in a way that makes sense to them. That is why we have them present in every math slide show.  

You have to check out this article about number talks from Sherry D. Parrish!  I love that in the article it is stated that the heart of a number talk is conversation! 

If you are looking to get more conversations started during your number talks check out these discussion starters from Anna Brantley! 

I love these simple ideas for on the fly number talks! 

Here are some tips from Alisan's presentation:

She shared an AWESOME website that had tons of quick-ready to use number talks. It is called, Which One Doesn't Below.  Check it out below!

Don't forget this GREAT Resource that was shared in PLC! 

I also found these FREE printable posters to add to your number talks from Primary Bliss!  I love the "I would like to defend my answer"poster-HELLO PEAK!

The Routty Math Teacher also has a great FREE file on getting started with number talks.  

A NUMBER Talk in K:

A NUMBER TALK in 1st Grade:

A NUMBER TALK in 2nd Grade:

A NUMBER TALK in 3rd Grade: 

This video really stresses the importance of number talks.  It digs into how number talks level the playing field for students who think differently about math. Allowing students to have the opportunity to use trial and error is essential in building confidence in math.

So in just 15 minutes a day, you can start improving your students' feelings about math and increase their number sense while also providing a safe place to share and learn. 

Happy Planning!

Amping up Novel Studies

Hi All!  So excited to hear that our Data Wall in PLC on Tuesday went so well!  Thank you to our amazing Title team for pulling it all together for us.  

I was going through our Istation Rate of Improvement and I noticed our Level 4s and 5s are needing a bit of a push.  I started thinking about novel studies.  I know many of you are using them during your enrichment time and I wanted to provide you with some ideas on how we can amp up the engagement and get our kiddos digging deeper into the books. 

I know that comprehension and vocabulary are super important during a novel but I challenge you to make those activities more rigorous. Move beyond just written response to questions.  

Debates are one of my favorite learning strategies! Using this strategy keeps students actively engaged and taps into critical thinking skills, oral communication skills and empathy! 

LOVE this video to help introduce this concept to students! 

Can you imagine having your students debate over a character's decision in a chapter?  Or a solution to a problem that happens in the story?

Even introducing the NOVEL can be engaging!  This post has some fun ways to take it beyond reading the title! 

I love to provide students with a reading notebook and sticky notes to record their thinking on.  Setting a purpose for reading is super important and taking time to discuss their responses will allow them to hear everyone's point of view! 

Digging into vocabulary is super important too!  Work to go beyond looking up definitions.  This vocabulary sort is a great way to get your students thinking!

AND this post is filled with ideas to help make the most out of your novel study from the beginning to the end! 

Some of my favorites are:

• Conversation with Main Character
• Plot Sort
• Sets and Props
• A Good Yarn!

Providing a culminating activity is a great idea to bring it all together at the end.  Give them time to practice those speaking and listening skills too by allowing them to present their work!

This can be as simple as a chapter snapshot where students are provided a sheet of blank paper.  They are asked to record what happened in a chapter using only pictures! I love using these in a Gallery Walk and allowing students to jot down what is happening in the pictures. 

Here are some FREE resources to get you started!

 

 

Spring Break

Friends...I have a huge smile on my face as I type this!  We made it!  SPRING Break!  I hope you all have some wonderful things planned with family and Friends.  I will be heading to FL.  Stay tuned to my FB for pictures!!!!  I can't wait! 

I know you all already know what you need to relax but sometimes it is fun to find some new ideas!  Just thought I would share some below.  And NONE of the things below are about school! 

I picked a few from this blogpost above to try out!

Wild Flowers is one of them!  I have a flower bed that is empty and filling it with wild flowers sounds like a simple way to fill it!  

Check out this blog for 10 Easy to grow wild flowers! 

Warm Weather Recipes: I also LOVE to get to cooking when I am at home.  So before I leave for my trip I am going to be whipping up some of my favorites!

Dill Chicken Salad:

Greek Orzo Salad:

If you are looking for an inspirational read I LOVED this book called True Grit and Grace! I have it on Audiable.  If you haven't signed up before, I can send it to you for free! 

If you are a fan of yoga like I am...spring is the perfect time to get outside with your practice!  I have been taking classes at our local YMCA but when I can't get to a class...I grab one on YouTube! 

Heading out to a farmer's market is always a fun way to spend a day!  Here is a list of 10 of the Best Farmer's Markets in Mooresville! 

Or head to Wing Haven in Charlotte and try your hand at some Bird House Building! 

Most importantly, relax!  This has been a year and we all need to take some time to enjoy and slow down!  Whatever you decide to do over break I hope you have the very best time!  4th Q is going to go FAST!  

Tech Tool: Whiteboard.Fi

Happy Weekend everyone!  I know you all loved the little taste of spring weather we had this week.  One more week until spring break!!!! 

It has been a while since I shared a tech tool.  During my nightly TikTok time,  I came across this tool called ClassroomScreen.com.

This site is FREE and it is amazing!!  You can create an engaging screen that will help with management and soooo much more! 

With your screens you will have options like random name generators and a voice level monitor!!!! Perfect for center time and group work.  I love that you can add your class list or several lists and the site will save them for you. 

You can upload videos and Google Slideshows to your screen too!  There is even an interactive whiteboard! You can change the background of the whiteboard to lines or grid paper too!  This is an awesome way to have everything you need all in one place.  You can even use your webcam if we are in the need of virtual teaching again. 

Use the QR code generator to quickly generate a code for students to use when heading to a website. 

Also, look at this interactive traffic light!!!!  When the light is red there is no talking!!!!  I had a real traffic light in my classroom but this one works too! You can change the light colors and add the voice level widget to go off if it gets too loud! 

This poll feature would be awesome for our morning meeting check ins! As the students vote a bar graph is generated on screen.  There are some other math tools that can be utilized too like dice and clocks. 

These videos will walk you through all of the options that you have on this free site!  

Presenting Skills

Happy Friday ALL!  It is GATEWAY season and our 3rd grade is HARD at work preparing to present to our school and our community.  It got me thinking...presenting is a life skill that we can start developing with our kiddos.  Below I am going to share some resources to support this in your classroom.

One of the ways I made sure I was hitting my speaking and listening standards in my classroom was to have students present on Fridays during our morning meeting.  Each week a student was chosen and they prepared a presentation about themselves to share with the class.  These presentations allowed us to work on eye contact, communication skills and listening skills. 

Students were given a presentation form and were encouraged to be creative. We used a rubric to help score our presentations and set goals for what we needed to focus on in the future.  

This simple system fit easily into the share part of our morning meeting routine.  

(Keep in mind, I did this with my first and 2nd grade classrooms.) 

You could also take this to the next level and have students report on stories they have written like an Author's Chair or have them research and present their findings. 

JOKES!!!!!  Who doesn't LOVE a good joke!  

This is life skill that is going to help them in their future and starting early can really set our kiddos up for success. 

Training your audience is also important.  Students need to learn to be active listeners.  How to give feed back and also get it.  This skill supports language comprehension!!!!!

This blogpost has some great ideas for getting started with presenting.  I can see our kiddos loving the Would I Lie to you activity.  I also loved using debates in the classroom! 

These videos would be awesome to use with your students!!!!  Great advice from a student's prospective. 

The CHOP is hilarious!   Please watch these!!!!!!

Share this TedTalk with your class.  This little guy is amazing! 

And the BEST part??????  It is directly related to The Science of Reading!  We NEED language comprehension to move to reading comprehension.  Hop over to this blog to learn more! 

Braining Camp Update

This week in Third Grade, Jemma visited and shared a training for our teachers about our up and coming cluster. One of the resources she shared with us is  Braining Camp. I know we have talked about it before and many of you are using this in your classrooms but I think it is worth revisiting.  

Check out a quick overview of this resource Braining Camp below!

• No need to login at all! It is in our Classlink!
• Teachers can use them on their smartboards!
• Students can login on their devices! 

Here is a quick tutorial to get you started! I love that there are different mats for you to use with each tool. 

Check out the tutorial pages by clicking the image below! (They do take a bit to load.) Each tool has a tutorial that goes along with it.  If you are struggling with SmartINK...you can use the pens to mark up your math lessons! 

You can create links and codes to share out with your students!!!!  (Great for word problems!) Just click where it says share on the sidebar of the tool!   You also can click the lightbulb to get ideas to use in your lessons!   

Here is a video that shows you all the share options! 

Finally, there are webinars listed to help support you with the apps and building lessons for your students!

Braining Camp is sprinkled throughout our curriculum guides.  So, if you are looking for something our guides would be a great place to start.