Guided Math Book Study Chapter 1

I began my blog this past school year with the purpose of keeping parents informed of class events. I am a little disappointed in myself for not posting more frequently. So, my goal for next school year is to post every week!

This school year has come to an end and my blog will go untouched for the next few months...NOT!! 

During my stalking of blogs I came across a book study hosted by Primary Inspired. It started June 8th, better late than never, and each chapter will be discussed by other teacher bloggers. In preperation of my new goal for next year, I will be participating and not allowing my blog to go untouched during the summer. :)

  

Here are my thoughts...

Guided Math is a framework of 7 instructional components.

1. A Classroom Environment of Numeracy - Children think that if they don't understand Math they never will. By creating an environment that supports numeracy, they will see how problem solving and numbers affect their everyday lives and become more meaningful. 
2. Morning Math Warm-ups - Questions or mathematical tasks are completed by students the minute they are at their desks. I currently use Mountain Math as my warm-up. I won't find out until Chapter 3 what this entails in Guided Math. Hopefully it will be similar to Mountain Math because it will have to blow me away for me to eliminate using Mountain Math. There are so many skills to be learned in Math and it can be difficult to review in January what was learned the previous 4 months. I am so hooked on my warm-up because every week the students quickly review key concepts. They are also introduced to concepts that may not be learned for 2 months, but when the time comes they are already familiar because of the weekly review.
3. Whole-Class Instruction - In January, I began the Daily 5 in Math. I cannot wait until they come out with a book on that model!!! Anyway, my whole-class instruction has been in the form of mini-lessons. I'm interested to learn if I am using this method effectively.
4. Guided Math Instruction with Small Groups of Students - Who doesn't love working with small groups??? This is my favorite part of the day. I get to differentiate my instruction, provide immediate, corrective feedback, and really get to know my students. I am curious as to how other educators group their students. The book briefly discusses grouping by ability. My groups have always been heterogeneous. I like the idea of having a student with a greater understanding of math in a group with someone who may not. I fear homogeneous grouping for the simple fact of how can they help each other if no one understands? I would greatly appreciate feedback from other teachers on my dilemma :) Again, another chapter that I can't wait to dive into.
5. Math Workshop - Great suggestions are made in the book for use in math workshops: math-center activities, math games, Math journal writing, problem of the week. My workshops consist of Math Reading and Writing, Math with Technology, Partner Math, Math by Myself, and Math with IWB. 
6. Individual Conferences - Excited that this chapter will provide a structure for conferencing and methods for recording anecdotal notes!
7. An Ongoing System of Assessment - "In mathematics instruction, a student's level of proficiency can vary drastically from concept to concept." Oh, how so very true! Some students catch on quickly and I don't want to waste valuable time teaching what they already know. On the other hand, I don't want to teach at such a fast pace that the ones struggling are left behind. A balanced system of assessment will give a better picture of each student's understanding. 

I have a great deal of information that I am about to learn. I CAN'T WAIT!! Very thankful that I ran across this book study. If I hadn't, I would be skipping around the book and missed out on useful information. More importantly, I would have missed out on valuable insights from other educators.

Math By Myself

Another center in Daily 5 Math is Math by myself. And it is just as the name suggests...the students work on math independently.  Some students rolled dice to make a fraction and placed that fraction on a number line. Or, they illustrated Fraction Avenue by coloring houses or drawing dogs/trees according to the fraction on the direction sheet.

Other activities that the students chose to complete were to match fractions in word form, parts in a set, and number form or.....

 

 FRACTIONPILLAR!!! This was the favorite activity of the week. The students created a caterpillar and wrote fraction sentences representing the fraction of each color used in the body.

 

Math with Interactive White Board

I create a new game every week based on what the students will be learning. This game is played by the students when they visit the interactive white board center.

I absolutely love watching the students work at this center! The game is set up as a game board and each student takes a turn answering questions. If a student answers a question incorrectly or is struggling with an answer, the other group members jump in and reteach. 

Math Reading and Writing

One center in our Math Daily 5 is reading and writing. One choice at this center is to read a book and complete an activity. During last week's unit on fractions, Hershey's Milk Chocolate Fraction Book, Give Me Half, and Go! Fractions were some titles available to read.

The students can also choose to write about fractions. A weekly multiplication sentence is provided in which the students write the relating fact family, draw a picture representing the fact, and create a word problem. Other activities include using problem-solving skills to solve a riddle and solving word problems. The most popular activity at this center is the iPods. Students watched lessons on fractions and completed problems during the lesson.

Stay Tuned...

Our daily math routine has changed...and we couldn't be happier! Last week, Ms. DiFulco and I began Math Daily 5. Math Daily 5 is a curriculum framework developed by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.

We begin with a 15 minute mini-lesson on a new skill. The students then break into groups and visit one of the 5 centers. The centers include:

Math by Myself: Practice skill using manipluatives or paper
Partner Math: Practice skill with a partner using a game
Math Reading/ Writing: Practice skill through the use of content-based literature and responding through writing
Math Technology: Practice skill using various games or tutorials found on my blog
Math with IWB: Practice skill using game on Promethean board

While the students are actively engaged in their activity, we individually check student's understanding by going over homework. This is working beautifully because we can quickly identify those students that are having difficulty with the skill and reteach. Centers last 30 minutes and we are hoping to include another rotation once the students have built stamina.

After centers, we come back together and students answer 3 to 5 short questions. The questions are used to further gauge understanding. That day's lesson is then reviewed.

So, stay tuned because pictures will be posted soon!