Guided Math in Action Book Study: Chapters 1 and 2

Today I am linking up with Courtney and Sarah at their new blog, Adventures in Guided Math. for the book study for Guided Math in Action by Dr. Nicki Newton. Today’s focus is chapters 1 and 2. For a great summary of both chapters, head over to Adventures in Guided Math.

Below you will find my answers to the discussion questions for Chapters 1 and 2.  If you would like to join in the discussion, you can comment below or link up with your own blog post. 

Question 1: After rereading “Stretching Your Own Pedagogy,” it made me reflect on my math instruction.  When I first began teaching, math was a difficult subject for me to teach because it always came easily to me.  My number sense is strong, and I wasn’t sure how to help those students who just didn’t get it the way I was teaching.  I did a lot of reading and research to find multiple ways to teach a concept.  These multiple methods along with my love of math allowed me to become a better math teacher.  “Stretching Your Own Pedagogy” also made me think of how I taught math this past year.  I am a firm believer in guided math groups versus solely whole group instruction, but I was discouraged from using guided math this past year.  As a new teacher to the school, I did not want to make waves, so I used guided math very infrequently.  I did notice that my students were much more engaged and positive about math when I incorporated guided math groups into my lessons.  I was able to differentiate my instruction for each group instead of teaching to the middle during a whole group lesson.  I am determined to use guided math as my main method of math instruction this year.  I know that I will need to thoroughly plan my lessons in order to defend my choice to the math coaches and administrators that may walk through my classroom. 

Question 2: Perseverance in math is such a crucial skill to teach students.  I appreciate that it is one of the Common Core Math Practices, so that we are all required to promote this skill in all grade levels.  It may sound backwards, but I promote perseverance by allowing my students to struggle and sometimes fail at a task the first time.  This is usually something that happens during Problem-Based Tasks (PBTs) that I give to my students at the beginning of a new unit.  When I first started using PBTs, it was challenging for me as a teacher to not give a lot of information in the beginning or tips along the way. However, after doing a couple, I now see the value in allowing students to struggle with a problem and possibly not come up with an answer.  I am teaching at a school that was strictly direct instruction before I moved to the school, so the students are used to being fed information.  This lack of struggle does not allow students to learn problem solving skills or perseverance. As a school, we are slowly moving away from direct instruction and the students are thriving.  My second graders knew that it was okay to not come up with an answer as long as they tried their best.  After giving my students some time to try and solve the PBT, the students shared their work and thinking.  After hearing new perspectives on the problem, they were allowed time to go back and make changes if necessary.  This showed my students that if you persevere and work together, you can succeed.   

I have always been a “math person,” so I think in numbers all day long.  I try to illustrate the idea that numbers are everywhere in my classroom.  Here are some of the ways that I create a numerate environment in my classroom:

-Math Meeting: During these 15 minutes my students and I review and preview math skills.  I use a lot of partner talk during Math Meeting to allow students a chance to talk about the problems and discuss ways to solve them.  Then I call on a student to answer the problem.  I do not just take a number as an answer though, my students have to describe how and why they solved the problem their way.  I will often ask the class to show their agreement or disagreement with the answer or method used.  If a student disagrees, I ask him or her to describe how he or she solved the problem.  I will also ask for another method to solve the same problem. Math Meeting is fast-paced since it is all verbal for the students, so it keeps their engagement high.

-Math Journals: I began to use math journals this year as a way to incorporate writing into math.  I have to admit that I didn’t use them consistently, but it is a focus for this next year. 

-Problem-Based Tasks: As I described above, I use PBTs as a way to introduce new topics and assess my students’ prior knowledge.  This is also a way to promote perseverance.

-Problem of the Day: Most mornings begin with a problem of the day.  My students are asked to pull out the important information, draw a picture, solve the problem, write an equation, and explain how they solved the problem.  We then debrief the problem as a whole class.

-Number of the Day: Other mornings begin with a number of the day.  My students are asked to write the number in word form and expanded form.  They are also drawing it in base ten blocks and proving if the number is even or odd.  I also have my students write the number as money and draw the coins and/or bills.  The final step is mentally adding and subtracting 1, 10, and 100 from the number.  We then debrief the number as a whole class. I love this activity because it reviews so many Common Core standards.  Plus I don't have to make copies of the activity.  I simply make one class set and place them in page protectors.  This allows us to reuse the page everyday with dry erase markers.   Head to my Facebook page to get your own free copy of the Number of the Day forms that I use. There are versions for two-digit and three-digit numbers.

     Don't forget to read the views of the other bloggers who are participating in the book study and contribute your own views about guided math.  Come back on Sunday to discuss Chapters 3&4.

An InLinkz Link-up

July 15th - Two For Tuesday

I was thrilled to find out that The Teaching Tribune would be continuing their Two for Tuesday Link Up. Thanks to the weekly linky this summer, I have been able to stock up on some great items for the new school year at 50% off.  I can never pass by a good sale.  This week, I have chosen two animal-themed products to mark down 50%.

A Day At the Zoo with Collective Nouns

These task cards focus on the second grade Common Core Language Standard L.2.1A: I can use collective nouns. Collective nouns can be a difficult concept for students because we don't use the collective nouns often in regular conversation. This matching game is a fun way for students to practice the skill all year. I have also included an assessment to test students' knowledge of collective nouns after sufficient practice with the matching game.

A Day At the Zoo Even or Odd

These task cards focus on the second grade Common Core Math Standard 2.OA.3: I can group objects to tell if a number is even or odd. “A Day at the Zoo – Even or Odd Task Card Sort,” is a task card sorting activity that can be used by a small group of students or individual students. I love task cards because they can be used for a practice activity, a game, or even an assessment. If you print the task cards on cardstock, they should last all year. Of course, you can laminate them to make them even more durable.

Now head to see all the other great products that are half off today!

July 14th - Monday Made It

I have been a traveling fool this summer, so it hasn’t left much time for crafting and creating.  I am finally linking up with Tara from Fourth Grade Frolics for Monday Made It. This week they are all non-school projects, but I hope to be back next week with some completed projects for my classroom. 

My first Monday Made It is a project I finished for our living room.  We felt like the wall above our T.V. was too bare, but didn’t want to make the area distracting with a piece of artwork. After seeing the clocks of different time zones in a newsroom, we decided to do something similar.  

Instead of just doing the major cities in certain time zones, we picked five cities that were important to us. 

Athens: My favorite city from my travels

Brooklyn: Where my husband was born

Oakland: Where we currently live (hence it being the center clock)

Waikiki: The city where my husband and I met four years ago

Tokyo: My husband’s favorite city from his travels

These clocks are the first thing that people see when they come in our front door, so it has been a great conversation starter. We lucked out and found the map-themed clocks at IKEA (they are not sold online, but you might luck out and find some in a store).  Then I just used my Cameo Silhouette to cut the letter out using a chalkboard vinyl to avoid the glare.

I was also busy this week helping my friend with a few last minute items for her wedding. I made tags for their welcome bags.  

It is so fun to make items for weddings that reflect the bride and groom’s personalities.  I did a lot of that for our own wedding as well to reflect our love of traveling and city skylines.

I'll be meeting up with some friends to do a little wine tasting later this month, and I decided to make each friend a little gift that's also useful.  With the help of my Silhouette, I was able to make a personalized wine sippy cup.  

I recently saw these same cups at the Dollar Tree, so I stocked up to be able to make more.  

I am currently working on a new Super Hero Super Improver Wall, so keep an eye out for it this next week. 

July 13th – Book Study Kick Off!

Happy Sunday! I have been anxiously awaiting the book study for Guided Math in Action by Courtney and Sarah at their new blog, Adventures in Guided Math.  

I actually read the book while on our plane ride to D.C. earlier this summer, but this book study will give me a great opportunity to go back and reflect on each chapter.  I am also looking forward to the conversations and ideas that will be shared by other teachers and teacher bloggers during this book study.  If you are new to guided math, this will be a great opportunity for you to find out the basics and especially what guided math actually looks like in a classroom.  I will be jumping head first into guided math this year.  I was new to my school last year and the principal wasn’t really on board, but I think I have convinced her that teaching only whole group math is only meeting the needs of one-third of the class. 

If you haven’t bought the book yet, you can download it right now on your Kindle or Kindle App. The book is $21.69 on Amazon for your Kindle or you can even rent it on your Kindle starting at just $8. If you prefer a hardcopy of the book, it is $33.20 on Amazon (get it in 2 days or less with Amazon Prime).

I will be back on Wednesday to join the book study on chapters 1 & 2.  

Worksheet Wednesday - Two Freebies

Worksheet Wednesday is here to help you gather some back to school resources for FREE! After you download my free activity below, make sure to check out all the link ups at The Teaching Tribune,

I chose to feature an activity that I always use during the first day of school…..M&M Icebreaker.  

I know that it is not technically a worksheet, but it is a fun back to school activity that your kiddos will love.  I always participate with them, so it’s a fun way to get to know your students and for them to get to know you.  All you need is a small bag or cup of M&Ms for each student and the sentence frames I provided.  This activity will get your students talking to each other in complete sentences and sharing more than just one fact about themselves. It is also a great lesson on sharing because the kiddos give an M&M to a classmate as they share their fact about themselves.  This can be used in just about any grade level, but you would have to differentiate for those students who aren’t reading yet.  I hope you enjoy this activity. 

Also, if you are interested in the hand signal posters I wrote about yesterday, the purple and teal version are currently a fan freebie on my Facebook page. I’d love if you started following me!

Two For and Tried It Tuesday

I’m back for another Two for Tuesday.  I hope you’ve been able to stock up on some great items for the new school year at 50% off thanks to the great link up hosted by The Teaching Tribune.

The items I have chosen from my store to mark down 50% are my Silent Hand Signal Posters. I have updated my Silent Hand Signal Posters to work in a variety of classroom decors.  I have also included two font choices in each set of posters. This packet includes posters that allow your students to silently communicate the following:

May I use the restroom?

May I get a drink of water?

May I get a tissue?

I have a question.

I have a comment.

I know the answer.

I agree.

I want to volunteer.

Click on any of the color options below to get a set of posters for just $1. 

I am also linking up with Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday because I have been using hand signals in my own classroom for the past four years. I don’t know how I survived without them. I love how my students and I are able to communicate basic needs and wants without using our voices. I am able to respond to my students’ signals with a simple nod or shake of the head without interrupting the rest of the students. This especially comes in handy when I am working with a small group of students or during test times. The signals that I use are inspired by New Management’s posters. I have tweaked them to be based on the American Sign Language alphabet.

Monday (Random) Meet Me – Week 6

I have really enjoyed the Summer Bloggin’ series hosted by The Teaching Tribune.  Today is the 6th week of Monday Meet Me, and it is random. 

As a child, I always wanted to be in the water.  Luckily, I lived near the ocean and usually lived in an apartment with a pool. I joke that I used to spend my summers with green hair and red cheeks…sad thing is, that it’s not a joke.  I don’t have any pictures to show you, but just know it wasn’t cute.

I really never thought about a new first name, but I do remember not liking how common my name was growing up.  There was always at least one other Lauren in my class while I was in school…Oh the 80’s! When I have kids, I want to give them a somewhat unique name (but one that people can pronounce and spell).

One of the worst moments of my teaching career was four years ago when I was teaching 3rd grade.  I was leading my class in a game of kickball and two kids collided.  I was all alone outside, so I had to walk my entire class to the office with one kid on each side of me.  Luckily with a couple stiches, they were both fine.  Needless to say, I do not play kickball with my students anymore.

If I could meet a fictional character, I would want to meet Mrs. Frizzle because I’d love to learn how to make learning an adventure for my students.  Obviously, I don’t have a magic school bus to transport us places, but she and her students are always engaged and excited about learning. 

I was an only child until I was 15 years old, and then my brother was born.  I wasn’t too thrilled at the time, but now I can’t imagine my life without him.  He is about to start his junior year of high school…crazy!

My hands-down, favorite breakfast is chilaquiles.  If you’ve never had it before, just imagine breakfast nachos.  

It’s hard to find them in a restaurant, so I have to make them at home if I have a craving.  Therefore, it’s a weekend brunch treat. My daily breakfast is a yogurt and fruit parfait that I make in a mason jar.  There are many different recipes for chilaquiles online, but I make mine simple by layering refried beans, tortilla chips, shredded chicken, enchilada sauce, and cheese.  Top it all with raw scrambled eggs and bake at 350 degrees until the eggs are set. You can top it with sour cream, salsa, or guacamole and enjoy.