We're Not Done, Yet!
Well, the calendar has flipped to June and you're probably looking at your walls and wondering which things you can take down this week... but don't pack up your bag of tricks just yet!
JUNE IS THE PERFECT TIME
TO TRY OUT NEW IDEAS!
TO TRY OUT NEW IDEAS!
Think about it... at this point in the year, your students understand your expectations and classroom routines better than any point in the year and, let's face it, the pressure that many of you felt as we approached state testing season is gone now that testing is done, so why not try out a few new instructional routines so you'll be ready to use them in the fall?
Anyone who's ever met me surely knows that I believe number sense and mathematical reasoning are the foundations to ALL mathematics. While attending NCTM this past April, I attended a session that was simply fantastic - I left knowing that I had a new tool in my toolbox that had the ability to impact student learning in a powerful and positive way.
C'mon... let's try something new and exciting this week. Start by visiting the Fostering Math Practices website. You will need to register your email to access the materials, but the tasks are all FREE! When you get to the site, you'll find several ready-made tasks to use with your students.
Think like a mathematician!
Count quickly by chunking, changing the form and connecting to math you know.
How many yellow rectangles are in this image?
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| http://www.fosteringmathpractices.com/2017/05/30/6412/ |
What's another shortcut you can use to quickly count the yellow rectangles?
Getting Started - here's what I recommend...
- Log on to the website http://fosteringmathpractices.com
- Click the dropdown box "Routines for Reasoning" at the top
- Perhaps begin with the "Contemplate then Calculate" routine
- Click on "View Tasks" in the middle of the page
- Pick an activity to get you started. Perhaps using a visual image is a good place to begin
- it's a great way to make the task accessible
- it's not intimidating for your kiddos who may shy away from number calculations - Click the image of each task, to download the ready-made Powerpoint
PRO TIP: Convert Powerpoint to SMART Notebook format
Once you download that Powerpoint, you can convert it to a Smart Notebook document
- this allows you to use all of the features of the SmartBoard when using this lesson.
- this allows you to use all of the features of the SmartBoard when using this lesson.
- Download the Powerpoint lesson from Fostering Math Practices
- Make any edits that you want to make while the lesson is in Powerpoint form
(you may need to click the "Enable Editing" prompt at the top of the page) - Click on FILE
- Select PRINT --- No, you're not really going to print it!
- Where it asks for which printer, click the dropdown menu and select "Smart Notebook Document"
(this may not be an option if you are using a Mac) - If prompted, select "with images" -- do NOT select "with editable objects" or you will lose the images
- It will then run a file conversion - it shouldn't take long and you'll see the progress bar
- You should see the SmartBoard version and can save this where you want by clicking File>Save
The Gummy Bear Activity
The Gummy Bear activity is sure to spark a ton of great mathematical discussion.
Check it out under the "Decide and Defend" heading on Fostering Math Practices.
Clark’s Convenience Store sells purple, orange, and green gummy bears.
Each color costs a different price. Aaron and his friends are trying to decide
which of the deals would give them the most gummy bears for the price.
Each color costs a different price. Aaron and his friends are trying to decide
which of the deals would give them the most gummy bears for the price.
10 purple gummy bears cost $2
24 orange gummy bears cost $4
20 green gummy bears cost $5
20 green gummy bears cost $5
