Odd and Even

Just a quick share with you on TEKS 2.7A:

Resources for teaching 2.7A (Odd and Even numbers to 40)-

• Number Frames

• DecaDots or Ten Frames and double sided counters

• Hands On Standards *Make sure to click on Unit 3 (Student pages)

Here's a quick mini lesson video for you...

Enjoy! Hope this helps!

Mental Addition and Subtraction Strategies

Huge "WELCOME BACK" to my 2nd and 3rd grade Math teachers!

This one is just for you!

Just wanted to share some mental strategies our TEKS specify that students should be able to use to assist with solving addition and subtraction of 2 digit numbers (2nd grade) and 3 digit numbers (3rd grade).

It might be advantageous to brief yourself on "Number Talks" to help students be more flexible and fluent with these strategies.

You can find "Number Talks" on YouTube or purchase the book which has a video CD at the back with various examples. I would suggest utilizing them every morning before class for about 10 minutes to build fluency and flexibility with number (sense) among your students!

The following videos help build on this number sense and should be used when teaching grade 2 +/- (2.4B & 2.4C) or grade 3 +/- (3.4A & 3.5A).

COMPENSATION (strategy)

PLACE VALUE (strategy)

MAKING A TEN (strategy)

Enjoy! And leave comments or hit me up on Twitter (@Lady_JAG) or Facebook (Kim O'Neal)! 

Digital Story Mats

I sat in on a phenomenal training the other day by way of serving as the session "helper". My assignment was to help the presenter with any technology issues and ensure that attendees signed in and get their class credit.

As I was listening to this presenter show other teachers how to implement "Movie Talks" in their world languages classes, I got an idea, I wanted to share with you.

So in Kindergarten, we know students are expected to compose story problems or word stories as they practice the concept of joining and separating.Finding STORY MATS is as easy as googling and printing. But if you have a great curriculum resource, you might find a few there as well.

In the video, below, I reference Kathy Richardson's "Developing Number Concepts" book and she has lots of Blackline masters for Story Mats in the back.

My desire is to see teachers using technology in their classes (and by that I mean "students using technology") and introduce story mats to our students!

ENJOY!!!

Adding (2) Two-digit numbers using Place Value Strategies- 2nd grade

Check out my vblog for adding 2 two-digit numbers using tools such as hundreds charts and number lines.

I believe these tools assist with developing place value and mental strategies for our students as noted in the Texas standards (2.4B).

To access a few of the resources I reference in the video:

Standards Snapshot: Lead4ward

Number Line app: Math Learning Center

I also want to add a link to Donna Boucher's blog since she has a FREE resource that puts a hundreds chart next to the number line where students can practice this right after your lesson!

Watch the video!

Multiple looks at Multiplication!

(cited: https://www.tes.com/lessons)

Try these analogies:

Zebra is to stripes as giraffe is to _________.

Helmet: Football:: Broom:__________. 

Teachers planning in isolation is detrimental to students AS ...

Teams planning in isolation is equally ...__________________________________________________.

The first two pretty easy? Well of course. (answers: spots, cleaning)
What did you say about the third one?

Well the final analogy has to deal with the power of Vertical Teams planning. When I began as a teacher I had no choice but to plan alone. As magnificent as I believed myself to be I'm sure in my first few years, I ruined a great deal of kids. (shhhh...don't tell them)

(cited: https://teachertweaks.wordpress.com)

When I finally joined a team, I gained so much more insight into what I was doing, what I was supposed to be doing and whether or not my techniques were standard and research-based, even!

Before my tenth year in education, I was afforded the privilege to participate in some vertical math team planning sessions and my mind was blown! Coming from facilitation of 6th-8th grade for the first 5 years of my career, I had an idea of what I was to be doing when I became a 5th grade teacher. But at this point, it being my fourth consecutive year as a 5th grade math teacher, to sit with 3rd and 4th grade teachers and hear their input as to the strengths and weaknesses of students intrigued me. To hear how concepts were being taught in other grade levels opened up a whole new world of realization for me.

I reaped the benefit of knowing (for example) that students should have been coming to me already knowing how to make equivalent fractions, so when I began teaching add/subtract fractions with different denominators, it shouldn't be a skill I needed to spend a few days introducing. It needed to be a skill I reviewed as I introduced my focus skill. Talk about huge benefit! It saved me days in my instructional pacing!

Other Benefits of Vertical Team Planning/Discussions:
1. I began to know how to better pre-assess my students.
2. I was able to understand how to intervene and re-mediate (by reaching back and closing previous grade level gaps).
3. I knew which teacher to go and tattle to when one of the students said "we never learned that!"

Okay, that last one I threw in for fun-sies ...but doesn't that happen though? LOL

Anyways, in the same way that teachers planning in isolation is detrimental to both students and that lone-teacher; teams planning in isolation can be equally hazardous to the instructional process within a campus.

(cited: https://media.licdn.com/mpr)


Richard Dufour (of "All Things PLC" and Solution Tree) gives
precise focus for collaboration on Vertical Teams.

Check out my video that might bring up some great conversations for 2nd-5th grade Math teachers who might have the chance to participate in Vertical planing. The concept I focus on is Multiplication from creating equal groups to multiplying decimal numbers using models.

Arrays and Area Models are the focal point in these videos as well as how to connect the models to the algorithm!

Part 1 (2nd through 3rd grade)

Part 2 (4th through 5th grade)

I give a brief look at the following TEKS -
2.6A,
3.4D, 3.4E, 3.4G
4.4C, 4.4D
5.3B, 5.3D
...and the documents I use can be found at Lead4ward's website (their free resources) called the "Snapshot".

A few of the apps you see me using in the video are also free!!!
*Who doesn't love free stuff!?

Math Learning Center "Number Pieces" and "Number Frames" apps!

Let me know if there are any additional Vertical Team Planning videos you'd like to see as it pertains to K-5 Math instruction!

Word Walls in Math

How cute is YOUR Word Wall? Super cute like this one!?
How interactive is your Word Wall? If you're like me, when you were in the classroom it was probably growing cobwebs! Until an Instructional Specialist came in a modeled for me how to make it interactive in one of my science stations. From there, I used the same idea during my math stations! From then on, I realized the power of Math Word Walls in the language development as well as the mathematical success and confidence of my students!!

One focal area for this upcoming year will be WORD WALLS on my campus! Although the demographic make-up of our campus is thirsty for language development, you don't have to be an English Language Learner in order to benefit from such tools as Word Walls!

This link lists some additional tools that are best practices for all learners. I, myself, am a visual learner so any teacher that uses hand movements, allows movement, lets me talk and draw pictures provides the perfect atmosphere for me to learn. I can't tell you how dreadfully bored I am when I go to a training where my am held captive to my seat while the presenter does ALL of the talking (much less when they insult my intelligence by reading the Power Point to me word by word). But I digress!

I want to share a website with you that might assist you with a Word Wall station you could create in your class!
Google "Free Math Apps" and look for "The Math Learning Center". Or simply click on the link just listed. You should come to page like so:

Now,  let me paint the picture for your classroom set up.

All of your students are sitting on the carpet in a semi-circle around you and you have invited a student up to stand across from you. Prior to class (ideally during the course of the unit) you have placed up about 10-15 vocabulary words on your wall (via index cards or maybe printed out from one of these websites).

Math Word Walls

Vocabulary Cards

You hold an iPad with this free Web App pulled up called "Math Vocabulary Cards".

You read the definition of the missing vocabulary word to your partner, then turn the iPad to face him/her and let them look at the visual/definition. You encourage them to look at the words listed on the WORD WALL behind you two and use the clues on the iPad to take an educated guess. Once they guess...you hit the EYE looking button in the top right corner to reveal the answer.



The two of you trade places or you hand the iPad to him/her. They hit the PLAY button and you switch turns becoming the one using the clues to guess the words.

Once this "game" is introduced to your class, I might suggest putting students in pairs and letting them practice it for about 3 minutes while on the floor. Have a mini-discussion about procedures and expectations and then later in the week, make it a station!

In the station, put up a poster with your expectations and "I can" objectives such as:

"I can orally describe key math vocabulary using picture models and definitions."

If you want to differentiate for your more advanced learners, click on the little "HIDE/SHOW" button in the bottom middle and choose to either hide the definition (causing students to create their own) or hide the picture (prompting students to draw their own). 

What a buzz this station will be! You kids will love picking a partner and growing in proficiency as they conquer more words each week! You might even have them create 3 columns in their math journal labeled "Don't know", "Sort of know" and "I rock" and as they conquer more words, they can write them on sticky notes and move them from the "Don't know" category to the "I rock" category!!

If you have additional ideas, don't hesitate to leave a comment or two! Enjoy!