I'm really starting to love maths now

It's a great day! One of my students turned to me this morning and said, "I'm really starting to love maths now." I really think it's because we're doing so much small group work and I've been able to really sit down with her group and help them use manipulates, draw diagrams and complete activities to really consolidate their understanding of equivalent fractions.

I had already planned to give out a maths attitude survey in the afternoon and that was very intersting! All students but one circled only positive words to describe how they feel abouts maths including positive, interested, confident, successful, etc. One girl wrote "maths magician" which I loved! She really impressed me this week as she was able to extrapolate rules to unfamiliar problems and I've never noticed her do that before. Even my students who find maths hard wrote positive comments including one girl who has not had a very positive attitude about it before.

I tell the kids at the beginning of the year that they will all love maths by the end of the year and it looks like that is coming true! I think particularly its because I love teaching maths and I think they genuinely pick up on that excitement but also because this workshop method is appealing to most of them.

One or two students wrote they would like to be shown examples first and have their first attempts checked. Amongst other things I have been using programs like StudyLadder where they can watch a video then try a follow-up activity or sometimes shown them general concepts (such as finding equivalent fractions for common denominators) then seen if they can apply it in a new way (adding fractions with common denominators - they have all mastered adding fractions with the same denominator) . I check the results and use the data to inform new lessons. The groups are flexible anyway but I've identified 3-4 kids who are capable mathematicians but would probably feel confident working in closer proximity to me so I can give a mini-check in at the beginning of the activity. (My focus group could do a quick warm-up). I will also plan for these 3-4 kids to have more teacher time.

Back to it....and loving maths!

It's been so long since I have blogged! By the end of Semester 1, I'd had enough of school. I managed to catch the flu this term then have neck/back problems which made it hard to spend any extended time on the computer. But I'm back to it now!

Last week I finally implemented a workshop model for Maths, inspired by The Caffeinated Teacher's  book study on Guided Math. I used to do this two years ago and I'm glad I started it again. After just a week, I have been reminded that it is a powerful tool in ensuring that all students are being challenged and gaining a deeper conceptual understanding.

We are studying fractions at the moment and I gave a pre-test by pulling together some of the most difficult questions from the associated assessments in their iMaths Assessment Tracker. Using this data and also my own knowledge of the students, I have been able to group each day in a flexible way. I <3 my kids as I just pull up a timetable on the data screen showing who is doing what and when and they quietly just move off and dive into it.


We still do our morning rotations about three days a week although sometimes I have to schedule it in for the afternoon! The students love the daily puzzlers and I have seen a marked improvement in their problem solving skills but also in their ability to write correspondent number sentences. With one group, this means they sometimes have to write simple algebraic expressions such as 2x + x = 15. All groups are receiving constant revision in the order of operations even though I haven't formally taught it this year. I highly recommend Laura Candler's Daily Maths Puzzlers to anyone who would like to introduce systemic and differentiated problem solving.



Another activity in the rotation is either playing games to revise number facts or to practise mental maths strategies. We now have half the class who have mastered their multiplication facts (at least 45/50 correct in under 3 minutes) and everyone else has made massive progress. Now that the students are more independent in their problem solving, I want to focus more on helping with their multiplication facts.

The last activity is either Words Their Way (even if we haven't had focussed spelling that morning), handwriting or lately I have been throwing in some games to reinforce number sense (particular for students who still find place value difficult).

I alternate weekly between calendar maths and explicit lessons on mental operations, again aiming to have a session at least three times a week. I wish I could do calendar maths every day and mental operations more frequently but there's not enought time. Nonetheless, I have again seen a marked improvement with the calendar maths. I used to have to sit next to a group of students and help them with every single question and they can now do so much more of it by themselves. Working with the large numbers has really reinforced an understanding of place value. I  have modelled mine on Calendar Math by Stephanie from Teaching in Room 6.

Finally, thank you to Stephanie and the other bloggers who are taking part in the Back 2 School Cyber Search. Your freebies are much appreciated - even though it's the middle of the year here!

Concrete, Representational and Abstract

A few weeks ago I came across the blog Math Coach's Corner which really prompted me to consider how I can use the concrete and representational stages more in maths. It's because of this blog that I decided to have the kids use counters then draw pictures when working on their Maths Daily Puzzlers. Because of these stages, they are now writing number sentences which really correspond with the word problem. This skill can actually be very difficult at times and I think it will give them great preparation for when they start algebra.


Last week we had a math's test on graphing and interpreting data tables. One question asked, how much longer is Africa's Nile River than Australia's Murray River? I sat with two students today and they reattempted the question with my support and using our problem solving techniques.



We circled the pertinent data in the table (6700 km for Nile River, 2500 km for Murray River). They laid out counters, using 6 to show the Nile River and 2 to show the Murrary River. I used my pen to demonstrate that "how much longer" is the missing part (or the question mark part).





The girls then drew the problem using lines and labelling the length.

I suggested to the girls that they refer back to the counters and write a simple number sentence as a model. Once they did this, they had no problems looking at their drawing then writing the corresponding equation.

They were also able to apply their knowledge of inverse operations in order to solve it. Excellent job girls! Next stop - using counting on and other methods to solve such subtraction problems mentally!

I am more convinced than ever regarding the importance of using the concrete and representational stages when students are tackling challenging problems.

Last week we began a really interesting novel study. The novel in question is The Dragon Skateboard which is part our Rigby guided reading collection. It's a short but fun story, most students were able to read it in 30-45 minutes and it includes some great literary elements such as foreshadowing, strong characterisation and so on. The students also really enjoyed the characters and storyline.

The novel begins on Tate's birthday when he rips open his present to discover his parents had given him a skateboard. I asked the students, how did Tate feel about receiving a skateboard? (Happy, excited, etc) Does the author actually tell us that? Then how did you know?



The students used a circle map. In the middle they wrote a statement (Tate was happy to receive a skateboard) and outside it they wrote evidence from the text which supported this idea. It was a great activity for inferring. A few students wrote 'he ripped the wrapping paper off his present' or however the sentence goes and this led to an interesting discussing. Does this support the idea that Tate was happy to receive a skateboard since, at this point, he doesn't know it's a skateboard yet?



One of the standards in Year 5 English is understanding how an author uses words and vocabulary to develop ideas and points of views. So we took some of the phrases/sentences (A skateboard! He raced out to the driveway... and his heart beat a little faster) and the students had to write a different short scene. Here are two written by amazing students!

Take 1

Take 2 

(This is rough work that hasn't been edited. The students typed it straight onto their laptops then emailed it to me from their student email account so that we could practise email skills) 

Today we looked at the narrative structure and some examples of narrative naps. The students then mapped/graphed the plot line of The Dragon Skateboard. Some were more complex then others but the students clearly grasped the idea that tension built and the story included a multitude of events.
Next week we will start a character analysis of Tate, Jesse and Mandy (three of the characters) and some point-of-view activities. In the final activity the students will examine the cause and effect of choices made by Tate and evaulate the morality of said choices. The final part will be part of our RE assessment as we are learning about morality this term.
All in all, a very fun novel study!

Morning Rotation

I am a major fan of rotations in teaching! I have recently started up a Morning Rotation with my students. In the morning students come into the room then take out their laptop and morning work folder. The latter has their handwriting book, word sort, maths puzzler sheet, and a pencil and rubber.

The students start on handwriting while I take the roll, deal with questions, hand out marked work, etc etc. We then move into 3 x 10 minute rotations. I project the following slide to remind the kids where to move next. I only have girls in my class hence the flower names...!

Puzzlers: The groups are split according to their Daily Maths Puzzler level. I spend my time mostly with the group working on Puzzlers. At the moment we are using Concrete-Representational-Abstract for each puzzle. We use counters etc to show the concrete stage. The students then draw a representation. For the abstract stage, they write a number sentence. For the last stage, plenty of teaching moments regarding the Order of Operations pop up! The students are definitely enjoying these puzzlers and it will be interesting to track their progress over the year.

Partner Games: Students practise multiplication facts using their laptops or partner games. If they are already fluent (most of the class now - yeah!) they play mental games which mostly consist of adding and subtracting 2-3 digit numbers mentally. Most of my games are very simple, based on dice and playing cards. There are also some BLM games which I have made up including Bingo, Go Fish, I have/Who Has, etc.

WTW: Our school uses Words Their Way (which I love!). During this rotation the students sort their words. At the moment they then move into writing sentences or a blind sort/blind writing sort but maybe I will introduce games here too. From this week, I will be asking students to leave their sorts on their desk when they move to the next rotation so that I can check them over quickly.

After the rotation, we begin maths! Tomorrow we are starting Calendar Maths from Teaching in Room 6 and I can't wait!!

Anzac Day....and world peace doves!

To finish off our week of Anzac Day activities, we read The Red Poppy, written by David Hill and illustrated by Fifi Colston. This beautiful book  talks about showing compassion to one's enemies, treating all people with dignity, and focusing on similarities between people rather than differences.

We reflected on these ideas and how we can act in ways that create a more peaceful world both now and later as they become adults. We talked about buying power and I told them the story of my friend who only buys second-hand, fair trade or home-made things and why.

We finished by making these world peace doves (from a BLM activity). On the dove the students had to write how their actions show peace. On the tail they wrote an acrostic for ANZAC Day and on the wings they wrote values that lead to world peace. The last part fits perfectly into our RE unit which is looking at Christian values. According to the directions you'd punch a hole in the top and string them from somewhere but we think they look great stuck up on the door!

I work for world peace when I show kindness and respect. I work for world peace when I am truthful and honest. I work for world peace when I show kindness to others. I work for world peace when I buy items that haven't been made by people who don't get paid as much or slaves.

Love, justice, happiness, gentle, patience, honesty, generosity, fairness, respect, faith, kindness, wisdom, special, loyalty, help, hope, love, faithful, fairness, truth, beautiful, encourage, strength.

I am so lucky to work with these students each day!

Anzac Day read alouds, graffiti wall and not-quite foldables

I posted the other day about our ANZAC Day book display. This morning we had our school ceremony. When returned to the classroom we read Mark Wilson's absolutely brilliant book My Mother's Eyes. I had not read it before today and it's quickly jumped up to the top tier of my favourite picture books for older readers list. (Another fabulous book is Norman Jorgenson's In Flander's Fields  - scroll down to find the reviews - which I read every Rememberance Day). The ending brought tears to my eyes even as I was reading it to the children! There was so much for us to discuss with regard to visual literacy, and also inference as we are never told explicitly how the story ends but the students use the clues to work it out. On Thursday during library I will read another picture book, The Red Poppy. There is a great interview with the author on this website. I am really looking forward to reading this one together!

During literacy rotations we have a reading group. Up until this now this has been mostly guided reading focusing on analysing the structure and textual features of persuasive writing (as this appears on The Test which hits up half way through Term 2). This week the students are able to choose from a wide range of picture books and non-fiction texts on Anzac Day. I included a copy of a speech given by a soldier at our Anzac Day ceremony and the ceremony booklet. The students were able to partner read or read individually. During the last ten minutes they filled out poppy-shaped graphic organisers responding to these questions.

Here are some responses. The students love reading what others wrote.

It's very interesting to see which type of text they select to read.

Here is a picture of the whiteboard 'graffiti wall'. The kids really love being able to use the whiteboard markers to do this! From my perspective, I love using literacy activities that truly engage the students and help them delve deeper into the meaning of Anzac Day!

Sadly, I don't think we'll have time to write any poems as we are out of the classrom for 1.5 days this week due to Anzac Day itself and interschool sport. Not to mention specialists and the ceremony this morning. Valuable though all this is, there's never enough time to accomplish everything I would like to try!