Using Math to plan cross curricular is another way to help students gain a deeper understanding of Math and how it fits into their life everyday. While doing long range plans teachers might want to think about the order in which they teach and can somethings complement one another. For example teacher linear measurement at the same time as structures and mechanisms in science.
There are many resources and ideas out there for cross curiccular planning, Queen's University have created a site dedicated to this. Not every single one has Math, but most of them do. Take a Look!
http://orgs.educ.queensu.ca/curr/
Friday, 10 October 2014
The Three Part Lesson
Daily lessons should focus on problem solving. On page 38 in Marion Small's 2009 book Making Math Meaningful to Canadian students, K-8 she writes "To teach through problem solving, the teacher provides a context or reason for the learning by beginning the lesson with a problem to be solved and later drawing out any necessary procedures." Problem solving creates more meaningful connections, give students the opportunity to speak and think in Mathematical language and it builds students perseverance and their confidence.
Teachers choose what is the best way to engage students when learning a new concept. Daily lessons should be through provoking, allow students to connect Mathematical ideas with old ones, have a various types of assessments and lots of opportunity for students to share their thinking and consolidate their knowledge with one another.
Page 54 of A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics, Kindergarten to Grade 6 - Volume One has a chart that provides guidance on completing the daily lesson plan and on page 62 is a blank template. Here is a link to the document. http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Math_K_6_Volume_1.pdf
In general, each lesson should list Big Ideas, curriculum expectations, materiel needed, instructional groups, assessment and home connection. It also describe how you will deliver the lesson within three chunks:
Getting Started - A warm up, get students mind going in the right direction
Working On It - Working on the problem in their instructional groupings, the teacher asks probing questions and assess students understanding
Reflecting and Connecting - Time at the end of the lesson to discuss key math concepts as a class
Obviously, the longest portion of the lesson is Working On It. Students will learn to build their stamina, and independence. For some students this might be a change in work habit, but with proper guidance students will learn to think and talk Math together, learning from each other.
Teachers choose what is the best way to engage students when learning a new concept. Daily lessons should be through provoking, allow students to connect Mathematical ideas with old ones, have a various types of assessments and lots of opportunity for students to share their thinking and consolidate their knowledge with one another.
Page 54 of A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics, Kindergarten to Grade 6 - Volume One has a chart that provides guidance on completing the daily lesson plan and on page 62 is a blank template. Here is a link to the document. http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Math_K_6_Volume_1.pdf
In general, each lesson should list Big Ideas, curriculum expectations, materiel needed, instructional groups, assessment and home connection. It also describe how you will deliver the lesson within three chunks:
Getting Started - A warm up, get students mind going in the right direction
Working On It - Working on the problem in their instructional groupings, the teacher asks probing questions and assess students understanding
Reflecting and Connecting - Time at the end of the lesson to discuss key math concepts as a class
Obviously, the longest portion of the lesson is Working On It. Students will learn to build their stamina, and independence. For some students this might be a change in work habit, but with proper guidance students will learn to think and talk Math together, learning from each other.
Unit Planning
Similarly to long range plans, unit plans are meant to plan with the "end in mind" or "backwards planning". The idea, again, is to look at the Big Ideas, your long range plans and create a unit that not only meets a variety of expectations but has elements of cross-curricular content, a variety of assessments and time for students to work together and collaborate with one another with a common goal of building on their prior knowledge and gaining a deeper understanding. Unit planning helps us, as teachers, help students achieve the curriculum expectations.
I often see unit plans as a table of contents for the daily lessons. It gives a really nice visual overview of what you will be teaching over the next few weeks and what materials and resources you will need to collect. It allows teachers to see the progression of the learning and gives teachers a quick assessment for learning as the class works through the unit; If you feel the students are not ready for the next lesson, because you can easily see what's ahead, unit plans let you quickly tweak the speed the students are progressing through the content.
On page 61 of A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics, Kindergarten to Grade 6 Volume One there is a template for a unit plan
http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Math_K_6_Volume_1.pdf
The NCTM website has lots of unit plans and lesson with very clear progressions of learning and outcomes
http://illuminations.nctm.org/
I often see unit plans as a table of contents for the daily lessons. It gives a really nice visual overview of what you will be teaching over the next few weeks and what materials and resources you will need to collect. It allows teachers to see the progression of the learning and gives teachers a quick assessment for learning as the class works through the unit; If you feel the students are not ready for the next lesson, because you can easily see what's ahead, unit plans let you quickly tweak the speed the students are progressing through the content.
On page 61 of A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics, Kindergarten to Grade 6 Volume One there is a template for a unit plan
http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Math_K_6_Volume_1.pdf
The NCTM website has lots of unit plans and lesson with very clear progressions of learning and outcomes
http://illuminations.nctm.org/
Long Range Planning
Like Big Ideas, long range plans plan with the end in mind. If gives a good snap shot of the year in Math; what concepts you are going to teach, when your going to teach them in the school year and how your good to make sure the Big Ideas are found throughout. Marion Small, in her 2009 book Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Student, K-8 points out that long range planning is about taking the time to get to know curriculum. It provides a nice visual of the year ahead.
Found on page 59 and 60 in A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics, Kindergarten to Grade 6 – Volume One are sample templates that can be used for long range planning in Math
http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Math_K_6_Volume_1.pdf
Found on page 59 and 60 in A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics, Kindergarten to Grade 6 – Volume One are sample templates that can be used for long range planning in Math
http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Math_K_6_Volume_1.pdf
Thursday, 9 October 2014
BIG IDEAS
The term Big Idea is often thrown around in teaching these days. Marion Small's notes in her 2009 book Making Math Meaningful to Canadian Students that the thinking behind it is that if we connect a new idea being taught to related ideas that we have previously learned, it is more likely that the new knowledge will be assimilated.
Big Ideas are a good place to start when you begin planning your Math program. When you plan with the Big Ideas in Math it allows teachers to cluster expectation, rather in isolated bits of information, thus giving students the opportunity to learn about the interrelated nature of Math concepts.
Programs that are organized around big ideas focus on problem solving through cohesive learning opportunities. Students are given time they need to explore mathematical concepts in depth.
I was overwhelmed when I began stepping away from my text book with its clearly numbered lesson and toward Big Ideas. I didn't know where to begin or even how to know what the Big Ideas were. Thankfully, there is help.
Here is a link to a A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics Kindergarten to Grade 6. It is an Ontario Government Document, so it will follow our curriculum. The first document is directed at grade 4 - 6 and lays out what the Big Ideas are in Number Sense and Numeration. If you are not teacher grades 4 - 6 it is still worth taking a look because it does highlight what Big Ideas are and why they are so important in Math instruction
http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/NSN_vol_1_Big_Ideas.pdf
If you teach Kindergarten to Grade 3, here is a link to a similar Ontario Document a Guide to Effective Instruction Kindergarten to Grade 3. Like the link above this document lays out the Big Ideas in Number Sense and Numeration
http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Math_K_3_NSN.pdf
I know what your thinking... What about the other Math strands. Not to worry, each stand has a Guide to Effective Instruction with the Big Ideas in each strand. All various guides can be found here:
https://sites.google.com/site/ocdsbministryresources/Home/numeracy-support-resources/guides-to-effective-instruction-in-mathematics
Big Ideas are a good place to start when you begin planning your Math program. When you plan with the Big Ideas in Math it allows teachers to cluster expectation, rather in isolated bits of information, thus giving students the opportunity to learn about the interrelated nature of Math concepts.
Programs that are organized around big ideas focus on problem solving through cohesive learning opportunities. Students are given time they need to explore mathematical concepts in depth.
I was overwhelmed when I began stepping away from my text book with its clearly numbered lesson and toward Big Ideas. I didn't know where to begin or even how to know what the Big Ideas were. Thankfully, there is help.
Here is a link to a A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics Kindergarten to Grade 6. It is an Ontario Government Document, so it will follow our curriculum. The first document is directed at grade 4 - 6 and lays out what the Big Ideas are in Number Sense and Numeration. If you are not teacher grades 4 - 6 it is still worth taking a look because it does highlight what Big Ideas are and why they are so important in Math instruction
http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/NSN_vol_1_Big_Ideas.pdf
If you teach Kindergarten to Grade 3, here is a link to a similar Ontario Document a Guide to Effective Instruction Kindergarten to Grade 3. Like the link above this document lays out the Big Ideas in Number Sense and Numeration
http://eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Math_K_3_NSN.pdf
I know what your thinking... What about the other Math strands. Not to worry, each stand has a Guide to Effective Instruction with the Big Ideas in each strand. All various guides can be found here:
https://sites.google.com/site/ocdsbministryresources/Home/numeracy-support-resources/guides-to-effective-instruction-in-mathematics
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