Multiplying and Dividing Fractions Plans

You might recall that going into this quarter, I figured out a planning routine for differentiation that I think is AWESOME applesauce! I take all of the materials I have (task cards, worksheets, etc) and place them on a continuum of difficulty. (If I need to fill in holes for lower levels or higher levels, I begin searching for resources or create my own). In addition, I outlined the quarter with FOCUS CONCEPTS (new material) and REVIEW CONCEPTS (1 day/wk).

I outlined my fractions unit {loosely} before the quarter began, and of course, things have already changed a bit. Mainly, I realized that it would be okay to push a few things to next quarter (like coordinate planes) and spend an extra week on multiplying and dividing fractions. {Keep in mind that I do not suggest only teaching fractions for 4 weeks. We already spent a large chunk of 2nd quarter on fractions--adding, subtracting, and a little intro to multiplying. Can you tell I could literally spend ALL year on fractions and be in MATH~nerd~HEAVEN?}.

I thought I was differentiated to the max already, but as I began to teach my three classes, I understood that what I had considered lower-level needed to be even more straightforward or scaffolded for one of my classes (for this group, I have went back to my old math workbooks). Now, don't get me wrong, these kiddos that I have to drop back to the worksheet for CAN get it and have done so, but I found that they need a more straightforward approach first and then they move into the task card sets. With a worksheet, they seem to get more accomplished and grow more in their confidence that they CAN solve the problems--and they know they will be moving on to task cards, which they have a positive attitude about.

Here's my fraction outline in a continuum format. The first icon will be the easiest/basic entry level, with the activities/practice work moving into increasing levels of difficulty. Also, it is important to note that some of the individual sets of task cards (like the Chili Math Multiplying Fractions) already include questions in increasing level of difficulty. This pack of task cards has 60 cards that I broke into sets. Some of the first questions are straightforward multiplying fractions problems, while some of the later task cards make students think backwards to figure out the factors that were multiplied instead of just the product. Needless to say, these cards have kept us busy busy for a week (with whole group minilessons also included at the beginning of each math class). The extension column includes materials for those students who finish the tasks above and beyond and are ready to move on to other concepts or look at the focus concept in a new way.

Based on my routine math schedule that I brainstormed before the quarter began: 

Mon-Wed: Practice with Focus Concepts (new material we are trying to master, students work through the continuum)
Thurs: 1/2 time Data Day (charting our exit slips performance and assessing on an OLD skill); 1/2 time: Algebraic Thinking Day
Friday: 1/2 time remediation on old skill (based loosely on assessment performance) and 1/2 time continued work on Focus Concept (some students may be working on extensions while others are 'secretly' being remediated, and others are completing work from the week that they understand but just need more time to work on). Some students may also use mobymax.com as a differentiated spiral review/to fill in some unmastered skills.

I will say that in getting the quarter started last week and getting to know my new students, I decided not to implement the Thursday/Friday schedule until our second week back. We will definitely have assessment/data/algebra on Thursday and Remediation/Review on Friday this week.

By the time I teach math for the third hour, I am burned out...and worried that I can't fix everyone's issues and misunderstandings. But, after having a little lunch and getting to my planning time to further differentiate and plan for the next day, I get really excited and LOVE the ability to focus on only a few subjects (I'm also teaching reading/social studies integrated into an hour and 20 minute block).

I hope your teaching life is happy, and please comment with questions as I am hoping that I am able to explain what I am doing clearly, but I am not always sure it is!

Pre-Assessment: Multiplying and Dividing Fractions

This past week, our run at departmentalizing our grade level began. If you have been checking in to the blog, you know that I was lucky enough to be the one who gets to teach math! I see the other two classes first, then my class returns to me for math. I was initially worried about behavior, routines, etc. but I really think behavior has improved dramatically because I am a new teacher to these kiddos and they get the impression that I am not going to put up with any mess. I love math and my main goals are to help them feel confident, learn to persevere, and to teach them what they need to know. I recently shared my math outline for the quarter which {of course!} changed a little once this week began.

Since I'm teaching two groups of students that I don't know, it was important to me to get to know them as math students as quickly as possible and to be ready to differentiate for them immediately. To prepare, I had each teacher group students into the following descriptors:
* Needs extra support
* Understands/Average
* Quickly Understands (Above Average)
* First to Finish (will always need something more)

These groups were recorded in a chart in google docs and I printed off multiple copies of it to help me learn student names, know how to group them for lessons, and to take notes on how they were doing with concepts during the week.

Since classes are at different levels and each of us got to different points in teaching multiplying and dividing fractions, I started on Monday with a low-pressure assessment that was also leveled in depth of knowledge demonstration. My students who easily know how to solve fraction equations had to write steps for solving the problem and then explain why they did certain steps. Why do we multiply fractions straight across and not have to find common denominators? :)

This assessment was more interesting than I expected and truly did what a pre-assessment is supposed to do. With the first class, many students completed the first problem by multiplying the numerators and keeping the denominators the same. Then for the second problem, some students began trying to find a common denominator. It was interesting (and nice) to be able to tell them that they were remembering how to add and subtract fractions and I was very proud of them for that. I explained that it is important to have a common denominator when adding/subtracting fractions, but you don't have to have one when multiplying. I tried to convince them that they would love multiplying fractions more because you don't have to have common denominators...they had already learned the harder concept last quarter! For students who knew how to multiply, I was able to see if they would simplify the final answers and turn improper fractions into mixed numbers. 

I hope this assessment was able to help students feel confident, rather than like they didn't have any idea what to do. (I was afraid some of them would shut down and not try anything, so I know I'm repeating myself, but I was really glad to be able to say "This is what you do know! I'm so glad you remembered that.")

I also have the same type of worksheet ready for dividing fractions, although I may use it differently with different classes. I haven't talked to my students about dividing fractions yet, so we may use this together to think about WHY flipping the second fraction makes sense. (If you want these, click on the images. I have put the file in my google drive for sharing with you.)

In my next post, I'm going to share with you how my plans {really} worked out and the modifications/change in pace that I already made this past week. 

You can catch up on other posts from my Departmentalizing Math Journey by clicking the icon below!

Happy Sunday Funday :) I hope you are looking forward to the workweek ahead!

Math Routine: Algebraic Thinking Day

I love to integrate algebraic thinking throughout the year, rather than as a separate unit. Over the years, I have come to love a number of materials. Today I'm going to share websites and a new set of task card that I purchased for Algebraic Thinking Thursdays. You can check out an outline of my math schedule if you want more info.

Math Playground houses my favorite online games for Algebraic Thinking, and since we just went 1-1, this will be a perfect way to use the laptops in math. I'll be sure to have discussions where students share some of the strategies they have developed (as well as push them to verbalize their strategies with me one on one as they are working).
1) Algebra Puzzle

 2) Algebraic Reasoning

 3) Calculator Chaos

 4) Weigh the Wangdoodles

I have a set of really cool Algebraic Thinking worksheets. These sets of activities are special because each problem builds and gets more challenging as students move through them. In addition, students are successful when they are able to carry previously learned strategies and concepts with them to future puzzles. (Unfortunately, I can't find an example of these anywhere online, so I will have to share them in another Algebra post when I return to school and can get some pictures!)

I love this game called "24." Students must use all 4 numbers and any operations (make an equation basically) to get a result of 24. In poking around on the net today, I found out there are multiple versions of this game--providing for challenge at many grade levels.

I also bought Order of Operations Task Cards from Chilimath. I thought the cards were great because they have three different sets that require students to find answers in different ways:           1) simplifying an expressions, 2) multiple choice where students simplify the expression then pick a multiple choice answer, then 3) students have three choices of expressions and choose the one that gives the listed result (I like this one because potentially students have to solve three problems to get the answer to the task card and problems of this type often show up on state tests).

I hope you found a resource that you can incorporate into your math time. Did you know that if you use blogger or a google site for your classroom, you can straight copy my links and pictures above and paste it into your site? I'm going to do this to share the algebra links with students. Easy peasy!

Math Routine: Exit Slips and Data Tracking

To catch up on previous math posts, check out My Math Schedule/Routine and Departmentalizing 3rd Quarter.

Once my team made the decision to departmentalize and I became "the" math teacher for my grade level, I knew that I had to step it up. I relish in the opportunity to do an even better job teaching math and in the fact that all energy I put into teaching math next quarter will benefit not just one class of students, but an entire grade level. I also love the fact that this opportunity means that I don't have to plan for science or writing. While I'm focusing lots of my attention on math, I don't have to worry that another subject area is not getting planned. I felt stingy stealing math because I know we all love to teach math, but my team so graciously let me take it. So, I made a few promises to them and myself:

* I will differentiate math for students to the highest level of my abilities
* I will do a better job of tracking data
* We will implement assessments more regularly (I've only given 2 math tests this year!)
* I will further analyze our state test samples and align parts of my instruction with the way questions are presented
* I will not only focus on students who need extra challenge, but implement a structure that allows for remediation and extra support for those who need it (see yesterday's post)

With these goals in mind, I needed some new materials. I made two fantastic purchases from TPT, including One Stop Teacher Shop's Spiral Math Homework and Math Mojo's Math Exit Slips.

I'll talk about homework in another post, but today, I'm going to focus on Exit Slips and Data Tracking.

Math Mojo's Math Exit Slips contain 5 to 10 problems for each of the 5th Grade common core math standards. (She has also created exit slips for 3rd and 4th grade). When I saw these at such a good price, I new it was exactly what I needed for a quick morning work assignment for all grade levels. (Now, these were created as "exit slips" but I am using them as review/entry slips.)

On our workday, I got right at "getting ahead." I copied the exit slips for Numbers and Operations in Base 10 with two sets to a page to save on paper. Then I cut all the sets, paper clipped them,

and organized them into bags by concept.

Since the slips are so well organized by standard (and a dependable 5-10 practice problems for each concept), I also knew that I wanted students to be aware of their performance in each area and track their data. I created "Bar Graphs for Tracking Student Success" to go along with the exit slips.

I got carried away with my designs and ended up making 5 options. With Math Mojo's blessing, I uploaded this data tracking system to TPT.

 

How do I plan to use the exit slips?

1) Students receive 5 exit slips on Friday or Monday to glue into their math journals to prepare for the upcoming week. Students glue 2 exit slips on each page, leaving 1/2 of the page available to show their work or write a written response. (If you print the exit slips 4 to a page instead of 8 to a page like I did, students should have enough space to complete the problems on the slip).
2) Students complete one slip each morning for morning work and get it checked by the classroom teacher.
3) Since I am starting with exit slips mid-year, I will give students a mix of standards each week to allow for review and practice of previously taught concepts.
4) On data day, students color in their data bar graphs to show how they did on the week’s problems.

How do students fill out the bar graphs? Here's one possibility:

I'm so excited to use these math exit slips, and I think it will be exactly what my students need, no matter where they are on the continuum. (I have students who need review/remediation and then I have students who simply need to gain control of their accuracy with computations.) Next up, I will talk about my plans for "Algebraic Thinking Day."

My Math Schedule/Routine

I'm chiseling out my vision of next quarter. Did you hear that I get to teach math for all three classes? As promised, I'm going to be spending the next few weeks posting about my plans. First up, an outline of my routines/schedule for math block:

I like to think of my math block as broken into at least two sections. (Maybe it's from doing a few quarters of station-type math instruction, but it seems to work well to plan for 25 minute blocks. This helps to make sure instruction is varied and that whole group, small group, and independent work can happen throughout the day and the week).

To begin planning, I laid out the quarter with our "Focus Standards" (new material) and "Review Standards" for each week. For the first part of the week, we will focus on our "Focus Standards" (catchy, I know :). I will provide students with typical math lessons, explorations, and problem solving, as well as have them practice independently through task cards.

Wait! That's not all! Task card time will also be differentiated--I'll take all of the independent materials I plan to use for a given concept and "level" the resources. I'll decide which resources my more advanced students can skip and which resources some of my students will probably not complete. Basically, I will have a continuum of task cards and activities and I will place students where it makes sense for them to begin on this continuum. For students, it should feel like they are working in "stations" because each task will be placed in a different area of the classroom.

Why go ahead and plan for review throughout the quarter? I know that I have a lot of kiddos who either did not master skills earlier in the year or that need to spend time making sure those skills are maintained. With that in mind, I wanted review (and intervention) to be an integral part of our week and 3rd quarter. I am going to quiz on the review standards that I have designated for that week and then students who do not demonstrate mastery will work in the "review standards" station on Fridays. Friday is a great day for me to differentiate for these learners because my AIG teacher will take the AIG students for a 30 minute lesson. For the other half of Friday time, students will work with me to get extra reinforcement on the new math concepts we focused on during the week. Of course, students will be split into two or three groups during this time to provide for more small group time. (The third group may consist of students who don't need to work in the review standards station but also do not go to AIG. In this case, they will use an online program like Mobymax to work on individualized concepts).

In future posts, I'll delve deeper into what other things on my schedule mean, including Math Exit Slips, tracking data, Algebraic materials and website suggestions, differentiating homework, and maybe even the map of my quarter. Hope you enjoy hearing about math! I sure love thinking about it!

Departmentalizing 3rd Quarter! Math~Math~Math!!!!!

My team has been strongly considering departmentalizing for next year. We had pretty much convinced ourselves that we wanted to go for it in 2014-15, then I got to thinking....why not try it out 3rd quarter? We are a 5th grade team and we could use this as an opportunity to see if we like switching our students and we can prepare our students for middle school at the same time. I know many schools in our area departmentalize already, but with the great state of NC tying test scores to teacher evaluations (I don't really care about that part), every teacher has to have data (IE-be teaching in a tested subject). What this means for some schools is that kids get extra tests so that the teacher who teaches social studies has a test (over testing kids, I care about that part!).

To be honest, planning for science is the bane of my existence and I think life would be better if I didn't have to worry about it. It's also been a tough year to be a teacher and I've left many a math lesson this quarter saying, "If I could just teach math all day..." So, I am so excited about this opportunity to focus on a few things to teach well-rather than spreading myself thin and knowing that I could always be teaching a few subjects better on any given day.

How's this going to work? I am teaching math to all three classes, one teacher will teach science, and one will teach writing. Then, our social studies will be integrated into reader's workshop, and each teacher will teach reading for our homeroom class. I know everyone loves to see schedules, so ours will be something like this:

8-9               Block 1:Science
9-10             Block 2: Writer's Workshop
10-11           Block 3: Math
11-11:25      Lunch
11:25-11:55 Independent Reading/Writing Conference groups/Class meetings, etc
11:55-12:40 Specials
12:45-1:45   Reader's Workshop
1:45-2:20     Pack Up/Recess/Dismissal

One of the kinks we worked out was the transition time from homeroom to the first block. We decided that the kids would actually switch at 8:10. This gives us time to take attendance, take in any money being turned in, forms for the office, etc. Students will receive a morning work assignment  or something to get them prepared for their first block from that teacher. So, my math students will get a question to complete and my students will get something from the science teacher. The schedule also worked out nicely because students see us for a few minutes in the morning, transition to their two other blocks, then come back to their homeroom teacher for the rest of the day.

Here's the letter we sent to parents:

I've been outlining math for 3rd quarter (and even had to make some new purchases!) Stay tuned as I share about my plans for teaching math next quarter!