SCES

The e-Math teachers at SCES had our last official collaborative on Wednesday, April 2^nd! Here are some comments from the day’s presentations.

Wynn--good use of manipulatives; liked the way you linked both physical and virtual resources and provided students opportunities to use both to refine their thinking--most excellent. Great way to teach multiplication. I loved the flip chart. Manipulatives were great. Loved the way the students participated in the lesson and designed the T-shirts! Great manipulatives! I want a T-shirt! Great idea.

Allison: Transformations, rotations, reflections - Used Shirts in the Mirror BAM - -good student use of technology (digital camera) -good cross curricular links (with art) -students demonstrated evidence of linking concept to real life - Good job. I know the students loved doing this! Super job relating the areas and making connections with shapes and letters! Great job with transformations! Made a possibly boring topic into one of interest by making a flipchart that was fun to use.

Dana: Blast off with Geometry/Soar of Crash and Burn -Good progression through Bloom's Taxonomy of Skills -again, good student use of technology (using digital cameras) -liked the way students had the opportunity to employ the protractor tool -really liked the examples of real life angles--good way to build for transfer of learning -Birthday Cupcakes BAM -I'm impressed that you collaborated with an EIP student and asked the pupil to help create flipchart content.
Good job. Very interesting for the kids. Keeps them thinking. Great job with BAM! It's great that you exposed your students to images of world icons--Eiffel Tower. They'll need this core knowledge to understand concepts in other disciplines. Cupcake BAM was great! Good job explaining. Cute BAM! I know the kids could relate to this!

Cynthia: Chapter 14 Percents -Like the way students followed in a flipchart of their own while you presented the lesson -Per Cent paint looks very engaging -Using per cents in context of money was a great way to link concept to real life -Nifty idea: percentages of clothing components -Cool--you had students create circle graphs that employed percentages -Great flipchart created! Grid used to "paint" to create percent was great too! Bringing money in to teach decimals and percents is a good way to make it real world for the students. Students benefit by having this on their stations to read from as well as the board. Clickers used for assessment. Great performance assessment - creating their own circle graphs with topics of their choice. Love the percent paint link! What a "catchy" tool to help reinforce percent! I love the percent paint link! Great activity!

Carol: Triangles -Smart use of time, using content from Promethean Planet -I'm glad you pointed out how what the students are doing is linked to what they'll be expected to do on standardized test (you also did a masterful job of pointing out potential pitfalls) -Liked how you took this concept a step further with the use of the Math TV video--preparing kids for a foundation in algebra -Liked the magic magnifying glass Good job. Can't wait to use it!!! Much needed in fifth grade! Great flipchart! That was super. I know they will enjoy working on this. Ann: BAM related activity, Broken Clocks -Good way to demonstrate how well students understand elapsed time...they really have to articulate their conceptualization of how we tell time -This lesson really calls for a higher than average level of sophistication. It's evident you have high expectations for students. Way to go! -very engaging! Higher level thinking!!! Good job with the broken clocks. Great job and flipchart! Time is such a hard thing for all elementary school kids! Great flipchart. Flip chart was great!

Josh: Patterns and Algebraic Relationships (Review for CRCT)/Assessment for Chapter 8 for distributive property -Use of ACTIVotes for feedback -Making sure to include the model before having students complete an operation is very sound teaching The kids love using the ACTIVotes Love the baseball theme-Good way to prepare students for what they'll be experiencing on the CRCT -chapter 8-students used flipchart at station Sometimes bells and whistles are not needed to get the information! Great use of modeling the problem rather than just solving the problem! Loved the baseball theme.

Winona's portion: Millie and Mel -use of scanner -Winona has been using this with students in her Google Docs and Spreadsheets -Her students have been working groups to create a presentation in Google Docs

Yvonne: Adding different numbers -students have to be very good at articulating their understanding of the process -She's making good use of the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

Pam: Leopard's Leap -Based on a BAM -The flipchart allows you to model the problem solving skills. I like how you pulled in other skills - Multiples -Great use of the promethean software. - To solve the problem. -Liked her idea of having each group draw it out, scanning the image, and then sharing groups' work with the entire class

Jennifer: Good idea to have students plan their flipchart before creating their flipchart. Students were folding paper so that each "box" represents a flipchart page -Manipulating the software and typing took a while -It's obvious that the students grasped the concept

Vickie: Do your best, bust that test! Good idea--use pages from previously made/used 3rd grade flipcharts (this idea saves time and reinforces concepts) -wow! You certainly encompassed lots of ideas with this - What an easy way to review by pulling from flipcharts that have already been made.

Kiersten: Grassy Parks (BAM) -Working with area and perimeter -Vickie's point about using a policeman to check the perimeter and the area is a good idea.

Retta: Solid and Plane Figures -downloaded from Promethean Planet -Great use of "borrowing" from others. (Why reinvent the wheel if the resource is already available? Very smart and efficient.) -Brain Pop videos using flipcharts not only can you borrow, but you can add to and alter the flipcharts that you find.

Melissa: The Trouble with Tables (BAM) - Use of calculators -Good idea: modeling skill by collaborating with students and then having them independently demonstrate the skill -Very adept with her use of the flipchart and its tools –

Holly: 5th Grade Station 6-Solid Figures - Highlights the skills in the 5th grade GPS -Exploring polyhedrons -Parts of polyhedron –Sorting

Jeff also left us with some great resources - animated resources from Learner.org (Annenberg Project) – webnode.com (for making blogs) – when using delicious, use the Georgia Performance Standard as a tag – ktq.webnode.com (Georgia’s Keys to Quality)

Our third collaborative was held in the Tech Lab on February 7, 2008. We had lots of visitors pop in during the two sessions . . . Carole and Connie from SCES, Gilda and Jim from SCMS Joyce from SCHS, and Cathy Lariscy from the BOE. We were also fortunate to have Jeff, our ETTC, join us. He shared several great resources and tips. Below are a couple of things that we learned during the sessions:

• Visit segatech.us and scestech.wordpress.com for links to great resources and ideas (such as the chart chooser from Juice Analytics.
• To prevent students from making changes to those flipcharts that you have worked so hard to create, change your files to “read-only”files by following the steps below: Right click...properties... check box beside "read only"
• Be sure to check out the resources (flash files, activities, flipcharts, acti-vote quizzes) that are in your Activ-Studio shared resources.
• Jeff showed us how to search for flash files by typing “.swf” at the end of a Google search – this same idea will work if you are looking for a Power Point (.ppt), a flipchart (.flp), a word document (.doc) , and image (.jpeg, .jif, .bmp, etc.)
• Jeff also showed us how to open flash files by using the Mozilla Firefox browser, but not actually being on the internet. Follow these steps: Save the flash file to your desktop, open web browser (Mozilla or Internet Explorer), click “File,” select “Open File,” and browse for your file.
• Yvonne showed us how to put short cuts on the main toolbar in Activ-Studio. Follow these steps: Right-click on the “little man” on the right side of the tool strip, click the circle beside “Program File,” click “…” to browse for the file (or web address) that you want. To get to activities in your shared resources, go to “My Computer,” “C,” “Documents and Settings,” “All Users,” “Shared Documents,” “Activ-Studio,” “Activ-Studio 3,” “Shared Activities,” and double click the file that you want.
• Here are some other good resources to check out . . . learner.org, soundpedia (please remember not to stream at school), Wikipedia for schools, teacher tube, lulu, blurb, miro

Reminders:

• Please complete your observations by April 2^nd – the LAST collaborative!!!!
• The last lesson that you present, must include any equipment that you have not previously presented with this year.
• Keep updating your portfolios.
• Don’t forget to let your e-coaches know if there is something that you would like for us to consider purchasing this LAST year of funds!
• Thanks for all that you do – we are almost done!

As each teacher presented, we used Google docs to make the comments listed below
Kiersten
The students were told the requirements ahead of time and the students used the digital camera to make pictures of geometric shapes. The students worked for thirty minutes on two days to complete the assessment flipcharts. The students did a super job. Great assessment. I know that the students enjoyed it! I am sure their grades showed their knowledge of the activity. Kiersten spun a great flipchart off of the Geometry unit presented in Tech Lab - students created their own flipcharts meeting certain requirements - many technology components were used. Great flipchart! I know the students enjoyed making the flipcharts! Great idea for an assessment! The students did a good job creating the geometry flipchart.

Allison
Allison found a flipchart on Promethean planet. She used the GTCO. Great way to assess with the clickers. I know that they enjoyed the flip chart.
Wynn
Students used graphing resource from National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (in combination with something students really enjoy--candy). Love the skittles flipchart...Cute! Very BRIGHT!
What a cute lesson! I know the kids enjoyed working with and eating the skittles - great final product! Great lesson. I loved the pictures. The activity was based on a BAMs activity.
Cynthia
Cool Picture of Mountains- Activity based on Mountain Math - She pulled in calculators with this activity. Group based instruction. This works well for inclusion groups. I loved the idea of being able to do the game in groups, I never thought of that!
Retta
Great job! Students love going to the board and measuring objects!! Great way to teach measurement! I liked your ruler. Looks like a great site for measurement. Can't wait to use it! Love the ruler!!!!!! Super lesson!!
Yvonne
Flying angles - Students could scan their airplanes--wow!--what a spiffy idea! Power point idea really makes sense. good thinking. the power point looked great! Students created powerpoints with photos taken around the school. Great activity! Awesome! I loved the power point!
Melissa
Super Flipchart!!! Good job on the actions! Great Job!! Loved the flipcharts!!! Great flipchart. The kids presented their own flip chart! looked great. great use of protractor
Holly
I love that you are teaching the kids to use the scanner... Can't wait to do this with my kids!!
Super graphing - that will be fun with the kids
Josh
Review lesson - angle-polygon kids used digital camera to take pictures and then he made a quiz with the pictures for them to review. Great idea! Great student thinking! I love it... Very Creative Josh! The kids love taking pictures!
Winona
Review before a test - Kids used the scanner, digital camera, and activstudio to create a flipchart for self-assessment. Great job!
Pam
Pam showed an Acti-Vote assessment - then she showed a student created flipchart which featured pictures that students had taken with the digital camera. Good job, Pam. Your students seemed to enjoy this. Great way to use the camera and get the kids involved in their own learning.
Ann
Great use of resources Word, Activ-Studio, Kid Create-A-Graph - Making the graphs on their own helped students internalize the skills. Ann, great use of the computer using the website for the graphing. Also, great job using the materials that we already have a copying them.
Jennifer
Very impressive backgrounds - Fonts are easy to read - You do a great job when it comes to collaborating and sharing. Super flipchart! Super job.
Vickie
Good use of graphics--like that ruler -great job of using shared resources
Carol
Great use of the Promethean Planet. You didn't have to reinvent. I like the way the font was so large and colorful.

Our first collaborative was great! I think that we can all say that we each learned at least one new thing! Below are the (uneditted) comments from Google Docs.

Morning Session

Retta's Lesson - Review of Adding with Regrouping

I like that Retta is using real life examples for this lesson. Her hook for this lesson is interesting for the students.
I like how Retta introduced the lesson with shopping instead of doing schoolwork. Students had to do their work on paper and then check their work using the calculator. Everybody can relate to not wanting to be at work or school. Her lesson was definitely a real-life skill! Practical use of the calculator. Great lesson Retta. This would be good to do near Christmas and give each child a sales paper to make a wish list.
Other ideas for this activity - give students a budget, use the activity in a center, use during Christmas

Great way to use the newspapers we get each week. Also, could use catalogs for larger numbers (for older students or to extend the lesson).

Ann's Lesson - Missing Addend

Her introduction (video games) would really "hook" the students! Her lesson teaches that there is more than one way to solve a problem - in this case, counting up and a new faster way, using the inverse operation - subtraction! Great flipchart! Students practice with the calculator and use the Rainforest website. She assesses the lesson with a few problems and the ActiVotes.Her flipchart is in the e-Math folder in the "S" drive.
Ann did a good job of teaching inverse operations to find missing addends. Students used calculators and a website to practice.
Nice transition from problems that can be counted on fingers or calculated mentally to the larger numbers and the use of calculators to find the missing addend. I like the way Ann talked a lot about the inverse operation and had several problems that the students could work on.

Vickie's Lesson - Subtracting 3 and 4 digit numbers
Students would be interested in taking a trip. Good use of color in the flipchart - to show the steps of subtracting. Good life skill - should we walk or ride? Her lesson reviews previously taught skills. Her questions prompt critical thinking. The flipchart contains "self-checking." Her flipchart is in the e-Math folder in the "S" drive. Students practice skills with websites - "Baseball Math" and "Rainforest Math." She assesses the lessons with a few problems and activities. Good integration of Social Studies concepts - lengths of the US major rivers.
Winona's suggestion . . While waiting for students who need extra time, give the early finishers the assessment problems on paper and let them do it while they are waiting. Jennifer's suggestion . . . point to the number and subtraction sign as you model. Share your mnemonics list with your grade level.

Vicki had good examples to model subtracting 3 and 4 digit numbers. She had students read word problems and figure out how solve the problems. Students had to remember to write the larger number on top in order to subtract. Take a picture of the US map and use in social studies. Also the following flipchart is great for social studies.
Vicki 's flipchart looks great. Great way to tie in social studies.
Vicki's flipchart was attractive and motivational. She had many examples for the kids to work on. Good intergration of math and Social Studies. Students used word to create new word problems.
Good use of word problems to practice the skill. I liked the question about explaining the difference between adding/subtracting 3 digits and 4 digits: although not a complicated question, it makes the students THINK about what they are doing. Good question for a math journal. Great integration of Social Studies and Math!!!! I like the idea of the use of research and the students writing their own word problems. Those could be put on a flipchart for activotes.

Carol's Lesson-Different Types of Graphs

Carol -Great flipcharts on graphs. These were colorful and had great information explaining the different graphs. She had students create double line graphs using Create a Graph. I like the rubric that she made to evaluate the line graphs. Carol's flipcharts were very colorful and easy to read. A lot of good information and practice with the bar graphs.
Carol's graphs are easy to read and understand. Key words are highlighted to focus student attention.
Carol began this three day lesson by asking the students how boys' interests differed from girls' interest in their class. The students surveyed the students in their class and made bar graphs of the information. The students were introduced to the difference between a histogram and a bar graph. Carol used a flipchart to explain that the graphs had to have titles,scales,and keys. Then she demonstrated reading a double bar graph. Carol had examples of many different kinds of graphs. Students were given questions to answer about each graph. Jeff Giddens said that activotes were an excellent tool to use with graphing. The students can answer the questions and see the results immediately. The students went to different classes in the school and interviewed the students. The classmates then tallied their data and graphed it on create a graph. The students were given instructions for making the graph and a rubric of what was expected on their graph. Carol was able to find a flipchart at Promethean Planet and make some changes to the flipchart to use for instruction. Jeff Giddens said that looking for resources that have already been created is a good time management skill.

Jennifer- Customary Units of Measurement

Jennifer-The conversions are good practice and review from previous lessons.
Jennifer reminds us that measuring is a third grade GPS, but that conversion is a fifth grade GPS. She used a flipchart that had measurements for them to convert from inches to feet and inches. Yvonne asked if students were required to change perimeter to feet from inches or vice versa. The students would use the flipcharts at workstations and go to the website funbrain to measure using the ruler on the computer. The students will use the computer ruler and then be given a ruler. Jennifer said that at workstations everyone would do an easy problem and then they would progress. Holly asked if Jennifer had used the ruler in the Promethean Board.The ruler on the Promethean Board was discussed. Ann told everyone how to zoom the ruler. Ann also asked if the ruler from the Promethean could be enlarged and printed. Jennifer said that she wanted to revise her flipchart and she now had some good ideas.

Jennifer used a flipchart to review measurement concepts. Students use a website (Funbrain) to practice before using classroom rulers. Funbrain site is excellent practice.
Jennifer- I like the idea of making the ruler bigger using the magnifying glass. Good Lesson.

Holly- Road Trip Unit

Holly said that she loves teaching this math unit. She gave a great web site - Map Quest. The students use map quest on the first day. The students find out the distanceto all seven places because they do not get their destination until the third day. The students have to round the numbers use of the magnifying glass to give them a hint of where they are going. And I like to go places and this is a good way to show the students different parts of the U.S.
They have to figure out round trip and the students use the calculator to find the total distance
Day 2 They find the total gas used and the cost. The students have to do a reflection on that days acitivities. The students have a packet to record prices. Holly has had to revise her search for hotel prices because of a slow internet connection. There are questions included inside the flipchart for discussion and reflection. The students reflect about the day in Word. The students record their information in a chart and they must use a pie graph to answer questions in Word as part of a reflection. The students then make a Power Point following certain criteria and are given a rubric stating expectations before beginning.
Holly has a flipchart with links to MapWebQuest to create a vacation. The lesson is very motivational with multiple uses of technology. On day six students make a powerpoint about their trip. Great job!

These activities require the students to work on real world problems. I really like these!

Afternoon Group

Pam's Lesson - Multiplication

I like the way you have your steps in boxes. It was good that you related the multiplication fact to quarters. The way you looked for facts and listed them was great. Then the students modeled 3 times 24 with base ten blocks. The hands-on along with technology was excellent. Asking the question was this estimate reasonable showed the students that the answer should be close to the estimate. Is the method in the textbook worked vertically confusing? Yes, to use this method, you should write the problem horizontally. This shows the distributive property. We just had a vertical meeting just then discussing the effectiveness of this method.

Great flipchart! She begins her lesson by reviewing from the previous day (basic facts, patterns, etc.). I like the "FQA's" (Students identify Facts, Opinions, and Answer)! Her lesson is hands-on - real manipulatives! I like the way that she has the students predict a reasonable answer and then use their prediction to "self-check." Love the calculator link - more "self-checking." Great guided practice! Tennessee Model: "I do, you watch. I do, you help. You do, I help. You do, I watch." I like the way she breaks apart the word problems (FQA) ditto!! The facts, questions, and answer really helps students pull out only essential information. FQA's are great. Will use them in my class starting tomorrow. It was neat to hear the "tennessee model" brought up again. An excellent strategy that i use as well. The calculator link was awesome. Great job! It was explained very well. Great job. I really enjoyed your energy. Do make sure that that one way is not taught! Too confusing!! :)

Cynthia- Graphing

Great examples on graphing, I used this to teach chapter 5 graphing. Students really responded. Cynthia began by telling that lesson we will work on will be about graphing. She discussed horizontal graphs, line graphs, pictographs. Cynthia used a time management strategy of finding a flipchart that she had found and she could modify. An activote test was included in the flipchart to assess student needs. Students then used Nation Master to look up information about a topic. Next year Cynthia will teach scale first before allowing them to graph. I like the line graph game! Cool 5 questions quiz to review!! Neat website! "Nation Master" - I like the way you used Georgia and surrounding states to make it hit home! Good reflection on teaching scale before teaching graphing.I love the nation masters website! I will use this in my classroom!

I love Nationmasters..especially the opportunity the kids have to look for facts and stuff that interests them instead of the same old boring stuff. Great site and lesson! Nation Masters - good site. The kids would love using this. Sometimes it is only after we teach a lesson that we realize what the students do not know. It shows us where their weaknesses are and we adjust our teaching according. Great to recognize.

Kiersten Tapley - Place Value

Neat idea to use the vocabulary cards for each chapter. I need to do more of that!

Great doing the number of the Day and the problem of the day. Great flip chart! It really is beneficial to do the review and the problem of the day.. Having these in the flipchart was very good. We all need to work for mastery for on standard form. Value means money how much is it worth? Place- is where does it live?

From a discussion about the lesson:
Place-where is he? Value-what's he worth? Excellent way to approach place value! That really helped when we all talked about how to use it for all grades!!!

Thanks for showing us the zoom. Good job on the lesson. Using the magnifying glass - hold the left button to zoom in, hold the right button to zoom out - Moving the page arrows - right click on the far side of the page

Dana's Lesson - Missing Data and Double Data

Great use of color in a flipchart! Encourages students to examine items closely. I like the "ADHOC" use of the ActiVotes. Interesting flipchart - fun to look at. Great flipchart. Very colorful and interesting and has all they need to know!! Good stuff....really liked the flipchart.

Students must examine the graph and decide what to get rid of on the graph that has duplicate information. The activote test was a quick way to check understanding. Neat imagines in the flipchart.

Josh Oglesby- Multiplying and Dividing up to 10
Reviewing methods from the previous day - different ways to multiply (drawing pictures, number lines, manipulatives, and the multiplication table) - have them "think" about how they solve problems. Jeff suggestion . . . use the interactive whiteboard to compare the different methods. Great flipchart! Super job of stressing that there is more than one way to solve a problem. ACTIVSTUDIO NOTE: To get clear pictures on flipcharts, take pictures from the Teacher's Edition on-line - instead of the student edition - you can also change the scale.

Nice job of showing the different ways to multiply. I didn't like the break apart when I first taught it, but seeing you teach it helped me see how beneficial it could be for students who do not know all of their facts. Nice job.Good use of writing. The English teachers will love it! A good explanation of the break apart strategy. I love the jersey~!!! i will need to use this more. Especially when I teach the eight times tables.

Melissa Simpson - Coordinate System

Cute flipchart - I like the sheep! Good job! Super. I know that the kids enjoyed it. You really did a great job presenting. I want the Billy Bug website. Here you Go! :) http://www.classbrain.com/artgames/publish/billy_bug_math_coordinates_game.shtml

Winona - Comparing Money

Love the candy corn!! Love the sound effect!!! :) Fun for kids! I like the chart to line up the place value of the money to compare.

Great visuals, love kids being able to move it around and see things that are not fixed all the time. I like the snapping feature for the wrong answers. I definitely want to take Holly's class. I think making them pick the coins to make the sentence true is a great idea instead of just having them pick the correct symbol. Great thinking skill activities! It is a great idea to make them think "backwards"!

Review counting money for two days. Great use of items in the resource library and actions in ActivStudio software! Super graphic organizer to show how money relates to place value. Flipcharts includes different applications of the same skill to encourage students to think about it in a different way. Students use the flipcharts in their stations. Students link to website to practice. Great critical thinking components. Good activity. I really enjoyed the higher order thinking.

Self correcting too!!

Yvonne's Lesson - Order of Operations
Love the BIG numbers for the step! Cool thumbs up and thumbs down revealing with magnifying glass!!!
Good real life experience with the calculator. Kids need to learn that they cannot just rely on technology to work math...they have to know the correct step (correct order of operations) to punch it into the calculator correctly to get the correct answer.
Teacher created flipchart teaches the order of operations – with lots of exciting extras. Super use of calculators and other types of technology – it shows students that it is always important to know HOW to DO the problem – stresses the importance of paper and pencil. Your flipcharts are great examples for other teachers. Great revealing. Real life stuff! :) Super lesson. Thanks for the Please My Dear Aunt Sally tips.

My kids loved the big numbers. Great job with everything.

A lot has happened since we last met! SCES has been showing its stuff to teachers from across the world! In July, Winona, Allison, and Holly presented at NECC - the National Education Computing Conference in Atlanta. Holly presented to the faculty from the College of Education from Georgia Southern University in early August. Each presentation showed how we use technology in our school - all of which is a success because of how hard our e-math teachers have worked since the beginning of the grant implementation. Speaking of the grant, Yvonne, Winona, and Holly are traveling to Macon tomorrow - August 30 - for the annual e-Math meeting. Unit writing is over and now it is time to TEACH all those great units we worked so hard to create. Have a great year - thanks for all your hard work!

Below are links to e-snips accounts that contain files related to the presentations mentioned above and files from our e-math units.

http://www.esnips.com/web/GSUpresentation

http://www.esnips.com/web/SCES-NECC

http://www.esnips.com/web/SCES-eMath-Units

BEFORE MAY 25TH:

Please make sure that you go to the eMath portal and take the end of year survey.

Please take the loti survey at the Loti Lounge.
Make sure that you save your results for the loti survey so that it can be placed in your portfolio.

Here are a few of the websites that Mrs. Woods placed on her class blog, Woods' Wonders, to use in the Birdhouse eMath Unit.

Inch to Feet

We need to practice changing inch to feet and feet to yards.

Geometric Solids

We will count faces and vertices's this week as we get ready to build our birdhouses.

Geometry Website

Hey Class!
I put the geometry website in the flipchart by mistake. Here is the geometry web address. The instruction on how to play are on the last page of the flipchart.

Our Favorite Techno-Instructional Strategies
Harcourt E-Products
Rainforest Math
Flipcharts
Collaboration and Ability to Share Flipcharts, Resources, Materials, Etc.
Math Frog

Impact of Grant
Students are more engaged
Lessons are more real world
Technology Equipment!!!
Easier presentation of concepts
Unlimited resources – through the INTERNET
Easier to model concepts to students
The technology improves problem solving skills.
The room arrangement and the eMath philosophy requires students to work together – social skills that are essential for success in the work place.
Students learn from each other – EIP students should be augmented so that can learn from regular education students.

Student Math Content Knowledge – Has the grant improved this?
Yes, to some degree
It has allowed you to provide enrichment for those kids that need it
It has move us beyond with the book

Teacher Math Content Knowledge – Has the grant improved this?
The grant has encouraged us to think “outside of the box.”
Performance Assessments sometimes require us to teach concepts we may not have ordinarily taught.

Incorporating Technology into daily instruction - Reflections
Frustration with the technology, students do not handle “downtime” when “trouble-shooting” of equipment has to be done.
Our system has HUGE network speed and server problems!
The eMath grant has paced the system capabilities.

Winona reminded us of some things that we need to keep in mind as we develop stage 3. It is important that each lesson to have a clear connection to how knowledge is built (put together) to answer the essential question. All activities should work towards building knowledge to complete the performance assessment. Activities should be scaffolded – students should see the connection to the “Big Idea.” Present the rubric at the beginning of the lesson as a road map to where you (and the students) are going in the unit. Kids have to know what you want upfront – present your expectations (for the end product) at the beginning. As you plan activities for each day, ask yourself, “Are these activities getting them were I want them in the end?”

Remember to include activities that require students to rethink and revise what do. It is important that students to have an environment were they can make a mistake and it is okay. They also need an incentive to continue on when they do make a mistake.

A variety of activities are needed to meet the learning styles of all students. In addition, learning activities should be sequenced.

After implementation changes will have to me made – do the best that you can now – knowing that if something doesn’t work, it can be changed later.

Here are some important pages from the UBD book, please take a few minutes to look at these . . .

Page 228 – breaks down stage 3 into the days

Page 238 – look through the learning activities and make sure that you have each of the WHERETO elements – label it in the unit, like this (W)

Below are the highlights from the Techno-Instructional Strategies that the Fifth Grade teachers shared during our Face-to-Face Day 4.

Allison showed a flipchart that she found and downloaded from Promethean Planet. The flipchart helped student calculate the area of a rectangle.

Dana also recommended using PowerPoint presentations from Discovery Educator’s Network.

Cynthia showed a flipchart that she created to teach part of a circle. She also showed geometry related websites on “Math Lab” and “Harcourt.” Here is another Harcourt site.

Dana showed a flipchart on polygons. She got some of her ideas from Promethean Planet. Dana also used Harcourt’s (on-line book) website – see her post below. We all need to take the time to check out the Harcourt site – student book pages come up – it is very interactive and great to use on our Promethean and SMART boards! Very e-Math compatible! Thanks for posting to the blog Dana!

Jennifer showed a flipchart that she found on Promethean Planet on finding the area of geometric shapes (triangle, parallelogram, circle, complex shapes, etc.). It has great graphics and modeling for students. She has stored all of these great resources on the “S” drive.

Carol showed “Mathopenref.com” showed kids how to use real-life geometry concepts. The site brings “flat, fixed” geometric figures to life. She also showed “mathsnet.net” which demonstrates the concept of volume.

Fifth grade teachers have done a GREAT job of taking advantage of Promethean Planet – there are some great resources there – why should we create new things from scratch!

I found 2 flipcharts from Promethean Planet to help with teaching area of triangles and area of parallelograms. One is the about the "area of triangles" and the other is about the "area of various shapes." Both can be easily modified to fit our needs. The clip in the triangle flipchart is OK, but you may want to put in something else in its place. Both flipcharts on on the S drive, 5th Grade Share, Math.