Evaluating Student Knowledge About Lines and Angles with Art Project

If you teach math using guided math groups,

 here is way to quickly review what your students know about lines, and angles.

 

 An Art Project illustrating different types of lines and angle. This poster illustrates these Common Core Standards:

CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.1
Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.

CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.2
Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.

You can evaluate them as they work using this rubric:

 

Click Here for copy of my rubric.

If you teach a multi-grade class, two different art project posters could show different concepts that students are working on. For example, the 3rd Graders could be illustrating these Common Core Standards

 CCSS.Math.Content.3.G.A.1
Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories.

Have you ever used an art project to evaluate students in the area of mathematics?

Smiles,

Deborah

February Daily Calendar: Counting by 5's with Adaptations for 1st/2nd Multigrade

Here's my suggestion for your 

February Daily Calendar.
 

I would practice choral counting by fives to 100,
 both forward and backwards.

  This graphic for the hands

is available for download for free for teachers use from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology using this link:
 Florida Center for Instructional Technology Clipart ETC (Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, 2009)

 If you have never visited this site, it has many graphics available for math that are 
 for students and teachers to use free of charge.  
The site says "shopping cart," but that is for commercial use.

How do you download the clipart?

Windows: Right mouse click on any of the images and choose save image to disk. Select the destination folder and click save. You can also click and drag the image to your desktop.
Macintosh: Right mouse click on any of the images and choose download image to disk. Select the destination folder and click save. You can also click and drag the image to your desktop.
Note: Each piece of clipart will appear in four different sizes for you to choose from. If you want a very small image, you can use the methods described above to select the tiny thumbnail version that appears in the top left corner of the page. The shaded box around the thumbnail image is NOT a part of the image and will not show in the file that you download.

Adaptation for 1st/2nd Multi-Grade Class: It's also a great time of the year to start practicing reading thermometers with the 2nd Graders.

oven thermometer

 Invite your school nurse into the class during calendar time.  Have her talk about how she uses a thermometer, and the many different kinds of thermometers that are available. Then have the 2nd Graders write step-by-step directions on how to take your own temperature, a drawing that shows 98.6 on a thermometer and what the resulting temperature means...98.6 and 102.

digital thermometer

Smiles,
Deborah

Split Class Math Vocabulary Word Wall

How can you create a word wall for math vocabulary when each grade is working on different math content?

How can you find all the wall space in your classroom?

My suggestion is to think a bit outside the box and have your students create personal file folder word walls. This folder could cover math concepts for one or more units.

 Each grade level would be working on their own personal file folder, so wall space 

would not be an issue. 

This word wall file folder would not be thrown away, but stored in a students math folder for future use on student homework assignments or center activities.

These folders could be used as you review math concepts for an upcoming standardized test too.

What do you think about this idea? Share you thinking in the comments area of this blog.

Smiles,

Deborah

 

Positional Words Idea: Split Class 1st/2nd

Are you teaching a 
1/2 Split Class? 

Here is an example of how one resource can be used with both levels of students.

 1. Teacher reads, "Ornament Positional Fun!" book to whole class. 

2. 1st Graders: Play
Print individual copies of the ornaments, Christmas tree, and present on heavier card-stock paper. Punch a hole in each corner of the top of the paper and run a yarn loop through the holes. Tie yarn so picture can hang around the students' neck.  
 Assign the role of each of the different colored ornaments to your students. Have them act out their part and then hang the ornament on the large Christmas tree page provided in the packet. The last pages of this packet contain enlarged photos of each ornament, the present, and a tree for the play.  Students hang the ornament card around their neck to help the audience visualize the characters. 

 or
     Reread the book to your students. Students can use choral reading and read aloud the phrase, ““Oh me, oh my, how great would it be, to hang upon this Christmas tree.”

3. 2nd Graders: 

         Use the book within a literacy center or writing center. On a chart, list other positional locations that could be shown on the tree. A page from the book would also be posted so students can see how the dialogue is punctuated. Possible other positional locations examples: top, middle, bottom, adjacent, and  beneath. 

Students design a new ornament to hang on the tree. Then they write a page of text, to add to the book. Their writing contains dialogue between the ornaments and the new positional location of the ornament.

    


This worksheet is my gift to you.  Click HERE to obtain your copy.


 








 
Here is the Teacher Pay Teacher link for the positional book:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Ornament-Fun-with-Positional-Concepts-2842015

Smiles,
Deborah

Building "Community" with a Venn Diagram in a Multi-Grade Classroom

At school, we use Venn Diagrams to think about ideas and compare and contrast those ideas.  Here is an example of a Venn Diagram (if you click on the picture it will enlarge so you can read it easier) used to compare 3 sisters:

www.projectrunplay.com

I wanted to share it with you because I think it is a perfect example of an activity you could do with 2 or 3 students in your class to help build "Community" in a Multi-grade Classroom.

Picture a 4th Grader and a 5th Grader working together to build a Venn Diagram that compares and contrasts their lives. Perhaps they will find out that they both love reading a certain author... or writing in a personal journal... or playing sports... or have a big brother that teases them both.

If you and I were creating that Venn Diagram, some of the descriptors that would be in my circle are:

• loves sharing ideas and hearing ideas from others
• creative sewer who enjoys sewing for her granddaughters and has a sewing blog too
• married for over 40 years
• still taking classes and reading books to learn new ideas
• thinks out-of-the-box 

What would be in your circle? Share one thing about yourself in the comment section of this post.  I'd enjoy reading about you too!

Smiles,

Deborah 

September Calendar, MultiGrade K-1

GOSH, AS I LOOKED CLOSER AT THIS CALENDAR, I MISNUMBERED IT! I  hope you will overlook that and just consider the idea of using attributes as the overall theme for the month of September.
Smiles,
Deborah 

I just added a calendar for October http://splitmultigradeclassroom.blogspot.com/2014/09/october-calendar.htmlhttp://splitmultigradeclassroom.blogspot.com/2014/09/october-calendar.html,  that also features attribute study. 

Guided Math Signs

I don't use Management Boards to organize Guided Math Groups.

example of a management board

I find that they are just one more task to complete each day.

Instead I use the geography of the room to rotate.

I have students rotate to the 3 or 4 different work stations positioned throughout the classroom in a clockwise motion.  That way there are not students walking around in 4 different directions, but a smooth, quiet, and quick station to station motion. During work station time, the students hear two different auditory signals (bell, chime, clicker)  to signal:
 1) it is time to clean up and get ready to move, 
 2) mouths closed, materials in hand..let's move to the next station.

By the way, the teacher guided group where grade level math instruction is being taught is one of those work stations. The other work stations are just groups of desks, a table, or an open floor space near a bookshelf housing student materials for the work station.

I was at IKEA and I saw these picture frames

 

 They cost 50 cents each or 2 for $.99.

They are two sided and would be perfect for labeling the station areas as students learn the routine of going from station to station.  Later they could be used to feature examples of quality student work to show students your expectations of the quality that you are looking for on an assignment. 

Smiles,

Deborah 

What Should a 3rd Grader Learn Verus a 4th Grader?

Easy Question.......................................
Take time to understand the expectations of a 3rd Grader and a 4th Grade using the Common Core Standards.

 
Since learning standards are expressed in a progression of learning, you can clearly identify what each grade level concepts should be mastered.
 
I expect a 3rd Grader to be able to...
At 4th Grade, they should also be able to ...

  Let the Common Core Standards help you to define the differences of your expectations, versus

 "This is what I think you should know."

For example, the Common Core Committee defined what math skills students should be fluent in from Grades K to 7 in a Document titled, "Model Content Frameworks for Mathematics."

In Third Grade

3.OA.7

Students fluently multiply and divide within 100. By the end of grade 3, they know all products of two one-digit numbers from memory.

3.NBT.2

Students fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction. (Although 3.OA.7 and 3.NBT.2 are both fluency standards, these two standards do not represent equal investments of time in grade 3. Note that students in grade 2 were already adding and subtracting within 1000, just not fluently. That makes 3.NBT.2 a relatively small and incremental expectation. By contrast, multiplication and division are new in grade 3, and meeting the multiplication and division fluency standard 3.OA.7 with understanding is a major portion of students’ work in grade 3.) In Fourth Grade 4.NBT.4 Students fluently add and subtract multidigit whole numbers using the standard algorithm. In Fifth Grade 5.NBT.5 Students fluently multiply multidigit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.

I plan to do more specific posts with examples to explain how to use the Common Core Standards to guide your instruction, because I know you worry about doing your best for your multi- grade class.

Understanding Your Concerns,
Deborah

Morning Meeting to Create a Sense of Community

Yesterday, Antionette commented, "

I have taught a split classroom two different years. I decided both years to not group them by grade level because I didn't want my class to feel divided. I wanted to create a community in which we acted as one. It worked really well I think. I have seen it both ways though. 

 

Her comment reminded me about

Morning Meeting.

 

 One strategy that I've seen used to increase this sense of community was "Morning Meeting" from Responsive Classroom.  

What about a meeting that answered questions like:
"One of my strengths when working with a partner is..."
"When I work with a partner on a project, I always ____ so we both contribute to the final project."
"My partner knows that I am listening to their ideas about our project when I ..."
"Today, we are going to practice listening to a partner. I'll give an idea to you, and then you repeat it back to me. Here's a good sentence opener: "I heard you say ....."

 

I'll always remember an interview that I saw with Lee Iacocca, the businessman who in 1980 revived the Chrysler Corporation.

He said that he hired employees that know how to work together in small groups or with a partner. He believed that when ideas are discussed and refined, the quality of those ideas increase.

 Partners see new ideas.   .

 

Deborah

 

 

The First 14 days of a Multigrade Math Class Overview

Using Debbie Diller's Book, "Math Stations" and Everyday Math, I came up with this plan of how to present math for the first 14 days. During this time, you will train your students how to work independently so you can teach math through guided math groups.

 

You will notice that I did not stop teaching math and just train students. By teaching similar lessons to both grade levels, you will also find the time to train your students.

 

 

 

The First 14 Days of Math Stations

 for A Multi-grade  1/2 Class

 Using Everyday Math and Math Stations

Schedule:

Mini-lesson 25 - 30 minutes

Whole Group EM Lesson: 30 - 40 minutes

This schedule is ONLY for the first 14 days of instruction.

Day	Mini-lesson	Learning Outcome	Resources	Whole Group Everyday Math Lesson
1	Take one photo of each child for Management Board. (or use the geography of the room to rotate your students systematically so they always know what area of the room to go to next without the work of a management board)		Complete the set-up of the Management Board for Day 2	Number Lines 1st/1.1  2nd/ 1.1
2	Introduce: Management Board . Model: How to obtain materials and where math stations are located. Model: Cleaning up a station	Sttroducig up a stationh stations are locatedor Day 2udents explore and learn how to obtain their instructional materials and where to go to work with their partners. Students will know what is expected as they clean up their stations.	Management Board Missing Pieces Box Numbered clear plastic tubs	Everyday Math Games: Monster Squeeze Number-Line Squeeze
3	Teacher and students model and practice: “Turn and Talk”. Model: The difference between hearing and listening to your partner.	Students will learn that as mathematicians we are capable of thinking in many different ways and sharing their thinking with others.	Chart: Thinking and Talking with a Partner Partners use 6 inch voices. Partners take turns talking. Partners listen to one another. Partners respect each others’ thinking	Introduce the Slate Routine Explain the Number Grid and it’s patterns 1st/1.2    2nd/ 1.4
4	Math Station Tub Teacher discusses how students have choices within one tub. Teacher shows how materials are labeled to differentiate levels. Model: Signals used to indicate it is time to stop and clean up, and signal to indicate to move to next station or to the small group teaching station.	Students realize that there are multiple activities to do with one math tub and those activities can be repeated. Students will move to different activities quickly and quietly.	Completed math tub Chart: How do we put materials away in our Math Tubs? Auditory signal	Introduce the Pattern-Block Template 1st/1.2   2nd/1.4
5	How to Obtain Help Model: “I Can” Chart “Instead” box for the Computer station	Teacher and students will create the first “I Can” chart together. Students will practice being adaptable and flexible.	“I Can” chart	Formative Assessment for 1st Graders: Use math master pg 304 to see what numbers they can all ready write. Challenge them to write their numbers to 20. Introduce the Class Scroll to the 2nd Graders.
6	Model and Practice: How to Use a Math Talk card to express their mathematical ideas.	Students will express their thinking using a math talk card as a support.	2 different “Math Talk Cards” for each group of 2 students	How to Use a Calculator 1st/  2.4          2nd/1.9
7	Represent your thinking through drawing, writing, Flip videos, and dramatizing. Where to put completed work.	Students learn to record their thoughts in short video clips. Students learn ways to represent their thinking, and where to put that completed document.	Flip Video Camera Examples of students drawings, and writings.	Whole Group: Odd and even Tally marks
8	How to handle problems:    Ask 3 and then ask me.   Disagreements What will happen when students don’t follow the procedures.	Students follow specific guidelines to solve problems.	Chart: How We Can Solve Problems Ourselves	EM Games: Penny-Dice Game Top-It Addition Top-It Rolling for 50 Rolling for 500 using a 400-500 number grid.
9	Introduce “Our Math Thinking “ Books	Students learn they are accountable for doing their best work at stations.	Book: “Our Math Thinking”	EM Games: Play your choice of game
10	Introduce First Station: Review and model use of management board, obtaining materials, correct voice level. Choose one student to be your partner, and go through the entire procedure while “thinking  aloud about what you are doing and thinking”	Students will revisit how to maintain organized classroom math stations	Chart:  Looks like, Sounds Like, Feels like One math tub of your choice	Whole Group: Modeling how the teacher will be teaching the small group guided math groups. All about Math Boxes using a teacher created math box page all about tally marks.
11	Continue to introduce another station. Establish student accountability by modeling and posting an example of a completed student work product.	Students will learn mathematical ideas through independent learning.	Example of student work	How to play: EM Facts Workshop Game that provides online practice of basic facts and computation.
12	Model:  How we share our experiences with our class members.	Students will engage in discussions and that they are accountable for their independent learning.		Reading books that relate to math such as counting books. How to create your own math related book.
13	Model: Computer Station “Instead Box”	Students will learn a routine to cooperatively use the classroom computer.	Chart: Step by step directions to use the computer Chart: Who is on the Computer Today?	How to read a number line on a thermometer
14	(After conducting an actual “Math Station”) Getting back together as a whole group to reflect on what went well.	Grand Opening Celebration: Beginning a station	Wrapped box that announces the beginning of math stations. Chart:  What We Did Well	Administer the Beginning of the Year Test to both grade levels. Recruit a volunteer to read the test aloud to one grade level while you read the other grade level test. See if the volunteer will also help score the test.