Teach Children Well: The 2019-2020 Math Year: Learning Experiences, Tools and Focus

I am beginning to craft the 2019-2020 math year including the tools and activities we plan to use. I will update the grade-level math website to reflect specific lessons, tools, and projects. The start of the plan is listed below.

I will continue to update the plan as I study this summer and assess end-of-year metrics to notice areas of strength and areas of challenge. I will combine this study with formal and informal metrics collected throughout the school year. The words from Jose Vilson, a teacher leader, speaker, and math teacher, inspire my efforts:

Overarching Goals

To use the words of Zaretta Hammond in her book, Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain, the goal of the program is to move students from dependency to independent thinkers who do higher order thinking, creative problem solving, and analytical reading and writing.

All Students will deeply believe and exhibit the belief that all students are capable of learning math
All students will be introduced to, and use, online and offline math tools to assist their learning
All students will learn to persevere and use good strategy on their own and with others.
All students will master the fifth grade standards with strength and depth
All students will have opportunities to enrich their learning in meaningful ways via websites, online learning menus, and project work.
All students will understand what it means to work as an effective team member, and students will have many opportunities to develop that skill in a variety of ways.

The Schedule:

All Year

Fidelity to schedule: one hour a day, 60 extra minutes a week (with the exception of days when there are special field studies)
Extra help: Monday and Wednesday mornings at 7 a.m.
Assessments - create assessment schedule including time and place at start of year with all teachers on the team
Learning Menu: Available for student study all year, updated regularly

Homework

School nights: 20 minutes varies depending on focus

The program roll-out:

We are a Math Team - Number Warm-Up September

What is a team? How does a team work well together?
How to use a calculator - math team activity
Math team t-shirt activity: What's your number? Review of essential math vocabulary.
How to use a spread sheet - math team dice game
How to work as a team? Revisit. Team Roles?
Review of math language; math puzzle team activity - number puzzles

Everyone can learn math - September

Jo Boaler math mindset video
Math biographies, graphic stories, cartoons. . .Math & Me
Math attitude survey, reflection, discussions, activities
Goal setting efforts in conjunction with student showcase portfolios

Numerical Expression - Number Play - September/October

Opportunity to review multiples/factors in meaningful ways
What are math operations?
What is an algorithm? Rubik's cube lesson
Introduction to Graspable Math, order of operations
Introduction to Marcy Cook Tiles
How to use a scale, practice finding mass (science: properties lessons)

Time lines, Number Lines - integrated with Social Studies - September/October

A ruler is a number line: How to use rulers? Measuring and making a math mini poster
Using and studying rulers related to customary and metric measurement. How are these rulers the same, different? Practice using rulers in meaningful ways.
Counting and infinity - How many numbers exist? What is the difference between positive and negative numbers? How many numbers exist between 0 and 1--are these positive or negative? What do we call numbers greater than 0 but less than 1? How do we use numbers like this?
Time line: history of planet Earth - why do we use numbers to discuss time, how is that important. Review of addition and subtraction with whole numbers using time line information (social studies integration)
Decimal addition and subtraction: Money math and metric measurements related to physical science.

Where are you? (Math/ STEAM Integration) - October