Guided Math
Chapter 6 – Supporting Guided Math with Math Workshop
Hosted by: Reaching for the Top and Barrow’s Hodgepodge
This chapter had my text-to-text connections running into overdrive. There are so many similarities between the way I currently run Daily 5 in my classroom and the way I envision running Guided Math & Math Workshop. While stamina is a key word in Daily 5, I noticed that endurance was the choice word mentioned in Guided Math.
The author begins with an emphasis on the importance of teaching and establishing strong routines and structure for the workshop. I feel like I do a great job in the beginning of the year, but need to improve on reviewing more when new students move in or after a long holiday break.
The author mentions Eight Effective Uses of Workshop:
1. Review of Previously Mastered Concepts (although I dislike the word ‘mastered’)
2. Math Fact Automaticity
3. Math Games
4. Problem-Solving Practice
5. Investigations
6. Math Journals
7. Computer Use
8. Math Related to Other Subject Areas
I’ve posted before about using the acronym T.I.M.E. to represent my math workshop rotations. If you missed that post, click here. While reading this chapter, I was pleased to see the author include so many ideas for workshop that were already in my plan for independent work (review, facts, games, and connections with other subjects).
As for the others:
**Computers – I would LOVE to have computers be accessible during math workshop. However, at our school the computers are in shared areas. I will have to wait and see how my schedule compares to that of the others trying to access the computers.
**Problem Solving – In the past I have taught problem solving one day a week. However, I feel like I want to change that slightly. I’ve been thinking that I might post a problem several days prior to our problem solving day. Students will have opportunities to show how they would solve the problem. Then on the day I am teaching problem solving, I can choose a few student examples to share. I would then choose a few more similar problems and let students try to solve them using their new strategies.
**Math Journals – Another thought running through my head was the Math Journals. I thought about how I could incorporate more writing as a means for mathematical communication. Since I teach friendly letter writing, I already have the students write letters to me one day a week. I thought I could start asking students mathematical questions in my responses back to them.
**Investigations – I need some guidance and advice with the Investigations piece. I think every once in a while I am able to pull in real world math situations, but I don’t intentionally plan them into my lessons. What are some of the best ways you have incorporated real-world math investigations into your classroom?
On a completely unrelated note, can anyone point me in the direction of a tutorial for using Google Docs and adding those documents to a blog post? Thank you!
As I was reading, I also had huge text-to-text connections between Guided Math and The Daily Five. If I keep that connection in my head, I think I will be just fine.
Alyce
Mrs. Bartel’s School Family
I too struggle with investigations. Something I have found is that I do a lot of real world connections with introducing new concepts, or closing a concept. For example, with geometry we do a scavenger hunt around school to see the shapes in the world, for perimeter/area we design rooms and talk about how architects and carpenters need to know about it. Addition/subtraction we do a lot with shopping (which ALWAYS makes for a fun math station). I feel like that is how I incorporate them. I might think about making more culminating math projects to end units to really allow them to apply all they have learned to a real life situation. What are your thoughts on that? 🙂
Amanda
Reaching for the TOP!
I just started reading this book. I am really going to be following what you are writing about it. And by the way…I just wanted to tell you that I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Check out my blog to see it.
Tracey
http://thirdgradeallstars.blogspot.com/
I also think that math work stations and daily five are very similar. Thanks for linking up!
Barrow's Hodgepodge
I think you would love doing math journals with a problem of the day. I added that this year to my calendar time in kindergarten. My little ones can not do them independently so we work on them together. As far as google docs I could help you if I know what your question is.
Sue
The Very Busy Kindergarten
Christi from Ms. Fultz's Corner as started to create tutorials.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MsFultzsCorner?feature=watch
Here is another tutorial on the adding docs to your posts.
http://www.slideshare.net/lhuff/using-google-docs-with-blogger
Now to answer the question on how to incorporate real-world math investigations. I have not done this in the past, either. But after reading this chapter and chapter 3, I am thinking of using the current events stretch to address this connection. I will make available a newspaper article containing a math event in one center and have students respond to questions that I create.
Hope this info helps.
Patti
One Class, One Sound
As the other posters replied, I also had connection after connection. My margins are filled with notes. Honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my brain around all of these components, in addition to the new math series we'll be using next year. Go Math is our new series. Anyone use it? I haven't had the training yet, so I'm just hoping it will work within the Guided Math framework.
ThinkShareTeach
Thanks for the great advice on Guided Math. I'm looking forward to starting it in my classroom this year. As to the Google Docs question…here is a link to a pin from First Grade and Fabulous where she gives a tutorial on just that. Hope it helps! http://pinterest.com/pin/59391288806446279/