Vacation, vacation, vacation!

My family came to visit and so I spent my first week being a tour guide in Los Angeles, but now they have headed home so I am back on track! So vacation for me is about relaxing and my favorite thing in the world….reading! I have made a goal of reading 3 books in the next two weeks. Now 2 of the books I will read will be fun fictional “easier” reads. The other one will be a professional read.

I have chosen the book Teaching with Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk. This book was suggested when I first came to New City Public Schools two Augusts ago, and I am finally getting to it. The biggest reason that I made this choice, not afraid to admit it, is that right now there are some issues with students and with the way I am reacting as well. I am not thinking that this will be the ‘end all and be all’ to the situations in my room but definitely taking myself out of the problems and replacing myself as an “experimenter” will help things!

So far I was able to read three chapters in one day! I am hoping to be done by the end of the week. Overall it’s an easy read with ideas simply spelled out. At first the little secret boxes through me off because they would be interjected in the middle of a paragraph cutting sentences and throwing off my reading.

These tips and pearls are spread out throughout the book.

But I got used to and expected it as I read. I also like the idea that I can go back to the boxes later when trying to remember the gist of things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also like the experiments at the end of each chapter. On amazon they have pieces of the first few chapters.

So far the ideas and strategies that I have read are “do-able”. I will probably start the book again once school starts so that as I am reading, I can be seeing it’s effect in my classroom.

These are given as ideas for you to try in the classroom.

More math!

So after two weeks of using Excel Math in the classroom, I have been able to use it several ways and thanks to the help and input of colleagues, been able to trouble shoot some issues.

I was on the money when I said my kids would like the Stretch problems! They have been a hit. Students work with their friends or individually to solve. One time they were so piqued by a problem, that they worked on it through out the day and would give me answers even after math was over.

Some surprises: I really enjoyed grading the test. It was so focused that I could pin point where my students weakness were. Plus they were able to finish in the time allotted and felt confident with their work.

What I had a hard time with was balancing our “Problem of the Day” and Excel, retaining some of our “traditions”, and all of the big number adding and subtracting bug me!

Next week I have looked ahead at the lessons. Only one will require a real mini lesson. The rest is review so I can give a micro-review after mental math and send them on their way, while I work with my first group. So for the majority of the days I will be able to fit Problem of the day back in.

To be able to make lessons more effective, I have divided up the group into two. Half works on excel and the other half comes to me for the excel lesson. Then we switch. It still leaves time for games whole group or small.

I was able to retain Jueves al Reves, but not our student generated problem day. I talked to another teacher and she mentioned that she might use our extra Friday time (30 minutes) for these. I also thought that I might bring it back by using the Story problem(from Excel) we did last week. Instead of giving them a new sheet to work on, I will give them a few of the problems that they wrote that go with the story problem and let them solve them. That way I can review that story problem and the information in it, but also include their writing.

As far as the sheets, my students really enjoy them. They have enough ‘tough’ problems that my students who are strong in adding and subtracting feel challenged, but also have enough ‘easy’ problems so that my weaker students aren’t left out. So I guess I will just have to get over all those big problems because the goal is that eventually all of them will be able to solve them! One way I get around it for weaker students is to tell them to first do “easy” problems, then to go to the big numbers. I never stress about a sheet being complete.

My goal this week before break is to fit problem of the day back in and create a real balance, as well as bring back student generated problems. This will be good for me because then I can walk away to break with a sense of routines for January.