Thinking Maps!

During my one month hiatus from the blogging world, I went for the last two days of my Thinking Maps Training of Trainers course. So excited to say I'm officially "certified" to train teachers at my school in the use of Thinking Maps. We just need to purchase our teacher binders and schedule a training date. Yay! 

I was originally interested in bringing Write From the Beginning (the writing component of Thinking Maps) to our school, but found out that schools had to implement Thinking Maps prior to being allowed to purchase the writing component. I was a little bummed, since a school-wide writing program is really what we were looking for. 

I have to tell you, I am SO thrilled that we have to bring the Thinking Maps to our school first. The 5 days of training that I received was incredible. Seeing the possibilities for increasing student engagement and rigor was so exciting. I've been slowly introducing Thinking Maps to my 3rd graders and I'm excited to start pushing student thinking with the use of the maps. 

I'm also excited to share some snapshots of ways that we're using Thinking Maps in class. If you've never heard of Thinking Maps I suggest you visit the Thinking Maps website and watch the intro video for a taste of what Thinking Maps is all about.

Here's a Tree Map (used for classifying) that we created as a class before students even knew what a Tree Map was. Prior to the Tree Map we created a Circle Map (used for defining in context) to brainstorm what students thought the class rules should be. The tree map helped me show how all of their ideas fit into the 5 classroom rules from Whole Brain Teaching. It was a perfect beginning of the year lesson!

Mega Management: Turning in Homework

Welcome back for more Mega Management.

If you missed the first two posts in this series you can check them out here:

Post 1: Series Kickoff. Why Classroom Management

Post 2: Entering the Classroom

Today we're looking at turning in homework. Keep in mind that what you actually assign for homework is a whole post in itself. This is just the procedure part for collecting it. 

There is one bin for homework. Any kind of bin will do. Fancy ones, plain ones, wire ones, plastic ones, stacking ones, see through ones...well, you get the point. 

Last year I had a bin for every subject so kids could turn in papers as they finish their work, but now looking back it seems a little unnecessary. Here's why I like one bin over one bin for every subject. First, it takes up less counter space and second, it is just overwhelming to me to look at all those trays full of paper! Call me crazy, but it does...

Once homework is turned in, students cross their name off the list.  I haven't decided the fine details of how the list will look yet, but it will either be a laminated class list that is always on top of the stack of homework or it will be a cutie-patootie frame that they can Expo marker their name out with, OR {last "or" I promise} it will be some sort of clip type system. Stay tuned for that. 

I keep a clipboard with a check in sheet on it to keep track of homework and other assignments that I use to account for a Work and Study Habits grade. Here's a version of what that looks like. I always seem to tweak it a little bit here and there each year. 

 

So what do I do with all those papers kids have to turn in? Stay tuned for more Mega Management ;0) How's that for a cliffhanger...say what!!! {Wow, I don't think I've ever said that in real life, but it's pretty safe to say that your imaginary version of me saying it is probably way cooler than the real me saying it...}

For more on homework, check out Christina from Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge. She has some cute ideas for a homework club that you can see here. 

When it comes to what to assign for homework, I like Stephanie's post at 3rd Grade Thoughts on a Universal Homework Model. 

Building Mathematical Comprehension- Chapter 9

Second to last post of this book study. Crazy!! Catch up on my old posts by going here:

Chapter 1- Comprehension Strategies for Mathematics

Chapter 2- Recognizing and Understanding Mathematical Vocabulary

Chapter 3- Making Mathematical Connections

Chapter 4- Increasing Comprehension by Asking Questions

Chapters 5 and 6- Visualizing and Inferences & Predictions
 

Chapter 7- Determining Importance

Chapter 8- Synthesizing

Chapter 9-  

Monitoring Mathematical Comprehension

The good news: Many students take part in this mostly subconscious act of self monitoring meaning as they read and do math. 

The bad news: Not ALL students are able to do this on their own.  In fact, in the beginning of the chapter Sammons says that so many children don't expect to understand math. (249) If I don't expect myself to be able to understand, then I'm not going to have much motivation to persevere when it gets hard. It's easy to give up when the expectation isn't there. This really speaks to the importance of building a safe learning environment in our classrooms and having high expectations for ALL students!

This great anchor chart from First Grade Brain Sprinkles can easily be adapted for math.  

The great thing is that this strategy of metacognition encompasses all the other strategies!

Metacognition in math, however, is twofold. First, students must monitor their conceptual understanding (252). Then, students must monitor their understanding of the meaning of the problem (254). Many math students are so engrossed in procedural understanding that conceptual understanding suffers, thus problem solving suffers.

Here's what students need to know about monitoring mathematical comprehension:

1. They are responsible for their own understanding. Students must be aware of times when they don't understand. 

2. Students need to know when they don't understand. 

3. They can pinpoint their misunderstanding. In other words, students know what got them confused in the first place. 

4. Students can use strategies to fix their comprehension. 

5. Strategies should be used flexibly. When one doesn't work, student know to reevaluate and try something new. 

Concrete Example: When a car breaks down, we don't try to keep driving it. We fix it! When our comprehension breaks down, we don't keep working, we stop and fix our comprehension first. (258)

Red Flags Students Should Watch For:

• My internal voice isn't working 
• I can't visualize the problem
• My mind is wandering and I can't focus
• I can't recall the details
• When I ask questions to clarify, I can't come up with an answer (259)

Here are some great thinking stems to assist with metacognition. 

no source for the above Pinterest pin :(

Red Flags Teachers Should Watch For:

• Students who rush through their work
• Students who don't make mathematical connections
• Students who give up easily (260)

Strategies for Monitoring Mathematical Comprehension

Huh?

Have students put a post it with the word "huh" written on it next to the confusing part of the text. If the confusion is cleared up they add a light bulb. The teacher can walk around and see what areas of the text/work should be addressed. (263) 

Ticket Out the Door

This strategy requires students to solve a problem, rate their understanding, or show their understanding in some other way before leaving the class. The teacher then uses that formative assessment when planning the next day's lesson. (264)

 

(Ticket Out The Door poster from Teach-A-Roo)

Color-Code Math Stretch

Similar to the Ticket Out the Door, students rate their understanding of the day's lesson on color coded sticky notes. Green if they understood it well, yellow for moderate understanding, and orange for very confused. On the note students write a quick statement about the concept. (266)

Here's a bit of a spin on this math stretch from Timeouts and Tootsie Rolls.  

So, so, so much to take in. After giving your brain a little break you can check out these other links too! 

Building Mathematical Comprehension- Chapter 8

 

Only two more chapters to go. That just reminds me that summer is coming to an end. Bummer! But the journey to the end has been filled with a lot of interesting math info. You can find little recaps of each chapter by visiting the links below:

Chapter 1- Comprehension Strategies for Mathematics

Chapter 2- Recognizing and Understanding Mathematical Vocabulary

Chapter 3- Making Mathematical Connections

Chapter 4- Increasing Comprehension by Asking Questions

Chapters 5 and 6- Visualizing and Inferences & Predictions

Chapter 7- Determining Importance

Chapter 8- Synthesizing Information 

Students should be synthesizing during and after their reading and math work.

But what does synthesizing mean for students? It means that they take the information they know about a topic and merge it with the new information they are learning to create a completely new idea or way of thinking about that topic. (227)

What should students know about synthesizing?

1. Mathematical thinking changes as new ifnormation is encountered. It's okay to revise our previous thoughts and ideas about a topic in light of new information that we're learning. Reflection is a great way to make that happen! (231)

2. New information should be tied to prior knowledge in order to create meaning. Students need to be sure that there is consistency as they build on their prior knowledge. (231)

3. Synthesis is what you get when you combine information from various sources that you already have experience with and with various new sources of information. (231)

4.  Synthesis changes as we encounter new information. (232)

5. Synthesis helps with mathematical understanding. Discussion is important in helping students see how synthesizing deepens their understanding of math concepts.(232)

Concrete Examples to Teach Synthesis

Nesting Dolls- Just like nesting dolls, larger ideas can be made up of smaller details, ideas, and concepts. All the little pieces and parts work to build the big concept. (236)

Baking a Cake- Separate ingredients are used to make a cake. Separate ideas can all contribute to one overarching concept. (236)

Conjectures

One of the most effective ways to promote rigorous thinking in students is to have them make conjectures, or educated guesses or predictions. (237)

Boy is Sammons right when she says that teachers struggle with this idea. Well, this teacher does anyways. It's much easier in my mind to teach math the "traditional" way. I teach the concept, kids practice the concept, I test if they've learned the concept.

But deeper understanding is gained when students have to do the hard work themselves to arrive at the big concept. Teaching math concepts through problem solving is key. Not my natural tendency let me tell you. Another reason I'm glad to be a part of this study. Push  myself a little a guess :)

As always Sammons suggest Math Stretches as a way to implement this strategy. This time, however, she suggests taking a backward approach. Give the synthesis, have students provide the details. For example, asking students to Support or Disprove This Conjecture helps them come up with the proof. (240)

I love one thought she includes at the end of the chapter: "Students deserve the opportunity to delve more deeply into the discipline of mathematics, to become more than procedurally proficient." (246)

WOW!

Students deserve that opportunity. Far be it from me to take that opportunity away from my students! I've got some work to do when it comes to teaching math, but as always I'm up for the challenge and can't wait to get out on that limb!   

Building Mathematical Comrehension- Chapters 5 and 6

Finally back for more of Building Mathematical Comprehension by Laney Sammons.

 

I don't know what happened to me the last week and half or two, but I just lost my focus and momentum there for a bit. Good to be back to it!

So now that I'm thoroughly behind I'll cover chapters 5 and 6 in this post and we'll hit chapter 7 in the next one. Hopefully I'll be caught up here soon. 

You can check out my previous posts with the links below.

Chapter 1- Comprehension Strategies for Mathematics

Chapter 2- Recognizing and Understanding Mathematical Vocabulary

Chapter 3- Making Mathematical Connections

Chapter 4- Increasing Comprehension by Asking Questions

As I've been reading I was starting to see a recurring theme. Once Sammons lays the foundation for the chapter she applies it to the classroom by giving the following information:

- how to teach the strategy through modeling and think alouds

- various activities and/or instructional methods for applying the strategy

- ideas for Math Stretches that apply to the strategy

- how to use children's literature to apply the strategy

It seems Sammons uses this same outline for each chapter. Just to help myself get caught up here, I'm going to just pick out a few things from chapters 4 and 5 that really stood out to me. 

Chapter 5- Visualization

Visualization requires students to use not only decoding skills, but schema as well. Without valuable prior experiences, students may struggle with visualizing. It must be taught and practiced. (147) Creating these mental images helps students tie their new learning with information or experiences that are already familiar to them. (148)

One huge roadblock to visualization in our day in age is the fact that students are so immersed in visuals (television, video games, iPod, Pads, and Phones...) that they don't generally have to put forth any effort to create visuals, they're all just provided. (147)

Ok, that's it. I'm cutting TV time at home. I've been way too lax this summer. Poor "movie making" baby brains.

 What do our students need to know about visualization?

1. They can use visualization intentionally (148)

2. Not understanding a new concepts is ok...there are ways to work around being afraid of "not knowing" (148)

3. Engagement increases when visualization is used (149)

4. It's ok to have to change previous visualizations or ideas about a topic as you learn more information (149)

5. It's important to share your ideas with others (149)

Even though students visualize subconsciously all the time, we need to teach them how to do it intentionally. Here's how:  

• First have students create a visualization of something concrete. You can do this by pairing students and having one student describe a picture, while the other visualizes it. Then they visualizer can check to see how accurate they were.
• Next, have students describe something they've see before but that they cannot currently see. This is a beneficial retrieval exercise.
• Then you'll want to have students do another visualization of something that is very familiar, like their bedroom or another room in their home. Have students illustrate and share. 
• Add motion next. Help students extend visualization by not only describing a snapshot of an object or thing, but now visualize an event. For example, have students visualize themselves running a race and making it through to the finish line. They should be able to "see" the event happening in their mind. 
• As student improve their intentional visualization, you can also ask students to create visual images based on details for a story being read in class. Help students to compare and contrast their visualizaitons.
• Students are now ready to examine illustrations to see various representations of text or mathematical concepts. At this point we want to help students create a nice mental "bank" of various representations for the same concept.
• Finally, students are ready to independently create mental pictures. Be sure to remind them to use these visualization skills when tackling new math problems or concepts. 

(153-155)

Chapter 6: Making Inferences and Predictions

Inferring is the foundation for comprehension in reading and mathematics. Comprehension suffers when students are unable to make quality inferrences. (171)

 

Inferring is an inductive process, meaning students students start with all the little bits of prior knowledge and blend that with new information to create meaning. Again, we see the schema connection and its importance. (172)

Here are some important things to note concerning inferring and predicting:

• Give time for students to share inferences and predictions. This is how students can reconcile conflicts between schema and new information. (175)
• Ask questions like, "What would happen if..." and allow students to make predictions (175)
• Predictions can be confirmed or contradicted. Show students how to use evidence to do this. (176)
• Examine inferences as a class to determine the value of the inference. Not every inference has value to the task at hand. (176)

 

Here are some activities for teaching inferring and predicting.

 

WORD SPLASH- Write a bunch of words on the board that are related to a math topic. Students have to predict what the topic will be. (186)

 

INFERENCE AND EVIDENCE CHART- Hold students accountable for making fact based inferences by using a two column chart. On one side record inferences and on the other side record the evidence for that inference. (187)

 

WHAT'S THE QUESTION STRETCH- Post a short story (6-8 sentences) that includes math related facts. Have students predict what questions could be asked using those facts. Students will have to infer some things about the scenario and predict what could have been asked using those facts.

 

FACT OR INFERENCES? STRETCH- Students read a story scenario. On a chart there are statements either from the story or that have been inferred from the story. Students have to decide which is which. 

 

I predict I'll be seeing you soon for Chapter 7......hahaha!

Building Mathematical Comprehension- Chapter 3

I'm loving this summer's book study! Thanks to Teaching With a Touch of Twang, Smiles and Sunshine, and Mrs. Nguyen's Class for hosting Chapter 3. 

Ch. 3 Focus: Make Connections and Build Schema

It was interesting to learn that prior knowledge of a content is one of the highest indicators of how well a student will learn new information (85).

Building schema and activating prior knowledge is crucial!

We can help students make meaningful connections by modeling how to make connections, utilizing think alouds, incorporating mathematical discussion into lessons, and asking quality questions. 

Similar to reading, students can make the following connections:

• math to self
• math to math
• math to world

My big question during the first portion of this chapter was, "...but Laney, HOW do we teach students to recognize these connections?" Of course she answered this question as the chapter went on...

To teach math connections:

Use Think Alouds and Modeling

• plan the think aloud ahead of time...no winging it
• be authentic
• use precise language- I remember that...This is like when we...I know that...This reminds me of... (96) 

Incorporate Mathematical Discussion 

• Math at Home- discuss how students use math at home
• _____ Makes Me Think Of- a discussion to introduce a new concept
• Current Events- always spark great discussion! 

Interwoven into all of the above ideas are carefully generated questions (more on questions next week in Chapter 4) that help students see mathematical connections.

Of course these are just a few of the ideas that Laney has touched upon in Chapter 3. There is so much to discuss that I'd want to just copy the whole chapter for you to read. I'd like to avoid jail, so I won't do that, but please go buy a copy of the book. You won't regret it! 

Congratulations to Rachel M. on winning my 150 Follower Giveaway!

Book Study: Building Mathematical Comprehension

Last summer when I was a baby blogger (well, I guess technically I still am), Brenda from Primary Inspired was hosting a book study on the book Guided Math by Laney Sammons. I was super late in joining and probably didn't join in the discussions all that much, but I loved the book. 

I had an overwhelming start to the year and didn't get to implement much of the amazing things I learned in the book, but I plan on it this year. 

I was doing back flips when I saw that she is hosting another book study this summer with her pal Beth from Thinking of Teaching.

I am so excited to read the book and actually be a part of the study from the beginning. This study's topic....drum-roll please....... 

 

They're giving away two copies too, so head over right away and enter their giveaway! The fun starts on June 8th so be ready! 

I Learned Something New: Age +2

I started a 3-part professional development series on brain based teaching. I LOVE IT! I haven't read a lot about whole brain teaching, but I bet it's similar.

You may have already known this rule, but if not you'll probably join me in thinking, "How on earth did I not know this!?" 


Here's how this Age +2 rule works:

Take the age of the students in your class and add 2.

What you have now figured out is about how long you will be able to keep your students engaged during instruction. After that point, their little brains will automatically be scheduling a break, whether you're ready for it or not.


Immediately I thought, okay video professor man, so you're telling me that since most of the kids in my class are about 8 or 9, I can keep them engaged for only 10-11 minutes? But what about the other 40 minutes of our math period?


His advice: Make that little break the brain is going to take intentional. Schedule it!


Now, the first thing I thought of are those adorable little brain breaks that I've seen floating around on my fellow teacher blogs. If I understand correctly though, these are quick physical activities to do periodically throughout the day. 


What my video professor man was suggesting is more like a processing pause. It's a time where the teacher stops talking and the students think. The students stop simply collecting data (the teacher's words) and engage in reflection. These pauses can be as quick as 2-3 minutes, depending on the activity. 


Make sure your processing pause hits one or more of the following working memory processes:


Comprehension- in the brain this consists of sorting, organizing, and labeling recently collected data.


Elaboration- this occurs in the brain when we relate new data to past experiences or known data (long-term memory).


Application- this is where students provide evidence of understanding by using or applying the new information.


Here's what this might look like in a classroom of 3rd graders (remember, I only have about 10 minutes before little brains take a hiatus): 


9:00 Math Class Begins:
The teacher introduces common tools for measurement: ruler, yardstick, measuring cup, scale, thermometer, gallon jug, tape measure, balance, etc.

• 9:10 Processing Pause- Have students talk with their neighbor to categorize these tools according to what they think they would be used to measure. Have students share with the whole class. 

9:15
The teacher selects one tool and gives more details about how that measurement tool is used. The teacher demonstrates how to use the tool to measure. The teacher might even call a few students up to the front of the class to see if they can mirror her demonstration. 

• 9:25 Processing Pause- Have students take out their math journals and quickly write a few sentences about a time when they have used that measuring tool or have seen it used. Have students read their journal response to their neighbor or have a few share with the class. 

And the lesson would continue with quick reflective activities interspersed throughout. 


What other processing pauses could you use in your class?