Math Class Norms

If you haven't noticed from previous posts, I LOVED the book "Mathematical Mindsets." I cannot wait to use so many different items and ideas in my classroom.  In the book she talks about making math class norms that your class should live by.  So I started thinking for a while about what I would want my class norms to be and this is what I came up with.

I feel these posters show my students how important it is to have a growth mindset while learning math!  I plan to go over these in the first 2-3 days of school as we talk about having a growth mindset. I am hoping this will help ease some of their math anxiety that many students have.  What do you do to ease math anxiety?

Math Roles for Cooperative Groups

If you want an AMAZING book to read pick up Mathematical Mindsets. It really is one of the best, most inspiring books I have read lately. Jo Boaler talks about the mindset that teachers, parents, and students all have about math and how we can change those perceptions and experiences.  I was inspired!  I have a few ideas that I will be making resources to so that I can use them and hopefully many others.

Math should be engaging!  Math should be fun! Math should allow students to discuss with each other!  Using math roles can help make sure you are doing more cooperative work each week and allows your students to work together to discuss and explore with others.

I took some of her ideas for math roles for cooperative groups and added some ideas of what you should hear while they are talking as well as added some details to the responsibilities each person will have. I am so excited to use these in my class this year!  First you will need to divide your class up into groups of 4.

The first 4 pages are resources that you can hang up in your classroom as reference.

The Facilitator helps allow the teacher to be free to walk around, listen, and take notes of what she hears during their cooperative work.  

The fifth page is one that I cut out, will laminate, and will give to each student. This will be a reference for them to pull out as we use math groups each day.

These roles can change however often you would like them to.  I plan to rotate them weekly at first until they know what each role consists of and can do it well.  Then we will rotate daily so that they get to do each one each week.

I cannot wait to increase engagement, increase vocabulary, and encourage responsibility for themselves and their teams.  Help your students by letting them learn to facilitate themselves!

Decorating your room

Do you ever feel so overwhelmed when you go to set up your classroom?  Are you trying to make things more complicated then they need to be? I have done that for years!! UGH! About 2 years ago I asked my students, what would you like to see up on the walls of our classroom?  All of them said they would love to see resources that will help them on a daily basis.

That was the end of my cute decorating.  Now I ask myself, "Will this help my students multiple times throughout the month or even week?" If the answer is no, then I don't hang it up.  It has made putting together my classroom so much easier and our classroom is a resource for their learning.

As the new year approaches, my classroom is still a work in progress as you can see in the pictures.

However, I try to keep everything simplified.  You should try it too!  What is essential? What will the student's benefit from?  Do my students really care if everything has a theme and is color coordinated?  Should I be spending most of my time decorating or making high quality lesson plans?  I hope you will try to simplify your decorating this year!  It takes so much stress away!  

Check back soon for my review of "Mathematical Mindsets."  So far the book is amazing!

Teacher Academy

I am so excited!!  If you have never heard of this academy, you MUST apply for it next year.  I leave tomorrow and will be gone the week learning about math and science for 3rd-5th graders!  I fully plan on updating with all the amazing things I learn as well as new ideas.  New Jersey here I come!

Weekly Fluency Data Sheets

Do you do weekly fluency reads?  I do!  This last year I decided to start implementing them on a weekly basis as well as having my students graph their data.  My students love to try to beat their words per minute (wpm). I love seeing their fluency get better as well as their vocabulary.  I saw a night and day difference in both their motivation as well as their reading fluency.  

Why does how many wpm matter?  Parents ask me this all the time.  The reason it matters is because once a child is reading at a certain pace (not too slow and not too fast), they can stop focusing on the words and what they mean and start focusing on the overall comprehension, analyzing the text, and countless other strategies.  If they are struggling with fluency, they are focusing so much on the words that they come away with little in the way of comprehension.  I also have those who read too fast and miss important concepts.  It isn't about reading incredibly quickly.  It is about comprehending what you read.  As you develop your fluency, the comprehension will get better naturally.

Every week after their final test of that passage, I will ask the students some comprehension questions.  Each week the students themselves notice that the text gets easier to comprehend.  I ask them why they think that is.  I get an array of different answers all of which are great discussion points.

I am forever changed in my thoughts on fluency.  Even at a 5th grade level, my students still benefit from practicing their fluency.  The data pages I have created help them track their progress and try to improve using intrinsic motivation.  It is really exciting to watch!  I can't wait to try it again this year.  I made fluency books with these graphing pages in the front.  

Click on this link for the graphs.
I hope your students will love to watch their progress as much as my students do!  Keep working on simplifying your life!

Simply Essential Teaching on TpT

My Why

I know there are so many different blog posts out there about education.  After many years of figuring out my niche and what I wanted to write about, I finally figured it out! You may call me dorky, but I love to organize and try to make life simpler!  This past year I have had many teachers asking me for help organizing their paperwork, classrooms, scopes & sequences, and other curriculum materials.  I loved helping them do this!  After listening to some podcasts about finding your passion, pondering what I should do, the thoughts kept coming to me to teach about simplicity.  So, I am not the best writer, however, I can't wait to share my ideas as I go through my school year!  I am hoping to turn those ideas into items on Teachers Pay Teachers as well.  I would love any questions or comments you have on this subject as well.  Thanks for reading and I hope you will be back soon!