Math on the Brain

Last weekend I attended the NCTM conference on Numbers and Operations in New Orleans. Saturday I had a great presenter who shared some fresh ideas on Addition and Subtraction. One of the "big ideas" I came away with was: our job is to CONNECT stuff!

We can do this by modeling and representing numbers in many different ways. One example she shared was to start each day with an estimation problem. For 2nd grade she suggests estimating if a group of objects is more or less than one hundred. The students vote by putting a cube in a bag or area in room you have indicated for more or less (that way your kiddos don't change their answer). The "counter of the day" has to organize the group of items in a way where the teacher can quickly see  if it is more or less than one hundred (ex: connector cubes in groups of ten, an array, egg carton with marbles, etc.). Then you MODEL with an equation. The number sentence is something the kids can visually see. The presenter was big on using the term "equation" versus "number sentence." This is where we can connect and show numbers in different ways (i.e. 28 + 26 + 27 + 26 = 107; 100 + 7 = 107).

With all this math on the brain, I have found some great pins that I hope to implement this year.

     


 


Instead of happy reading, I will leave you with happy mathematical thinking!

Classroom Finds

This is one of my favorite times of the year... Back to School shopping! I love the sweet smell of school supplies. I know sounds a little crazy but this is the norm for teachers. Scouring the dollar spot bins, dollar stores, Wal-Mart, Target, Big Lots, and more is oh so fun! Check out my latest finds...

Pic 1: You always need a good set of pens for the start of a new year and of course they are chevron!

Pic 2: I love these light bulb sticky notes. I am thinking these will be great for tracking their thinking or showing what they know or learned. 

Pic 3: Part of my word work area is practicing spelling and vocabulary words on whiteboards. At the end of last year I found dry erase crayons and my kids absolutely LOVED them. 

4. I found these alligator clips at the Dollar Tree. Won't these be amazing to teach greater than and less than?!?

I will use the small notebooks as "Treasure Notebooks." The kids keep track of new vocabulary words that we read during read aloud, during their independent reading time, or vocabulary words of the day. I found the fly swatter at the Dollar Tree. The coolest thing is that it is retractable...it will be a HUGE hit! Love the dry erase pockets...so much to do with those. I also am always looking for new writing materials that either I can use for anchor charts or my students to use for collaborative work.

 

More dollar store finds!

The top left corner has clear magnetic pockets. I loved the puzzle sticky notes. I am thinking cause and effect relationships, problem/solution, connections, question/answer, etc. My kids love non-fiction so I  thought these Weird But True books would be a great addition to the classroom library. 

A New Blog

I figured it was about time that I created a blog that highlighted what I love...teaching. I finally decided on the blog name: Live Laugh Learn with Mrs. K. I think this embodies how I feel about teaching. Teaching is about living and balancing your life with other things you enjoy. Laughing at life especially in the classroom. AND most importantly, I think teaching is about learning. Not only  are the students learning but I am a HUGE learner! 

I especially love the summer when I can catch up on my summer reading. Once the school year gets going I rarely have time to read the latest research and best teaching practices. This summer I have set out to become a better math teacher. I have a pile of math professional books sitting on my night stand. I just finished reading Guided Math, Best Practice (4th Edition), and Building Mathematical Comprehension. Each book reinforces the need to move away from teacher-centered instruction and towards student-centered instruction. Currently I am reading Second Grade Math and Mastering the Basic Math Facts in Addition and Subtraction. All of these have been good reads and have stretched me to really think about my math instruction.

I hope you enjoy taking the journey of learning with me and my class!