Math 4 ASPIRE
Unit 2: Problem Solving using Addition and Subtraction
Out with the old....
All students have completed Unit 1 Post Test and Conference/Oral Test with me. The TEKS Goal Sheet and Unit 1 Checklist should have come home.
Reading the TEKS Goal Sheet
On this sheet, you should see Pre-Test and Post Test Scores with a sign off from me. You should also see TEKS that were covered and mastered.
If the Score column has a PT in the box next to the TEKS, it means that the pre-test results showed mastery, and no further lesson work is required. If the Score column has a percentage score, this shows a video lesson and Think Central practice session was completed. The date the lesson was completed should be next to the score.
If the lesson score was 90% or higher, the student should mark the TEKS as complete and move on.
If the lesson score was below 90%, a conference, mini-lesson, and practice with me was required. You should see my sign off next to the scores in this instance. Sometimes, additional Think Central practice is needed, and I am able to individually assign additional PMTs as needed.
On the post-test, students follow the same procedures as for lessons.
All students meet with me to conference, review the post test, and receive oral and practice quizzing before I will sign off on the unit.
What you can do at home
During the unit, you are able to log in to see what your child is working on and their progress and scores. I ask each student to take a picture of the TEKS Goal Sheet for each unit so there is some record to share (and have in case of a lost paper!).
At the end of the unit, all papers can come home.
In with the new.....
All students have completed Unit 1, and are on to Unit 2: Problem Solving Using Addition and Subtraction.
The TEKS Goal Sheet and Checklist, as well as the Choice Menu, for this unit can be found on Google Classroom.
Due Date: November 6th
What to Look For....
Here is a walkthrough of a unit:
- Students take the pre-test located in Think Central
- Students pick up the Unit TEKS Goal Sheet and Checklist
- Students see me to receive print out of TEKS mastered and not mastered on pre-test and TEKS Goal Sheets are marked with this information
- Students use the monthly calendars to determine how many TEKS need to be mastered and plan the unit on the calendar making sure to allow time to study and take the post test and conference before the due date
- Students begin accessing the specific instructional videos on Google Classroom needed according to the pre-test results
- Students finish a video and access Think Central for the accompanying Personal Math Trainer (PMT) lesson activity
- Following completion of the activity, students mark the score on the TEKS Goal Sheet and either move on to the next TEKS or meet with me for a mini-lesson and practice
- Once all TEKS have been mastered through the instructional videos and lesson activities, students study the vocabulary, "what students should know", and "what students should be able to do" found on the TEKS Goal Sheet reverse side
- After studying, students ask to take the Post-Test, which is a district provided assessment, at which point I email the link to the Google Form to access the assessment
- Students come to me to receive Post-Test scores and conference with me over their results, mistakes, and quiz over the material studied
- If I feel the student is able to talk me through missed problems and work procedures correctly, I will sign off, otherwise additional practice will be assigned
A Child's Perspective of Lessons Delivered Through Technology.....
Need to Knows and How Tos
The math activities and videos are available 24/7, so students can work at home or on weekends as well. Videos are available in Google Classroom and Activities and Pre-Tests are available through Think Central.
Textbooks came home to keep for the school year as a reference tool. Please do not mark in or tear out the pages. You do not need to bring these back and forth to school.
Here is a letter for parents to help you log in and see what and how your child has been doing. Your child's login is their student email address (first 3 letters of last name followed by 4 digits @gcisdstudents.net) and the password is math4.
As the program gets underway, we expect some bumps (after all technology is involved). Please be patient and let us know if you are having difficulty.
Questions Received and Answered....
A: I ask them to take a picture of the goal sheet and post on Dojo/Seesaw so that parents could see what they needed to work on in each unit. If it was not posted, it should be on the camera roll of the iPad.
Q: I think I remember you saying your goal was to set the students up to be ready to take the telescoping test. Is that still true, and is that at the pace going now?
A: It can be a goal if a student wants to take the test, but many do not. Since we just started, all are about in the same place, but will begin to spread out as those with higher ability and motivation in math move more quickly. As we get a little more into to the routine, I will see who is interested in taking the telescope test and help them plan accordingly.
Q: My child asked me help with a math problem because s/he could not solve it. Well, I could not do it either! After a few tries we figured out what we had to put there (Think Central PMT answer boxes) to get it "correct". Even though I did not agree with the answer I figured it was because I did not fully understand the wording of the problem.
Well, as we looked at more problems it became apparent that the Personal Math Trainer is somewhat confusing and may contradict itself.
A: As with almost any instructional material, sometimes wording and understanding what it is asking you to do can be tricky. I let the kids know, that if they get something wrong because of this, when we sit to conference about it, I can better explain it and get the student's understanding of the concept in kids words as well. I know some of the things in Think Central may be confusing, but the kids have really learned the tricks and are encouraged ask about questions such as these.
Keep questions coming as you have them.....