GCCTM Newsletter
August 2013 Edition
News from the GCCTM President
What’s the most common “writing prompt” for the beginning of the school year?? “How did you spend your summer?”
My response: On July 8, I became a “nana”!! Brent Elijah Waters is now 6 weeks old, and already walks on water!!! Needless to say, that has trumped most of my “math thoughts” !! J
Please be on the lookout for Common Core updates and available inservices and training to help you implement them. There are already several on the schedule from Rita Bixler and Cathy Hale. Not only do those classes help you become more comfortable with the “new” way of approaching teaching math, but they also provide opportunities for you to collaborate and compare with your colleagues throughout the district! Be sure to take advantage of as many as you can!
Welcome back! Hope you have a wonderful year!
Patty Rhoney
President, GCCTM
How to Teach Math as a Social Activity
via Linda Manley
As I start a new year, I find myself once again wanting to establish the best learning community I can. Personally, I try to incorporate hands-on activities as often as possible. Often when I reflect on the learning I realize “something” was missing. There are many social skills needed to effectively engage students in cooperative learning. This video takes you through the steps of establishing a cooperative learning math lesson. How to Teach Math as a Social Activity
Other ideas for YouTube:
Rockin’ the Standards Place Value Rap
Multiplication Rap (2's and 3's)
How Familiar are you with Common Core Standards?
Myth vs. Fact Setting the Record Straight for Common Core
As we move into the “bridge year” of implementing Common Core Standards, we frequently read in news outlets criticisms and inaccurate claims related to the Common Core State Standards. The attached article (Myth vs Fact) from the Conservatives for Higher Standards website is an effort to set the record straight on this important education reform. (Conservatives for Higher Standards website was launched by the Foundation for Excellence in Education and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. )
See also the letter of support below for CCSS from CBMS (Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences) of which both NCSM and NCTM are members.
http://highercorestandards.org/myth-vs-fact/
Prepare for More Realistic Test Scores
Rigor and the Common Core Standards via Cathy Hale
We must consider rigor in planning lessons, tasks, and assignments. Rigorous lessons build on and extend prior knowledge. They encourage productive struggle. Although the objective of a lesson should be clear, it should not focus on one correct path to a solution or even one correct answer. A rigorous lesson embraces the messiness of a good mathematics task and the deep learning that it has the potential to achieve.
So, get messy! Help your students become “mathematicians” as they engage in rigorous tasks and assessments. The focus and coherence of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics lead the way to rigorous instruction.
Back to School
Using A Glyph As An Icebreaker via Faith Deaver
A Glyph is short for hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics refer to writing stories in the form of a picture. The pictures tell a story with each of the symbols representing a word in the symbols. It allows students to create a data stream that can be transferred into mathematical glyphs so they can organize and analyze the data from these picture stories in several visits.
Name Tag Glyph Activity
- Hold paper landscape and fold it horizontally.
- Before writing the name on the nametag do the following two things:
- What is your position in the family?
- Oldest – write your name in red
- Youngest – write your name in green
- Middle – write your name in black
- Only Child – write your name in blue
- Are you new to the school?
- Yes – write in manuscript and add dots to the letters
- No - write in manuscript
- Draw the following symbol on your name tag to indicate the month in which you were born:
January – snowman July – sailboat
February – heart August – sun
March – kite September – apple
April – umbrella October – pumpkin
May – flower November – turkey
June – school with a x December – Star
- Think about both of these before putting the border on your name tag:
- On which day of the month were you born? – Put that many dots in the border of your name tag
- How many siblings do you have? – Color a line around the edge of your border as follows:
0 – green 1 - blue 2 – purple 3 – yellow 4+ - red
Activities to use with glyphs:
¯ Collect the glyphs and give to students at random. Ask students to interpret the information.
¯ Post the glyphs for Back to School Night with the key and let parents see if they can decipher the information.
¯ Create a birthday graph or chart for the class using the nametags.
Websites on Personal Glyphs:
ABCTeach Directory: Glyphs
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/basics/glyphs/
Math Glyphs
The Noyce Foundation has added new Problem of the Month videos featuring the Anna Yates school (Emeryville, CA) to the Inside Mathematics website. We invite you to see how the Anna Yates school jump started their schoolwide conversations about mathematics teaching and learning using the Problems of the Month. You’ll watch classroom footage from several different grades as students work on different levels of the problem, as well as conversations with the principal, teachers and coach. In the final gallery walk, students from multiple classrooms leave comments and questions for other students about the solutions and describe what they enjoyed about doing the Problem of the Month.
The Problems of the Month are designed to be used schoolwide to promote a problem-solving theme at your school. Each problem is divided into five levels, Level A through Level E, to allow access and scaffolding for the students into different aspects of the problem and to stretch students to go deeper into mathematical complexity. Check out the Problems of the Month with new Common Core alignment information here.
Why problem solving? Problem solving is the cornerstone of doing mathematics. A problem that you can’t solve in less than a day is usually a problem that is similar to one that you have solved before. But in real life, a problem is a situation that confronts you and you don’t have an idea of where to even start. If we want our students to be problem solvers and mathematically powerful, we must model perseverance and challenge students with non-routine problems.
Inside Mathematics is a professional resource for educators passionate about improving students' mathematics learning and performance. This site features classroom examples of innovative teaching methods and insights into student learning, tools for mathematics instruction that teachers can use immediately, and video examples of the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice and other Common Core math resources.
We hope these new resources will help support teachers’ understanding of the Common Core Math Standards. Visit the site at www.insidemathematics.org to explore free materials and tasks that teachers can use immediately with students.
Engaging Elementary Math Apps
via Sara Awtrey
As we kick off another school year, more and more schools and students have iPads or smart devices. Elementary students are very tech-savvy. These math apps can enhance the classroom instruction and allow students to practice the Common Core Math Standards in an enjoyable way. Teacher-tested, student approved!
Math Snacks
iOS-Math Snacks
-Short animated videos
-Alternative way to look at math concepts
-Mini games
-Includes various math concepts3D Math Racing
iOS-3D Math Racing
-Basic math facts mastery
-Move iPad for steering
-Cool graphics and sounds
-Get a speed boost for correct answers
Motion Zoom Math
iOS-Motion Zoom Math
-Free for six levels
-Works on place value mastery
(whole numbers, negative numbers and decimals)
-Research-based
Chicken Coop Fractions
-Visual number line
-Match decimal/fraction equivalents
-Multiple levels with improper fractions and mixed numbers
Droid OS
Pick-a-Path
iOS-Pick-a-Path
-Base-ten, negatives, fractions, decimals
-Created by NCTM
Math Tub
- understand, practice, and see relationships with multiplication and division,
- practice the positional system
- understand the equal sign
- develop algebraic thinking
GCCTM on Edmodo!
GCCTM on Social Media
SAVE THE DATE!
SCCTM Conference
October 24-25, 2013
TD Convention Center
Greenville, SC
Please check out www.scctmprogram.org for information on and forms for the 2013 Fall
Conference, Scholarship Opportunities, Professional Development Events, and information about our Sponsors.
SCCTM Fall Conference at the TD Convention Center
Thursday, Oct 24, 2013, 08:00 AM
1 Exposition Drive, Greenville, SC 29607
Why Join GCCTM?
- To receive informative email newsletters containing countywide news, upcoming events, articles regarding instruction shared by other math teachers, and professional recognitions
- To attend the GCCTM Fall Conference where respected speakers provide members with information useful for all classrooms (elementary, middle, and high school levels)
- To attend the GCCTM Spring Banquet where senior high school students are recognized for their achievements in math
- To fulfill professional requirements for ADEPT, PAS, or National Board Certification
- To form and maintain collegial relationships with fellow Greenville County math teachers
Individual Dues $7, or with full school deparment participation only $5. See your Dept. Head
GCCTM Officers
Past President, Valerie Muller
President-Elect, Linda Manley
Vice-President Primary, Faith Deaver
Vice-President 3-5, Sara Awtrey
Vice-President Middle School, Jackie Waddell
Vice-President High School, Jennifer Southers
Secretary, Gay Durham
Treasurer, Sara Beth Kripinski
Newsletter, Chris Beyerle
NCTM Representative, Daniel Wilkie
Advisors, Rita Bixler and Cathy Hale
GCCTM
Email: prhoney@greenville.k12.sc.us
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/GCCTM-Teachers/495351827193415
Twitter: @GCCTMTeachers