Building Community within the Mathematics Classroom Unit of Study 0 Global Concept Guide: 1 of 1

Content Development  The Florida Standards for Mathematics set an expectation that students will begin to develop proficiency with the eight Mathematical Practices early in elementary school.  1. Make sense of problems and preserve in solving them.  2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.  3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.  4. Model with mathematics.  5. Use appropriate tools strategically.  6. Attend to precision.  7. Look for and make use of structure.  8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.  A risk-free environment will enhance students’ ability to engage fully in the mathematics. It is within these first few weeks of school that a “culture for learning” is established amongst your students as they begin to take ownership in their own education. (EET Component 2b – Establishing a Culture for Learning)

Content Development  Beginning the school year with clear expectations will set you and your students up for success for the rest of the year. This process starts well before the students arrive on the first day.  Setting up the physical environment (EET Component 2e – Organizing Physical Space)  How will I arrange desks? Will this be conducive to student discussions?  Where will manipulatives be stored? Can they be accessed easily by students?  Where will I meet with small groups? Can I monitor other students while working with a group?  Where/how will I display a word wall and student work?  Familiarizing yourself with grade level content standards and expectations (EET Component 1a – Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy)  What knowledge should my students have learned previously?  What content am I responsible for teaching this year?  What can I do to prepare to conceptually teach this content to my students?

Content Development  Define classroom routines and procedures. (EET Component 2c – Managing Classroom Procedures)  How/when will students self select manipulatives?  What is expected of students during independent practice? Whole group? Small group?  How will students show their thinking in journals or math notebooks?  Plan lessons that will build community in the math classroom (EET Component 2a – Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport)  What norms will I want to establish in my classroom? How will I do this?  How will I implement accountable talk among students?  What should cooperative groups look/sound like?  How will I ensure that all students feel safe and supported?

Day 1 Essential Question: What are math tools and how should we use them?  Students will have an opportunity to self select manipulatives and discuss the correct procedures for selecting/using their tools. By the end of Day 1, students will be able to identify where manipulatives and located and how/when they should be used. Click here for more ideas on organizing manipulatives.

Day 2 Essential Question: How does a math tool help me solve a problem?  Students will continue their exploration with manipulatives and their procedures in a problem solving situation. They will also begin to engage in discussions with classmates through turn and talk. By the end of Day 2, students will be able to turn and talk to a partner about the tool they choose and respond to their partner’s thinking.

Day 3 Essential Question: How can we communicate respectfully to learn from others?  Students will start to gain an understanding of how to effectively discuss math problems with their peers. In the beginning students will need support through a variety of thinking stems, but through continued practice will begin to communicate their thoughts more naturally with one another. By the end of Day 3, students will be able to identify where accountable talk stems are located and begin to interact with their peers using these stems. Click here for a quick video on talk moves in the classroom.

Day 4 Essential Question: How does journaling help us share our thinking?  Students will set up math notebooks and utilize them to express their thinking through words and pictures. By the end of Day 4, students will be able to begin to document their work in a math notebook. Click here for more information about math journals.

Day 5 Essential Question: How do math norms help our class?  As a class, norms of what will be expected in every math lesson will be established and implemented in conjunction with ideas from Days 1-4. Promoting productive communication in the classroom. Teacher will make an anchor chart to go over specific math norms in the classroom. By the end of Day 5, students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of established class norms. Check out the Math Norms Mini PDM on the Elementary Math icon in Ideas.

Day 6 Essential Question: What should I consider when solving problems?  Today students will be introduced to the KWPL, a graphic organizer that assists students in decontextualizing a problem solving scenario. The teacher will be modeling the use of the KWLP for students, including how words and pictures can be utilized to decipher the problem.  There are many different representations of a KWPL chart. Select the one that will work best for you and your students. By the end of Day 6, students will be able to explain the purpose of a KWPL and what the different sections are for. Professional Reading Recommendation: Introduction to Problem Solving by Susan O’Connell

Day 7 Essential Question: What strategies can be used to help persevere in solving tough problems?  Begin day 7 with a focus on real life situations where one must persevere. Connect this to how we must continue to work through problems, even though they may be tough.  Students will also have an opportunity to try using a KWPL. They may use the model created on Day 6 to refer to. By the end of Day 7, students will be able to explain why perseverance is important and begin to apply problem solving strategies. Professional Reading Recommendation: Introduction to Problem Solving by Susan O’Connell

Day 8 Essential Question: How does knowing the pattern of telling time help us follow a schedule at school?  Students will explore the parts of a clock, make connections to a number line, and relate time to every day events.  Mastery of this concept is not expected in one day. The goal is to expose students now so that they can begin to make daily connections. By the end of Day 8, students will be able to recognize the hour represented on a clock.

Day 9 Essential Question: How does working together help us learn?  Students will need multiple opportunities to practice working in small groups without constant teacher direction. When beginning small group activities, ensure that you are traveling around the classroom, visiting each group for clarification and probing.  Whether students are working in small groups or performing independent work, this is a great time to pull small groups.  In the beginning, pull back a small group of students for very brief (3-5 minutes) task. When finished, be sure to praise the entire class for the success during that time.  Continue this strategy daily and increase the time spent with groups until students have become accustomed to this routine. This will enable you to pull longer, more efficient math groups. By the end of Day 9, students will be able to work collaboratively in a math environment. Click here for a video about an easy collaborative strategy.