The Journey Through Smath Enabling my students to do learn more and retain more

Students regularly solved complex word problems Very confident they could solve any problems I found for them. TAKS scores were always very high in the Problem Solving section Taught 6 years in Northeast ISD ALL passed Obj. 6, Problem Solving Frequently asked how this was accomplished Confident my students could problem solve Then one day.... Why can't they do this?

Students brought data from Science class for help to work through some extension problems No One Knew !!!! Posed 1st questions No one could answer Employed problem solving techniques already learned

Still, no one knew what to do Much discussion about experiment & data students gathered Realized students had no idea what they had done or why they had the results they got No One Knew !!!!

Organized data into table to see what was happening in experiment Discussed what results meant Asked if results acceptable Students said no Numbers not in integer form Integer form always used in math What Do We Do With These Yucky Numbers?

Redid entire lab, discussing all components o formulas used o data gathered o appropriate units used o rounding techniques The "Aha" Moment

Confident students could problem solve even if the numbers weren't pretty. But students needed practice, so... The "Aha" Moment

Next topic: introduce integers Natural connection to science: building atoms Integers Made Easy

Discussed roles of protons & electrons atoms Had to balance Students understood net charge being 0 Integers Made Easy

Used Periodic Table to choose elements to build Questioned difference between atomic number and atomic weight Good review of decimal addition and subtraction Students researched and presented findings PBL for Math, Science, LA, and Technology Integers Made Easy

Next topic: solving equations 6th grade expectations - simple 1 or 2 step equations My expectations - equations using o distributive property o combining like terms o fractional coefficients o solving for different variables Used models of elements and compounds to introduce equations Solving Equations - Use Elements

Students moved between science and math vocabulary with ease Transferred knowledge gained from building elements & compounds to solving algebraic formulas Used algebraic knowledge to balance simple chemical equations Solving Equations -Used Elements

Science is the best subject to teach math in this manner Science topics pose math problems with "hard and unfriendly numbers" Must interpret the results they get Students had a purpose to learn how to do skills taught in math Students asked to use a skill & apply it to the work on their own. I was onto something ! Students were retaining more math and eager to do complex problem solving Value of Integrating Scienc & Math

Used pattern blocks to show students differences between compounds and elements. Used molecular formulas to make compounds out of the pattern blocks. What Do Pattern Blocks Have to Do With Elements & Compounds?

Taught distributive property, an extremely difficult topic for young students to grasp Students were able to differentiate between ways science & math distributes Discussed what was actually happening to numbers or elements What Do Pattern Blocks Have to Do With Elements & Compounds?

Many thought-provoking discussions about nomenclature of the compounds compared to equations

Pooping Bunnies? What? Reviewed unit rates & speed by using wind up bunnies that pooped jelly beans Revisited speed & average rates of dropped jelly beans Used distance probes & graphed the bunny's movements

Pooping Bunnies? What? Deeper understanding graphs of movements of bunny was evident when assessed Science Benchmark showed these students scoring much higher than other students.

Tracking weather Growing plants Running businesses Constantly applying statistics on anything students can think of Students almost writing lessons we are doing Probability next Excited to see where they take this Other Topics to Explore

I continued to teach as many science topics as I could work to my daily topics Students were much more willing to work at problem solving I found them discussing problems with other students who were not in my classes and showing them how to solve problems Assessment scores improved significantly for all of my students Conclusion