TOOLS FOR SENSE-MAKING IN MATHEMATICS
http://math.serpmedia.org/sense-making/
This website is the product of a SERP collaboration with middle school mathematics teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District. Over the course of several years, Phil Daro (SERP Bay Area Math Director and co-author of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics), Professor Alan Schoenfeld (U.C. Berkeley), and a team of teachers and graduate students met monthly to explore together why students were struggling with math in the middle grades, and what they could do to support student learning. We began with data that indicated students did not struggle with particular math topics, but rather with particular problem types: word problems.
Teachers conducted “think-alouds” with students, and found that many students began to solve problems without understanding the situation described, or the question being asked. They looked for signals that would indicate whether to subtract, multiply, or perform some other operation. The question our group pursued was this: how can we shift the culture of the mathematics classroom away from answer-getting and toward sense-making? We are not suggesting that getting answers is a bad goal, but when it is the only goal, genuine learning is undermined.
We set out to identify relatively small shifts in practice that could create relatively big shifts in behavior and expanded to include fully designed diagnostic lessons. We hope others will find these strategies of value. If you try these out in your own classrooms, please let us know what you think by sending your comments to [email protected].
http://math.serpmedia.org/sense-making/
This website is the product of a SERP collaboration with middle school mathematics teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District. Over the course of several years, Phil Daro (SERP Bay Area Math Director and co-author of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics), Professor Alan Schoenfeld (U.C. Berkeley), and a team of teachers and graduate students met monthly to explore together why students were struggling with math in the middle grades, and what they could do to support student learning. We began with data that indicated students did not struggle with particular math topics, but rather with particular problem types: word problems.
Teachers conducted “think-alouds” with students, and found that many students began to solve problems without understanding the situation described, or the question being asked. They looked for signals that would indicate whether to subtract, multiply, or perform some other operation. The question our group pursued was this: how can we shift the culture of the mathematics classroom away from answer-getting and toward sense-making? We are not suggesting that getting answers is a bad goal, but when it is the only goal, genuine learning is undermined.
We set out to identify relatively small shifts in practice that could create relatively big shifts in behavior and expanded to include fully designed diagnostic lessons. We hope others will find these strategies of value. If you try these out in your own classrooms, please let us know what you think by sending your comments to [email protected].
Math Teaching Resources for K-5 Classrooms
http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/
This site provides an extensive collection of free resources, math games, and hands-on math activities aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. The math printables are suitable for use in math centers, small group or whole class settings. Instructions for each activity are presented in large print on a task card in child-friendly language to enable students to work on tasks independently after a brief introduction to the task. All files are in PDF format and can be accessed using Adobe Reader.
Also available are Math Journal Tasks (K-5), Math Vocabulary Resources (Gds. 2-5) and Math Projects (Gds. 3-5) for teachers looking for ways to support students' math writing skills while developing key concepts and skills.
Also available are Math Journal Tasks (K-5), Math Vocabulary Resources (Gds. 2-5) and Math Projects (Gds. 3-5) for teachers looking for ways to support students' math writing skills while developing key concepts and skills.
illustrative Mathematics
http://www.illustrativemathematics.org/
Illustrative Mathematics provides guidance to states, assessment consortia, testing companies, and curriculum developers by illustrating the range and types of mathematical work that students experience in a faithful implementation of the Common Core State Standards, and by publishing other tools that support implementation of the standards.
math solutions: free classroom lessons
http://www.mathsolutions.com/index.cfm?page=wp9&crid=56
The free math lessons on Marilyn Burns', Math Solutions web page help teachers bring math instruction to life in their classrooms.
math perspectives teacher center
http://www.mathperspectives.com/tcenter.html
Kathy Richardson's online Math Perspectives Teacher Center provides resources and information to educators of Pre-K to 5th grade mathematics to enhance their professional growth. It is updated periodically with links and other valuable tools to support teaching and learning.
The math learning center: free lessons
http://catalog.mathlearningcenter.org/free
Bridges in Mathematics, second edition, is a comprehensive K–5 curriculum that equips teachers to fully implement the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in a manner that is rigorous, coherent, engaging, and accessible to all learners.
The curriculum focuses on developing students’ deep understandings of mathematical concepts, proficiency with key skills, and ability to solve complex and novel problems. Bridges blends direct instruction, structured investigation, and open exploration. It taps into the intelligence and strengths of all students by presenting material that is as linguistically, visually, and kinesthetically rich as it is mathematically powerful.
The curriculum focuses on developing students’ deep understandings of mathematical concepts, proficiency with key skills, and ability to solve complex and novel problems. Bridges blends direct instruction, structured investigation, and open exploration. It taps into the intelligence and strengths of all students by presenting material that is as linguistically, visually, and kinesthetically rich as it is mathematically powerful.