Common Core ELA Standards & ReadyGen

If you teach in Milford, Ohio or the state of New York, you know all about ReadyGen.  ReadyGen is a K-5 reading program written specifically for the Common Core ELA Stanadards.  It addresses close reading, writing in response to reading, using evidence from texts, and all the other things you've heard about the Common Core ELA Standards.  It is hot off the press, and teachers are loving the level of text-based conversations occurring in their classroom through their ReadyGen implementation.

New programs always have a few bugs, and ReadyGen is no exception.  Student response sheets for primary students lack space needed for work.  To help my kindergarten cuties, I have created sheets that compliment ReadyGen and can be used in replace of many of the Reading and Writing Student sheets.  Here are two examples of the response sheets:

This complimentary to ReadyGen packet contains 24 student response sheets for ReadyGen Unit 1, Modules A & B.  Please visit my TPT store to purchase.

-Mary Beth

 

Writing Workshop

Developing units for writing workshop can be overwhelming for intermediate teachers.  It takes a lot of time and effort to collect your stacks....writings by real authors from a variety of sources.  Your stack is the foundation of your unit.  It is where you study and discuss types of writings with your students.  You may create your stacks from magazines, newspapers, or books from the library.  You may find that your own classroom has materials just waiting to be "stacked".  

One of the teachers that I work with discovered that her collection of books about different careers could be a great foundation for a writing unit.  Mrs. Slusher and her fifth grader students read through a collection of articles and books on careers.  They determined topics to cover in their own writing piece using the pieces from the stack as their model.  Students used the following page to collect research about their chosen career:

Once the students had collected information, they wrote their final draft and "dressed" (colored) a turkey to match their choice.  Thanks to The Cincinnati Enquirer's yearly turkey coloring contest, Mrs. Slusher had several turkey selections.  Feel free to use them, too.

 

The students enjoyed learning about careers and decorating their turkeys.  Here are a few examples of their work:

Start looking through those boxes and shelves.  You may just discover your next stack.

-Marybeth

To Regroup or Not to Regroup...

For those of you who know and believe in the constructivist approach to teaching...the idea that learning is more effective when children are actively engaged in the learning process rather than receiving knowledge passively...you already know the answer to the question.  Go ahead and use that US standard algorithm after your students have a variety of strategies to use and have a strong knowledge of the base 10 number system. 
What do I mean by the US standard algorithm?  It's the one we all did when we were kids...carry the one or borrow from the next door neighbor.  Problems were always given vertically requiring little understanding of the place value of numbers.  I'm not saying never use this approach.  It definitely has its place once an understanding of place value and how numbers work is established.  Give students a few years to gain that understanding.  Introduce the US standard algorithm in 4th grade, when the CCSS states it should be introduced.

So what are students doing?
The following is a sample of addition and subtraction strategies students discover and use to gain a strong understanding of the base 10 number system and place value:

Adding by Place                                                      Subtracting in Parts

 349 + 175 =                                                                                 451-187=

—300 + 100 = 400                                                                           451-100= 351

—40 + 70 = 110                                                                                  351-80= 271

—9 + 5 = 14                                                                                           271-7= 264

—400 + 110 + 14 = 524

An example of one type of multiplication strategy is as follows:

Breaking Numbers Apart by Addition

148 x 42=

100 x 42= 4,200
48 x 40= 1, 920
48 x 2= 96
4,200 + 1, 920 + 96= 6,216


Seem confusing?  Don't worry.  Kids get it.  This is how their minds work, and if you take the time to learn these strategies yourself, things start to click.  Suddenly math makes more sense and mental tasks become easier.

More Proof
There are two levels of demand in mathematics:  lower-level and higher-level.  Of course, our goal is to promote higher-level demands.  The following information (from Implementing Standards-Based Mathematics Instruction: A Casebook for Professional Development by Mary Kay Stein, et al. Copyright 2000 by Teachers College, Columbia University) is a great tool to use when creating lesson plans for mathematical instruction:

Lower-Level Demands Memorization Tasks ~involve either reproducing previously learned facts, rules, formulae, or definitions OR committing facts, rules, formulae or definitions to memory. ~cannot be solved using procedures because a procedure does not exist or because the time frame in which the task is being completed is too short to use a procedure. ~are not ambiguous- such tasks involve exact reproduction of previously seen material, and what is to be reproduced is clearly and directly stated. ~have no connection to the concepts or meaning that underlie the facts, rules, formulae, or definitions being learned or reproduced. Procedures Without Connections ~are algorithmic.  Use of the procedure is either specifically called for its use is evident based on prior instruction, experience, or placement of the task. ~require limited cognitive demand for successful completion. ~have no connection to the concepts or meaning that underlie the procedure being used are focused on producing correct answers rather than developing mathematical understanding ~require no explanations, or explanations that focus solely on describing the procedure that was used.

Higher-Level Demands Procedures With Connections Tasks ~focus students’ attention on the use of procedures for the purpose of developing deeper levels of understanding of mathematical concepts and ideas. ~suggest pathways to follow (explicitly or implicitly) that are broad general procedures that have close connections to underlying conceptual ideas as opposed to narrow algorithms that are opaque with respect to underlying concepts. ~usually are represented in multiple ways.  Making connections among multiple representations helps develop meaning. ~require some degree of cognitive effort.  Although general procedures may be followed, they cannot be followed mindlessly.  Students need to engage with conceptual ideas that underlie the procedures in order to successfully complete the tasks and develop understanding Doing Mathematical Tasks ~require complex and nonalgorithmic thinking (i.e., there is not a predictable, well-rehearsed approach or pathway explicitly suggested by the task, task instructions, or a worked-out example). ~require students to explore and understand the nature of mathematical concepts, processes, or relationships ~demand self-monitoring or self-regulation of one’s own cognitive processes ~require students to access relevant knowledge and experiences and make appropriate use of them in working through the tasks ~require students to analyze the task and actively examine task constraints that may limit possible solution strategies and solutions. ~require considerable cognitive effort and may involve some level of anxiety for the student because of the unpredictable nature of the solution process required.

Demands on today's students are much higher than in the past.  Students now need to pass Algebra II to meet high school graduation requirements.  It is going to take a lot more work than memorizing facts and formulas to achieve this, and our students are up to the task.  You just have to give them the chance.

                                                                               Marybeth

What I'm Reading Now

I go through phases with reading.  It's feast or famine.  Right now I'm feasting.  I can't read enough books.  Let's face it, current television programming does not stimulate brain development.  No offense to television.  I watch my fair share of reality t.v; therefore, a balance is necessary.

I'm currently reading two books...one for professional development and one for pleasure.  

My pd pick is this:

It's really interesting, and I believe worth the read.  Marzano and his colleagues identify and discuss 9 categories of instructional strategies.  These instructional tools are research based.  That means that they have been implemented, studied, revised, and studied some more.  There is data to prove that the they can enhance student achievement.  I highly recommend exploring  practices that are proven effective.  Pinning really cute stuff is fun, but may not have the same effectiveness as researched practices, a.k.a. best practices. 

As I delve deeper into this book, I will revisit the strategies and discuss further.  Feel free to read along with me (Classroom Instruction that Works; Research Strategies For Increasing Student Achievement).

Now for the pleasure...The Maze Runner.  I'm less than halfway through and have no idea what's going on....in a good way.  Its foundation is a dystopian society trying to figure out its world.  If you like The Hunger Games, The Stand, Brave New World...basically your good ol' fashioned post-apocaliptic, dark, societal breakdown type books, then The Maze Runner is for you.  

As always, thanks for stopping by!  Please visit me again soon.

                                               -Marybeth

Math and the CCSS

One of my tasks this year is to assist the roll out of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for K-2 math.  We use the Math Investigations (M.I) program, and in my humble opinion, it rocks.  Pearson, the company who delivers this program, has done an incredible job of aligning M.I. with the CCSS.  Just like all programs, M.I. had some gaps with our Ohio State Standards.  Textbook companies cater to a variety of states and try to meet all needs as best they can.  With the adoption of the CCSS, this problem will more than likely become obsolete.  Text book companies now know exactly what to support for all states…well, except for those few holding on to the past.  Move on already!

My goal for K-2 is to roll out the standards alignment provided by Pearson and gather after every two units have been taught.  This will allow us a fresh perspective on our most recent teachings and the standards that have been covered.  We will be able to determine if the standards Pearson lists are actually covered to the depth needed. 

Here is an example of a second grade unit one curriculum map format for the CCSS and M.I.:  

Once we have taught and reviewed the units, we will revise the curriculum map.  I will revisit this topic and post our findings.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by.

-Marybeth

Welcome!

Hello!  Welcome to my blog.  The purpose of it is to share my ideas, strategies, and knowledge with the teachers I coach, as well as anyone else who stumbles onto my page.

I am Marybeth….curriculum consultant and instructional coach for one school district.  I provide professional development for 6 elementary buildings, K-6, in math and language arts.  It’s just me, and it isn’t easy reaching that many teachers in the timeframe I’m allotted.  Thus, the blog.  I’ve been contemplating doing this for quite some time, and I’m finally sitting down to do it.

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you visit again soon.

-Marybeth