 A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF WHAT WE DO IN GENERAL: Three years ago the Issaquah School District adopted a k-5 math curriculum called Everyday Math. The 5th grade curriculum is divided into 12 units, which we follow in order. A day's lesson usually takes about 90 minutes, and we typically follow a procedure that goes like this: First, a warm-up sort of activity the Everyday Math publishers call "Math Message." It's usually a short task----"draw a shape that has..."---or a set of 3 problems. Something very short and focused on the day's topic, something students should be able to complete successfully on their own. After we get into this, we name and discuss the objective we're going to cover that day. This part of the lesson normally takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes. The purpose or intent of this part of the lesson is to "set the stage" for what we're going to be doing, for what we're supposed to be learning from whatever activity is coming up. Next, we do a small burst of "mental math" all together as one big group. Students write their answers on scrap paper or mini white boards. These mental math problems are normally projected onto the white board or spoken aloud, and we go over them all together at once. There shouldn't be much discussion at this point----these are review problems, and this section of the lesson is intended to help students review concepts we've been covering. Following the "math message" and "mental math" we enter a period of whole group class instruction. It is always my intent to keep this brief, controlled, interactive, and serious without being overly tiresome. It's the part of the lesson where I demonstrate whatever concept we're covering. There is a general structure that is so-not-rocket-science, but it's easy to get undisciplined if you allow distractions. This method is to show, to do all together several times, to allow individuals to practice, and to return to the main point of "what are we learning about." Keeping this as short as possible is pretty important. The lesson develops into some sort of activity, which varies a little, but is usually a set of questions in a workbook or on paper. After a reasonable amount of time, I ask students to put this aside. We will check it toward the end of that day. Now we play a math-oriented game with partners. The games that Everyday Math's publishers created involve an opportunity to practice skills related to all the 5th grade math concepts, and the games range from (totally my opinion) ridiculous and cheesy (i.e., Frac Tac Toe) to addictive (i.e. Spoon Scramble). Most are paper and pencil gigs, and some are on the Everyday Math internet site. Last, we come together to conclude the lesson----re-examine the main point they want us to get, and check the paper students did during the activity. In most cases, I collect the papers and grade one or two problems. In some cases, I ask students to turn in a half-sheet of paper showing one or two specific problems. A MORE SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW AS WE GEAR UP FOR THE NEXT TEST ON ____________. Unit 1 is about factors. Students need to know the following: definition of a factor how to find all the factors of a particular number making a "factor rainbow," which I admit sounds really stupid definition of a prime number and a composite number definition of a square number this site is also under construction at this time |