Make Math Fun
Well my blogging journey has not taken off like I had hoped. I haven't taken the time to sit down and type as much out as I had planned. It's never too late to start, though, right?! :) Well here goes.....
I have been on a mission this year. My mission is to make learning fun for all kids of all abilities. Some kids are good at certain subjects and some just aren't as good. However, kids should still love learning no matter what their abilities are. My goal is for all of my students to walk away from my classes wanting to be lifelong learners. A quote I've recently heard from multiple sources is "I don't teach a test. I teach kids." So my focus this year is on teaching kids and meeting them where they are.
I teach 5th Grade Math and 6th Grade Science. This is only my 3rd year of teaching math, but I knew my methods needed to change. They were the same everyday. I was very predictable. LOL. Students would come in, turn in their homework from last night, sit and listen to me instruct from the front of the room, do a few problems on their own whiteboards, then start on today's assignment. If they didn't finish in class, the assignment was automatically homework. On a good day, I might cut the problems short just as a special reward for them. Then the next day we would repeat with the next lesson in the book.
I got bored. They got bored. Math was very robotic and not fun. Insert a new year and a refreshing change of pace.
Now, I am seldom at the front of the room teaching math. About once every other week I find a lesson where whole group instruction is the best. Otherwise, most of my lessons are delivered through math stations. My students are grouped based on ability levels. There are 4 rotations during station time. One rotation is the teacher station where I teach the new topic, another station is to do the worksheet/assignment for the day while working through as a team. A third station is online math practice on the website our school purchased a subscription to this year, Moby Max. The final station is always a math game that practices the current topic. I had a student donate a whole bunch of casino cards, so we have often utilized those cards for math stations. For example, students have played multiplication and division war with a partner and a deck of cards. I also have created several games from Popsicle sticks. Two very simple concepts, but it makes learning just a little more fun for kids than just sitting and practicing 20+ problems on a worksheet.
I am also trying to incorporate more real-world learning as well as problem-based learning into my math curriculum. I try to think about what students need to know in order to be successful in life and those are the areas of focus for our lessons. Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers have become my two best friends.
I have found that students come into my class excited to find out what we get to learn in math that day. Students who otherwise probably would have dreaded learning math are getting excited and taking risks. These changes haven't been easy. They take more work and prep on my part. However, they are worth it! Kids are worth it. Kids deserve it!
I plan to share more of the math games, strategies, and projects we work on in my classroom. Stay tuned. :)
I have been on a mission this year. My mission is to make learning fun for all kids of all abilities. Some kids are good at certain subjects and some just aren't as good. However, kids should still love learning no matter what their abilities are. My goal is for all of my students to walk away from my classes wanting to be lifelong learners. A quote I've recently heard from multiple sources is "I don't teach a test. I teach kids." So my focus this year is on teaching kids and meeting them where they are.
I teach 5th Grade Math and 6th Grade Science. This is only my 3rd year of teaching math, but I knew my methods needed to change. They were the same everyday. I was very predictable. LOL. Students would come in, turn in their homework from last night, sit and listen to me instruct from the front of the room, do a few problems on their own whiteboards, then start on today's assignment. If they didn't finish in class, the assignment was automatically homework. On a good day, I might cut the problems short just as a special reward for them. Then the next day we would repeat with the next lesson in the book.
I got bored. They got bored. Math was very robotic and not fun. Insert a new year and a refreshing change of pace.
Now, I am seldom at the front of the room teaching math. About once every other week I find a lesson where whole group instruction is the best. Otherwise, most of my lessons are delivered through math stations. My students are grouped based on ability levels. There are 4 rotations during station time. One rotation is the teacher station where I teach the new topic, another station is to do the worksheet/assignment for the day while working through as a team. A third station is online math practice on the website our school purchased a subscription to this year, Moby Max. The final station is always a math game that practices the current topic. I had a student donate a whole bunch of casino cards, so we have often utilized those cards for math stations. For example, students have played multiplication and division war with a partner and a deck of cards. I also have created several games from Popsicle sticks. Two very simple concepts, but it makes learning just a little more fun for kids than just sitting and practicing 20+ problems on a worksheet.
I am also trying to incorporate more real-world learning as well as problem-based learning into my math curriculum. I try to think about what students need to know in order to be successful in life and those are the areas of focus for our lessons. Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers have become my two best friends.
I have found that students come into my class excited to find out what we get to learn in math that day. Students who otherwise probably would have dreaded learning math are getting excited and taking risks. These changes haven't been easy. They take more work and prep on my part. However, they are worth it! Kids are worth it. Kids deserve it!
I plan to share more of the math games, strategies, and projects we work on in my classroom. Stay tuned. :)
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