Word Problems...most teachers either love them or hate them! In the past several years, I've had a change of heart about word problems. I used to hate them-just because I didn't know how to help my kiddos work through them but now I love them!
A few years ago, our grade level group was having a lot of trouble with word problems. We even formed an intervention group to work on word problems. Each week we would meet with them and give them a set of word problems, go through all the steps of read it, mark keywords, solve and think "Does that make sense?" but it didn't seem to be making any difference. I remember sitting there one day thinking to myself, "I'm giving them lots of practice with word problems but am I really teaching them how to solve them? They still don't seem to understand what to do with them." So, I walked down the hall to my dear friend and colleague who was our math specialist (at the time) and repeated what I had just thought it my mind to her. I explained that no matter what "keywords" were in the problems I gave them, they still didn't read and get a picture in their mind of what was going on in the problems. They just added-on ALL of them! AND I was frustrated and felt like I was failing them!
She looked at me, smiled in her calming way and then the conversation started. I explained that I didn't feel like I was "teaching" them how to solve word problems and she reminded me of the need to teach the CONCEPT before the procedure in her reassuring, you got this girl, kind of way. So it began...my LOVE of TEACHING how to solve word problems!
Fast forward through several years of practice, lots of research and several staff developments and while I am still continually looking for new information on how to teach word problems, I finally think I now "teach" word problems, not just practice them-YAY!
So I want to share my planning ideas with you!
Problem Types
The first step for me, was to be sure I understood the different problem types. There's so many and can be called so many different things. I've presented staff development on this and it's NOT easy. A lot of us teachers have real reservations with teaching word problem types because we didn't learn the different types in school ourselves. That's all the more reason that we owe it to our students to help them understand them.
Our state standards break them down like this...
Add To
Take From
Put Together/Take Apart
Compare
So what's the difference?
The first two types, Add To and Take From, involve an ACTION or change. For example, you have some balloons and some fly away (take from) or there are farm animals in the barnyard and some more enter (add to). These are sometimes called start-change-result word problems.
The next kind is Put Together/Take Apart, in other words part-part-whole type problems. These involve a group of things that can be put together or split apart. For example, you have apples and some are red and some are green. There's no action of adding more or some going away. You are just simply putting parts together to make a whole group. As the description suggests, these can also be called part-part-whole type problems.
Finally, there's the Compare problems. These are just like the name implies. They compare 2 or more things. For example, "How many more people like pepperoni pizza than cheese pizza?" I like to set the stage for this type of problem during measurement and graphing units. In this type the problems have a bigger part, smaller part and a difference.
Now, if this is old news then give yourself a pat on the back for already being an amazingly awesome teacher, but don't feel bad if you've heard of these types but don't feel like you fully understand them. You can hear this over and over again in staff development but you just have to set aside a little time and think about the differences yourself, then you're off and ready to go!
Stay tuned to the Curriculum Geek for more on TEACHING word problems!
Monday, December 30, 2019
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Flexible Seating-A Leap of Faith
Maybe you've been thinking about giving flexible seating a try in your classroom...if so, then keep reading! I took a leap of faith into the world of flexible seating several years ago but each year is a new adventure in trial and error. Here's my story of making the switch and some of the successes and stumbling blocks I've encountered over the years.
Having flexible seating in your classroom just means that not everyone sits at a desk with a chair. Some children might be in what I call "soft seats" which range from pillows to camp chairs. Some may be standing or sitting on tall bar stools. Some may be in groups, some may be in pairs and some may be sitting alone. A few might be bouncing around like little Tiggers on yoga balls or rocking back and forth on wiggle seats. Flexible seating gives the kiddos in your classroom the opportunity for movement and to sit in a way that is comfortable for them. It helps promote attention and helps those little ones who wiggle a lot have an acceptable outlet for all those wiggles in the classroom.
About 5 years ago, I had a wonderful class of 2nd graders who needed to change things up a little bit. They were by no means "behavior problems" and were actually a really great group of kids but about mid year I could tell they were getting a little bored with the day to day classroom routine (and to be honest I sometimes feel the same way). So, I did a little research, talked with some of my teacher friends, went in over the holiday break and took the leap into flexible seating.
This picture is of my very first leap into flexible seating. I was so proud I took a panoramic shot of my classroom before walking out the door-he!he!
I moved my classroom around in ways I had never considered and I was pleased with the results but then I walked out, shut the door and the butterflies started fluttering! My mind raced with questions that I DIDN'T know the answers to and it made me VERY nervous. I felt like I would no longer be in control of my classroom but deep down I knew it was worth the try.
Fast forward to Monday morning and all the butterflies went away as the kids bubbled with excitement as they walked into the room. I wasn't quite sure how to start but I had a simple assignment that could be done at the carpet for morning work, then we started our morning meeting. I was honest with the kids and told them I was nervous but that we would figure it out together. I proposed a set of "rules" for the seats and we made an anchor chart for reference.
I started slowly with the children choosing their seats for the week, then over time switched to choosing new seats daily. The biggest adjustments for me were 1) thinking ahead to allow the kids time to get the needed items from their cubbies, instead of their desks and 2) switching to teaching ALL of my mini-lessons at the carpet then sending the kids off to work AND 3)not going crazy in my own mind when the kiddos were bouncing, spinning and wiggling-LOL! I will admit the biggest adjustment was mine, not theirs!
Did it make a difference? YES, ABSOLUTELY! Contrary to what you may think, I have had very few major behavior problems in my room since switching to flexible seating. I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that the kids will be crazy but my experience was just the opposite. The same children that used to be in trouble (by me, the mean teacher) for moving around, wiggling, and being out of their seats, were the very children that it helped the most. No longer did they get in trouble for doing what kids do because it was acceptable in my classroom. Can you say BIG learning curve for me as both a teacher and a mom? The kiddos who could only focus for a few minutes at a time were more attentive because going from the carpet to their seats gave them LOTS of movement throughout the day AND they could choose a place to work that was comfortable for them at the moment.
So, are you ready to take the plunge or do you already use flexible seating in your classroom?
Are you nervous and need help working through it in your mind?
Comment below...I would love to hear YOUR questions or experiences with flexible seating!
Having flexible seating in your classroom just means that not everyone sits at a desk with a chair. Some children might be in what I call "soft seats" which range from pillows to camp chairs. Some may be standing or sitting on tall bar stools. Some may be in groups, some may be in pairs and some may be sitting alone. A few might be bouncing around like little Tiggers on yoga balls or rocking back and forth on wiggle seats. Flexible seating gives the kiddos in your classroom the opportunity for movement and to sit in a way that is comfortable for them. It helps promote attention and helps those little ones who wiggle a lot have an acceptable outlet for all those wiggles in the classroom.
About 5 years ago, I had a wonderful class of 2nd graders who needed to change things up a little bit. They were by no means "behavior problems" and were actually a really great group of kids but about mid year I could tell they were getting a little bored with the day to day classroom routine (and to be honest I sometimes feel the same way). So, I did a little research, talked with some of my teacher friends, went in over the holiday break and took the leap into flexible seating.
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This picture is of my very first leap into flexible seating. I was so proud I took a panoramic shot of my classroom before walking out the door-he!he!
Fast forward to Monday morning and all the butterflies went away as the kids bubbled with excitement as they walked into the room. I wasn't quite sure how to start but I had a simple assignment that could be done at the carpet for morning work, then we started our morning meeting. I was honest with the kids and told them I was nervous but that we would figure it out together. I proposed a set of "rules" for the seats and we made an anchor chart for reference.
I started slowly with the children choosing their seats for the week, then over time switched to choosing new seats daily. The biggest adjustments for me were 1) thinking ahead to allow the kids time to get the needed items from their cubbies, instead of their desks and 2) switching to teaching ALL of my mini-lessons at the carpet then sending the kids off to work AND 3)not going crazy in my own mind when the kiddos were bouncing, spinning and wiggling-LOL! I will admit the biggest adjustment was mine, not theirs!
Did it make a difference? YES, ABSOLUTELY! Contrary to what you may think, I have had very few major behavior problems in my room since switching to flexible seating. I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that the kids will be crazy but my experience was just the opposite. The same children that used to be in trouble (by me, the mean teacher) for moving around, wiggling, and being out of their seats, were the very children that it helped the most. No longer did they get in trouble for doing what kids do because it was acceptable in my classroom. Can you say BIG learning curve for me as both a teacher and a mom? The kiddos who could only focus for a few minutes at a time were more attentive because going from the carpet to their seats gave them LOTS of movement throughout the day AND they could choose a place to work that was comfortable for them at the moment.
So, are you ready to take the plunge or do you already use flexible seating in your classroom?
Are you nervous and need help working through it in your mind?
Comment below...I would love to hear YOUR questions or experiences with flexible seating!
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Lost in Writing
Ever felt lost when planning and trying to decide how to teach something that just doesn't make sense to you? Well that's been me when teaching writing for the last couple of years. Narrative, opinion, informational...I get it! I know I'm supposed to teach them all-and I did-but I still just felt lost. I normally pride myself on teaching in a way that helps my kiddos make connections but writing just seemed like it was out there all by itself without a purpose. So I set out to figure out a way to teach writing so that it made sense to my kiddos and me!
I started out by taking a step back and thinking about how to correlate the different writing types with the units I already teach in reading. In the past, it was always Narrative at BOY-which I always thought was way too hard and involved for my kiddos to do well at that time of year. Then onto opinion at MOY with lots of Would You Rather? writing prompts. Finally EOY with informational-which is my personal favorite BECAUSE they were designed to compliment science units and made sense. They all worked and the kids learned how to write but it just seemed very disconnected from my reading. It just seemed like I was checking off the boxes...reading-check, writing-check, word study-check but without connections and focus.
So, I thought...and talked to my colleagues...and thought...and talked to my teacher bestie and thought and decided to do a complete 180 and start the year with Informational How To writing to go along with a science unit on sound. It seemed easy enough...right? I jumped in and we planned how to make a music instrument, fancied it up a bit and low and behold...it worked! The kiddos ended up with simple but effective how to pieces, and the best part is that writing them didn't seem like a chore to the kiddos. It just seemed like a logical way to communicate what they had learned through writing.
Here are my plans for the year...now remember they are "plans" and are subject to change but I'm excited about the ideas I've come up with for writing this year. How do you organize teaching writing in your classroom? Please comment below...
Sound Unit-How To Make a Musical Instrument (informational writing)
Economy Unit-My Craft is the Best! (opinion writing)
Long ago/Today Unit-________ is the better than ________ /person, invention, etc. (opinion writing)
Multicultural Unit-Personal Narrative writing (narrative writing)
Health Unit-All About Dental Health(informational writing)
Life Cycles-All About Butterflies, Ants, Frogs (informational writing)
I started out by taking a step back and thinking about how to correlate the different writing types with the units I already teach in reading. In the past, it was always Narrative at BOY-which I always thought was way too hard and involved for my kiddos to do well at that time of year. Then onto opinion at MOY with lots of Would You Rather? writing prompts. Finally EOY with informational-which is my personal favorite BECAUSE they were designed to compliment science units and made sense. They all worked and the kids learned how to write but it just seemed very disconnected from my reading. It just seemed like I was checking off the boxes...reading-check, writing-check, word study-check but without connections and focus.
So, I thought...and talked to my colleagues...and thought...and talked to my teacher bestie and thought and decided to do a complete 180 and start the year with Informational How To writing to go along with a science unit on sound. It seemed easy enough...right? I jumped in and we planned how to make a music instrument, fancied it up a bit and low and behold...it worked! The kiddos ended up with simple but effective how to pieces, and the best part is that writing them didn't seem like a chore to the kiddos. It just seemed like a logical way to communicate what they had learned through writing.
Here are my plans for the year...now remember they are "plans" and are subject to change but I'm excited about the ideas I've come up with for writing this year. How do you organize teaching writing in your classroom? Please comment below...
Sound Unit-How To Make a Musical Instrument (informational writing)
Economy Unit-My Craft is the Best! (opinion writing)
Long ago/Today Unit-________ is the better than ________ /person, invention, etc. (opinion writing)
Multicultural Unit-Personal Narrative writing (narrative writing)
Health Unit-All About Dental Health(informational writing)
Life Cycles-All About Butterflies, Ants, Frogs (informational writing)
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