ImagineIT Spring 2016
PROJECT/ACTIVITY
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
TARGET DATES
Building the Basics
Need to strengthen student’s mastery of the basics of the four operations of math and incorporate decimals and fractions
On-going
Tree Project
Students developing mathematical questions about trees
February 29 / On-going
World of Math Around Us
Students to fill out index cards about mathematical problems and possible solutions in the world around them
Start February 8 / On-going
Problem-Solving Posters - PowerPoint Presentations
MARS Tasks presentations
15th of the Month
Mathematical Communication
Sentence starters, teacher talk moves and journal writing rubric
February 1 / On-going
Problem-Solving Blowouts
Special days set aside to transfer computational knowledge on each topic to solving related problems
End of each Topic
Creating a timeline for the ImagineIT project with specific dates is daunting task, as my project is an on-going mindset and set of activities to create 5th Grade Mathematicians. Above are a few of the activities/projects I envision adding to my current curriculum to continue to pursue my goal for my students to become mathematicians. Through these tasks I hope my students will look at the world around through the eyes of a mathematician, act as problem-solvers, think like a mathematician and be able to clearly communicate as a mathematician.
What I’ve learned throughout this journey, is that I need to make sure each student has the needed basic skills in math in order to even begin to look at the world as a mathematician and be able to solve the problems it presents. Many of my students have not yet developed these basic skills, so I need to work with these students every day either individually or in small groups. We have also started after school programs and an 8-week Saturday Academy for these students,
In mathematical communications, our school’s Targeted Instructional Focus is on accountable talk. Our Internal Leadership Team, of which I am a member, recommends readings, coordinates peer observations and conducts learning walks to ensure each classroom has incorporated our focus instructional skill. We are modeling, guiding and teaching our students how to communicate with each other in a structured and accountable manner. The math leadership team has also developed a rubric for writing an entry in a math journal. Each classroom is required to write at least three times per week about what they are learning in math.
The Problem-Solving Posters, PowerPoints and Blowouts are just a way to focus and stress the importance of problem-solving skills. They also offer more creative outputs than the typical paper and pencil problem-solving. I want my students to get excited about problem-solving.