You may have noticed that I placed a links list over on the left side of the page. I was exploring the Scholastic webiste and it is amazing! So many wonderful resources for teachers, parents, and students.
Right now, I am playing with a homework helper that helps students study spelling words. You type in 10 words and it makes a game for you to play to help study your words!
There is a Clifford section for K-5 that has interactive games and books as well as teacher lesson plans that are already made that you can use with the resources on the site!
There are so many other things on this site! Check it out!
www2.scholastic.com
Friday, March 21, 2008
Puzzling Questions
This semester I am taking some classes that require me to be out in a public school classroom for 12 hours to observe and help with math. I have only had the chance to spend 6 hours in a class so far, but some questions really puzzle me about the thinking process of public education system.
Each time I am in the classroom I have been asked to go over a worksheet with the students. The first few times I assumed the students had already completed that worksheet, but they had not. I was going over the worksheet with them and they were putting in the answers that were given either by me or by other students. This is apparently a common practice in that classroom because it has happened almsot every time I have been there. Don't get me wrong, the students do some of the problems. I have several come to the board to work a problem, of they work it at their desks, but I am still confused as to why we are not having the students do the work on their own and then go over it. If they have trouble, then we can help them, but why provide an answer for them either directly through the teacher or through peers? Is this something that is limited to the one classroom that I have been in or is it prevelent throughout the public education system (especially in West Virginia)?
Another puzzling thing that I have observed it help on a test. The other day I was in the classroom as they were preparing for math test for the next day. The host teacher asked me to go over the test with them, so I did. The day before the test we took time in class to go through and work the problems directly from the test. I understand making sure they have the concept down by doing problems that are similar, but doing the exact problems does not quite make sense to me. Then, the last time I was observing, the teacher gave out a test for them to start on (this is a different test than what I was referring to above). Before they started the test, she went through and had the students answer some different questions about some of the problem. Things such as, "How would we begin this problem?", or "What items do we need to focus on in this word problem?". Once again, I was confused. I thought it was supposed to be a test and directly before they started it she had them open the test and tell other students how they should work the problem.
Review is one thing, practically giving the answers is something completely different!
Does anyone else feel this way? Have you seen this before? Or better yet, can you help me understand why this is happening and the logic behind it?
Each time I am in the classroom I have been asked to go over a worksheet with the students. The first few times I assumed the students had already completed that worksheet, but they had not. I was going over the worksheet with them and they were putting in the answers that were given either by me or by other students. This is apparently a common practice in that classroom because it has happened almsot every time I have been there. Don't get me wrong, the students do some of the problems. I have several come to the board to work a problem, of they work it at their desks, but I am still confused as to why we are not having the students do the work on their own and then go over it. If they have trouble, then we can help them, but why provide an answer for them either directly through the teacher or through peers? Is this something that is limited to the one classroom that I have been in or is it prevelent throughout the public education system (especially in West Virginia)?
Another puzzling thing that I have observed it help on a test. The other day I was in the classroom as they were preparing for math test for the next day. The host teacher asked me to go over the test with them, so I did. The day before the test we took time in class to go through and work the problems directly from the test. I understand making sure they have the concept down by doing problems that are similar, but doing the exact problems does not quite make sense to me. Then, the last time I was observing, the teacher gave out a test for them to start on (this is a different test than what I was referring to above). Before they started the test, she went through and had the students answer some different questions about some of the problem. Things such as, "How would we begin this problem?", or "What items do we need to focus on in this word problem?". Once again, I was confused. I thought it was supposed to be a test and directly before they started it she had them open the test and tell other students how they should work the problem.
Review is one thing, practically giving the answers is something completely different!
Does anyone else feel this way? Have you seen this before? Or better yet, can you help me understand why this is happening and the logic behind it?
Do you know your 9 times tables?
My spring break was last week, and during that time off of school I had the opportunity to be involved in a small elementary classroom at the Christian school that I graduated from. The school is only in its 4th year and it is very small. The classroom I was in had 8 students who were either in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade. Talk about a handful! It seemed that the teacher rarely got to "teach" because she was always making sure the the students were on task and that each grade had something to do while she tried to teach another grade. It was constant back and forth to each grade. I am not really sure if I could handle that!
One day while she was teaching math, the teacher gave the students a hint to remembering their 9 times tables that I had never seen before. Did you know that for every 9 times table the answer adds up to 9? It is true!
1X9=9
2X9=18 (1+8=9)
3X9=27 (2+7=9)
4X9=36 (3+6=9)
And so on.
I just thought that was a really neat little trick for students who have a hard time recalling those facts.
I was also given another trick for the 9's a while back. This one requires your hands so it would probably be a great trick for bodily/kinesthetic learners!
Here is how it works...
Hold your hands out in front of you with all your fingers spread. For 9X1 put down the first finger (going from left to right,,,just like reading). How many fingers are you hold up now? 9! Now for any number more than one it can get a little tricky but you just have to pay attention. 9X2 you would put only the second finger down. Everything on the left of the finger is the tens place and everything on the right of the finger is the ones place. So you would have 1 on the left and 8 on the right which would be 18. It works for all the ( times talbes! Pretty cool huh?
Do you know any ways to help remember your 9 times tables?
One day while she was teaching math, the teacher gave the students a hint to remembering their 9 times tables that I had never seen before. Did you know that for every 9 times table the answer adds up to 9? It is true!
1X9=9
2X9=18 (1+8=9)
3X9=27 (2+7=9)
4X9=36 (3+6=9)
And so on.
I just thought that was a really neat little trick for students who have a hard time recalling those facts.
I was also given another trick for the 9's a while back. This one requires your hands so it would probably be a great trick for bodily/kinesthetic learners!
Here is how it works...
Hold your hands out in front of you with all your fingers spread. For 9X1 put down the first finger (going from left to right,,,just like reading). How many fingers are you hold up now? 9! Now for any number more than one it can get a little tricky but you just have to pay attention. 9X2 you would put only the second finger down. Everything on the left of the finger is the tens place and everything on the right of the finger is the ones place. So you would have 1 on the left and 8 on the right which would be 18. It works for all the ( times talbes! Pretty cool huh?
Do you know any ways to help remember your 9 times tables?
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Just the beginning
This blog is starting out as a requirement for one of my classes!
Hopefully, this is going to turn into a resource as I add information that I gain from my classes as well as from being in elementary classrooms!
Feel free to use any of the information posted and please critique it if it needs it!
Thank you!
ENJOY!
Hopefully, this is going to turn into a resource as I add information that I gain from my classes as well as from being in elementary classrooms!
Feel free to use any of the information posted and please critique it if it needs it!
Thank you!
ENJOY!
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