More SB472 Photos

Go to the Elementary Mathematics Webpage to see a gallery of photos. They are found under the "enVision" tab.

http://k6math.rusd.k12.ca.us/sb472_photos.htm

What We Control

There is much we cannot control in the world of teaching. But there is so much more that we can. Dr. Haim Ginott said, "I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized."
Someone else said, "If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn." Easier said than done? Maybe, but the best thing you can bring to your math instruction (in addition to careful preparation!) is joie de vivre - a zest and enthusiasm for the subject that will catch on with your students and motivate them. I loved teaching math and the kids loved it with me- it was music to my ears to hear them whisper "Yessss!!" whenever it was time for math. I'm not a professional mathematician, but I believe the greatest gift we can give our students is the opportunity to DO math, build their own understanding, and instill a confidence and desire to learn more. Our future may well depend on the next generation of scientists and engineers.

SB472 Day 5- Presentation Day

On Friday, the last day of SB472, teachers partnered up and used the information they had learned during the week to present a lesson to their peers. Some used charts, others PowerPoints and activities; lessons included EL sentence frames, TPR, games, and lots of academic vocabulary!

Game Day!

Like songs and chants and other routines that kids enjoy, games can teach within some parameters. The center activities in enVisionMATH provides excellent opportunities for students to learn and reinforce concepts, provide extended practice, and deepen conceptual understanding. Because students should learn the management and the game routines early, the only "new" information to learn is the current, grade-level content.

This week, teachers spent more time investigating the daily center activities and how to embed these powerful and engaging strategies into their instruction.

Characteristics of an Effective Math Teacher

What are the characteristics of an effective math teacher? Check out the poster made by some of the participants at SB472 this week. I agree! In addition to these qualities, teachers are adding to their "effectiveness" quotient by building math background content, instructional strategies, and more of the engagement components built into enVisionMATH.

How Much is a Google?

For all of you math trivia (and language origin) fans, this site is for you. How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurements, contains a fantastic amount of information that will fascinate you and your students. Ever wondered what number comes after a trillion? How much is a google? What is the origin of our system of weights and measures? What about a list of other measurements, such as Apgar scores or Beaufort scales or shotgun gauges?

Click on "Names for Large Numbers" to find out the answer to the question in the title.

How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurements

Eleven and Twelve

Why don't we have "oneteen" and "twoteen" instead of eleven and twelve?  These curious words actually come from Old and Middle English words.  Eleven comes from "endleofan" meaning "and one more" or "one left past ten" and twelve is derived from "twelfe" meaning "and two more" or "two left past ten."  Note that two and twelve begin the same.

Whenever we think English has crazy exceptions, we can usually delve a bit into the origin to find meaning.   Standardized spelling is fairly recent, so as our tongues relaxed around certain words, pronunciation, and therefore spelling, changed over time.