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I can't thank you enough for joining us at the Everything's Primary Virtual Teaching Expo!!! I hope you gained tons of valuable information and are already going through that fabulous goodie bag! :)
If you have any questions or comments after watching my presentation about Guided Math, feel free to leave them below! I'll be glad to help you with any answers or suggestions.
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Great presentation! I'm inspired, of course, by your energy and organization. I teach 3rd in an independent school, and I'm struggling with curriculum mapping and instructional calendars. (We do not have an organized system, so you can imagine how difficult that is!) Any ideas on where I could find some that schools have shared? ...A base start would be so helpful for me!
ReplyDelete*Also, I'm marching myself on over to my local WalMart to find my very own laminator TODAY!!! :-)
Thanks so very much for the time and energy you put into your presentation!
Julie
Hi Julie! Thanks for tuning in! I did a google search and found my county's instructional calendar (for 3rd) online:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/LanguageartsES.nsf/pages/InstructionalCalendarsGrade33~InstructionalCalendars
See if this matches up to your curriculum. If so, that would be a great place to start! If it doesn't, maybe you could search for others and create your own. It will make teaching SO much easier. And if you get that laminator, your life will never be the same again! :) Enjoy your weekend!
Hi Dana! You are such an incredible speaker! I was very impressed!
ReplyDeleteI learned some fantastic ideas for homeschooling, and I absolutely LOVE how organized you are! We could be best friends! Just ask my husband. I drive him and my kids crazy sometimes because I am obsessively organized but it keeps our family and my teaching running smoothly so they will just have to deal with my obsession. LOL
THANK YOU for all of your work that went into this expo. Your presentation will encourage and help so many teachers and students
Haha, Tamara! Glad I'm not the only one who's that organized. :) And thank you for your sweet comments. They mean SO much! I'm just honored to be a part of such an amazing, revolutionary part of education!
ReplyDeleteHey Dana!
ReplyDeleteYour presentation really has helped me see what I want to do with my first classroom! I want to be just as organized as you are especially being a Special Education teacher this will really help my students work on those skills they might struggle with! I am student teaching right now and will have a job in the Fall! I am so glad I got all of those wonderful tips from you this morning!
Thank you so much for everything you have done for this expo! I enjoyed hearing you speak!
That's awesome, Sarah! So glad I could give you some ideas and suggestions! Wishing you the best of luck when you set up your own classroom! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job Dana! You really are a fabulous speaker!
ReplyDeletePeace, Mel D
Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations
I LOVED your presentation! You are super organized! I will def. be doing guided Math once I'm back in Elementary.
ReplyDelete❤ Mor Zrihen from...
A Teacher's Treasure
Teaching Treasures Shop
Hi Dana,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the presentation! It was really helpful to get a rundown of how guided math works in your classroom. I teach first graders and they are used to the transitions and independent work of reading centers, but I've struggled to make it work with math.
How often do you change the centers that kids are using? Is there a rotation that you do or are kids working in their centers and changing independently? Do you keep the same centers for an entire unit or do you have new centers each week to keep things fresh?
Thanks!
Jess
Thanks, Mel and Mor!!! You ladies were amazing as well! It's good to know I'm in such awesome company!
ReplyDeleteHi Jess! So glad you tuned in! I keep the same centers for 3-5 days. Depending on the difficulty and our schedule, (computer lab, school events, etc) the kids do 1-2 centers each day. Some units are longer than others, so I have to adjust our center times and whole group lessons. I also have a student teacher right now! We can have TWO teacher centers rather than just one! We get so much more done when she's there (M/W/Th)!
ReplyDeleteHi Dana,
ReplyDeleteI teach over at Corley and my team and I use a ton of your activities so naturally when we found out that we had some extra money for field trips, they told me to ask what y'all do! I figured since we're in the same county and so close you might have some good ideas! Any suggestions? We already went to Fernbank earlier this year.
Thanks so much!
Dana, thank you so much for all the time and effort that went into this presentation! It truly was a joy to watch. I'm currently a substitute teacher waiting for my first full time job and even though that can be frustrating at times, it's things like this Virtual Teaching Expo that make me sure I'm waiting for a good reason.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to use some of these ideas with my goddaughter - she's in third grade and struggling a little bit with math - thanks so much for all the wonderful ideas!
-Sara
www.mspaganosplace.blogspot.com
Great presentation! Enjoyed seeing the different ideas for how you handle guided math. I teach a multiage special ed group of students, and right now, I have a VERY small group for math time- 3 students, with defiintely different abilities. I will have to look at your materials even more to see how I can adapt them to the levels of my students.
ReplyDeleteDana!! I just finished watching your videos! Thank you for sharing all of your ideas and tips for guided math! I know teaching math can be crazy and frustrating at time but your organizing strategies will definitely help me stay focused!
ReplyDeletePS- I also share your love for laminators!! I had my Walmart one for over 2 years now and I'm surprised it hasn't died on me yet!
Andrea
Cheers to School
Wow, guys! Thank you SO much for the sweet comments!!! I'm just thankful that my ideas can help someone else. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ideas! I'm trying to get started, especially now that we're moving into addition :)
ReplyDeleteLove your organizational ideas.
☼Libby
Dual Kinder Teacher
Hi Dana!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your clear and concise presentation. I wasn't sure how this virtual "conference" would work but I find that the "pause" and "rewind" buttons are technological blessings! LOL
I have a few questions about Guided Math.
1. Do the students get to choose the center they work on sort of like Daily 5 in reading? OR do you choose based on their assessments.
2. How do you make sure students aren't finishing too early before it is time to rotate (or do your centers rotate? Not sure of your math block time frame?)
3. Could you tell me more about how you access fonts and clipart/graphics for creating your own centers. I too have a PC!
thanks so much for your help. If you need to go in depth with your responses please feel free to email me: mommypatso@gmail.com
Thanks!
Patrice
I also really enjoyed your presentation and am excited to revamp my math class to include your ideas. I was wondering the same thing as Patrice above - What do the kids do if they finish early? I struggle with this during my reading centers.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first expo and all parts were very useful. The freebies were a great bonus. I was really excited to see your unit on fractions as I am starting that in two weeks but I am having trouble with the download. Graphics are there but all the numbers appear as blacked out. ? Could it be because I am on a Mac and am missing something? Ideas? Thanks!
Again, great job!! :)
Allison
Ha! I second Patrice's idea of the rewind and pause button! My hand hurts from taking notes! Thanks for the fantastic ideas and making it seem so doable! I know I can make my guided math better.
ReplyDelete- Leslie
Haha, Patrice! Here are the answers for you and Allison:
ReplyDelete1. I choose their centers.
2. My centers rotate. But if students finish early, they know where to put their work. There are always flashcard games or on old center as review that the kids can do while waiting on the signal to switch centers.
3. Many fonts are free. Most of mine are downloaded from the Kevin and Amanda website. Clip art can be bought from several different places/people for a very reasonable price! The #1 thing to know before buying and using are that person's/company's Terms of Use. You must give credit to the right people. :)
And Allison, this is a common problem amongst Mac users. Try this post from Ashleigh:
http://ashleigh-educationjourney.blogspot.com/2011/10/pdfs-macs.html
I just bought a Mac and will be in this boat of needing tricks and tips VERY soon. :) Let me know if this doesn't help!
Haha, Leslie! :) I'm so glad you could take away some useful info!
ReplyDeleteThanks! That suggestion for opening with Adobe on my Mac worked! I love my Mac - you will too :)
ReplyDeleteI really needed this presentation! I have been trying to implement guided math in my classroom this school year and was in need of some fresh material! Thanks so much!
ReplyDelete(P.S. I am also a big fan of your blog and ideas!)
Janaye
Tales of Frogs and Cupcakes
Aww! Thanks, Janaye! Yours is fabulous as well!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your response. I am still a pre-service teacher but I am SUPER excited to have my own classroom and begin implementing all that I am absorbing via your blog and others.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless!
I am in awe of your organization. I took lots of notes- so many great ideas to try! Thank you for such a helpful presentation.
ReplyDeleteHi Dana,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job on your presentation. I have also used many of your centers and ideas in the past.
I was wondering how you hold your students accountable and how their materials (such as recording sheets) are managed. Do they have folders with a check-off chart, do they turn papers in as they complete them, do you give them a center grade and if so how do you do that?
Thanks so much for your guidance!
Twyla
Thanks, ladies! Twyla, thanks for trying out some of my centers in the past! And a huge thanks for tuning into the Expo! Most of my centers include a recording sheet. I have a hanging file/pocket chart where they turn in all their work. I have a checklist where I grade their papers each afternoon (so it doesn't pile up AND I can give immediate remediation if necessary). Some centers include solving a problem in their Math journals...I can always go back and check that for effort and mastery!
ReplyDeleteHi Dana,
ReplyDeleteLove your presentation! My district is in the process of developing common assessments based on the common core standards. I'm hoping that we will end up with a common curriculum map as well. I must confess that guided math is not working very well in my room, but you inspired me to make some changes that I'm sure will help. Thanks for sharing your ideas with all of us!
Kimberly
Funky First Grade Fun
Hi Dana,
ReplyDeleteI loved your presentation and am truly intrigued as this is something I really want to incorporate into my 3rd grade class. Our full class math lessons can be challenging to keep everyone interested, as my high kids get bored and my low kids can't quite grasp everything. Small groups definitely sounds like an answer! I'm concerned about the length of time with each group, though. I have an hour block for math each day, which includes some time to work on their daily assignment. How long do you spend with each of your small groups? That's my biggest fear is each small group taking so long that we would run out of time and groups would get short changed or the center groups would be done very quickly and chaos would ensue! I would love to see your math groups in action! Thanks again for your presentation, I loved it and I've got my TpT shopping cart loaded with your stuff!
Kimberly, you'll do great! Just take it one baby step at a time! And the curriculum map will be a huge help!
ReplyDeleteTami, thanks so much for tuning in! The length of the groups usually lasts 20-30 minutes. It depends on which group I'm working with and the skill we're working on. The early finishers are aware of where to put their papers and the things they can do while waiting for me to finish up. It really takes a lot of modeling and practice to get the kids in the groove. But once they're have it, it's like HEAVEN! :) Hope this helps! And thanks for shopping at my store! I'm def going to rack up Wednesday as well!
Hi Dana!
ReplyDeleteI've finally had the chance to start watching the presentations, and yours was the first one I knew I had to watch! I love that your are super organized, because that's how my brain works too! I'm feeling way disorganized right now, because I started working at my school just 2 weeks before school started, I feel like I still haven't gotten everything in the right spot yet! (And it's day 125 or something now!)
Whew! That was long winded, what I originally wanted to do is ask you a question.
Here goes:
I teach 1st grade and I was wondering how you introduce the independent centers (or how you did it for 1st if it's different). Do you teach it whole group like one a day and keep rotating through like that or run over things quickly before you let them go? I feel like sometimes my little guys take so long to get the hang of an activity or they seem to understand but when they get to their 'station' (that's what I call them) they get diddly-squat accomplished. How do I make sure they are doing authentic, appropriate, and independent practice (and not waste learning time) while I'm working with a small group?
Thanks so much for your advice!!! I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation.
~Heidi V.
Hi Heidi! You're too funny! At least next year you can start off ready and organized. :)
ReplyDeleteAbout your question, 1st graders are a little bit more difficult to train for centers. But with enough modeling and patience, they will get in the groove of things and rotate and work independently just like any other grade level.
I would take 1-2 days of whole group instruction and modeling before sending the kids off to their centers. Like you said, they won't get anything accomplished without TONS of modeling.
While you're working with a small grour, the kids can be doing anything that fits your curriculum and can be completed independently or with a buddy's help. I usually include some sort of recording sheet in my centers to make sure they're actually doing the center and understanding it. But again, this goes back to constant modeling and reminders (at first). After the kids get used to it, it will become second nature.
I'm SO glad you tuned in and came back to chat! Enjoy your weekend!