Teaching elementary math comes with so many different tasks and components. Remember when you were taking your teacher certification tests? I always read that you needed to think of the utopian classroom when answering the questions. Think about in a perfect world, how would a situation look. During this series, I am going to show you the “ideal” and the “realistic”.
Every day has its challenges and little things that come up. Maybe a train blocked the road and 5 students were late to school or you had a fire drill in the middle of independent work time (all have happened to me many times!). Your students might need more support during a mini-lesson and you have to cut the work time down. That is ok! I want you to think through your content and schedule so you have an idea of what needs to get done. The better idea you have, the more you can protect what you hold most important for your students. It is much easier to stay the course when you have a strong plan and foundation.
Depending on your district and curriculum, you may have specific expectations of activities to use during your math block. These are components that I believe make for a balanced math time.
Problem Solving
I have heard this called Intentional Problem Solving, Problem Solving Block, Juicy Problems, and many others. This time of day is critical to practice strategies, exposure to more complex questions, and for students to communicate their thinking. It is not just a hard problem given to them to solve or a series of steps to follow. The thinking students are engaging in is very important.
Mini-Lesson
The goal of the mini-lesson is to connect to prior learning, introduce the new skill or focus, and give quick practice. Keep it MINI! During this time students are getting the new information, practicing it as a whole group, and getting directions for the work period. Most of the one-on-one instruction comes during the independent time while you are pulling groups.
Independent Time
Whether you love traditional stations or enjoy task lists, this is the time your students are engaging with the materials. Many times they have a workbook page or something provided by your district. After they have completed that work, there are so many options for them to work on. This is where you might start to feel overwhelmed. Don’t worry, we will get you started well.
During this work period, you will be meeting with groups. They can be as flexible or planned as you want.
Math Vocabulary
I feel that students need to have a solid handle on mathematical vocabulary. I do not mean they have memorized keywords. When students truly understand the vocabulary of the discipline, they don’t need tricks and keywords. These seem to just be a band-aid for many students. Helping students understand can open so many doors and allow the students to have deeper conversations.
Math Fluency
Fluency and automatic fact recall are important for students to be successful. This will allow them to complete higher-level tasks and problems without struggling to solve the basics. This is not a kill and drill time to do the speed tests. There are many programs and activities that are fun, engaging, and allow students to master their basic facts.
Planning your elementary math block allows you to hit all the important components. The information above is just a start. Let’s dive deeper into each part of a successful math block.
If you are wanting to start at the beginning of the Elementary Math Block Series, please click here.
