Math all around us

Finding math in the world all around us was such a fun day (even though it was cold! :) ).  I like that the students were excited to be counting and seeing patterns simply by walking outside.  It makes math seem real, and gives it a purpose for the students that don't think math has one.  If they are able to see that they are doing and working with math everyday, not just in math class, it gives them a reason learn mathematical skills.  In our Reading Essentials book Routman talks about students needing a purpose to learn.  If they are simply learning because we tell them to then they are not going to retain much information. I think this field trip gave the students a purpose and I hope it helped them look at math in a new light. 

Choral Counting

When we did choral counting as a whole class I loved to listen and see that patterns that others were noticing.  With larger numbers and old students this seems to be a really fun and beneficial activity.  With the smaller numbers there were less patterns to find. The 3rd graders were noticing many patterns, but it seemed like we had too much time for counting by 6s.  The students were just repeating patterns that they saw in the first half of the activity.  Others were completely tuning out.   Looking back we probably should have changed up the number we were counting by to keep the students engaged.  Even using the talk moves the students were finding it hard to come up with more to say. 

I think this is an activity that would work best with older students.  I wonder how I could fit it into a lesson with my 5th graders.

Quick images

I was surprised how well my 5th graders took to the quick images activity.  When we worked with the 3rd graders, I was thinking to myself "Oh no, how am I going to do this with my class and make it work?"  Would the students be as involved as the 3rd graders?  And yes, they were.  I used the quick images activity as one of their morning activities.  They were all so engaged, and loved sharing the patterns they were noticing and the tricks they were using to count the dots.  This activity went so well I told them that, if as a whole class, they could all follow the classroom expectations we would do more at the end of the day.  They were excited and respectful for the rest of the day!