Applied Best Practice Strategies In Classroom Instruction

In order to improve my instructional practices, I analyzed instructional data from district math diagnostic and proficiency assessments. The most recent assessment assessed student’s abilities to count, add and subtract, and their understanding of place value. My students scored below not only the other first grade students at the school, but also all first grade students in the district. 81.6% of my students could count, read, and write numbers to 120. This was an improvement from their diagnostic assessment. However, only 66.7% could relate counting to addition and subtraction, and only 45% demonstrated understanding of place value in two digit numbers.

This paper will demonstrate the pre-service teachers’ understanding of mathematical practices as part of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. It will address two specific standards for Mathematical Practices, describing the essence of both and providing a description of how teachers facilitate these practices and how students are engaged in the practices.

On the teacher’s command, students will form a plan and race to find the combination of coins needed to reach the total amount

Van de Walle, J, Karp, K. S. & Bay-Williams, J. M. (2015). Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Teaching Developmentally. (9th ed.). England: Pearson Education Limited.

Lesson Objective(s):Students will identify a Penny by name and value, with at least 80% mastery on the independent practice worksheet.

Next, the teacher will pass out individual baggies with paper money in them for students to add up their total number of dollars.

Every day, mathematics is used in our lives. From playing sports or games to cooking, these activities require the use of mathematical concepts. For young children, mathematical learning opportunities are all around them. Knaus (2013) states that ‘Young children are naturally curious and eager to learn about their surroundings and the world they live in’ (pg.1). Children, young and old, and even adults, learn when they explore, play and investigate. By being actively involved, engaging in activities that are rich, meaningful, self-directed and offer problem solving opportunities, children given the chance to make connections with their world experiences (Yelland, Butler & Diezmann, 1999). As an educator of young children,

Sarama, J., & Clements, D. H. (2006). Mathematics in kindergarten. (61 ed., Vol. 5, p. 38). YC Young Children. Retrieved from http://media.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/media/pq/classic/doc/1129349361/fmt/pi/rep/NONE?hl=&cit:auth=Sarama, Julie;Clements, Douglas

Many students get confused when learning about fractions. At our grade level we teach about parts of a whole, equal shares, and partitioning.

The standards are divided into two sets, mathematical practice, and mathematical content. The mathematical practice standards describe ways that students should engage with mathematics content as they grow in maturity from kindergarten through high school. The mathematical content standards stress a balance between procedural skill and conceptual understanding (IDEA Partnership, 2010). Students will learn math skills and use them while they are being applied to real-world mathematical problems. A teacher can assess a student on their understanding of the standards by having them explain the process they used to solve the problem, along with asking what rule was used (if any) to solve the problem. The overall goal of the math standards is to build a foundation of skills and fluency while having students understand the underlying concepts of the math

As shoppers peruse the grocery store, they are often met with items that are not rounded to the exact dollar. In fact, most items you purchase will present you with a penny or two in change. When people receive these pennies, they often feel that they will only bring extra weight and clutter into their wallets, leading them to leave these pennies at the cash register or in a change jar. Furthermore, a penny left in a change jar is very likely to be left untouched. Items don’t cost only one cent! These pennies will then sit in this change jar for months or even years, until someone decides to donate or cash them in. As a result, pennies are often lost in circulation and are not used as often as our other

For this unit, I have three learning goals. 1) By February 26, 2016, students will sort coins into categories of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters so they may be successful when managing money through guided reading, reading groups, shared reading, read aloud, and manipulatives. This will be measured through exit slips and questioning. This goal is possible for my first grade students due to their prior knowledge of pennies and nickels. The result of this goal is to know the visual differences between a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. 2) By February 26, 2016, students will compare the value of coins so they may be successful when managing money through guided reading, reading groups, shared reading, read aloud, and manipulatives. This

Multiplicative thinking, fractions and decimals are important aspects of mathematics required for a deep conceptual understanding. The following portfolio will discuss the key ideas of each and the strategies to enable positive teaching. It will highlight certain difficulties and misconceptions that children face and discuss resources and activities to help alleviate these. It will also acknowledge the connections between the areas of mathematics and discuss the need for succinct teaching instead of an isolated approach.

A Year in the Life of an Elementary School: One School's Experiences in Meeting New Mathematics Standards

Measurement is a significant area in the curriculum, as it can “make or break a child’s confidence in mathematics” (Kefaloukos & Bobis, 2011, p. 19). Therefore teachers play a crucial role in teaching this area of maths. Firstly, it is important to consider what skills children have with regard to measurement when they start school. This guides teachers with an appropriate level to begin. Secondly, teachers need to know some engaging ways to teach measurement. Teachers also need to know how to adjust their teaching when necessary to cater for a varied range of abilities.