My students are still learning to collaborate in most areas.  It's exciting to see their growth, especially in math!  Thanks to help from an awesome teaching friend, I whittled down what I want students to be able to do during a collaboration activity and came up with this poster that we review before most sessions.
     This can be used with any collaborative activity.  We use Super Star Math each week. It's a great program for developing critical-thinking in math. 
     The poster helps students to:
1) develop the habit of being prepared for their small group meeting with pens only and their Super Star paper, 
2) be actively involved and focused only on this task, and 
3) begin their contribution with their strategies, not their answers to the problems.  I remind them that to start with the answer shuts down the conversation.
     Please let me know in the comments what you use to help develop good mathematical conversations in your classroom.
 We're all in this together!
Pat

          By 5th grade, students have been making measurement conversions for a while.  I still like to review the history of both measurement systems, both standard and metric, the three measurement attributes we use (standard: length, capacity, weight, and metric: length, volume, and mass), and the basic facts.  I supply students with this information in their math notebooks.

     My 5th grade students have pretty-well grasped the concept of volume, but I wanted them to get some more practice measuring, recording, and labeling different items.  Last week was typically hectic and I forgot (imagine that) to ask them to bring in empty boxes from home.
      With my mind racing like a hamster in a cage - does yours ever do that? - I started scavenging items from around the room and a few from the discarded boxes pile in the hall.  Here's what I collected:

• a tissue box
• a paper box lid
• some rectangular prisms from my geometrical shapes box
• the geometrical shapes box
• some boxes with things still in them

     I put them in 11 spots (stations), used sticky notes to number the stations, and dropped a tape measure at each one.  I used my craft sticks with names on them to quickly create student pairs.  Students paired up and went to a station.
      Instructions were to measure all three dimensions in inches, record the dimensions, find the volume, then record and correctly label the volume in cubic inches.  We'll do metric next time.


  It worked pretty well.  The pro results: Students were quickly engaged in meaningful, hands-on math.  They followed directions, for the most part.  The noise level was pretty good.  The con results: Due to my on-the-fly preparation, some of the stations had the same kind of box.  Believe me, the kids let me know.  Oops.
     As usual, I had a few early-finishers who asked, as usual, "What do we do when we're done?"  After I replied, as usual, "Well, you never ask me the question 'What do we do when we're done'", I suggested they find another rectangular prism to measure. A filing cabinet sufficed nicely.
     Do you have a favorite volume activity?  I'd love to hear your comments!
  

    When we teach students to write about the math that we do, we are automatically raising their level of critical thinking. We are also strengthening their non-fiction writing skills.  I want to make this a central focus of my math lessons this year and, believe me, I'll be building this airplane while I'm flying it!

     Our first lessons during this past week began with a fairly simple word problem.  I tried to lower potential stress levels by reminding students that we were training ourselves to write in math and that grades were not an issue right now.

      I started with an anchor chart that explains the basic steps in the process.  It is a really simple list of steps in the process.  Each step could be fleshed out, but I'm starting small.  The big deal that I'm stressing is to justify, justify, justify!  Prove it!  Convince me!


 I solved the problem myself, following the steps on our anchor chart.  The problem was:

7.  Jennifer will earn $24 more next week with her raise than she earned last week.

     Students worked in pairs to solve a new problem.  After they agreed on how to solve the problem, they wrote their steps on paper, making sure they justified each step.


     They went to a Chromebook and created a document with their steps.

     Their last step was to set up their Chromebooks on their desks and we did a "gallery walk" around the room, reading each others documents.  I told them they would see some documents that had a better explanation than their own and some that didn't sound as good as their own.  Either way, we're learning.
     I'll be honest - I could use some help with this.  How do you teach writing in math?  I'd love to hear your comments!

     I've trained my students to play Scoot and we love it!
     If you're new to the game, here it is in a nutshell: You need a set of cards with one problem or task on each one. The cards should be numbered (1,2,3,...) and you need one for each child.
     Decide how you want students to move from desk to desk, that is, the traffic pattern. Place a card on each child's desk, according to your traffic pattern.
     Each student prepares a sheet of paper numbered like the cards (1,2,3,...).
     When all is ready, have students push under their chairs and stand behind them.
     You say, "Go", and students solve the problem or do the task that is one their own desk.  They write the answer on their paper at the correct number.
     When you feel they've had enough time, say, "Scoot!" and students move to the next desk.  Again, give them just enough time to solve the problem, then say, "Scoot!"
     Continue until each student is back at his/her own desk.  The game is over.
     Scoot can be used as a fun, movement-filled review activity or as an assessment.  Consider putting up cardboard privacy screens to keep eyes from wandering. After all, the students are standing and can see better.  Once it's over, you can share and score their answers.
    Other Scoot games are just for movement and can be used as a Brain Break or an indoor PE activity.  Here's my latest one and it's free for you here Brain Break Scoot! Freebie
     I recently wanted to play Scoot to practice simplifying exponents on our calculators.  It was a last minute idea - many of mine are! - and I didn't have time to prepare the cards.  Flying by the seat of my pants, I told students to take out their slates and markers.  They were to write a factor form 1 to 10  in the middle of their slate and give it an exponent from 1 to 6.  I quickly walked around and number the slates.

     It worked!  Students left their calculators on their desks and cleared them each time I said, "Scoot!"  I'll be making a Scoot game for exponent soon!
     Do you play Scoot?  Are you interested in trying it out?  Let me know how you use it in your classroom and about your successes.