Math Mondays with Tanner

May 13, 2024

Build Math Minds

"Mental Math Does NOT Mean Doing it in Your Head" - Episode 167

I'm guilty of equating "mental math" to "do it in your head math." To me, mental math is what you do when you've just got your brain (and no tools) to help you solve. I've gone down the rabbit hole of mental math this week and have read about how this isn't always true. Christina reminds us that at its core, mental math "implies that you are using your head to reason." Following this thinking, mental math should be a time for students to think through a problem and what they know about the way numbers work. Having the opportunity to document their thinking on paper is perfectly acceptable. In fact, it gives you a record of what students know about how our number system works, gives you insight into their thought process, and allows you to have an even stronger and more reflective debrief session when students explain their thinking using their "notes." It also helps to build number sense as other students have the chance to "see" what is going on in a friend's head as they mentally manipulate numbers to solve a problem without tools.

"Doing mental arithmetic does not mean doing it all in your head. Instead, it implies that you are using your head to reason. Many who employ the strategies suggested [in her book] use paper and pencil to keep track of their mental steps. This is different from writing down numbers and performing a predetermined set of steps that have been memorized without understanding."

Look at the examples below. Each of these problems can be solved mentally using various strategies. Allowing a student to document their thinking on paper (which really isn't different than asking them to explain their thinking verbally) gives you an insight into what is going on in their head! Consider giving your students pencil and paper to get a peek into their mental math mindset!

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DreamBox Classes of the Week

These classes had the highest number of average completed lessons for their grade level last week. This weekly reward comes with 10 extra minutes of recess. Thank you for prioritizing DreamBox and for helping our students close gaps and engage in enrichment opportunities!

Tuesday's Faculty Meeting

We will meet in the library on Tuesday afternoon at 2:45. This is our final math faculty meeting of the year. You will need to bring your sunshiny attitude, laptop, and something to write with. We will:

share ideas and discuss what to do when you're finished teaching and testing to maintain some a sense of control and structure in the midst of countdown chaos,
complete the end of the year "math confidence survey," and
complete the end of the year math coach survey from the DO.

Thinking About New Math Standards

The South Carolina State Department of Education has approved new math standards. These will be fully implemented during the 2025 - 2026 school year. If you want to look through these new standards, please CLICK HERE. You'll notice the strand labels have changed. Here's the correlation:

DPSR (Data, Probability, and Statistical Reasoning) comes from MDA standards
MGSR (Measurement, Geometry, and Spatial Reasoning) comes from MDA and G standards
NR (Numerical Reasoning) comes from NS and NSBT standards
PAFR (Patterns, Algebra, and Functional Reasoning) comes from ATO standards

Please do not let this be a source of stress. Not only do the new standards legitimately make sense in a lot of ways, but we will also have plenty of conversations, professional development sessions, and unpacking conversations to be ready for full implementation. Take a deep breath!

SC Ready Math Online Tools Training

Please let me know if you would like me to come into your class and help facilitate the online tools training before your class takes SC Ready Math. I have already scheduled these sessions with our third grade teachers. Remember that these trainings are mandatory and should be done for each subject before your class takes SC Ready. I'm here to help if you need a co-presenter!

Colored Pencils for SC Ready Math

All students should be provided with two colored pencils during their SC Ready Math test. If you need colored pencils, please let me know this week so I can order them. I have already ordered colored pencils for Mrs. Knouff, Mrs. Morton, Mrs. Rasmusson, Ms. Rubio, and Ms. Suttle's classes.

Closing Out SC Ready Essential Skills Check-Up

We have finished taking the Q1 and Q2 essential skills check-up quizzes ahead of SC Ready on May 23. Many of our teams have been immediately analyzing this data and making action plans. We quickly learned that some standards needed to be retaught whole group while others warranted a small group review. The data files are linked below. Let me know if you need help thinking through how to maximize your time over the next week and a half until we test!

Like many of you, La'Porchia has done a great job tracking her students' mastery level before and after reteaching. She shared one of these data tables with me, and I have included it below. I want to remind you that while progress may look minimal, every question counts. Every small group is meaningful and worthwhile. This is how we make a difference between "approaches" and "meets."

CLICK HERE FOR SHARED DATA FOLDER (UPDATED AFTER EACH QUIZ)

Tanner's Schedule for the Week

As a coach, my schedule is flexible. Please realize that my schedule will change based on what is included below. This gives you a rough idea of when I will be out of the building, in coaching cycles with teachers, or in meetings. If you need anything, reach out and let me know how I can help!