The Mathematical

Due to COVID-19, the mathematics standards revision process was placed on hold. The review process is expected to resume Fall 2020. More details will be provided on www.gadoe.org/ standards as new developments are available. As of right now, the timeline appears to have been pushed back a year which would mean the new standards will roll out in 2022-2023 with professional learning/training to more likely happen in 2021-2022.

The authors of The Distance Learning Playbook (Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie) discuss the importance of engagement and how it is at the core of learning. With teaching remotely along with face-to-face, maintaining suitable student engagement can be challenging for teachers. By purposefully creating opportunities to increase student engagement (effect size of 0.56), teachers can use other high-effect size strategies such as problem-solving (0.68) where students can apply transfer knowledge (0.86).

The following strategies and learning opportunities are recommended by these authors as teachers plan and design their upcoming instructional lessons:

1. Encourage students to think in more than one way by transforming from closed to open tasks
2. Move from information to understanding by requiring students to connect and relate
3. Ask students what they think first, rather than telling them what they will need
4. Position students to plan a way forward by moving from procedure to problem-solving (pg. 111)

By providing lessons that include these strategies, students are more likely to stay engaged and less likely to turn to other means of "entertainment," especially when their mics and cameras are turned off during remote learning.

Check out the first-column in the Evidence-Based Practices Overview below to help find activities that increase student engagement.

Sometimes it can be difficult for teachers to figure out which research-based or evidence-based strategy is best to use with their students. The Georgia Department of Education has put together an overview of the evidence-based practices and has aligned them with the purpose of each strategy. Using this helpful overview, teachers can better determine which strategy is best to use with certain lessons. Click here for the Overview and descriptions (and more information) on each Practice.

The PDF Reader comes with your free EquatIO teacher account. Once your teacher account is activated, simply install the Texthelp PDF Reader Chrome extension. This PDF Reader is a great free alternative for Kami and works for all subjects. Educators can transform PDFs into interactive digital worksheets and use the annotation tools to add instructional notes and comments on the PDF. It also provides students more ways to complete online assignments and improve feedback and collaboration.

How to Use the Texthelp Google PDF Reader with Google Classroom - step by step guide on enabling Google Classroom integration, posting pdf assignments in Google Classroom, and viewing student returned work. See the video below to see how easily it works!

Teachers can drop specific skills directly into your Google Classroom helping students navigate easier to the desired skill. No more hoping they click on the right one!

iReady has just launched the Ready Classroom Mathematics Develop Session Video Library. This resource will offer teachers an on-demand video for every Develop session for each lesson in grades K - 5, starting with Unit 1.

Here are additional details:

• What is a Develop Session Video? Current and former educators have created on-demand instructional videos for the Develop sessions of Ready Classroom Mathematics.

• How can I access the videos? On the Teacher Toolbox, on the top banner, click “Develop Session Video Library.” This will open a pdf with links to a list of lessons with video links.

• What videos are currently available? For Grades K–5: Unit 1 and part of Unit 2. Please Note: These are beta versions, as they are still undergoing final testing. Anticipated release dates for upcoming units: Remainder of Unit 2: mid-October | Unit 3: mid-November | Unit 4: early January | Unit 5: late January| Unit 6: mid-February

• What is the recommended use of these videos? These videos have been created to help you while students are learning at home. The videos can be shared with students by either sending the video link directly through email or providing it within your Google Classroom.

Adaptive and individualized, Reflex is the most effective system for mastering basic math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Reflex takes students at every level and helps them quickly gain math fact fluency and confidence.

• Engaging - adaptive online games that students love
• Student Success - enable students to develop instant recall of math facts
• Effective - uses research-proven methods to help improve test scores
• Reporting - track fluency growth with powerful reporting for teachers and schools
• Response to Intervention (RTI) - Reflex serves students at all intervention tiers and helps them succeed
  

With the Reflex grant, you can get this in your classroom to try for the entire school year, with no purchase required. Grant application deadline is OCT 11, 2020

Don't miss out on valuable information, helpful videos and tutorials, and professional learning registrations. Be sure to join the appropriate Math Google Classroom to ensure you have access to all the latest information. It is recommended that teachers turn on the email notification feature so that you are notified whenever a new post is made. To enable email notifications, go to Settings (when you click on the 3 horizontal lines in the top left corner), and turn on "Receive email notifications."

Join your grade-level Google Classroom to keep up with all the latest information!

These Professional Learning Sessions are tentatively scheduled to be held virtually. The virtual meeting links and information will be sent out via email and Google Classroom notices prior to the meeting dates.

Mindsets Learning

Oct 13, 2020 - Virtual, 4:00 - 5:00

This training session will be hosted by Chris Buja from Mindsets Learning, an online platform for problem-based learning and real-life application of middle grades math.

EquatIO

Oct 20, 2020 - Virtual, 4:00 - 5:00

This training session will go over how to use EquatIO with our Google Education Suite. It will also include the PDF Reader that can be used with Google Classroom so that students can use PDFs interactively. Virtual link will be posted in Google Classroom.

M Squared (New Math Teachers)

Oct 22, 2020 - Virtual, K-5: 3:00 - 4:00 and 6-12: 4:00 - 5:00

This meeting is for all new math teachers including first-year teachers, new teachers to Coweta County, or just new to teaching math.

Prodigy: 1st - 2nd Grade Teacher Training

Oct 26, 2020 - Virtual, 3:00 - 4:00

All 1-2 math teachers are asked to participate in this Prodigy training session. This session will include valuable training information on how to use Prodigy data reports to help drive instruction. Webinar login information will be posted in the Google Classroom in mid-Oct.

Prodigy: 3rd - 5th Grade Teacher Training

Oct 27, 2020 - Virtual, 3:00 - 4:00

All 3-5 math teachers are asked to participate in this Prodigy training session. This session will include valuable training information on how to use Prodigy data reports to help drive instruction. Webinar login information will be posted in the Google Classroom in mid-Oct.

Prodigy: 6th - 8th Grade Teacher Training

Oct 27, 2020 - Virtual, 4:00 - 5:00

All 6-8 math teachers are asked to participate in this Prodigy training session. This session will include valuable training information on how to use Prodigy data reports to help drive instruction. Webinar login information will be posted in the Google Classroom in mid-Oct.

3-5 Collaborative PL Session

Nov 12, 2020 - Virtual, 3:15 - 4:15

All 3-5 math teachers are welcome to join this collaboration session. Please bring a charged chromebook to the session. Meeting will start promptly at 3:15.

K-2 Collaborative PL Session

Nov 17, 2020 - Virtual, 3:15 - 4:15

All K-2 math teachers are welcome to join this collaboration session. Please bring a charged chromebook to the session. Meeting will start promptly at 3:15

Middle School Collaborative PL Session

Nov 18, 2020 - Virtual, 4:00 - 5:00

All 6-8 math teachers are welcome to join this collaboration session. Please bring a charged chromebook to the session. Meeting will start promptly at 4:00.

High School Collaborative PL Session

Dec 2, 2020 - Virtual, 4:00 - 5:00

All high school math teachers are welcome to join this collaboration session. Please bring a charged chromebook to the session. Meeting will start promptly at 4:00.

Strengthening Problem Solving Virtually & In-Person Part 2: Mathematical Task Selection

Oct 1, 2020 - 4:00 to 5:00

In this second eWebinar, the session will share four factors that impact task design and selection, reviewing a variety of tasks along the way. We will discuss both creating your own tasks as well as selecting (and possibly modifying) existing tasks. The session will model strategies for sharing tasks in both face-to-face and virtual settings.

Cost: FREE, Register here or sign up to get the recording.

Why We Should Reconsider Using Worksheets (And What We Should Be Doing Instead)

Oct 7, 2020 - 5:00 to 6:00

This webinar is hosted by Robert Kaplinsky. In this edWebinar, participants will learn:

• What’s wrong with using worksheets to teach math
• What options are available for teachers to use instead
• How we can implement this alternative with our students
• Where we can get more problems to use

This edWebinar will be of interest to middle and high school teachers and school and district leaders. There will also be time to get your questions answered at the end of the presentation.

Cost: FREE, Register here.

Singapore Math: A Visual Approach to Problem Solving

Oct 27, 2020 - 4:00 to 5:00

This webinar discusses the development of successful problem-solving skills is a key part of mathematics learning. Through visualization and the model drawing approach, commonly used in Singapore Math, students gain the skills they need to tackle increasingly complicated word problems from one grade level to the next. What is most exciting is that rather than using the usual student favorite—guess and check, or at least guess—with model drawing, students learn to tackle word problems with efficient and strategic visual models that lead to generalizations. This puts them on the road to algebra and future success in higher-level mathematics.

Cost: FREE, Register here.

Manipulative Mondays

Register for one or more of these FREE webinar series of Manipulative Mondays. These are hands-on, interactive webinars that allow teachers to deepen their understanding of the CRA model (concrete-representational-abstract), try out manipulatives in a virtual environment, and build confidence in mathematical thinking. Register for any of the sessions listed below. All sessions begin at 4:00 and include prizes.

Cuisenaire Rods 3 - 8, Oct 5

Pattern Blocks K - 2, Nov 2

Pattern Blocks 3 - 8, Nov 9

Mini-Workshops for Elementary, Middle, and High

These mini-workshops are available for teachers to attend at their own convenience with immediate access upon registration. The sessions are available for 16 weeks after signing up and are approximately 2 to 3 professional development hours. Each mini-workshop is reduced to $39 per session. Here are some of the topics:

• How to Build Confidence with Elementary Math
• How to Engage Students in Live Distance Learning
• How to Make Math More Like Video Games
• How to Use an Open Middle Problem
• How to Use Clothesline Math
• How to Use Desmos Activity Builder
• How to Use Math Flips to Build Fluency
• How to Use Would You Rather Math

Upcoming sessions:

• How to Use Art to Teach Culturally Relevant Algebra
• How to Use Mathematical Openers

For more information and to register, use this link.

GCA Webinar Series

These three webinars focus on topics designed to help our teachers get the most out of our GCA platform. These sessions are free and include information on helping teachers build instructional activities, provide effective student feedback, and provide a better understanding of how to analyze the data gained from GCA. Sign up today!

Building Instructional Activities

Oct 14, 2020, 10:00

Register here.

Student Feedback

Oct 28, 2020, 10:00

Register here.

Analyzing Data

Nov 11, 2020, 10:00

Register here.

Number Talks with Fractions: Building Fluency & Numerical Reasoning (5th - 8th grade)

Nov 2, 2020 - 5:00 to 7:00

Sherry Parrish will lead professional learning to support teachers in learning how to facilitate virtual and face-to-face number talks, a 5 to 15-minute classroom routine to help students develop numerical reasoning and mental math computation strategies with fractions. Participants will engage in virtual number talks, analyze classroom video clips, and learn how to connect student strategies to the Georgia Standards of Excellence and the Standards for Mathematical Practice.

Cost: $70, Register here (Deadline: Oct 18, 2020)

Great Adventures in Mathematics

This webinar series features 4 sessions helping teachers understand the progression of math foundational skills such as number lines, how arithmetic leads to algebra, and relationships between multiplying and dividing with linear algebra. These sessions teach about on-grade material that is infused with "just in time" prerequisites and how prior knowledge from previous grades is essential. Click the links below to watch the different sessions. All the resources discussed are linked to our Ready Mathematics Curriculum.

The Arc of Arithmetic to Algebra

Number Lines 101: The Fundamentals

Number LInes 102: Fraction Computation

Moving Beyond Cross-Multiply-and-Divide

Session Handouts and Resources

Developing, Maintaining, and Extending Fluency in Math

Fluency in mathematics means more than fast and accurate recall of facts. Yes, students must know their facts from memory, but learning them by memorization is not helpful. Knowing from memory means learning from deliberately sequenced, strategy-based instruction. Knowing from memory means shorter periods of practice over a longer period of time. Being fluent means moving beyond basic facts to using that same reasoning with larger whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.

How do we support this for our students? Watch the two-part series that benefits kindergarten to middle grades teachers.

Part 1: Addition and Subtraction

Part 2: Multiplication and Division

As you continue to reach towards achieving your goals, please utilize me as a resource. I would love to spend time with teachers and admin during your planning or instructional periods. If interested in a meeting, a class visit, or modeling, please complete this form to request a time. You can also send me an email anytime!

Please contact Michelle Clarke, Math Content Specialist, with any comments, questions or concerns.

Email: michelle.clarke@cowetaschools.net
Website: curriculum.cowetaschools.org
Location: 167 Werz Industrial Boulevard, Newnan, GA, 30263
Phone: 770.254.2800
Twitter: @clarkemath