Math

 

The teaching of math at the elementary school level requires a lot of differentiation and support. I aim to differentiate for students by teaching multiple methods of understanding and solving problems, by offering space for exploration of math concepts, and by scaffolding student learning through the use of manipulatives, visual representations, and group activities.I also think that it is incredibly important to make math relevant to students, to relate it to students' lived experiences and funds of knowledge.

 

While I was student teaching, the primary math curriculum was Everyday Mathematics. I used the student journal and home links on a regular basis in my lessons, and found it useful for teaching multiple methods.

 

I also supplemented the math curriculum. I created a new morning math worksheet

each day for students to work on in the morning, while they ate breakfast, before our morning meeting. The worksheet would offer practice with both old and new concepts, and was an excellent way to assess my students' understanding and to work with students on concepts they were struggling with. We also had morning meeting every morning, and I found that the meeting was an excellent place to introduce new math concepts for the first time, and to preview what we would get to in math later in the day. 

 

Within the math period, I supplemented the Everyday Mathematics curriculum with math games, math choice boards, and hands-on activities.