Math

Hello Friends and how are you? I got my exciting new math book -

But haven't really had much time to read it. Maybe this weekend.

In the meantime, as we approach double digit addition with regrouping, out came the manipulatives. Ah, yes, thank heavens for Amy Lemons packet, Let's Get Started, so that I can ask the kids before we start, "Are these tools or toys today?" Of course, they are tools!

Yeah, so we/they worked all kinds of regrouping problems with the linking cubes and the base 10 blocks. We did that for a couple days. We also did Leanne Price's trading game. Yes, yes, they've got it.
 
(She explains the game here.)

Now, let's just check - here's a worksheet. They stare at it blankly. I say, "Ack!" and pull out some hair! I encourage them to try some of the strategies we've been working on the past few days. They move blocks around on their workmats. 

Now, I know part of the problem is that in my math rotations, my low kids come to me first. I know I'd get a little better feel for how things are going to go if a middle group came first. But those low kids almost have to come first because they go to math interventions before we've made all our center rotations. And if they were last, I might not see them! 

So anyway! Some of my little friends only finished 1 problem in 15 minutes! Yikes and double yikes. That night, my hubby checks all the papers. Next day, I have kids do corrections and fnish.  My little "need some extra friends" - well, I give a little extra. 

Today was day 3. I had bought this neat regrouping DVD/CD from Lakeshore. Just another way to show them. It has the base 10 blocks on one side and the numbers on the other side of the screen. Of course, just my luck, for some reason, I can't get it to work with my first group, my low kids, the ones that really need it! Grrr!  

So, this is about the time that I need to stop, take a deep breath, and remind myself that in the 4 previous years that I've taught this, everybody has figured out addition (Now subtraction, that's a different story!) I haven't graded what they got done today, but I know everybody got more than 1 problem done - so that's progress! And some of my kids were moving on and not needing to use the base 10 blocks - even one of my low kids! Yeah! and Yeah!

Our math time is cut short tomorrow because we have Art in the afternoon. So I'm thinking of having some "get it" kids paired up with some "don't get it yet" kids. Maybe hearing it from somebody else would help :) 

Have a terrific Wednesday! Sara