Multiplication Workshop Lesson

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my lastest supervisor observation because the kids LOVED it and I was super excited about that =] If I haven't told you before, we have 3 or 4 supervisor observations and 3 mentor observations per semester. It's a lot, but it definitely is making me step up my game!

So I was doing a lesson on multiplication and really wanted to do more of a workshop/inquiry-based type of lesson. I found this blog post about using anchor charts and was *iNsPiReD* to try something we did in a math class I took on-campus at UF.

I started the lesson by giving the students a multiplication word problem and telling them to solve it in their math journal two different ways. Then we talked about some of their strategies, developing their vocabulary. They had the traditional algorithm, partial products, and repeated addition. We also added arrays and the inverse operation. Then I put them in mixed-ability groups of 3 and gave each group a sheet of chart paper, markers, and a word problem. They wrote as many ways to solve it as they could think of and explained their thinking.

We taped them to the walls around the room and each group had a set of post-its. They rotated around and decided as a group one compliment per chart and any questions they had for other charts. Eventually they got back to theirs and got to read what everyone said! Then we went around as a class and everyone got a chance to answer questions on their charts. Here are some of their questions/comments. I was SO impressed!

 The kids were engaged the whole time and really developed their vocabulary! I think it stretched their brains to think of multiplication deeper instead of just an algorithm. One more observation down, four to go!

Workshop till you drop!

Hello friends! So summer is officially coming to a close, as planning time creeps in on us. I had a GREAT weekend with some friends at a beach house in town- one of those weekends where you just sit outside and talk for hours with the sea breeze blowing in your hair (jealous yet?)

That blue in the background? Atlantic Ocean. Yup. Right there.

But the last three days, all the teachers from my school and a neighboring school got to go to a Covey workshop. I'm not sure if you're familiar with FranklinCovey, but it's the company responsible for the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People books. They also do workshops for businesses and have a program for schools called The Leader in Me. This was such a great opportunity for us to work on ourselves so that we can implement stuff in our classrooms!

How can you NOT want to synthesize and be proactive with a tree like THAT?!

So while this was a fantastic workshop, my favorite part of the week was getting to meet everyone! Up to this point, I only knew my mentor teacher, principal, and three other teachers that sat in on my original interview. This week I got to meet my second grade team and other administrators in a relaxed setting. And let me tell you- the general atmosphere with the teachers at our school is fantastic! Everyone on my team was awesome and friendly and I immediately felt comfortable with everyone I met. The atmosphere at any job can definitely make or break how you feel about it and so far, I feel good :)

Onto my favorite part of this workshop. Do you all watch New Girl on Fox? Well, if you don't, you need to. It is one of my new favorites because I love love love Zooey Deschanel's character, Jess. The basic premise of the show is that Jess broke up with her boyfriend and moves in with these three guys she found on Craigslist. She's a sweet and kooky teacher and everyone else's quirks makes their apartment hilarious. In one episode, everyone's fighting so she goes and gets her "feeling stick". They don't respond well to the feeling stick.

Taken from here

GUESS WHAT THEY GAVE US AT THE WORKSHOP???

Every angle to really capture its essence

Oh baby was I excited. My very own feeling/talking stick. Pro: its inability to be snapped in half by angry roommates (see above). Con: second graders can easily turn the talking stick into a weapon. I'll keep you updated on the implementation of said talking stick. Just know, The Leader in Me is a fantastic program and I feel super lucky I got to be a part of this workshop. I'm looking forward to finding ways to use everything we learned in the classroom now!

Two(ish) days left of summer, then the weekend (yay!), then planning officially begins!