Guided Math in 5B
I have been interested in Guided Math for a couple of years now but just this year was I able to attend a session in Vermilion with Dr. Nicki Newton. She is amazing and has so much information and the session was wonderful but also overwhelming. We ordered the books which I have read but I was really struggling to implement this in my classroom. I just couldn't wrap my head around no matter how hard I tried.
After emailing Jackie, I was able to sign up for another session this time with Christine Michalyshen who works out of Manitoba. She was able to give a bit more of a Canadian spin on guided math plus she works with remote communities with large Indigenous populations which helped me to see how beneficial this would be for our students at Ashmont.
But still, after both of these sessions and lots of talking Jennine and Carol, I still could not wrap my head around how to implement. Do I spiral curriculum? Do I focus on one concept? How do I keep students accountable? How do I set up rotations? What about resources? What if the kids goof off and play around? What about assessment? What if I do it all wrong? And that internal discourse went on for about a week or two until I was able to go see Guided Math in action in Bonnyville.
Jackie and I were able to watch a grade 6 class and a grade 5 class. Both teachers did Guided Math in very different yet similar ways. The grade 6 teacher had students in a small group working on algebra and the rest were in partners playing games around number sense. I loved the organization she had for the games and the students had a large variety. One thing that Jackie and I both noticed was the students who were playing the games, didn't really have accountability for what they were doing. We both spoke about that afterwards and said even a quick formative assessment like an exit ticket would be great. Something to show what they learned that day. I do have to add here that the teacher did a fun warm up with vocabulary that the kids loved! It's definitely something I will try out.
The second class was a grade 5 class that was working on Area and Perimeter. The warm-up was a couple of area and perimeter problems that students solved in their notebooks and then a couple were able to share their answers. The teacher then broke students into groups where one group was doing an area and perimeter game using dice, another group was on Prodigy with an assigned task based on area and perimeter also. The third group was doing independent work and the last group was in a small group with the teacher. Everyone was working on the same concept which was area and perimeter.
After debriefing with the one teacher and Jackie, I came back with such a better understanding and the biggest "A-ha" moment - There is NO right or wrong way to implement Guided Math. What you need is an understanding of where your students are at and where you want them to be.
We had been toiling with fractions in 5B and I was feeling frustrated because it felt like I was teaching the same thing over and over again. Nothing was sticking with the students. After coming back from observing, I knew what I needed to do. Assess.
I had to assess my students. And they moaned and complained because I refused to assist because I needed to see where they really were with understanding fractions. And then I grouped them based on that information. I have four groups. Two are very capable and can perform grade level or above. Two groups are just at or below grade level.
The next thing I did was to plan rotations. The number of rotations you can do are limitless but whatever you are doing, it must be meaningful and tied to the curriculum. I do four rotations. The overarching themes stay the same but the activities change within.
Group 1
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Group 2
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Group 3
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Group 4
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Clifford
Samson
Faith
Hannah
Beth-Anne
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Ethan
Chante
Andrez
Rhea
Heaton
Charlize
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Cade
Kayden
Katie
Taesin
Karissa
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Aubrey
Simone
Danielle
Doreen
Dashaun
Kimberly
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Math with Teacher
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Math with Technology
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Math with a Friend
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Math by Myself
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Math Playground
(go to Google Classroom)
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Math Game
Is It Equivalent?
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Independent work
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Group 1
Group 4
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Group 4
Group 3
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Group 3
Group 2
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Group 2
Group 1
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So each group does one rotation for a regular period. I try to make sure that the group doing Independent Work has been with me for a session of small group teaching and then this reinforces the concept. The Math with Technology, I set up on Google Classroom. I find appropriate activities online that, again, reinforce the concepts I want them to be learning. 2Learn, NCTM Illumination, Math Playground and Prodigy all have good resources. I would LOVE to have Gizmos but it's so pricey that it's out of my budget (hint hint to the powers that be).
Math with a Friend is one that I actually like planning for. I have a Vocabulary Kaboom game that the kids LOVE and then I use our K-5 Math Resources to find games that the again, reinforce the skill I want them to be learning.
So how is it working?
Well, a couple weeks ago, I was frustrated and worried that I wasn't going to send these grade 5's to grade 6 prepared and understanding fractions. Last week, we crushed Mixed and Improper Fractions. This week, we have knocked Equivalent Fractions out of the park. Next week.... We are going to do the Skittles Lab which will bring Decimals, Percents and Fractions all together.
My students have jumped right into Guided Math with me. They love getting time in a small group with me. They love the game aspect of it. They love being able to work with each other. It is my favourite part of the day. And the students have told me they feel they like this way so much more! Heaton told me yesterday that he used to hate math but now he really loves it because he is able to really get the concepts and practice them.
I'm also going to let you all in on a secret regarding Guided Math. While I spend time digging in my toolbox for resources that are meaningful, the amount of planning I do seems to have shrunk. Where before, I knew what to teach but then I had to reteach because kids were not getting it or there were other issues. Now I'm finding that I'm planning a four day stretch. Once I have the Math with Technology and Math with a Friend done, I really hone in and go after the small group instruction and independent work aspect. Because the focus is so precise with this, the amount of time I spend planning seems to be less and it's way more effective!
If you are at all interested in coming by to see what is happening in 5B, please let me know and I'll gladly move things around to accomodate teachers!
