This week was probably our best week by far!
My team and I decided to try a new schedule. I teach 3 fifth grade math classes. Instead of having a rotation where I teach all classes in one day we decided to try a schedule where on Monday I teach my homeroom Math ALL day. Tuesday I teach another class math all day, Wednesday I teach another class math all day, and Thursday and Friday are our regular "normal" days where we see all three classes in one day. We figured it would give us more time to really do projects and delve into information (especially in their reading and Science classes).
The schedule worked out AMAZINGLY and now we're going to implement that schedule every week! For the first part of the week we finished learning about fractions.
One activity I did was give groups of students a plate full of M&M minis and they had to sort the M&Ms and write a fraction for the amount of each color and a fraction for the primary colors and secondary colors. Then they had to simply the fractions.
We then took pattern blocks and used an activity I found on The Teaching Channel (www.teachingchannel.org) and the kids really loved this and found it very challenging!
After that I had asked the students to bring in lemons and sugar because they had to make homemade lemonade. They were split into groups and each group was given the same amount of lemons. I cut the lemons and they had to squeeze them into measuring cups and write a fraction for the amount of lemon juice they had collected. That was what we kept the SAME for every group. Then I gave them the freedom of choosing how much water and how much sugar they wanted to add. The only catch was they weren't allowed to taste the lemonade! It was very interesting to see their thought process and how some groups added way too much sugar or not enough water. When everyone had written the fractional amount of water and sugar they added we then all tasted our lemonade at the same time. It was hilarious to watch their faces as some of their lemonade was very sour or way too sweet. The group with the best lemonade got to take cups of their lemonade to the office staff to let them all try it while the other groups were given the opportunity to "fix" their lemonade. The students LOVED this activity.
The final activity we did was I gave each group four sticky notes. They had to write four different fractions. Each fraction had to have a different denominator and the denominator couldn't be larger than 9. Each fraction also had to be a proper fraction. After they made the four fractions they had to order the fractions from greatest to least using the strategies they had learned in class.
The next day after doing all the activities we took our Fraction Exam. Keeping in mind I had not even spent ONE day on test formatted questions, I was so nervous. I had never taught a complete lesson without ever showing the kids a test formatted question. Well, I will tell you this, I will NEVER teach test formatted questions again!
Last year on the exact same Fraction Exam (when I wasn't flipping) I was at 78% passing, with 23% commended. THIS year WITH Flipping my Class, I am at 100% passing with 75% commended. I was sooooo excited. I cannot even explain it. It just proves that when you just teach the skills the way their supposed to be taught, the test just comes right along with it. I was also thrilled to have the highest scores out of our 5 elementary schools! It was a great week for sure!
We also got our iPhone 4's this week! In June I helped fill out a $100,000 technology grant for the flipped classroom! Well we WON the grant and with the money purchased and iPhone 4 for every 5th grader with pre-installed Verizon data. The data plan is filtered (like our school internet), and the phones can't call or text. The kids are LOVING them and the interaction is incredible. I can't wait to use them more and more in my class!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Week Ten - Nov 5-Nov 9, 2012
Another good week!
There are still so many holes in my student's education that I'm having to spend A LOT of time on remedial math :(
Monday was more or less another housekeeping day. We went over homework, passed out papers, etc. The students are doing really good about watching their videos lately as they've been having one almost every night.
We're learning about Fractions right now and adding/subtracting fractions so on Tuesday I laid out 81 pieces of candy on the floor (I did not tell them how many pieces), and a few other small items (pencils and such). I told them to split into groups and then they had to categorize the items on the floor however they wanted writing each category as a fraction. They weren't allowed to send more than one person up to the floor to count items. They also couldn't bring their paper to the floor. So they had to be really creative about how they went about this. Some groups came up with really creative categorization while some just did like "chocolate" and "not chocolate" grouping. We discussed how you need to add each fraction and hopefully end up with 81/81 to show that that equals a whole and that you included all the information! It was a lot of fun for the kids.
I had a sub later that week but it worked perfectly because he showed a video, my kids took a quiz, and I got to Skype in to my class and review the quiz!
We also read the book this week "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds. I LOVE this book. I recently heard about it from Andrea Keller @akbusybees and we read it, discussed creativity and not quitting and I assigned students the task of creating their own "dot". The kids did AMAZING! I've posted several pictures on my twitter account (@TechNinjaTodd). My kids are gonna hang them around the school so the other grade levels can view our "Dot Art Gallery". I loved this assignment. Yes, it had nothing at all to do with math, but it was so much fun and really allowed my students to show their creativity. So much fun!
I also tried a new idea this week. After giving my quiz on Thursday I took the students who did really well on it and sent them to other grade levels to be "helpers" while I worked with a small group. I had emailed the whole staff earlier in the week asking who would like volunteer kids in their room as helps. Teachers sent me how many they wanted and times, and I sent them kids all day Friday so I could work with smaller groups of students. It worked out SO well, I will def be doing this every Friday!
One more week til Thanksgiving! Oh and on a side note, every 5th grader will be getting a Verizon enabled iPhone 4 NEXT WEEK!! From the $100,000 flip grant I was awarded. I can't wait til the kids get those in their hands. And no they won't be able to text or call, just access internet and apps!
There are still so many holes in my student's education that I'm having to spend A LOT of time on remedial math :(
Monday was more or less another housekeeping day. We went over homework, passed out papers, etc. The students are doing really good about watching their videos lately as they've been having one almost every night.
We're learning about Fractions right now and adding/subtracting fractions so on Tuesday I laid out 81 pieces of candy on the floor (I did not tell them how many pieces), and a few other small items (pencils and such). I told them to split into groups and then they had to categorize the items on the floor however they wanted writing each category as a fraction. They weren't allowed to send more than one person up to the floor to count items. They also couldn't bring their paper to the floor. So they had to be really creative about how they went about this. Some groups came up with really creative categorization while some just did like "chocolate" and "not chocolate" grouping. We discussed how you need to add each fraction and hopefully end up with 81/81 to show that that equals a whole and that you included all the information! It was a lot of fun for the kids.
I had a sub later that week but it worked perfectly because he showed a video, my kids took a quiz, and I got to Skype in to my class and review the quiz!
We also read the book this week "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds. I LOVE this book. I recently heard about it from Andrea Keller @akbusybees and we read it, discussed creativity and not quitting and I assigned students the task of creating their own "dot". The kids did AMAZING! I've posted several pictures on my twitter account (@TechNinjaTodd). My kids are gonna hang them around the school so the other grade levels can view our "Dot Art Gallery". I loved this assignment. Yes, it had nothing at all to do with math, but it was so much fun and really allowed my students to show their creativity. So much fun!
I also tried a new idea this week. After giving my quiz on Thursday I took the students who did really well on it and sent them to other grade levels to be "helpers" while I worked with a small group. I had emailed the whole staff earlier in the week asking who would like volunteer kids in their room as helps. Teachers sent me how many they wanted and times, and I sent them kids all day Friday so I could work with smaller groups of students. It worked out SO well, I will def be doing this every Friday!
One more week til Thanksgiving! Oh and on a side note, every 5th grader will be getting a Verizon enabled iPhone 4 NEXT WEEK!! From the $100,000 flip grant I was awarded. I can't wait til the kids get those in their hands. And no they won't be able to text or call, just access internet and apps!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Week Nine - Oct 29-Nov 2, 2012
Another fun week!
Monday we had another "house cleaning" day. We went over the CBA from Thursday, did new vocabulary cards, and worked on FastMath (a program that helps students memorize their multiplication facts).
Tuesday I was out at ANOTHER training, but the students didn't miss a beat. They watched a lesson I had recorded, then the sub worked with them on the math as I skyped into each class to check on them, review them, and answer any questions they had. It was great!
Wednesday was a 1/2 day so classes were a little shorter. But at my training from they day before I learned about a "Stamp Activity". During the training several 7th grade teachers said their students would never be able to handle it. I disagreed and said even 5th graders could handle it. So I tried it with my class today. And not surprisingly I DID have a group figure it out!! That is proof that we can never count out kids based on their age. They CAN do it if given the chance, you just have to push them!
Thursday and Friday we began Fractions and I recorded some new videos. It's always funny to me how the kids are now begging me for videos to watch! I love their hunger for learning now. It's so encouraging!
I'm excited about next week!!
Monday we had another "house cleaning" day. We went over the CBA from Thursday, did new vocabulary cards, and worked on FastMath (a program that helps students memorize their multiplication facts).
Tuesday I was out at ANOTHER training, but the students didn't miss a beat. They watched a lesson I had recorded, then the sub worked with them on the math as I skyped into each class to check on them, review them, and answer any questions they had. It was great!
Wednesday was a 1/2 day so classes were a little shorter. But at my training from they day before I learned about a "Stamp Activity". During the training several 7th grade teachers said their students would never be able to handle it. I disagreed and said even 5th graders could handle it. So I tried it with my class today. And not surprisingly I DID have a group figure it out!! That is proof that we can never count out kids based on their age. They CAN do it if given the chance, you just have to push them!
Thursday and Friday we began Fractions and I recorded some new videos. It's always funny to me how the kids are now begging me for videos to watch! I love their hunger for learning now. It's so encouraging!
I'm excited about next week!!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Week Eight - Oct 22-26, 2012
This week was interesting....
We did a really neat lesson with cheese balls. I bought three HUGE containers of cheese balls (one for each class), and we split the cheese balls up between the students. They then had to count their cheese balls and identify wether or not their amount was prime or composite. If they got it right they got to eat 6. If they got it wrong, they ate none. And we continued doing this over and over with different rules and trading plates of cheese balls and things until all the cheese balls were gone. The kids had a blast and it was a neat way to teach math!
This week we also played a review game with buzzers. I got this new set of four buzzers where each buzzer makes a different noise. So we played a review game where I split the class into four groups and asked them review questions over Prime/Composite and Patterning. Groups buzzed in when they had the right answer or buzzed in to steal from a group with the wrong answer. I think the kids may have had the most fun they did all year. They were REALLY getting into it. They LOVED hitting the buzzers. The next morning I opened my classroom at 7:30 (we normally open our rooms at 8:10) for any kids who wanted to come play the game again, and 24 of 76 students showed up! That to me proves it was awesome.
We took our CBA on Thursday and the kids didn't do as great as I would have liked, but I did see the problem. I'm not requiring them to show ALL their work, and that is hurting them. So I will def be adjusting that.
Friday we had a Track Meet, so we didn't do anything "math" haha.
We did a really neat lesson with cheese balls. I bought three HUGE containers of cheese balls (one for each class), and we split the cheese balls up between the students. They then had to count their cheese balls and identify wether or not their amount was prime or composite. If they got it right they got to eat 6. If they got it wrong, they ate none. And we continued doing this over and over with different rules and trading plates of cheese balls and things until all the cheese balls were gone. The kids had a blast and it was a neat way to teach math!
This week we also played a review game with buzzers. I got this new set of four buzzers where each buzzer makes a different noise. So we played a review game where I split the class into four groups and asked them review questions over Prime/Composite and Patterning. Groups buzzed in when they had the right answer or buzzed in to steal from a group with the wrong answer. I think the kids may have had the most fun they did all year. They were REALLY getting into it. They LOVED hitting the buzzers. The next morning I opened my classroom at 7:30 (we normally open our rooms at 8:10) for any kids who wanted to come play the game again, and 24 of 76 students showed up! That to me proves it was awesome.
We took our CBA on Thursday and the kids didn't do as great as I would have liked, but I did see the problem. I'm not requiring them to show ALL their work, and that is hurting them. So I will def be adjusting that.
Friday we had a Track Meet, so we didn't do anything "math" haha.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Week Seven - Oct 15 - 19, 2012
This week was awesome!! On Monday we completed the prime/composite project we had begun from the week before.
Then I had forgotten that I had to be out of town for two different trainings on Wednesday and Thursday, so I left a pre-recorded lesson with my sub, so it was like I wasn't even absent! The kids worked in groups on different activities over the video.
BUT, my FAVORITE part, was that during breaks from my trainings I was attending I was able to Skype in to my classroom and check on them, answer any questions, and ask my own review questions over that days lesson. It was soooo cool to interact with my kids even though I wasn't there in class with them. And it also made me feel much better about missing school because it was like I wasn't even missing!
I also was able to convince a few educators I was with to Skype in to my class during that day too and ask my kids some "challenge" questions. That was fun for them to get to see some of the people I was with, but to also meet some new teachers.
This year, having a Flipped Class model, as really allowed me to interact with and instruct my students in a whole new and exciting way. My students are engaged, learning, and having fun! What more could I honestly ask for? It is a little extra work sometimes? SURE, but in the end the rewards are totally worth it! I am challenging my students more than I ever have, and it's taking time, but slowly and surely they are beginning to rise to my challenges!!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Week Six - Oct 8 - 12, 2012
I've officially made it through Six Weeks of Flipping! Woo Hoo!
Monday
Today we took our state's MSTAR test to test algebra readiness. We'll take it again in May, but we took the test and I had all the students input their answers into their project share accounts.
Tuesday
Today we practiced patterning. I showed patterns and then the kids worked in groups to create and share patterns with other groups to figure out. After we did that we went to the computer lab and worked on ScootPad for about 30 minutes.
Wednesday
Kids came back ready to learn something new! I made a mistake though, since YouTube is blocked at our school again :(, I wasn't able to upload my new video from school, and forgot when I got home. So, I had a few students who didn't watch their video because those students normally access them on YouTube. So I see that as my fault, so I didn't "punish" them for not coming to class prepared.
We're learning about Prime/Composite numbers, so I did wanted the kids to work with Arrays and use arrays to help them determine whether a number was prime or composite. I let them use building blocks and let them actually build all the arrays they could for six different numbers and then determine if those numbers were prime or composite. The kids had a great time, mainly because I was letting them play with blocks, haha.
Thursday-Friday
These two days we started a new "project". I got this idea from my principal who used to teach 5th grade math! The kids love it. I don't give any directions for this group project. All of their directions are written out step-by-step on a piece of paper and all I do is hand that paper to each group, and have them begin.
I've learned that fifth graders are used to having a teacher do all the thinking for them, so this project really forces them to think on their own and follow a set of directions, because I also only allow each group THREE questions to ask me. So they really have to decide if their question is important enough to use up one of their three....and yes, asking to use the restroom DOES count as a question.
What the students have to do is take a giant sheet of chart paper (that I got from the work room) and split it into 20 equal sections. Then they have to create all the arrays for the numbers one through twenty and label each array and label whether that number is prime or composite. It is a huge project that takes three days, but the kids really enjoy it! We're finishing it up on Monday.
The other amazing thing this week that my homeroom got to do was Skype! We were able to skype with @DeliaBush and @johnfritzky classes in Michigan and New Jersey. That was the coolest experience for my kids to meet kids from another state and talk to them and ask questions. We have since created an Edmodo group that all our students are joining so they can communicate in that setting as well. We are also doing a Blog between the classes to talk about what we're doing in class and have the kids leave comments on the blogs. It is a very exciting time and my kids can't stop talking about it!
You can check out @JohnFritzky's view of our skyping adventure here..
http://www.teaching-vs-learning.net/
You can check out @DeliaBush's view of our skyping adventure here..
http://flippedclassroom.blogspot.com
You can check out @JohnFritzky's view of our skyping adventure here..
http://www.teaching-vs-learning.net/
You can check out @DeliaBush's view of our skyping adventure here..
http://flippedclassroom.blogspot.com
Were it not for Flipped Class and Twitter, I would never have been able to do some of the amazing things that we did this week!!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Week Five - October 1-5, 2012
This week was a little frustrating...
Monday
So I got this idea from another teacher in my district to have the students work in groups to create their own board games. They would write about 20 questions per group for their games. But me, being the technology minded person I am, had another idea! I figured I'd have them create their own Jeopardy game using this online template I found (www.jeopardylabs.com). Students worked all class creating problems to fit into the five categories I gave them (Place Value, Decimals (add/subtract), Rounding, Multiplication Division). I also gave them examples of what I wanted their word problems to look like from each category.
Tuesday
The writing of problems was taking longer than I expected, so I decided instead of having each group create a Jeopardy Game, I would instead have each CLASS create a jeopardy game together from the questions they've been writing. A best-of-the-best questions game. So I picked the top questions and had each group get on a different computer and type in their questions into the Jeopardy Template.
WELL, what I didn't realize (until the end of that day) was that when one group would hit save for their questions, it would overwrite what the other groups were doing on the other computers. So at the end of the day, we had some jacked up Jeopardy games.
Wednesday
I was so frustrated by my mistake, that I created a Jeopardy game and each class played my jeopardy game during their class (in teams) to review for our CBA. It went well. Instead of having them show their work on paper I gave them dry-erase markers and let them do the work on their tables! It was way more fun to them instead of paper work.
Thursday
Today we took the CBA over Multiplication/Division. It did not go as well I had hoped, and I have my work cut out for me next week!!
Friday
School Holiday!
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