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COMMSTEP SUMMER INSTITUTE 2001: Math in Context

submitter: Colorado Mathematics Middle School Teacher Enhancement Project (COMMSTEP)
published: 09/07/2001
posted to site: 09/07/2001

COMMSTEP SUMMER INSTITUTE 2001
Math In Context 6/7/8

Day 1 Monday, 6/18


Goals:
  • Figure out who we are
  • Develop an understanding of the # strand in MiC
  • Understand realistic vs experientially real context of MiC
  • Explore and start to think about planning a MiC unit
  • Become familiar with some # tools in MiC


8:30-9:30   COMMSTEP welcome

9:40-9:50   Sponge activity from a # unit

9:50-10:15   Introductions
  1. Presentors introduce themselves
  2. Participants introduce themselves to the group and share "something they are looking forward to doing this summer."
    Particpants place name on grade level/district grid.
  3. Participants fill out COMMSTEP information sheet about themselves.
10:15-10:30   Nuts and Bolts
  1. Different districts/grade levels/experience: plans for differentiating.
  2. Explain daily goals and agenda.
  3. Go over goals for today.
  4. Discuss and establish norms for the group.
10:30-10:50   Launch for the week. " What is Math?", "What does it mean to be ..."
  • Individual written reflection
  • Share thoughts with a partner
  • Chart responses to "What is Math?"

10:50-11:05   BREAK
  • Bathroom locations
  • 6th grade CMP in commons, so quiet when getting food or drink

11:05-11:25   Context in MiC
  1. Participants construct a pie chart from a bar chart (1st activity in Fraction Times. Modify by using teacher grade level/distict instead of favorite color.)
  2. Discuss types of context in MiC: realistic (although maybe not familiar) and experiential.
11:25-12:00   Components of a teacher's guide.
12:00-12:45   LUNCH

12:45-1:00   Inclusion Activity: Find someone who...

1:00-3:10   Introduction to Number Tools: ratio tables, bar models

    (Include 15 minute BREAK at approximately 2:00)

3:10-3:20   Pull together day.
  1. Return to/discuss goals.
  2. Be explicit about the some of the strategies we have used today.
  3. Assign homework:
    Select two units you will be teaching next year (not Dealing with Data or Great Expectations). List several contexts that are used for the math in each unit. Are these contexts realistic? Will they be familiar to your students?
3:20-3:30   Reflections
    "What do you want to get out of this Summer Institute?"
    "What are some of your thoughts about today?"

Day 2 Tuesday, 6/19


Goals:
  • Explore how student understanding and strategies evolve
  • Become familiar with some algebra units in MiC
  • Apply knowledge of number tools
  • Understand how individual mentor meetings might look


8:30-8:45   Reflection return
  1. Display venn diagram summary of participant responses to "What do you want to get out of this Summer Institute"?
  2. Talk about common themes in Monday's reflections.
8:45-9:00   Portfolios
  1. Distribute and put together COMMSTEP portfolio.
  2. Discuss role portfolio can play in professional development.
  3. Put returned reflection sheet in portfolio.
9:00-10:00   Introduction to algebra:      Building Formulas: Section A, Beams (pp10-13)
  1. Model teaching.
    • group work
    • small posters and presentations
    • teacher decisions about pacing and compacting based on knowledge of section and observation of participants as they work.
  2. Discuss math.
    • recursive and direct formulas
    • generalizing from a pattern
    • relate parts of equation to ways participants built beam models
    • equivalent equations
10:00-10:15   BREAK

10:15-10:20   Units in MiC
    Overhead/handout of table of 40 units.
  • color codes for 4 years
  • color codes for 4 strands
  • units that are common to Brighton and Harrison districts
10:20-10:30   Algebra in MiC
  • intuitive/abstract understanding
  • informal/formal strategies
  • substrands: patterns and regularities, restrictions, graphing
10:30-11:45   Algebra Stations to experience range of algebra across units.
  • Patterns and Symbols, Section E: Snakewood
  • Expressions and Formulas, Section C: Stacking Cups/Stacking Chairs
  • Operations, Section D: Higher and Higher
  • Graphing Equations, Section D: Stepping on a Line
11:45-12:00   Share observations about algebra activities.
                     Discuss progressive formulization in MiC.

12:00-12:45   LUNCH

12:45-1:10   Product Game
  1. Learn and play.
  2. Discuss role of "games".
    • practice/improve "basic" skills
    • different levels of students
    • develop number sense
1:10-1:25   Share HW contexts

1:25-2:40   Number Tools: Double Number Lines
  • Per Sense Parking Lots: Student Activity sheets 4,5,6,7
  • Number Tools Vol 1, (Shoveling Sidewalks, p148 & School Plays, p198)
        (include BREAK)
2:40-3:00   Mentor Meetings
  • model individual post-observation conference
  • discuss individual, grade level, departmnt meetings
3:00-3:10   Discuss WU

3:10-3:20   MiC and Colorado math standards

Homework:   Work on all the assessments from Dealing With Data or Great Expectations.

Reflection:   "As you think about next year, what are you excited about? What are you concerned about?"
"What are some other thoughts from today?"
"What are some things that you want to remember for the fall?"

Day 3 Wednesday, 6/20


Goals:   To gain knowledge about, and a comfort level with, one complete MiC unit.

8:30-8:40   Greetings and warm up problem

8:40-8:50   Reflection return and summary

8:50-12:00   Participants choose to work on either Dealing with Data or Great Expectations with facilitator.
  • work through whole unit
  • "based on assessments (HW) what do think is the important math?"
  • Section A to assess student knowledge coming into unit and to give students shared knowledge
  • teachers as learners of math
  • teachers as planners and teachers
  • using summary and "about the mathematics" to focus on key math in section
  • discuss use of vocabulary
  • pacing
  • model and discuss different grouping options
  • use and discuss different presentation and summary options
12:00-12:45   LUNCH

12:45-2:55   Continue to work on Great Expectations or Dealing with Data
    (Include BREAK.)

2:55-3:10   Whole group discussion on learning about MiC today.

3:10-3:20   Presentation/discussion of warm-up problem.

3:20-3:30   Reflections
  • "What are some general thoughts about today/things you want to remember?"
  • "What is something new you learned, or thought, about statistics today?"
Homework:   Read "Addressing Parent's Concerns Over Curriculum Reform", Meyer, Delagardelle, Middleton.

Day 4 Thursday, 6/21


Goals:
  • Begin the planning of a unit of your choice
  • Share implementation concerns with district administrators
8:30-8:50   Complete debriefing of unit from yesterday.

8:50-9:00   Introduce common planning sheet for sharing each section with others.
  • key or essential math in each section
  • problems that support learning that math
  • assessment items for that math
  • clusters of problems/natural breaks between problems
  • possible homework problems
  • other comments and observations
9:00-12:00   Work on planning unit of choice (preferably with other people).
    (Include BREAK.)

12:00-12:45   LUNCH

12:45-1:45   Teachers work in school groups to determine concerns to discuss with administrators.

1:45-2:00   BREAK

2:00-3:15   Teachers meet with administrators, discuss concerns and prepare an action plan (concerns, possible solutions, time line).

3:15-3:30   Reflections

Day 5 Friday, 6/22


Goals:
  • Complete and be prepared to share plans for at least 1 MiC unit
  • Organize plans for 2001-02 school year
8:30-9:00   Warm up problems from number strand.

9:00-9:20   Discuss one issue from Issues Chart.

9:20-11:30   Complete plan sheets for unit from yesterday. Have ready to copy.
    (Include BREAK.)

11:30-12:00   Discuss second issue from Issues Chart.

12:00-12:45   LUNCH

12:45-12:55   Participants choose units for which they would like copies of the planning sheets.

12:55-1:20   Factor game.
  1. Learn and play.
  2. Discuss math students need and practice.
1:20-3:05   Split into 2 groups (6th and 7th/8th). (Include BREAK.)

        6th grade:
  • Overview of a 7th grade number unit.
  • Focus on what knowledge and habits students should take from 6th to 7th grade.
        7th and 8th grades:
  • Plan pacing for next year (use district calendars and Elaine's planner)
  • Return to/discuss "What is math? What does it mean..."
  • Write goals for next year
3:05-3:30   Share parting thoughts and reflections.

Day 6 Monday, 6/25


Goals:
  • Establish/reestablish a MiC network
  • Learn about the range of MiC experiences in varied schools
  • Understand how arrow language can be used to facilitate the learning of mathematics
  • Become familiar with geometry strand units used in our districts
8:30-9:00   COMMSTEP welcome

9:00-9:20   Introductions
  1. Presenters introduce themselves.
  2. Participants share something about themselves with partner.
  3. Participants introduce, and share something about, partner to whole group.
  4. New participants add names to grade level/district grid.
  5. Introduce Alli (alligator sponge to be measured throughout week).
9:20-9:35   Nuts and Bolts
  1. Different districts/grade levels/year with COMMSTEP: explain plan for whole group vs break-out times.
  2. Go over goals for today.
  3. Discuss and revisit norms for the group.
9:35-10:05   Share challenges and successes using MiC during the past year.
  • with table group
  • with whole group
10:05-10:20   BREAK

10:20-10:40   "What is Math?", "What does it mean to be..."
  • individual written reflection (new, or reread and add)
  • definitions on OH and discuss
10:40-12:00   Arrow Language
  1. Do initial addition problem in head/discuss strategies.
  2. Who used arrow languge with MiC last year?
  3. Look at ways to use arrow language.
    • breaking apart numbers (Number Tools, v2, p8, "Different Ways")
    • inverse operations (# Tools, v2, p14, "Going Backwards")
    • proportional reasoning (#Tools, v2, p16, "The Deli")
    • informal equations (problems from Expressions and Formulas and Building Formulas)
  4. Discuss role of number tools (arrow language, ratio tables, bar models )in MiC.
12:00-12:45   LUNCH

12:45-1:10   Calculator activity (# Tools, v1, p120, "The Goal Game")
                  discuss "games" in the classroom

1:10-2:55   Geometry Stations to experience range of geometry across units
            (Include 15 minute BREAK at approximately 2:00)
  • Reallotment, Section B: Theme Park
  • Looking at an Angle, Section D: From Glide Ratio to Tangent
  • Ways to Go, Section B: Fly Rocky Airlines
  • Triangles and Beyond, Section G: Rotating Triangles
  • Going the Distance, Section C: Pythagoras
  • Triangles and Patchwork, Section D: Point to Point
2:55-3:10   Whole group sharing of observations/thoughts about geometry activities.

3:10-3:20   Pull together day.
  1. Measure Alli.
  2. Return to goals for day.
  3. Homework: Selected reading from "PSSM: An Overview".
3:20-3:30   Reflections
  • Complete "At the end of this week, I would like to walk away with____________."
  • General thoughts about today (use prompts at top of page), ah ha's, wonderings...

Day 7 (2 for Cohort 2) Tuesday, 6/26


Goals:
  • To gain common knowledge about one unit taught in your school district
  • To expand knowledge of teaching, planning and pacing strategies
8:30-8:50
  • warm up problem
  • predict/measure/record Alli length
  • goals and agenda for day
  • reflection return and summary
8:50-9:15   Share/discuss HW readings from "PSSM: An Overview"

9:15-3:15   Participants choose to work on Packages and Polygons or Ways to Go with facilitator. Focus on teachers as learners of math. owork through whole unit
  • do some unit assessment problems
  • based on assessments predict the important math?
  • Section A to assess student knowledge coming into unit and to give students shared knowledge
  • discuss planning and teaching
  • ways to focus on key math in section
  • discuss use of vocabulary
  • pacing
3:15-3:30   Reflections
                    "What did you learn today?"

Homework:   Choose a unit that you would like to work through tomorrow. Do the unit assessment activities.

Day 8 (3 for Cohort 2) Wednesday, 6/27


Goals:
  • To gain the knowledge to effectively teach a new unit next year
  • To consider what section of a MiC unit to share with the class on Friday
8:30-8:40   Alli
  • data from recorders for day
  • role of Alli type ongoing activity in classroom
8:40-9:00   Sponge activity and discussion
  • roll 2 dice to remove markers from 2-12 spots
  • Colorado probability standards and MiC
  • use of sponge problems to fill curriculum or knowledge gaps
9:00-9:15   Reflections on Reflections

9:15-9:25   Criteria for Friday presentations
  • 15 minutes
  • involve audience
  • specify whether part of introduction or exploration or summary
9:25-12:00   Work on unit of choice with peers
                  (include BREAK)
  1. Gain familiarity with content and flow of unit.
  2. Use common planning sheet for sharing each section with others.
    • key or essential math in each section
    • problems that support learning that math
    • assessment items for that math
    • clusters of problems/natural breaks between problems
    • possible homework problems
    • other comments and observations
12:00-12:45   LUNCH

12:45-1:10   The Plus and Minus Game (#Tools, v1, p74)
  1. Play game.
  2. Participants suggest ways to modify and extend.
  3. Discuss number sense and students.
1:10-3:15   Continue to work on unit of choice.
                  (Include BREAK)
3:15-3:30   Reflections
  • "What are some decisions you made/thoughts you had while preparing your unit?"
  • "What do you want to be sure the group discusses this week?"
Homework:   Read "Four Teacher-Friendly Postulates for Thriving in a Sea of Change" Mathematics Teacher, September, 1994, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Day 9 (4 for Cohort 2) Thursday, 6/28


Goals:
  • To pull together details of teaching one unit
  • To develop "big picture" overview of next year
  • To set personal goals for next year
8:30-9:00
  • Alli data
  • warm up problem (area problem from Reallotment)
  • feedback on reflections
  • discussion of homework article
9:00-9:15   Using sentence stems with classroom writing (examples and discussion).

9:15-11:45   Work on unit of choice or Friday presentation.
                  (Include BREAK)

11:30-11:45   MiC and Colorado math standards. (Cohort 2 only)

11:45-12:00   Share data on MiC and student achievement.

12:00-12:45   LUNCH

12:45-1:05   Calculator activity (#Tools, v1, p112, "Calculator Puzzles")
  • place value concept
  • variety of strategies used
1:05-1:15   Ways to represent "6".

1:15-2:15   Complete unit work or work on Friday presentation.

2:15-3:20   Looking ahead...
  • 2001/02 calendar
  • goal setting (use sentence stems)
  • web sites/e-mail addresses
3:20-3:30   Reflections
                  Respond to two prompts at top of sheet.
Homework:   ENC handouts

Day 10 (5 for Cohort 2) Friday, 6/29


Goals:
  • Add to "bag of teaching ideas"
  • Become familiar with more MiC activities and approaches
  • Develop one or more personal goals for 2001/02 year
8:30-8:45
  • warm up problem
  • final look at Alli---overview of growth during the week
8:45-9:00   Share homework readings from ENC issues.

9:00-2:45   Teacher presentations to group.

2:45-3:30   Wrap Up
  • share thoughts about week(s)
  • personal goal and partner to inquire about it later in year
  • certificates, credit information etc.
  • final reflection