I finally was able to check off a bucket list item! That item was going to Mt. Rushmore! The beauty of the rock being carved was amazing. The history of learning why these 4 presidents were chosen was also amazing. Learning that the Native Americans lost their sacred mountain was devastating. My journey at the park brought me to the Bookstore and a beautifully written book by Jean L.S. Patrick and illustrated by Renee Graef. (Due to not getting approval from the author, yet, I am not posting the book title) This book made me see so many possibilities of how to use it within the classroom! I also am excited to have the book to share with my wonderful grandchildren. The book is based on the main character going on a quest to find out about the famous faces that he has heard about. As the main character travels, he does make mistakes in his thinking. TEACHER IDEA #1 The author does an amazing job of bring in poetry to describe who the character actually runs into. ...
It seems to be that every time there is a fractions unit, mass chaos ensues. Teachers are rushing to find hands-on ways to share the concepts and make connections for students. However, our students that are algebraic in thinking seem to struggle more with fractions and those that are strugglers of algebraic thinking seem to soar with fractions. I have noticed this over my years of teaching math. Even this year, I have a struggling algebraic thinker, however, he is doing better with fractions. Our district is using a new math curriculum, and it doesn't use the words "numerator" and "denominator". However, it does use the words "unit fraction" and "fractional name" quiet frequently. I was excited to try the fractions unit with this new curriculum, but man alive we are struggling! I had to create a quick song for my students to even know how to WRITE a fraction! It is a catchy tune, but we just took a mid-module assessment and I still have m...