Math, and Math homework

Families,

In my last blog, I wrote, "You may begin seeing math on Monday." MAY? you may ask. I offer homework, and students choose to bring it home. I do not require students to complete homework. It is not a part of their grade. The decision to take work home and complete it rests with you and your child. I trust families will make choices that foster the intellectual development of their child at home based on your child's unique interest, abilities, and needs, as well as their own capabilities.

You may want to talk about this TONIGHT. I offered the first tangible homework assignment of the year today, in Math. Did your child bring it home?

What does math homework look like?
Students may bring home a worksheet with "Exit Ticket" printed at the top. Probably not, however. Most will complete and return this worksheet in class the same day it was offered. There is one Exit Ticket for each "lesson day," (explained below). I save copies of each day's Exit Ticket in a file that students may access, so absent students should check these when returning to class. I look at students' work, but rarely mark these Exit Tickets. Instead, I show possible solutions the next day, and students may ask questions about them.

Students may also bring home a worksheet (or packet of two sheets) with "Problem Set" printed at the top. There is a problem set for almost every lesson. These practice sheets challenge students to apply what is taught in a given lesson to new situations, often more complicated situations. I highly encourage kids to take this challenging work home. This work may be completed at any time, and does not need to be returned. If a child DOES bring it to class, I'll provide an answer key for self-checking, and offer to look it over to support clear communication and efficient strategy use.

What does Math instruction look like in the classroom?
A typical Math unit lasts 4 or 5 weeks. Daily lessons begin after a pre-assessment. I teach four lessons in a five-day cycle. (The fifth day there is no lesson; instead, students work independently - to catch up, or on tasks to deepen learning - and I support students individually and in small groups.) On lesson days, I review assignments from the previous lesson, provide some practice to reinforce it and to prepare for the next, and then introduce a new learning target. Students interact with the days' lesson individually on Zearn, and I circulate to help. (Zearn is an online program that is CCSS-aligned and, with some tweaking, fulfils PPS' Guaranteed Viable Curriculum.) As each completes the online lesson, each student will complete an Exit Ticket to show their understanding. Students may then begin a more complex Problem Set or work on dreambox, an online program that deepens number sense and strategy use. I have chosen to include technology use because it allows a great variety of learners to learn together, and frees me to give students one to one and small group help.

Your child can work on Zearn from home! I DO NOT want students to work ahead of the class, but students can study at home if they have falled behind on lessons in class, or if they would benefit by viewing lessons again. You can sit down and learn alongside your child. I have taped students' individual user id's and passwords into the inside cover of their folders.