This section contains information about the Mathematics Content Area Commitee. You will find in this section information by date on the work that the Math Committee has completed or is in the process of completing. You can find meeting minutes, forms, and various curriculum documents. The dates below are meeting dates. The K12 Math Comittee meets approximately four times a year.
GRMS Math Meeting 11/17/08
Attendance: A. Smith, D. Haggerty, A. Cram, R. Waugh, J. Heath (2:20 - 3:10 pm)
1. Update on Curriculum Maps
a. Grade 6 - the timing of the material of the Maps needs to change because the students are not ready for the material quite yet...
b. Grade 7 - changing the Maps as they are being used...in the process of changing the Maps...
c. Grade 8 - made a few changes, but messed up November in the process...will be put back in correctly...in the process of attaching common tests/tasks...Sept./Oct./Nov. pretty much done as planned
2. Conferences/Workshops
a. MEA Workshop Information - Angela attended and will share...32 out of the possible 56 points on the MEA (NECAP later on) comes from multiple choice questions...should focus on students creating MC questions and having them come up with 3 incorrect answers and the reasoning behind choosing them...set up assessments like the MEAs and also answer sheets like it...use only the highlighted standards (all of them), but remember that the test only gives questions that are the basics, not really in depth...handed out a booklet, please review for further questions...
b. ATMNE Conference Information - Dennis and Andrea attended and will share...was a good conference overall...
1. learned a method of grouping/pairing up students (differentiating instruction) - some require more prep. than others...take one or two lessons a year and differentiate them so after time all lessons will be...
2. Fraction session was good - students have a hard time wrapping fractions around in their heads...ex. 3/4 is 3 one-fourths so they understand you have 3 of one thing and not just a part of a whole
3. Activities to begin a class and end a class - fun things to do...ex. break up students in rows and ask questions like name a fraction between 3/4 and 1/4 and have the students keep guessing until they come up with the number you have in your mind...
4. Algebra - use cups to represent coefficient of variable and chips to represent constants...
5. Sierpenski Triangle - used straws to make triangles and then put together to create a pyramid...can then use for surface area, angle measures, patterns, etc.
c. Geogebra Conference - Angela and Dennis attended third session and will share...
1. way too much information to process at one time...the program can do a lot, but building the program is very hard and time consuming...it will be useful for graphing linear equations and functions, but not for much below that...
2. communication between teachers outside of the district is a huge part of Geogebra - sharing information, blogging each other, etc.
3. students communicating with each other also...
3. NWEA Results - how are we using them?
a. Grade 6 - will look at them after know how to analyze
b. Grade 7 - some students scored higher than thought...more individualized instruction, know where they need extra assistance...looked for students who were struggling with one topic but found that many who are struggling in one concept are struggling throughout...
c. Grade 8 - will be printing off and looking at the "groups" where the students fell into and what should be taught to those students...
4. Common Assessments to Howie
a. Grade 6 - 12 Pennies and Whose the Best
b. Grade 7 - Falcon Yearbook (Falcon) and Meredith Glass Design (Meredith)
c. Grade 8 - Alice and Checkbook
5. Concerns/Questions...Open to all...
a. December 8 is the Curriculum Meeting
b. New books - possible look at some...
6. Next GRMS Math Meeting - Monday, December 15
MathCommittee
12/8/2008
Mike Gray, Sue Williamson, Lynn Izzi, Becky Waugh, Andrea Cram, Liz Hall
1. Reviewed the narrative written by the highschool math staff. High School staff will be meeting in the next week to discuss and document strengths and weaknesses and Mike will e-mail these results to committee members. Suggested needs: SMART BOARD
2. Middle School shared the narrative description as well as strengths and needs. The staff shared that their books do not align with the MLR and the teachers are working hard to rearrange the order in which they teach the information. The team discussed wanting professional development for using the Smart Boards.
3. Grade 3 – list but not a narrative. Strengths – students are better mathematical thinkers, teaches children how to think about math. Sarah noted that this is a big strength. Weakness included not enough practice,need to supplement for this, teachers having to sort out what doesn’t work, not enough time to teach it all, not enough time to supplement, Need to teach time and money because it is on the MEA’s, lack of place concepts and algebraic concepts. The curriculum does not correlate with MEA expectations. The team expressed a concern around these deficits. Mike suggested contacting districts to find who is still using Investigations, 1st edition and compare their MEA results. Sarah shared that she is piloting the Investigations 2nd edition and many of the deficits are covered in the 2nd edition. We’ll also consider looking at Every Day math.
4. Grade 2 – strengths include hands on materials and activities, standards-based lessons. constructivist approach which leads to real mathematical understanding, understand what they are doing, Needs –updated math curriculum and program, tighter spiral of concepts, time, money, measurement, fractions, facts fluency practice and more opportunities to practice, multiple attempts to demonstrate understanding,
5. Grade 1 – strengths in the areas of the constructivist philosophy, the spiraling of concepts, the opportunities for children to discover relationships between numbers and share ideas. Needs - upgrades in measure (standard units), telling time, money, more practice with algorithms.
6. Sue is going to meet with grade levels to gather more information to be able to better construct the PK-6 narrative.
Submitted by,
Lynn M. Izzi
Principal
T.C. Hamlin
Math Committee Meeting
9/15/2008
Review year discussion:
Looked at ELA Curriculum Review document to see the template for review
Perhaps we will break into subgroups for PK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Questions for Howie:
Is subcommittee work paid? If so, how many hours? Can non-committee members work on subcommittees?
March 9 meeting will not be appropriate for a March 2 presentation to CCC.
Sue Williamson will do the narrative for PK-5
Middle level staff will do the narrative for 6-8.
High school level staff will do the narrative for 9-12.
K-5 program
New Investigations: Sarah talked about many of the features of the revised Investigations from the two units that she has as samples. (Inclusion of time and money, practice, etc.)
Program needs:
alignment to MLR’s
alignment between grade levels, especially 5/6
Plan:
We will work as subcommittees PK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12. We will work on a draft of the Math Curriculum Review document and bring it to the December 8th committee meeting.
Lynn will check on having Math Committee members released from schools at student dismissal in order to begin meetings earlier. We will plan on 3:15 - 4:15. We will meet at TC Hamlin.
We will gather input from other staff in our grade levels, departments, and buildings. We will try to be sure all staff who teach mathematics have an opportunity to contribute.
Discussion of the Math Curriculum Document. It is outdated. Could we include this as a need and address it through Curriculum Mapping to develop our curriculum into a workable and informative document?
Respectfully submitted,
Sue Williamson
GRMS Math Meeting 11/05/07
(Not really a meeting, but will share what we would have discussed otherwise)
Attendance: A. Smith
1. Probe Conference - any interested teacher who has not attended one yet (paper was in mailboxes earlier in the week)?
* Angela and Andrea are not able to attend since they have both had training already. Make sure to turn in your paper ASAP if interested.
2. Work on Standards-Based Grading/Unit Design/Changes to Curriculum by Grade level
* Thank you for a copy of the letter that was sent home for those who are grading standards-based this semester. Looking at rubrics for next year for assessments.
3. Concerns/Questions/Comments
* Interesting meeting with myself...
* Dennis is going to the ATOMIN conference the end of this week in Springfield, MA. He should have some stuff to share with us when he returns. Can I put you on the agenda for the next GRMS meeting Dennis?
* Angela e-mailed Art, Howie, and Patty regarding visits from Grade 5 teachers and visiting Grade 9 teachers. Howie is all for the visits. He thinks it could benefit us with the gaps. He will write a report for the visits. We need to make sure to write down our observations, questions, comments and give them to him. Art said that we are allowed to visit the other schools during Team Time or Prep. Time. I have yet to hear from any elementary school teachers or from Patty.
* Any 2 + 2 observations yet this year? Please feel free to come in anytime.
4. Next GRMS Math Meeting will be on Monday, November 19, 2007
5. Next 6-12 Math Staff Meeting at CO will be held on December 5, 2007
Remember, the GRMS meetings are not mandatory. They are set up for those who would like to work together in the same room with other grade levels or the same grade levels. They are a request from teachers from last year.
GRMS Math Meeting 11/19/07
Present: A. Smith, D. Haggerty, R. DeSoto, B. Waugh (2:25 pm - 3:05 pm)
1. RayeAnne - on-line math program
* Aleks - $35 per student (on year subscription) - can work on at school or at home. RayAnne would like to pilot it with our advanced students. She is looking for 10 students for a free pilot through Aleks. If not free, she can probably come up with money for 6 students. She would like to have the same number from each grade level. Constant assessment and feedback. Artificial intelligence - a student has to show mastery in order to move on to the next step. RayeAnne is waiting from company to see if it is constructivist based or skills based. She is looking for a program that is student and teacher friendly. RayeAnne would like our opinion on the program. If it doesn't fit then she will go on. It is aligned to the GLEs.
2. Dennis - ATMNE conference highlights
* Lots of great ideas especially some on the laptops.
* Graphing Calculator packet.
* Celebrating Pi packet.
* Dennis went to 13 different sessions in the two days.
* One session was on Differentiated Instruction - one author that was highly recommended was Peg Mongiello. One key was to only assess what you actually want learned. Use different verbs from Bloom's Taxonomy (RayeAnne's idea). Use different stations for the different styles of learning.
3. Concerns/Questions/Comments
4. Next GRMS Math Meeting will be on Monday, December 3, 2007
5. Next 6-12 Math Staff Meeting at CO will be held on December 5, 2007
Remember, the GRMS meetings are not mandatory. They are set up for those who would like to work together in the same room with other grade levels or the same grade levels. They are a request from teachers from last year.
GRMS Math Meeting Agenda for December 3, 2007
A. Smith, A. O'Brien, J. Heath (2:15 - 2:55 pm)
1. 2 + 2 Observations?
* None so far - too many meetings going on right now, but it is still our goal to continue with them since they are useful tools.
2. CTS?
* Andrea will send out some possible times to have a CTS over fractions sometime after vacation. She will send an e-mail with the dates before vacation to see if there is enough interest.
3. Work on Standards-Based Grading/Assessments
* Andrea reported out for the 1st quarter. More work for teacher because of chasing students down, rewriting quizzes/tests. Students would rather settle for the original score as long as it is a "passing" grade. If they fail, they still don't seem to care at times.
* Students who do retake the quizzes/tests, do seem to learn more.
4. Concerns/Questions/Comments
* Andrea discussed a class she is taking regarding using several standards for the same task and relating it to real life. Sometimes it is hard to relate everything little thing to real life. There comes a point when some things are beyond what the basic math requires for real life, but things the students need to know to move on. Some concepts you just cannot do glorified "fun" stuff that relates to real life.
* Geometric solids - being introduced in grade 6. Vocab. will be mentioned. Describing what the solid is made up of might be beneficial to understanding how to find area, perimeter, and volume of shapes.
5. Next GRMS Math Meeting will be on Monday, December 17, 2007
6. Next 6-12 Math Staff Meeting at CO will be held this Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Remember, the GRMS meetings are not mandatory. They are set up for those who would like to work together in the same room with other grade levels or the same grade levels. They are a request from teachers from last year.
GRMS Math Meeting 12/19/07
A. Smith, A. Cram, J. Heath, R. Waugh (1:45 - 2:30 pm)
1. Working on the Curriculum Document - We are putting our information into the four new standards of Number, Data, Geometry, and Algebra for Grades 6-8. We discussed Data Standard (Measurement and Analysis).
GRMS Math Meeting 1/07/08
Attendance: A. Smith, A. Cram, J. Cassidy, B. Waugh, J. Heath
(2:15 - 3:00 pm)
1. Continue work on the K-12 Mathematics Curriculum document. Please bring any material (MLR or GLE or Standards-Based Reporting) that may be helpful.
* Worked on Probability and Geometry - most of it was completed for Grades 6-8. Will continue at the next meeting. Few problems with the wording of the new document, but after talking it through, we were able to figure it out.
2. Questions/Concerns
Next GRMS Math Meeting: Due to the holiday on 1/21, I would like to have the next meeting be on Tuesday, January 22. Work will consist on continuing with the Mathematics Curriculum document unless something else comes up.
A. Smith, P. Woodbury, R. DeSoto, P. Whalen (2:30 - 3:00 pm and later )
1. Placement Test - discussed how a placement test might be useful if a student has signed up for a subject that may be too hard for them and/or to discuss with parents if the need arise. It would be one way to help decide how to place the students. Grade 8 will give the Orleans-Hannah Algebra Prognosis Test in May to all of the students. It is a multiple choice test over algebra. 60 questions in 60 minutes. One point each. The other 40 points comes from how students do in each of their academic classes. 2 point for a D, 4 points for a C, 6 points for a B, and 8 points for an A. It is recommended that a score of 80% or higher be reached to fully succeed in Algebra 1.
2. Class List - Grade 8 will have a master list for each team and a recommendation on what class each student should take from what we ass grade 8 teachers have seen throughout the year. Included on the list will be the scores from the Orleans-Hannah Test (including the break-down score). The list will be given to the high school in June.
3. Algebra 1 in three semesters - The high school is looking to have a slower paced Algebra 1 class available for those students who may need it. The students would take Algebra 1 over three semesters instead of two. Other Algebra 1 courses would also be available (Algebra 1 and Honors Algebra 1). The high school needs to go to the school board with this. A letter from Grade 8 explaining the need for a slower-paced course might be helpful.
4. Gifted-and-Talented - Discussion on what it might look like at the high school. Discussed having no tracks (from the State) and what that might mean. It would be great if both 8th grade teams had the ability to have the "top" math students go above and beyond in the regular classroom.
6-12 Math Meeting
RayeAnne, Becky, Andrea, Angela, Dennis, Patty, Paul, Howie
Grade 8 and Grade 9 transition
• Proposal
o 3 for semesters for Algebra I
o Essentials – we need to look at this.
o Regular Ed Essentials
o Algebra I
Why are kids coming to Grade 6 without the skills they need?
How can we fix this?
How can we provide math remediation in the middle school?
Giving students choice
Why do they have to qualify for special ed to get Essentials Math?
An 8-9 transition committee was formed.
Angela Smith, Patty Woodbury, Raye Anne Desoto
Need to create a transition plan for Mathematics between Grades 8 and 9
Math Committee Meeting
Attending: Liz Hall, Sue Williamson, Marianne White, Nancy Hicks, Laurie Malcolm, Marion Alexander, Mike , Andrea O’Brien, Chad Kempton, Howie Tuttle.
Looking at MEA data for 3-8:
Last year’s 6th graders scores went down:
Discussion of MaThematics: 6th grade teachers ask to have the flexibility to do the book material in the order they need to get to all areas of math that are on the MEA before the test. Howie asked for a proposal to be written for this.
Discussion of content and what we see as needs district wide:
Order of operations
= symbol as balance
problem solving strategies with word problems
Discussion of trends in reading and math based on graphs Howie made from the data.
New Investigations program:
If math is up for school board curriculum review, piloting should happen next year and a request developed in 08/09 for district-wide materials.
Need for updated curriculum document.