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Data to instruction Framework

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Using technology to build fluency (difference btwn fluency & automaticity

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It's me, Matt
from Digital: Divide & Conquer, to share some of my favorite math apps for improving fact fluency (and making them more fun for the kids). I have a small bank of iPads in my room, and when they're not being used for break time to play mine craft, math fact fluency practice is the big agenda item.

Below are some of my go-to math fact fluency apps. These are the apps that keep my kids engaged, motivated to learn, and are extremely easy to use. I've been using most of these for a couple of years.

OPERATION MATH
The James Bond of math games. The time and number of problems are the villains. Speed is your friend. Games last only a minute, so my students can get in quite a few in a short time. I love this game. $

MATH HEROES
Surprisingly simple and easy to use. My students and own children love it. They seem to really enjoy the ninjas fighting (go figure). Lots of levels to choose from, about 10 problems in a level, and it moves quick. It's perfect and my students will play it forever.

OPERATION MATH SQUAD
This is the team version of Operation Math. Kids compete against the time and even against other students. Four kids can play at a time, but it's really engaging for them. Plus, if students miss a certain amount they get locked out of the game, until the next round. These games are about five minutes long. Just be ready for the kids to get loud when they play. $

SUSHI MONSTER
Monsters and sushi. The kids eat this up, no pun intended. It's from Scholastic and fun and easy to use. It's new to me, but my students are quick to use it. It'll be on our iPads for awhile.

MATH VS ZOMBIES
Exactly what it says it is, math and zombies. Knock out the zombies with math facts. It's gone through a few updates and keeps improving. They've also added more number sense and counting to the app, which is definitely a plus. $$

YODEL OH!
Made by the same company who did Operation Math, it reminds me of the Price Is Right game with the yodeler. Same great music too. It's awesome. $

These are my six go to math fluency apps. Most can be changed for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They're also game based, which is pretty important for the kids because math facts can be pretty boring. I don't blame them. Sure, most of them cost $2.99 --but based on my bad math it averages out to about three cents a week. I'll take it.

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Must-Have Fact Fluency Apps for the Classroom

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It's me, Matt from Digital: Divide & Conquer, to share some of my favorite math apps for improving fact fluency (and making them more fun for the kids). I have a small bank of iPads in my room, and when they're not being used for break time to play mine craft, math fact fluency practice is the big agenda item.

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Use DATA to plan for Math Workshop (template)

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Use DATA to plan for Math Workshop (template)

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Use these GSE-aligned checklist to create math centers.

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Use RIT scores to target areas of concern

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Use NWEA MAP Test scores to generate personalized study recommendations.

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Use NWEA MAP Test scores to generate personalized study recommendations

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Article please READ:

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Psychologist Lev Vygotsky coined the term "zone of proximal development" (ZPD) in the 1930s to describe the sweet spot where instruction is most beneficial for each student-just beyond their current level of independent capability. You can think of ZPD as the difference between what a child can do independently and what they are capable of doing with targeted assistance (that is, scaffolding).
How to find a ZPD
Instruction focused within each student's ZPD is neither too difficult nor too easy; it is just challenging enough to help them develop new skills by building on those that have already been established. Students are most receptive to instruction within their ZPD because it represents the next logical step in their ongoing skill development. In "The zone of proximal development (ZPD), the power of just right," Brooke Mabry, coordinator of Professional Learning Design at NWEA, further unpacks Vygotsky's work and the importance of helping students be challenged-just enough.

A ZPD changes as children learn and grow, so without reliable information on students' constantly evolving ZPDs, it is difficult to identify who is ready for more challenging material and who needs additional assistance. An interim assessment, like MAP® Growth™, can help you understand what students know-and what they're ready to learn next. You can also locate a ZPD through classroom assessment.
The benefits of working with a ZPD

Instruction focused within each student's ZPD is neither too difficult nor too easy; it is just challenging enough to help them develop new skills.

Understanding how to locate and use each student's ZPD can help you plan more targeted instruction for your whole class, small groups, and individuals. Ultimately, aligning classroom teaching strategies to students' ZPDs can help educators more effectively guide all students in their early childhood learning. Those early years are especially critical because brain development is at its highest, and research shows children who receive quality education when they're very young are "less likely to be placed in special education, less likely to be retained in a grade, and more likely to graduate from high school than peers who didn't attend such programs."

The common thread between formative assessment practices and the practice of identifying and teaching within the ZPD is the idea that in order for teaching and learning to be effective, instruction should focus on skills and knowledge that are attainable for students. With constant feedback-or scaffolding-we know that students' learning and understanding can continue to develop at an appropriate pace.

Learn more about ZPD and how to locate it for your students in our blog series.

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The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and Why It Matters for Early Childhood Learning

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Psychologist Lev Vygotsky coined the term "zone of proximal development" (ZPD) in the 1930s to describe the sweet spot where instruction is most beneficial for each student-just beyond their current level of independent capability. You can think of ZPD as the difference between what a child can do independently and what they are capable of doing with targeted assistance (that is, scaffolding).

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5TH GRADE

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FIRST GRADEW

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2nd GRADE

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FOURTH GRADE

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THIRD GRADE

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5th Grade

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4th Grade

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3rd Grade

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SECOND GRADE

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FIRST GRADE

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KINDERGARTEN

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1, 2, & 6 Standards For Mathematical Practice

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1, 2, & 6 Standards For Mathematical Practice

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1- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2- Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
6- Attend to precision.

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By Kitty Rutherford, Posted April 13, 2015 -

The Common Core's Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs) focus on what it means for students to be mathematically proficient. I have heard many people say that the SMPs are the heart and soul of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). These standards describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication. Each standard has a unique focus, but each also interweaves with the others as we put them into practice. These practices empower students to use math and to think mathematically. Our job as teachers is to help students develop these practices to become effective mathematicians.

The SMPs describe varieties of expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students. These practices rest on important "processes and proficiencies" with longstanding importance in mathematics education. The first of these are the NCTM Process Standards of Problem Solving, Reasoning and Proof, Communication, Representation, and Connections. Second are the strands of mathematical proficiency specified in the National Research Council's report Adding It Up: adaptive reasoning, strategic competence, conceptual understanding (comprehension of mathematical concepts, operations and relations), procedural fluency (skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently and appropriately), and productive disposition (habitual inclination to see mathematics as sensible, useful, and worthwhile, coupled with a belief in diligence and one's own efficacy).

The SMPs are a significant focus of CCSSM. These eight practices describe the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions that students need to develop a deep, flexible, and enduring understanding of mathematics.

One way to build a deep understanding of the SMPs is to read one practice at a time and reflect on the following questions:

1. Why is this practice important?

2. What does this practice look like when students are doing it?

3. How can a teacher model this practice?

4. What could a teacher do within a lesson to encourage students in this practice?

5. How can you assess proficiency in this practice?

Before CCSSM was implemented, I visited a few fourth-grade mathematics classrooms. I presented a cognitively demanding mathematical task, and students worked collaboratively together to solve it. I then introduced the SMPs by explaining to students that these are standards that mathematicians practice to help them excel in mathematical thinking. I asked students to think about the task they had just solved: If they were to explain to someone what that practice meant or looked like, how would they do it? After some discussion, students created posters to represent their thinking about the SMPs. In this task, students explored prime or composite by building possible rectangular arrays for the numbers 1-25. After the task and much discussion, students created posters.

In another fourth-grade classroom, students were given the task of finding the perimeter of a figure. These are some of the posters of the SMPs that these students created.

I noticed a blond, blue-eyed little boy sitting alone as he worked diligently on a simplistic drawing. As I approached, he looked up, and in a sincere, heartfelt tone he informed me that this was a picture of his friend persevering not only in math but in his everyday life. Pointing to the empty desk next to his, he whispered, "My friend has cancer. He is not in school today because he just received a cancer treatment a few days ago."His comments shook me to the very core. We do many of these practices every day, not just in mathematics!

Now it is your turn. Have a conversation with your students about one of the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Have them illustrate what they think it means.

Kitty Rutherford serves as the North Carolina Elementary Mathematics Consultant for the Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh. She is an experienced leader, collaborator, and licensed educator with a master's degree in elementary education coupled with more than twenty-seven years' experience in teaching elementary school students, training educators, collaborating with multiple stake-holders, and implementing effective programs. She has received such honors as the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, NCCTM Outstanding Elementary Mathematic Teacher, Alpha Delta Kappa State Excellence in Education Award, and Teacher of the Year Finalist. She currently serves as the State Coordinator for NC Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching and on the board of North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

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What Do the Standards for Mathematical Practice Mean to You?

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By Kitty Rutherford, Posted April 13, 2015 - The Common Core's Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs) focus on what it means for students to be mathematically proficient. I have heard many people say that the SMPs are the heart and soul of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM).

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Quick Guide to the Panola Way Workshop Model

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Quick Guide to the Panola Way Workshop Model

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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PPT fully explaining each step of the Math Workshop process and why

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Kdg-2nd RIT to Khan Academy

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2nd-5th RIT to Khan Academy

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Using C-R-A

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Feeling overwhelmed by all of the teaching components?

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ABCya’s Word Clouds allows players to type or paste words into a box and then generate a visual representation of their text. Kids can also get creative by choosing a custom font, color, and layout to turn their word clouds into a work of art!