Comments+Week+of+April+25

Heather, thank you for the summary of our meeting. Wow, that was fast. In preparation of our meeting on Tuesday, please consider how we might start the lesson as well as some of the following questions.

In an attempt to refine and focus on lesson goals, please consider the following. Are they too broad? Are they understandable? Should we use more kid language? What else? Knowing that the Common Core Standards are coming, included are common core math practices goals.

Students will reason quantitatively. Students will look for and make use of structure. Students will understand that the numbers in a two digit number represent amounts of tens and ones. Students will understand the tens place value as bundles of tens which can be decomposed (unbundled) in multiple ways into an equivalent group of ones.
 * Math Practices**
 * Math Content**

P.J. Maccio Good Morning, I was looking over the notes. Thank you, Heather for posting. I was reading over the part of "What do we expect children to know" We have multiple ways to "build". I was just trying to keep clear in my own head that we want them to unbundle and maybe we should check ourselves and make sure we "unbundle"?

Even in the final question: "final building"

I find myself wanting to build and maybe that is how students get comfort in building and not unbundleing. Just a thought!

I offer a suggestion to be careful about the language you decide to use. I know CC uses "bundles." In AFT's annotation we suggest that "bundles" is actually not a good mathematical term. Bundles originally referred to the classroom use of bundling craft sticks in a rubber band. Outside of the fact that kids can't readily see how many are in a bundle (maybe they were sloppy and only included 8 or 9 and that will play havoc when calculating), the word can become awkward in everyday talk. --> "...understand the tens place value as bundles of tens which can be decomposed." The value of tens place is 10. Not bundles of 10. I'm certain you didn't mean to infer that but the language does. We want kids to look at 10 as one unit. Units are so important to establish for future work. So having them see a ten as equal in value to ten 1s is more mathematical. Yes, we also want them to know that all numbers can be decomposed in many ways (and for your goal of subtraction with regrouping is to decompose one of the 10s in tens place), but that is almost different from the place value issue. Should the place value issue be established first and a separate step concern itself with subtraction? (Or addition?) Aim for that precise language in the CC Mathematical Practices.

So what do you see as the evidence that kids achieve the stated goals at the end of the research lesson? How will they show their understanding? Alice

Thanks, again, to Alice for clarifications. We are testing out different vocabulary for this idea of "unbundling". When using digiblocks you actually "unpack" a ten unit so that word seems to fit well for that manipulative. Trading a ten unit for ten ones was also discussed as was decomposing. I guess some felt decompose was not a word common to our primary students and we were looking for a word which would help students understand the action. Trading works well with the traditional place value blocks as that is what you do. With them, you don't break apart or decompose you go trade a ten rod for 10 ones. So, different words seem to fit different situations. I don't mind using different words so they fit the situation but have a feeling that we need one "power" word which is used by the teacher in all situations so that our students move to abstraction with this word. What do you think? Alice, please see if the lesson doesn't address your comment about attacking place value before subtraction or addition. We think that is what we are doing :)

Here is the rough draft of the lesson. Since the lesson is in Word, you can copy it, go to Review then Track Changes and your changes will be done in a different color. You could then upload to the wiki maybe title it with your name and we can share ideas before Weds meeting. If you aren't comfortable with this, please go ahead and print. I would love to have some changes before Weds meeting so they can be included in one document which the group can then review.

Since we are trying to work on "teacher skills" of helping students be more aware of the lesson's goal whether in a summary or whatever, please consider how we can include this focus in the lesson.

Goal rewording??? Considering Alice's comments on the second goal...what do you think?



Thanks for making the world a better place for our grandchildren :) Becky

Ugghhhh! I am trying to upload some notes that I made on the lesson but it's not letting me upload the changes that I made. I will print and bring to our meeting on Wed. The use of the manipulative does seem to change the language that is being used and I know that I am guilty of that when teaching. Sometimes we use bundling ( for the straws as Alice said), sometimes we make trades for tens (or longs), we use the term "groups/sets of ten" often. In class I do use the term decompose, but sometimes I feel as if it goes over some of the children's heads. I think settling of some common language would really help with ﻿student understanding. Goal rewording- Are we thinking about having students understand the fluidity?? (This isn't the word I'm looking for but I'm not sure what the right word is here ) between numbers and the ever changing relationship between tens and ones as long as the total stays the same. ( You can have 2 ten and 14 ones, 3 tens and 4 ones). Sorry, this probably doesn't make sense. Stephanie

Maybe we can start with a real life experience to have the children better understand the words unpacking and decomposing. When I think of unpacking... I think of a suitcase how you have to pack and then have to unpack those same items. What can I say Kindergarten is in my blood. I understand what Stephanie is saying, I think we need a real world experience. Suzanne

Perhaps we can start the lesson with unpacking the Digi Blocks either from the hundred block or the thousand block. I would think the hundred would be better. Then just let themn know that we have packaged a number for them to count. Diane