"Basic" facts aren't "Easy"

We've been working hard on making sense out of numbers.  I tell parents at Back to School Night that students need to have their basic facts down because it will make math so much easier in their fourth grade year.

I'm always amazed at how many students still aren't confident in their addition and subtraction basic facts, even in fourth grade.  There is nothing more frustrating for a fourth grade teacher when we do 5 +7 with a "hmmm" and "ummm" and hiding our fingers under the table and then saying "12?" without any confidence at all.  Or the dreaded "11?"  I'm screaming in the inside because do you realize, fourth graders, that we need to master multiplication, and division, and fractions, and decimals this year?!?!  Plus the types of triangles and types of angles and measuring and adding angles?  There is no time for reteaching addition!  We need to add angle measurements.

So I read this {article from NCTM in their Teaching Children Mathematics journal (circa 2005).}

And hey, guess what?  That's totally normal for students to still struggle.

I am a flash card teacher.  I know some people really don't like to drill skills, but facts are one thing that I drill in.  I challenge the kids to beat me.  I'm super fast...at least to a 10 year old!  We make flash cards and keep them in our binder so they are with us all the time.  I stock up on flash cards in the dollar section of Target every year.  I have flash cards on rings hanging on the wall if they finish early in math.  We time ourselves and try to get faster.


I want them FAST.

For this reason, I start everyone in the class on XtraMath addition facts.  Sometimes parents look at my like "What?!?" when I tell them this.  Here's the thing- if your student isn't great at addition facts, they probably aren't going to pick up on multiplication right away either.  Let's go back and master the most basic of the basics.  Also, by starting with addition, I will hopefully build some confidence in those that need it because they feel better about addition.  Don't get me wrong- we are still multiplying during class, but their practice time is spent on what they need most.

XtraMath is set up to have students complete their basic facts in 3 seconds each, which has been researched and found to be the ideal amount of think time for a student to show basic face "mastery".  It's totally free and breaks it down in data format for teachers.  It doesn't have tons of bells and whistles and animated characters, which I actually really like about it.  Sometimes we just need to get down to business.

Some of my students are cruising through.  Once they can do all their addition facts in 3 seconds or less, it moves them to subtraction (then multiplication, and division).  When they have all that done, I bump them to 2.5 second mastery and have them start over.  And then 2 second mastery.  If they can do all their facts in 2 seconds or less then they test out of XtraMath and are good to go!  Those kids are usually the kiddos that are pretty good at math to begin with- usually about 5-6 students each year will pass every level!

I've used the XtraMath website for four years now and I still totally love that it gets my students on the computer and practicing facts.  Now I just need to train them to use the number pad instead of the numbers across the top of the keyboard.....

If I have students that master every level (1.5 seconds in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division is impressive for a fourth grader!) then I set a new challenge.

I love Kakooma for those students who have mastered their straight facts.  There's so many ways to use it- have the kids use the computer, grab the app for it, run off game "worksheets", or laminate game cards.

I have to keep these students focused and motivated in order to keep them involved in our math lessons.

The best part is, XtraMath and Kakooma are both totally free to use in the classroom and at home.

I make these part of my guided math center activities- they can do fact buddies, XtraMath/Kakooma, or grab a multiplication bump game to play during center time/math practice time.  I may rotate out the bump games after about 6 weeks, but the rest of the fact practice stays as a center activity all year long.

What do you use to keep your students motivated and learning those important facts?

            

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Welcome to our learning space...

I love my new classroom.  Love love it.  Love love love it.

That being said, it took me eight years at my last school to figure out the perfect classroom set up that made the most sense to me.  I had finally figured out where each kind of paper would go and how to find things and where to keep all my binders so that I could get to them easily and put those papers away every time.

I don't have that yet.  It's been two weeks, and I sometimes get papers and then stare at my desk like "where will I put papers like this?".

Then we had a fire drill.  The quietest, slowest fire drill I've ever experienced.  If there were a fire, we would be meandering outdoors.  I didn't know to grab the emergency backpack.  Sounds like something you should do.  It just didn't occur to me.  So my class was the one standing outside without our green sign to signal that we were all there.  It was fine.  I waved frantically.  Next time I'll rock that.

Then we had an earthquake drill.  Guess who didn't know where to go.  This girl!  Excuse me while my pencil skirt and heels crawls under this table half way across the room because am I supposed to close the door?  Do you have time to do that?  I immediately went into tornado drill mode and then realized I  probably won't have time to close the doors and turn off the lights and grab my phone.  We just didn't have earthquakes in Kansas!

Then we had active shooter training.  I did not realize I had signed up for this when I chose elementary education as my major in college.

So that's been my first week.  Love my class.  Love my school.  Love my new city and state.  But I'm still trying to figure everything out here.  I'm still trying to figure out my system for things.  It's taking awhile (I mean, it's been two weeks, so maybe not that long).

So sharing my classroom just hasn't been on top of the priority list lately.  I took pictures forever ago.  I even uploaded them.  I just haven't shared them.  But here they are.  In all their clean-untouched-by-children glory.

I've already had 3 of our 7 Habits, plus my number 7 on the labels fall off the wall (missing number 6 before school even started- see picture in bottom right hand corner) and fall behind the bookshelves that are attached to wall so those are now lost forever.  And I probably need to replace them since they belong to the school.  Excellent.  

I'm trying to cut down on classroom distractions and make my classroom more student and class made, so I have a lot of blank spaces for our GLAD posters and other projects we are completing.  Since I moved half way across the country, it was easy to cut down on clutter because I just didn't bring it with me.  I really, really like it better this way, so hopefully I can keep things in order and toss/recycle what I don't need as the year continues.  

Time to unwind and then prep for the next week of lessons!

            

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Finally Friday #11

Ok, fine, it's Saturday...and Saturday morning for me, but for some of you it's Saturday afternoon already.

I have been up to "here" (hands above my head) with beginning of the year things.  Learning the ropes is time consuming and a bit draining, but it's all going very well.  My new fourth graders have been fantastic and my school is wonderful.

I kind of skipped out on posting Finally Fridays over the summer, probably because I never knew what day of the week it was or what state I was currently traveling through.  I want to jump back on that wagon because there is always something interesting happening in education...so here's some of the latest!

It's Finally Friday Saturday!! 

Here's your latest edu-news that I scrounged up...enjoy, and play hard this weekend!  

{The Huge Problem with Professional Development for Teachers}

The Washington Post

YES.  Do you feel this way?  Maybe you read my five categories of professional development already.  I've been to some really terrible PD training and then some really amazing PD as well.  Once you've been to something great, it's hard not to compare!  I completely agree with this article...I want better professional development...not more.

{Common Core Assessments Just Got a Little Easier}

eSchool News

Interesting article about a new(ish) resource to help create formative assessments to guide instruction.  I've played with it a little, and so far I like the format for creating my own questions.  Have you or anyone you know tried Edulastic?

{Scientists Say Child's Play Helps Build a Better Brain}

NPR

Playing is learning.  Let the children PLAYYYY!  

{Teacher-Less Classroom is not as Close as You Think}

Forbes

Um...good!?!  I just don't see classrooms ever going teacher-less for elementary-high school students.  You can't just plop a toddler down with a screen and expect them to learn everything in life from it.  Research shows that children under 4-5 shouldn't even have much screen time, and research shows that children show significant learning paired with significant relationships.  This article also tackles the fact that although students are on the computer a ton, they don't necessarily know how to research and actively learn from it yet.  My job is secure...thanks to children being children.

Here are the incredible things I've been pinning:

{School is Cool}

A collection of general school ideas.

{Be Resourceful}

Links for tools, ideas, tricks, information and resources to help you teach.

{All My Boards}

In case you want it all and you want it delivered.  Here it is.

A weekly infographic to get you thinking.

I l-o-v-e this week's infographic!  I think I'm going to use it as a springboard for my Lucy Calkin's Units of Study idea (GLAD poster... so many strategies all wrapped up into one lesson!).  More on that later, maybe.  Check it out!

Happy Weekend! 

Go play...or if you're like me...go plan for next week because right now you're on a day-by-day planning schedule and are just trying to get ahead!

            

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