Math Under the Radar

Howdy, Brassfield!

Just a quick post for today...

One thing I know about master teachers is that they are able to seemlessly incorporate mathematical vocabulary into the everyday lives of their students.It's so "under the radar" that the kids don't even know they are learning, but they sure are.

I saw a terrific example of this the other day in a second grade classroom. A master teacher was taking attendance and I happened to be in the room. Mind you, we are still in the first month of school, yet these kids were like little mathematical Jedi masters because they had clearly been taught to participate from the very beginning and this was all part of the routine.

The teacher said, "Table 1, I see that there are 4 of you here today. There are normally 6 of you, so how many are missing?" She continued around the room this way. Then she said, "OK, I have 4 at table one, 5 at table 2, 6 at table 3 and 6 at table 4. How many is that all together? The class took a moment to think and I observed several of them using the hundreds charts on the table, a few of them looking up at the number line posted on the wall, and still others jotting things down at their desks. The teacher then went on to remind the students that there are 24 kids in her class and asked them to determine how many students must be absent based on the total number of kids in attendance that day. This was rich, relevant, and really fun for everyone.

Just another day in the life at our AMAZING school. Go, Brassfield Bears! Keep rockin' that math!

So, how could YOU, as parents, incorporate a little math into your daily lives at home? Tweet me at @llpeluso or e-mail me at lpeluso-fleming@wcpss.net.