Mastering Geometry in 2nd Grade

Entry #7: (10/30/2019)

Synopsis:
In 2nd grade, students are exposed to the discipline of geometry and how to utilize numbers, equality, and shapes into one coherent theory. Geometry has been my all-time favorite mathematical discipline since it's all about visuals. I love visuals in math! What I have observed in young students when dealing with the notion of demonstrating"equal parts" on paper, is that they struggle drawing shapes in equal portions. I have seen teachers demand students to show equality in shape by drawing it to perfection but their eye-hand coordination/motor skills are not yet fully developed to demonstrate accuracy which causes them to struggle with these exercises. I have never seen teachers support the use of rulers and protractors when dealing with these particular math lessons and as a teacher, I'd definitely train my students to feel comfortable approaching such objects in math.

CCLS - Math: 2.G.3

Category

Geometry

Sub-Category

Reason With Shapes And Their Attributes.

State Standard:

 Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of, etc.  and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths. Recognize that equal shares of identical wholes need not have the same shape.

Expose kids to protractors and the compass

 

After students have mastered tracing the above geometric shapes, I'd then give them a supplemental activity to further broaden their horizons on how to manage the notion of half/whole in completing figures by drawing the other missing half. This way they master the visual acuity on how to properly address an equal half of an image by hand drawing. It might be challenging at first, but eventually, they will master it.

After ample tries in tracing and completing half of the figures, I can then have my students utilize the use of rulers and compasses in order to create a perfect geometrical figure on paper. This way, as I start teaching the ideology of dividing figures into equal but multiple parts, they will be better equipped with their eye/hand coordination to properly show accurate parts of an image.

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Reflection:
In math classes where I have happened to be present when introducing geometrical lessons, students have never been trained at drawing a straight-lined geometrical figure. All they need is a ruler for straight-sided figures and a compass for curved figures. How can they see on their own paper an equal part of an image if they can't draw a proper image, to begin with?

Bi-Lingual Math Lesson Plan

Entry #6: (10/17/19)

Synopsis:

At some point last semester,  I was appointed the responsibility of teaching Math and ELA to 3rd grade bilingual ICT students, a class made up of 32 kids in total. I was temporarily replacing their homeroom teacher who was out on maternity leave. The majority of the students were newcomers who had entered the US that year or the previous year. Simply trying to keep the class focused was a separate challenge in itself. When it came to teaching Mathematics in Spanish, I would review as much vocabulary as possible the day before and whenever I was actively teaching, if I couldn't find the appropriate word for a phrase in English, I would ask one of the bilingual students to assist me with translations. In the midst of it all, I was able to get through two full chapters before. Below is the review sheet I made up for them two days before their chapter exam.

Reflection:
As teachers, we'll have times when we'll be asked by the administration to participate in tasks that may be challenging and/or out of our comfort zone. Never say no! Always accept them, regardless of challenges. As teachers, the more we put ourselves out there at tackling different situations, the better our chances of moving up the ladder will be.

Introduction to Values on Number Lines

Entry #5:(10/11/19)

Synopsis:

My 3rd graders encountered a smooth experience learning, practicing and mastering values on the number line. At one point, my headteacher demonstrated the number line on the classroom carpet using glittering tape. She would make children step onto the value she would ask students to face each other and compare their distances from zero. I really appreciated the number line real-life model she built for demonstration enabling kids to make spacial connections to the theory and then link them back into their worksheets.

Solving Two-Step Word Problems: All Operations

Entry #4: (10/11/19)


Synopsis:

While I worked at the District 9 DOE school in the South Bronx during the 2018-2019 academic year, I learned a vast amount of techniques on how to properly address, teach and maintain an ICT elementary class. Part of the challenge was creating lesson plans for math. Even though members of the administration never approached me asking to review the lesson plan for the day, I still conducted myself as if the situation could occur, which pushed me to always keep myself prepared with lesson plans. The below sample teaches students how to tackle multi-step problems involving all operations. Half of the class would tackle only one part of the problem while assuming the second part would be too complex to solve and just give up. I believe my co-teacher did not do a good job at properly tackle word problems as a whole which made their advancement into multi-step problems a maze they couldn't get out of.

Reflection:
Please feel free to give me as much honest feedback as possible. What would you have done differently?