CTGE 5227 Personal Learning Path

 This week I wanted to explore how I would introduce different lines and angles to my students. This is another topic that I believe can become complicated for students to understand and remember when working with math. I did some research on this topic and I found two great sources. One source that I found is a scaffold for students who need that extra support, however, I think this scaffold is great for all students because it gives them the chance to practice making these angles on their own. This scaffold consists of students adding 2 arrows in their notebook, which are held together by a fastener. The student can practice moving the arrows in different ways to make the different angles discussed in class. Underneath the arrows, students will have all of the different angles written down with definitions of each so that they can better understand and differentiate between them. Idea retrieved from [https://www.rundesroom.com/2012/04/math-journal-sundays-kicked-up-notch.html] A ...

 One thing that I have wondered about is how to effectively teach perimeter and area to students. I think that the concept of perimeter/area can be both confusing and somewhat boring to students, so I have been interested in finding different ways to make this subject fun and creative for students. My group of students represents all different learning styles, so I also want to make sure that I fully represent all of my different learners.  I found a resource on We Are Teachers (weareteachers.com) that shows creative ways to explore the topic of perimeter and area. This source was so helpful and included so many different options. One way to teach about finding the perimeter and area that makes it fun for students is to use graph paper as a drawing background and have students draw a picture of themselves, only using the boxes as body parts.  I think that this would be so engaging for students because they are making a representation of themselves, while also learning abo...

Since my students are still getting familiar with geometry vocabulary and recognizing shapes and the names of shapes, I figured a game that is related to this content would be perfect for them. I am finding every week that I am challenging myself to find more fun and engaging ways to make math fun for students. I think that has been my biggest gain thus far. I have always connected math with being a boring and straight forward subject, but now that I am able to teach it, I am seeing how there are so many different ways to teach one concept and explore that concept! "The Shape Game" Retrieved from: [https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/39476934210104761/] This game is a great introduction to learning new shapes and classifying new shapes in terms of sides. I am having students work in small groups or pairs to play this game. Each player will roll the dice and color a shape on their board that has the number of sides represented on the dice. After coloring the shape, the student must n...

  Fraction Wars    I found a great mathematics game inspired by Susan Jones (@SusanJonesteaching) that heavily relates to the subject that I have been reviewing and using with my students over the past few weeks, Fractions! The name of the game is called Fraction Wars. 1)The NYS Standards that are associated with this game are: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.NF.A.3 Explain equivalence of fractions in special cases, and compare fractions by reasoning about their size. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.NF.A.3.A Understand two fractions as equivalent (equal) if they are the same size, or the same point on a number line. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.NF.A.3.D Compare two fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator by reasoning about their size. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.   The ...

This week I introduced Geometry while still giving students practice with fractions. I found two really great worksheet on education.com ( https://www.education.com/worksheet/article/fraction-fundamentals-part/ ) ( https://www.education.com/worksheet/article/fraction-fundamentals-review/ ) These worksheets allow students to identify new shapes while also recognizing how to shade in the represented fractions. The first worksheet "Fraction Fundamentals" shows students different shapes and allows students to shade in the written fraction of each shape. The second worksheet "Fraction Review" shows students a shape that is already shaded in and allows students to write the represented fraction. I wanted to have two different skillsets for students that feel they need more help with one skill over the other. Some students have been able to easily identify which part of a shape is shaded, but are not able to show the part when given a fraction. These worksheets were a grea...

Although I am wrapping up with my refreshing on fractions, I would like to explore geometry and ways to teach geometry in a simple and fun way for students. The great thing about geometry is that students can use their knowledge of fractions and utilize it for geometry. A lot of the time students can break down parts of a shape in fraction form, so I think this is a great "next step" for myself and well as my students. The NYS Common Core Standards that apply to this content area are: Reason with shapes and their attributes. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.G.A.1 Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.G.A.2 Partition shapes into pa...