Have you returned to full in person instruction yet?
I feel very lucky that here in MA, viral rates have been
dropping over the past few months and teachers have had the option to register
for vaccines for about 2 months. The
children switched from hybrid instruction (in September) to fully in person at the end
of March. Like many schools, I’m seeing
some children who were remote learning rock stars and others who
struggled. Plus they haven’t interacted
with half of their peers for over a year!
The building was closed from March to September, and then my students
were separated into 2 cohorts for 2 days in, 2 days asynchronous, and 1 day of remote instruction. So now
what?
Now that I feel more protected (and my mom and husband are too)
I feel like a huge weight has been lifted.
It’s true that group and partner activities don’t work like they used
to. Protocols around eating and general sanitation
are still in effect. But the brain fog I
experienced with too much all at once has cleared. I’m feeling a sense of cautiously moving on. So I’ve started thinking about next steps as
a teacher for my students to finish the year stronger and prepare for the
inevitable learning gaps some, but not all children will have next year. My first priority with this class was some
extra social and emotional learning time during the day. But at night, now that remote learning is
out, planning differentiation is my biggest priority!
The good news is TpT is having a sale, so if you are also
prioritizing differentiation now (or planning for next year) you can save
25% May 4th and 5th.
Differentiating Your Return to in Person Learning
Many people love my
Long
Division Matching Game.
It’s easy to
explain how to play (flip them over and try to find a match).
But what about students who have been unable
to complete their work for the past 15 months during remote instruction?
Yes, some fourth graders still haven’t
grasped the concept of multiplication, and it can feel frustrating when we want
to move on to fourth grade standards.
This game will help you bridge the gap.
This
Multiplication
Arrays Matching Game looks very similar to the long division graphics, but it
features multiplication equations.
I
like to work with my multiplication skills group this game while the rest of
the class does the long division one.
I
spend time modeling how to count rows and columns to match the equations and
then matching it to the answer on their multiplication table.
Soon they are playing the game independently
and getting that much needed repeated practice with the concept of what
multiplication really is.
It also helps
them transition to the long division concept.
On the other hand, some of your students probably did fine
over the past year, and a few may have really excelled at online learning.
I found that although many of my students
need reteaching now that they’re back full time, others are ready to move
on.
Many people love my
Line
Up! series for comparing and ordering fractions.
What started as a small, quick activity has
expanded into bundle covering multiple standards, and then turned into a Google
Slides version with a motivating superhero theme for remote learning (although as
adorable as those cityscapes look on the Chromebooks, I prefer using the
original because the kids get up and moving to discuss the sorting process).
But what about students who are ready to move
on to decimals?
This new addition to my
product line:
Line
Up! Compare and Order Decimals takes
the game your students are already familiar with and has them apply the process
to comparing and ordering decimals.
Or
if you want low prep practice to introduce the topic, check out these Decimal
Number Line Worksheets.
And if you missed
my
last blog post (or were waiting for a sale…and now it’s nearly here) I have
Compare
and Order Peppers: Numbers to the
Hundred Thousands Place.
This
product is priced for the 4
th grade standard but comes with levels
of differentiation above (over a million) and below (under 10,000).
Keeping with the spicy theme, the levels of
the place value are grouped into mild, medium, hot and extreme heat.
The illustrations and Scoville Heat Units for
each pepper were researched to be accurate because most years my 4
th
graders become seriously interested in this topic.
Comparing and ordering numbers for different
place values has never been more relevant to them!
Are there other math skills you find yourself reteaching
this year? Let me know! I might have a product already, or it might
give me an idea to put on my to do list.
Take Care!
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
