Today we

1. Moved onto the algebraic thinking units
2. Discussed basic facts, drills, and timed tests (see the messages we generated, below). Here is the website Andrea shared that provides opportunities for selected practice opportunities for fluency development
3. Discussed calculators in the math classroom
4. Interviewed a classmate for tonight’s homework

Here are some websites with calculator lessons and activities:

1. The Math Tools website (http://mathforum.org/mathtools) allows you to search by grade level and by the type of technology you wish to use.
2. Texas Instruments has a collection of calculator activities to review (http://education.ti.com/ calculators/downloads/US/Activities/).
3. Casio has several calculator activities to review for elementary and middle school (http://edu.casio.com/support/activity/).

Here are our messages to ourselves about basic facts:

• More work on strategies and practicing the strategies BEFORE drilling
• When a 9^th grader is struggling, provide tools for remediation (teach strategies!). It’s not enough to say “learn them!”
• Timed tests are required by my district—use it as a learning tool (and assessment). Assess for individual fact families and find out what strategies they do/don’t use
• Some facts are more powerful than others
• Timed tests frustrate the struggling students even more and reward the quick thinkers
• “you’re competing against yourself, not each other”—emphasize personal growth (chart for themselves)

BTW: Here is a nice website about number strings.

For tomorrow, please

Read Principles to Actions. “Pose Purposeful Questions” (p. 35-41) and “Elicit and Use Evidence of Student Thinking” (p. 53-57)

In your notebook, write a response to these three prompts:

1. In questioning small groups of students working on a problem, a teacher noticed that when she asked a “focusing” question, the students continued to look at their work and continued to engage in their own dialogue. When she asked a “funneling” question, the students looked up at the teacher. Comment on these observations.
2. Listen to your audiorecording from today. Use fig. 14 on p. 36 and fig. 16 on p. 39 to write a description of your question patterns.
3. How might you change your questioning to elicit and then use evidence of your students’ thinking to move the student forward to the mathematical goal of the problem?

Try the Maze Playing Board. Let’s see who has the largest value tomorrow. There MAY be a prize involved.