This week in our daily number talk, I have been mixing up some subtraction and addition equations with the hope that the students would see that some of their strategies from solving one operation could be used to solve another operation. It wasn't until I made an equation that said 89 + 63, that I didn't realize the effect of using our hundreds chart was having on the students. A number of students immediately said that it was impossible to solve the equation because they couldn't use the hundreds chart to help them solve it.
This had me immediately reflecting what students see in a math tool and their own ability to solve a problem that looks or finished in a way that is unexpected for them. I also reflected on what the magnitude of numbers means for students who may or may not have been exposed to them before. I gave them their regular think time and then we talked about their strategies and how come they thought that the hundreds chart was not going to help them. It was also immediate that I realized that I need to get a second hundreds pocket chart so that we can learn to extend past 100 and see the relationships that those numbers have. I have some work to do over the weekend to ensure that I am able to cycle back and recapture their thinking and how I am going to present the second hundreds chart. I am currently in my (dorm) room at #OAME2017 and I am excited to see if there's some spark from here that will light my way this week.
8 Comments
Thank you, Stephanie, for taking the time to share your learning with other educators and the wider community interested in math instruction.
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Stephanie Ranger
5/19/2017 09:21:08 pm
Something else we have been conscious of is explicitly starting our tools at 0 so that students have a greater appreciation and understanding that 0 has a meaning within the counting system. We have purposefully highlighted the 0 on the hundreds chart and on a number line. Small adjustments that are making huge improvements!
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5/13/2017 06:46:00 am
It's always amazing to me when I have a lightbulb moment like this in the classroom! After 17 years I think I'm pretty good at anticipating what students will do. But they surprise me often. I started experimenting with a 120 chart this year. I think I'm going to use that more! I love teaching students how to split numbers by place value & add or subtract. But like your students they do sometimes get too committed to this strategy. But I really do have to remind myself to branch out and talk about lots of strategies. I like your 200 chart idea. Do your students use open number lines?
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Stephanie Ranger
5/19/2017 09:17:39 pm
Thank you so much for your thoughts and comments! My students are becoming very proficient at composing & decomposing numbers with place value in mind to help them with addition and subtraction. We have not ventured into an open number line as of yet, but are very frequent users of closed number lines with a scale by 1s, 5s, or 10s and students are able to select the best number line to help them solve the question. They have come so far considering they had never seen a hundreds chart, number line or heard the words place value before this year!
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Kaarina McLaughlin
5/13/2017 05:42:57 pm
How interesting that the students thought the hundreds chart would not work for the equation with a sum over 100! I know that you mentioned trying a 120 chart and Lisa also mentioned a 200 chart. I seem to remember one of our previous math consultants discussing the use of a 400 chart for this very reason. Unfortunately, I don't remember why 400 was the option rather than a 200 or even 300 chart.
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Stephanie Ranger
5/19/2017 09:25:04 pm
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences! The hundreds chart is one of the most important tools we can use in the primary grades, especially in grade 1 when students are first starting to learn about the magnitude of numbers to 100.
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5/21/2017 01:13:32 pm
Hi Stephanie - thank you so much for sharing your reflections! As a secondary teacher, I am fascinated by how students learn (and approach) the basics. I've never used a hundreds chart myself... it's something I definitely want to try/get used to so that I can bring complex concepts back to what students have already experienced. Did you get any sparks at OAME?
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Melissa Peddie
5/22/2017 08:00:34 pm
Hi Stephanie,
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A snippet about me...I'm a grade 2 teacher; wife; mama to #TeamA & #TeamO; runner; chocolate lover and always wanting to learn. Archives
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