The week kicked off talking about misconceptions about the equal sign. I can tell you for certain, my 6th graders have answered this kind of question with d. They see that equal sign as "oh, that's where the answer goes!" and don't seem to give it a second thought. Usually when that happens I don't know how to make them see and understand why that's not the right answer, but we watched a video where the teacher didn't correct the misconception right away, instead she wrote the incorrect answer on the board and then showed the students other equations such as 7 = 3+4, and 6 = 6+0, then 5 = 4+1, and revisited the original problem. It was very well done and made me really rethink how I handle misconceptions in the classroom. My instinct is to try to correct it, but the definite theme in TEEM this year is, it's okay to let a problem "marinate."
We did work with the hundreds chart, too, which to be honest, I didn't think I'd be able to use in 6th grade. I was definitely proven wrong! We used them to examine expressions and equations, and even asked if they could be used for any number, and then they showed us the hundreds chart with negative numbers. My mind was honestly blown, because I'd never seen one like that. There are so many possibilities I had never thought of that I can use in my classroom to help students understand big concepts with the use of something that should be familiar to them.
My favorite part of the week, though, was during a 3 reads problem solving strategy.
We focused on the 2nd read: what quantities are in the problem, what relationships are in the problem? We were left to our own devices to solve for a while and everyone struggled, even though there is no actual question. How do we even set up this problem? I think there was a huge win in sense-making, though, for almost everyone in the room. Especially since this was followed up after using tables for organized Guess and Check strategies. It really clicked with me how I can help my students understand expressions and equations.
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| I used my new glitter highlighters to add some color to my original strategy |
I realized this week that this was be the last summer of TEEM, which means next summer will be my first summer as a teacher without it. I have truly enjoyed my time with TEEM. I've learned and grown a LOT as a math teacher thanks to the resources and support they've provided, and I'm a little sad that it has come to an end. I am so grateful that I have been part of this research study.
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