Marie+G

// An Action Plan is a plan for making a teaching change that will enhance your students understanding of mathematics. // Name Marie School Brewster Teaching assignment sixth reading and math Describe your student population (approximate number, ethnicity, language, etc) between 60 to 70 students in a grade level, 80% Hispanic
 * Action Plan **
 * Describe your teaching situation **

What teaching change (instruction, assessment, materials) you like to improve? Explain how your teaching change will improve your students’ ability to learn mathematics. Next year our school is changing from CMP to Math for Success. I am very eager to use the new materials because CMP was very difficult for the vast majority of our ELL students. Also, there were not enough repetitions for the students to become fluent with a concept. Also, it was very difficult for students to refer to previous topics because the CMP books were one topic per book. I think having all the topics in one text book will help the students develop the skill of using glossaries and indexes to review previous topics. Also, describe possible ways that technology might assist you in making your teaching change. When I first began teaching I was part of the No Limits grant for technology. What I realized from that experience was that I need to evaluate the new technology I learned this week and choose one or two that I feel will be the best fit in my classroom for my students. It's avoiding the old ten pounds of mud in a five pound sack syndrome. Identify at least two teaching goals (measurable accomplishment that if met would enable your students to learn mathematics more effectively). I would like to have one student computer for math class and one for reading. I think by separating the two and always having one computer set up and ready on the website or program needed for the class I can avoid the single biggest hurdle for using technology in the classroom, me needing to stop the flow of the class after a demonstration to re-boot, re-load, etc... and the students can begin using the technology immediately after a demonstration. Also, I want to start using interactive technology at least once a week. I don't think I can do this at the start of the year, but I with practice I can have interactive technology available. I think this will be especially useful for when the resource room students are in my classroom. It's really hard to find material at their level where they can both be productive and stay engaged because their skill levels are so low. Describe at least two things you are going to do as a teacher to accomplish your teaching goals. These actions may or may not use technology but if they do not use technology, explain why technology is or is not the best teaching tool for your teaching change. 1) The most important thing I need to do between now and when school starts is complete a curriculum alignment for our new textbooks and the new standards. As we have discussed in this seminar, the way I will remember where the GLEs are in the new books is to sit down and write out my own list by hand. If I use prepared lists provided by the publishers and such, I do not remember a thing. But if I make my own lists, I'll remember most of what I write down in my little spiral. 2) The main element of technology I was exposed to this week that I think will fill the biggest whole in my curriculum is the geoboards on the Illuminations website. Teaching sixth graders to identify geometric shapes according to their attributes is something that has been very difficult except for the very top students in my classes. I think if I had one geoboard being projected onto the front of the classroom would be a terrific way for the students to see and understand this topic. I tried the old plastic geoboards with the big rubber bands and it was a disaster, too many rubber bands got stolen and too many things got shot across the room. Identify how you are going to assess each of your teaching goals (simple method of collecting information to see if your teach goals was met). The curriculum alignment will be easy, I'll be doing it next week. The teaching of the geometric attributes can be measured in two ways. First of all, it will be my observations of how much more effective the lessons are using the website. Also, geometry is one of the measureable math strands on the MAPS test, and I can compare their mid year scores to their beginning of year scores. Outline a general timeline that identifies when you are going to use your actions, collect your assessment data. I think the mid year MAPS test is just before or after Christmas, so I will be able to do the comparison of data when in becomes available shortly after that. Write a reflection on the results of your action plan. What was difficult? What worked well? How did your students react to the changes you made? What was the impact on student learning?
 * Describe your teaching change **
 * Set Teaching Goals **
 * Describe Teaching Actions **
 * Assess Teaching Goals **
 * Timeline **
 * Reflection **