Happy end of September!! If you aren't already pulling your hair out enjoying the fabulous of beginning of the year , I'm sure you will be, sometime soon. I have been back in school for about 6 weeks now, and am tired as all get out!!
This is part 2 of a blog series to bring YOU some different games, resources and ideas to do with your primary (grades K-2) students. You can find Part 1 by clicking on the image below or the link HERE!

https://mommawithateachingmission.blogspot.com/2016/08/math-ideas-for-primary-classroom-part-1.html#more


Just a little background information on me--I am a STEM (which is math & science) teacher. I teach 1st and 2nd grade students. Students are flexibly grouped by their ability, which the opportunity to move up or down as the school year progresses if that is what the student needs. I teach 2 different groups of students; 1 group higher functioning 1st & 2nd graders (13 students- nine 2nd graders and 4  first graders) most of these students are on a first grade math level, which a sprinkle of a few students working on some 2nd grade skills/standards. My 2nd group of students (10 students- 2 of which are 2nd graders, and 8 are first graders) are the lower of the two groups. These students are functioning on a kindergarten/pre-kindergarten math level. Both groups of students fall in the bottom 10% of students in grades 1 and 2. We call these classes "tier 3"--so I am a "primary tier 3 stem" teacher :)  



So since my last blogpost, I have introduced "Fact Friday".  On "Fact Friday", students come to my table and are given their fact test. They all start on level 1, which is +0, +1, +2 facts. They have to correctly solve 18 out of 20 problems in 60 seconds a.k.a. 1 minute. If this seems like a lot to you, you aren't the only one! Students, parents, and teachers alike find it difficult to ask 1st graders to solve 18 problems accurately in 1 minute. But with some positive reinforcement, and not much emphasis on the passing a test, I have already seen success with my students!




I started out by sending home level 1 math fact bags. Our students have a take home folder, and in my little note to parents, I ask them to keep these math facts in their folder, and to practice them as much as possible.





Each student has their own data binder on my shelf. These are 1 inch binders I got on sale at Staples. Boys have orange spine labels, and girls have purple. As you flip open the binder. I have a half sheet for their MAP data. MAP is a test we take 3 times a year to monitor the students reading and math progress. You can grab the MAP progress sheet:


 Behind my MAP progress sheets, I keep their weekly math tests. I also track their progress in an EXCEL spreadsheet. I have 3 separate tabs at the bottom of the excel spreadsheet; one for my morning group, one for the afternoon, and one with all the students listed with levels passed. 


Beyond the math facts tests and MAP progress sheet, I have a sheet for each standard in the math common core. If the student is a 2nd grader working on 1st grade standards, I have the 1st grade math standard, as well as the 2nd grade math standard. Each standard sheet has the standard broken down into sections of that standard, with 10 trials, for the me (or the teacher) to write down the students progress, and then collect the artifacts (or evidence) to support that student either understanding the standard, or not.

 

During instruction throughout the day, my students start with a warm-up (number talk, or word problem), then we go into rotations. Rotations allow me to work within small group to instruct my students on their level. One of the rotations I have introduced that the students work on is Write their Math Facts. I know this doesn't sound like some of my other engaging rotations like Grocery Store, or Exercising with Dice, but sometimes I believe students need to practice a skill in isolation.


Our fact level program looks like this:

Level 1: +0, +1, +2
Level 2: -0, -1, -2
Level 3: Addition Ten Facts (ex. 10+5)
Level 4: Subtraction Ten Facts (ex. 15-5)
Level 5: Addition Doubles (ex. 2+2)
Level 6: Subtraction Doubles (ex. 4-2)
Level 7: Addition making 10 Facts (ex. 3 +7)
Level 8: Subtraction making 10 facts (ex. 10-8)

By end of the 1st grade students are expected to have passed the first 8 levels. By the end of 2nd grade, students are expected to have passed the first 15 levels, which are all the addition and subtraction facts. Starting in 3rd grade, students are expected to start passing the multiplication facts. 

Now, let me regress at moment. That lower level of students that I teach (that are working on a pre-k/kindergarten math level), they struggle at these fact tests. For example, this is what one of the Level 1 tests look like: 

So some of the students (5 out of 10) in my afternoon class, answer the math fact by copying the equation--For example if the question was 0 + 2= they would write 0 + 2=. They don't get the concept of a number is an amount. So with them, I do test them every Friday to monitor their progress, but we have also been working on numbers and counting and making meaning of numbers. 



We have taken the time to look at numbers 0-9 and what they look like in numeral form, word form, tens frame, tally marks, on a number line, and in a picture. My students have also worked with number puzzles from 1-9 matching the numeral with the dots. We have also worked on rolling a die, and talking about +1 to that number. We haven't got yet to +2 to a number, but that is in the works for this week! 








If you are interested in the above supplemental printables, making meaning from dots to digits, click on the image below!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Dots-to-Digits-Making-Meaning-of-Numbers-2801536

You can also find the Common Core math Standard Checklists by clicking the links below! And did I mention these are EDITABLE?!?!?

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Checklists-2nd-Grade-Math-Common-Core-EDITABLE-2742874https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Checklists-Kindergarten-Math-Common-Core-EDITABLE-2768157


 Please leave your comments for helping students improve their fact fluency!! Wishing you all a fantastic October!!
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