Spend a week with a brilliant bunch of 4th graders in my latest blog post! bstockus.wordpress.com/2023/09/30/40-…

I gave up quickly on small groups. 🤣 Instead, I'm circulating quickly as students practice and giving them quick and focused feedback. For example, the student below was practicing "elf" to focus on making reasonable-sized loops.

This was a convoluted lesson plan. Students were supposed to: * Write the list of events for their story * Read the list to a partner * The partner records feedback in a table * They share the feedback with the author * The author records the feedback in a separate table * Switch

This was day 3 of comparing multi-digit numbers. They did great on Friday. I absolutely misjudged their ability to pick it up today. They kept thinking statements were wrong because the bigger number wasn't written first. They weren't attending to the comparison symbol at all!

I had the students work in partners on this. It was great hearing them talking to one another, trying to decide which word went with which definition or blank. Eventually I'll try doing it without the word bank, but it seemed like a good idea for now.

I like the idea of this activity, but I did not like the execution. Students listed their events yesterday. Today they had to copy that same list into a new table on another page so they could then add sensory details. I hate needless copying. Such a waste of time.

We're moving into our rounding lesson. There is so much assumed in textbooks that students can name what two thousands, hundreds, or tens a number is in between. Guess what? They can't! We're working on that today and tomorrow before we even try rounding a number. #ElemMathChat

I'll admit I was nervous as I was listening in on their conversations. Several groups thought the dad was mean, even though he chuckled when he found his daughter trying to leave on a walk around the globe. It really came together during our class debrief though!

This lesson had a LOT of discussion before students had a chance to try out punctuating any dialogue on their own. Here's hoping it sets them up for success tomorrow!

So proud of their progress (and willingness to work so hard in this heat!)! They still need plenty more practice, but they are starting to make sense of big numbers on number lines. Here's hoping this helps transition us into rounding! #ElemMathChat

As much as I would have preferred to finish this activity yesterday, it actually worked out well as the warm up for today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure reading their personal narratives. Not everyone was equally as successful, but I appreciate that they all grappled with how to effectively write events in chronological order using sensory details and dialogue. I look forward to them sharing with one another!

"Between what two tens is 689 located?" (Students hold up mini white boards.) "Ok, I see 80 and 90 as one common answer. I also see 680 and 690. Talk to your partner. Which answer do you think is correct?" Between what two tens/hundreds/thousands/etc. is tricky language!

[New Blog Post!] Like sands through the hourglass, so are the weeks of this school year. Read on to hear about all the learning we got up to in my classroom this week despite no AC for two hot afternoons! bstockus.wordpress.com/2023/10/06/40-…