At our last `Focus on Reading' session Tracey mentioned some worthwhile resources to support comprehension. These have been added to our dropbox folder (go to English/Activities for responding to reading). Alternately you can download the resources by visiting TES connect (you will need to be a member to access). Tracey also shared this site which has some great suggestions for quality read alouds and picture books (many of which we have in our library!).
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Today we ran the first session with the maths enrichment group `The Problem Solverz'. We decided to warm them up with a task from CSIRO maths called `The impossible hole'. (Thanks Julie for recommending this site. It is worth having a look at some of the other resources available too). This led to plenty of lively discussion - some wondered...... was it even possible? Of course it was! The children found a variety of ways to squeeze through a hole in the sheet of paper. We threw in a new rule - the largest person in the room must fit through the hole (of course that was me!). This meant a change in technique as the children had so far only found ways to get their own (rather small) frames through the holes. Again, the discussion flowed as the children experimented with different ways of cutting the paper to ensure the largest possible hole was made. Then ...... a breakthrough! A hole in an A4 piece of paper large enough to fit everyone! We moved on to some world cup fever (Thanks to Johnny Baker for the inspiration). The children had to construct their own soccer balls using sliding models. This was more challenging then it might first seem - requiring a level of dexterity as well as thought. The conversation again flowed as the children worked. "I was expecting this to be different. I'm actually having fun." "Is this even maths?" "When I think of maths, I usually think of things like 1+1". "Hey, look I made a hexagon.... I made a trapezium ..... I made a rhombus or is it a parralelogram? What is the difference anyway? There is more to maths than 1 + 1 ........
The strategy books are now available for borrowing from the HPS library. We also have a copy of the Mental computation books. These books help teachers to introduce, and make explicit, mental computation strategies to enable students to become proficient users of mental computation in everyday life. The following article was recently posted on the Natural Maths blog and further discusses mental computation and plots a developmental sequence as a guide for teachers. Worth reading!!
Quoted from the ADE website: "The One Best Thing is a collection of books, created by Apple Distinguished Educators (ADEs), that demonstrate the use of Apple technologies to transform teaching and learning. Each One Best Thing book shares a unit, a lesson, or a best practice and is designed to help another educator implement a successful practice. It’s a professional learning idea championed by an educator—in word and action—that others can look to for ideas and tips on how to replicate." Price: Free (Choose one (or more) and download on your ipad or iphone now!)
Please leave a comment and recommend any of these e-books that you enjoy reading. |
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