Have A Nice Summer Vacation

Turns out that this year the final day for scholars and the first day of summer both land on the same day. Here's to a safe and enjoyable summer for all of the scholars, parents, and of course teachers from SPS. Thanks to each of you for all your support and various contributions this year. Don't forget to apply mathematics whenever possible through the summer. Best of luck to all of you!

Tips for Helping Your Student with Mathematics At Home

Here are some suggestions for ways to help your students with mathematics at home:
-Encourage your scholar and be positive about math
-Inform your child that math is important
-Demonstrate how math is used in various careers, sports, games, everyday activities etc.
-Be positive about math and encourage perseverance
-Provide positive reinforcement
-Express excitement about your child's math abilities and progress
-Encourage your students to demonstrate who he or she uses math
-Prompt your child by asking questions about time, directions, reasoning, elapsed time, estimating, etc.
-Do additional math together for fun or while incorporating household activities
-Encourage your scholar to act out problems or explain their reasoning and solution
-Allow for mistakes to be made and turn them into learning moments

A Little Math Help: Problem Solving

Certain events always take place as the end of the year approaches; parties, celebrations, moving up ceremonies, etc. Another common end of the year ritual is the final assessment. As scholars prepare for the end of the year assessment SPS Elementary Math wanted to provide a list of suggestions to help students of all ages become better problem solving mathematicians.

1. Carefully read the problem and identify what the question is asking.

2. Determine the steps necessary for solving the problem, if the problem is multi-step or not, and what order you should resolve the problem in.

3. Identify the operations you will need to perform.

4. Think of common strategies you've used previously to solve problems and if any of them apply in this particular instance.

5. Get rid of all information that is not relevant to solving the problem (draw a line through this information)

6. Use the working space on the paper (or scrap paper) to draw diagrams, models, tables, etc.

7. When necessary make an estimate to help you determine if your answer is reasonable.

8. Double check your work when you're finished and make sure you have completed the steps you outlined and that you performed all operations properly.

How to Use the iPad In Your Classroom: Tonight at KTM

For those wondering what are some ways to utilize the iPad carts available in each building, Sean Hutchinson from K.T. Murphy will be hosting an event tonight to help everyone better understand how to utilize the iPad as a productive tool during classroom instruction. There will be various presenters in a number of stations explaining how they use the iPad during class and what Apps they value. If you're interested you should stop by and check it out. For more information contact K.T. Murphy.

Whats Tech Got to Do With It?

There is a lot of talk these days about implementing technology into the classroom. Schools are rushing out and looking for resources to purchase iPad carts, various tablets, and netbooks. While having technology is great it doesn't necessarily replace the teacher or the instruction. In order for all of these devices to be effective there needs to be an understanding that these are tools, tools that if used appropriately will enhance instruction. However, if they're not used appropriately they can have a negative effect on instruction and more dramatically learning. As schools rush out to purchase all of these products they should keep the following questions in mind;

1. How will this technology help instruction?

2. How will this technology increase student learning?

3. Who will provide appropriate and timely professional development to train teachers?


Ultimately the key concern is purchasing new devices and then having them sit out on the sidelines or not being used appropriately. These tools should help teachers and students _______ (you fill in the blank). If you can't complete this simple sentence then you probably should hold off purchasing the technology until you can. The same should be said for any App that you put on your device. The idea is not for the technology to replace the teacher but for it to enhance the lesson and resulting learning experience for every scholar. Make sure that you and your staff have a clear vision for your intended technology use.

In reality using technology should be viewed more as the CCSS Teacher Practices for Mathematics, particularly practice number 5: Use appropriate tools strategically. Be able to ask yourself, which technology resources are going to help me solve this problem? How will this new technology assist me with modeling mathematics? What action(s) do I expect scholars to take while using this technology?

To help select App's for your iPad, I've included a link from Greg Kulowiec's article on Edudemic, that sorts the numerous reasons that you would want to purchase select App's. He poses the question, "I want my students to ____", then you select the app that meets your needs. I hope you find this helpful, please feel free to share your thoughts.

Technology Bucket List: Hurry You Have Until September to Complete It

With less than two months to go in the school year I figure now is the perfect time to begin experimenting with technology so that it can be utilized from the beginning next year. Therefore, I recommend reading the post, Technology Bucket List: Hurry You Have Until September to Complete It.

This list compiles a number of things all 21st Century Teachers should be aware of and capable of doing. Why wait, why go another day without being able to impress your colleagues and your scholars. Get out there and learn some new technology skills.

CEMSE Teacher Questionnaire

Link: CEMSE Teacher Questionnaire

Math Magic: Mental Math Tricks for All

Want to practice your mental math? Want to do it in a fun way and impress your friends? Well then try some of these great Math Tricks. Challenge your classmates, dare your parents, or even take on you teachers. These tricks are great resources for developing math sense and building on fluency and mental math skills.

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday's district wide Elementary Math PD for Grades K-2. This was a first for district, as teachers worked in groups within their own buildings and then collaborated via Edmodo. So many valuable flipcharts were created for Skill Building Focus days in Kindergarten and a lot of great revisions and feedback were provided for assessments in Grade 1 and Grade 2. I hope all of you found the experience valuable. I look forward to more collaborative efforts in the future.

Help Using Edmodo

For the upcoming SPS Elementary Math PD teachers in grades K-2 are being asked to use Edmodo to submit various documents. In a previous post we included a tutorial regarding how to sign-up for Edmodo, this particular post includes tutorials on how to join our April 24th PD Grades K-2 group and how to attach files within Edmodo. I hope you find this helpful, please let me know if you have any questions.

To join our group, April 24th PD Grades K-2, watch the following tutorial:


To learn how to attach a file within Edmodo watch the following tutorial: