Ginny's use of hand gestures, repetition, and patience not only aligns with the Total Physical Response (TPR) strategy but also reflects traditional Yup'ik practices. "Throughout Yup'ik culture, hand gestures are used to tell stories. A lot of people are visual learners. For instance, we learned by watching our mothers cut fish and that is how we learn. Using gestures amplifies the conversation, not only is it verbal, it becomes visual. Growing up we used Yariun (storytelling knives). Painting a picture of our imagination made the story more real, so it is using hand gestures (Ina Pavilla, LKSD Yup'ik Literacy Trainer)."
There were times when I'd start my lesson and after seeing the glazed look on my students' faces I realized I had them on the carpet for 25 minutes! Check out this teacher's explanation of the math mini lesson.
This format, placing my wall clock directly across from my kidney table/carpet area, and loud timers 🤣 helped me give my students enough time to learn the skill, apply the skill, and learn from each other.
Click the picture for the math mini lesson strategy.
Here's a quick interview with Ava Ernst, the GJE 3rd grade teacher. Since August, she has consistently gotten her students to pass over 6 lessons every week!
Hi Ava,
How do you get your students to pass so many lessons?
When my students entered third grade (the past few years), they have requested to play Prodigy. It is another app in Self-service that practices math but seems more like a game. I allow students to play Prodigy only on Fridays if they have passed their Dreambox goals for the week. Before this started, students weren't making very much progress with Dreambox; however, once students decided to meet their weekly goals, they actually started exceeding the goal. Many of them now pass the weekly goal on Monday or Tuesday and go on to pass additional lessons in Dreambox before Friday. Some even choose to continue Dreambox on Friday instead of choosing Prodigy. It seems like once they started passing lessons, they had momentum to continue on.
Many teachers have said they aren't sure how to fit Dreambox into their day. Can you share how you schedule Dreambox? Is it part of your math block?
My class normally does Dreambox as the last 20 minutes of our math block.
Thank you Ava!
Dreambox Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many lessons should my students pass?
Students should pass five (5) lessons every week.
2. Can you add a student to my class?
Unfortunately, I cannot add or remove students in Dreambox. Dreambox auto-rosters according to the students in PowerSchool. Students usually have access to Dreambox 24 hours after they have been added to PowerSchool. Current LKSD students are not removed from Dreambox.
3. I cannot access Dreambox. What should I do?
I cannot add teachers or site administrators to Dreambox. If you are unable to access Dreambox please contact Carmen Wessels.
4. What grade does Dreambox go up to?
Dreambox offers instruction up to the 8th grade. Our district provides the Launchpad initial assessment. Students automatically take the assessment when they start Dreambox. It places them in the Dreambox curriculum at their level. It typically takes 45 minutes for students to take the assessment. Video - What is Launchpad?
5. How do I create assignments in Dreambox?
6. Why does our district prefer Dreambox?
Unlike some programs which mark a problem right or wrong and then repeats a similar question until it's marked correct, Dreambox walks the student through the missed problem to show how the problem is solved correctly. Click here for a sample lesson.
Anchor charts are amazing tools! They have been the extra teachers I needed in my classes.
If you have students who need additional instruction
1. Introduce the concept. "This chart is a tool you can use to help you remember important information."
2. Create the chart with your students. Ask them to add examples or steps.
3. Use clear visuals, bold colors, drawings, and neat handwriting. Remember, many of our elementary students are in the concrete stage of development.
4. Display prominently. Hang it where the students can easily refer to it. I would put my chart next to the center/station that had them practice the concept.
5. Refer back to the chart. "Let's use the chart. What should we do first? Let me see you do it...."
6. Update and revise as needed.
Students need constant practice to become math scholars, much like athletes who train rigorously to excel in their sport. "I shoot hundreds of shots a day (LeBron James)." Centers/stations can be used to review previously learned concepts, make connections between new and old material, and build critical thinking skills. Anchor charts remind students of previously taught lessons.
Interactive Anchor Charts
1. Introduce the concept.
2. Collaborate with students. Guide students by asking questions, soliciting examples, and encouraging discussion.
3. Constantly refer back to the chart. Throughout the lesson, refer to the anchor chart to reinforce concepts and build on prior knowledge.
4. Reflect and revise. At the end of the lesson, review the anchor chart with the class, allowing students to add final thoughts or clarify misconceptions.
What were the common misconceptions?
-Design assessment questions that specifically target these misconceptions. For example, if students often confuse two concepts, include questions that highlight the differences between them.
- Use formative assessments (quizzes, exit tickets, think-pair-share, etc.) to gauge real-time student understanding
- Pay attention to patterns in incorrect answers that may indicate misconceptions.
- Encourage reflection, have discussions and use concept maps.
- Create a classroom culture where students feel safe to express their misunderstandings.
I've made changes to the elementary math website. 💃 😁 🙌
Special thanks to our DAPS webmaster, Whitney Spiehler.
Click the title above to access the site.
Please visit the site to click the links to these resources.
- Tips for the first 30 days of school
- Dreambox
- Mountain Math
- Pearson Black Box
- Resources
- Newsletters
How to get to the webpage
- K-12 Curriculum and Instruction
- Elementary Math
Is there a resource that should be added to the website? Are you unable to access a link?
Please send me an email suzanne_walters@lksd.org.
I'd love to hear your feedback. 😃
Are there elementary math lessons that you would like help with?
Would you like to present a video of your elementary math lesson?
Do you have an elementary math idea that you would like to share in the newsletter?
Is there something you'd like added to the LKSD elementary math website?
Feel free to contact me. Remember, I'm always available via email
(suzanne_walters@lksd.org).
