The phrase I hear most from my students: "I don't get it". I point to a large poster on the wall that says "Yet!". By the end of the year all of my students need to know that there is nothing they can't understand, it just may take some time and hard work.
I teach math to 6th graders from my neighborhood.
They are great learners and are desperate to understand "why" we do math the way the book teaches. They are very visual / hands-on learners who LOVE figuring out the process themselves. They have been taught the procedures very well in prior grades but 6th grade is where procedures are not enough. They need to know what they are doing when they find a common denominator, why two fractions are the same or why they are different, and understand that fractions are really numbers. We are a high poverty, very diverse school but more than that we are school full of kids who desire to excel and succeed! They are not defined by their parents or their neighborhood. These kids want more than to simply pass, they want to soar! I am so proud to be a part of this process and I want to make sure that they have the tools they need.
My Project
We need a class set of Cuisenaire Rods to understand fractions. These rods are a basic tool that help kids understand that fractions are not simply pieces of a pie but actual numbers. They can be used to measure, compare, count and more. These rods are a part of a broad curriculum that increases the students conceptual knowledge of fractions.
Our new state standards, which are being written this year, are putting higher emphasis on fractions and their use in real world situations. By combining conceptual understanding with real world applications, I will help these students succeed at math in years to come.
Right now we use fraction strips which are pieces of paper in different colors.
They have to be recreated every year and are not sturdy enough to use for the entire year. It has been proved that substantial manipulatives with weight and structure are much better for tactile learners. Having professional manipulatives makes a student feel valuable and worthwhile.
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