Updates

Yes, we moved.  But we're still working on enabling subscriptions to the new page...and it might be a while. :-(  So, for your convenience, we'll be posting updates here every now and then to remind you to visit the new page! 

Here's the new address:  http://nixa.schoolwires.net/domain/134

If you haven't checked out the page since the beginning of the school year, here are the headlines you've missed so far.  Visit the new site to read more!

Connecting Colleagues:  How well do you know our new Nixa teachers:

• Tori Marquez, High Pointe, 3rd Grade
• Ali Dollins, Espy, Kindergarten
• Shannon Petersen, Inman, 6th Grade
• Anna Brunk, Century, 1st Grade
• Allison Tilley, Espy, ECC & Mathews, ESOL
• Jordan Politte, Mathews, K-4
• Amber Chappell, JTSD, SLP

*We add new colleagues each week so you can learn all about our new Nixa teachers!

 

Connect with the Elementary Education Department on Social Media!

What Are Green Buckets?   Grade Level Cluster Emphasis Explained

K-5 Social Studies HB1490 Workgroup Survey

 

We're Moving!

We are moving!!!  We are combining the "CIA Matters" and "LNW" blogs to our district's Schoolwires website, which will be a quick and easy way to get information, resources, and ideas in one convenient location!  You can still view archived posts from the new site, so don't worry!  :-)

Please visit our new site HERE!

June 29 Details - Dr. Nicki Newton!

For those who registered, this is a reminder of the details for this Monday, June 29th.  See you there! :-)

WHEN:  Monday, June 29th

WHERE:  Summit Intermediate cafeteria, 890 Cheyenne Rd.

SCHEDULE:

7:30-8:00            Check in; refreshments

8:00-11:00          Morning Session

11:00-12:30        Lunch (on your own)

12:30-3:30          Afternoon Session      

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

·       When you check in, you will receive your Dr. Nicki Newton text.  At the end of the day, you will receive instructions for ordering your math manipulatives.

·       Dr. Newton’s storefront, Gigglenook Math, will be set up for you to purchase items if you wish. 

*Sorry, PO money cannot be used at the storefront.

What happens in Math Vegas doesn’t need to stay in Vegas.  Feel free to share what you learn with your friends.  VIVA, MATH!

Another Great Math Article Recommended by Dr. Nicki Newton

The Answer Is 20 Cookies.

What Is

the Question?

Click on the cookies to read this great article.

Notes from the Dr. Nicki Newton Videoconference with Our Book Study

WORDS OF MATH WISDOM FROM DR. NICKI

• Make sure problem solving is REAL for the students.  (i.e., Most people don't have 234 apples or have a friend with 359 apples, so you can figure out how many apples you have altogether.)  Think REALITY problems that make sense to where we live.
• Give students BENCHMARKS for measurement.  Don't assume students can imagine 1/2 an inch or a yardstick on their own.  (i.e., The width of my pinky is about 1/2 inch.  If I spread my arms out like a bird, my wingspan is about 36 inches.)
• Teach decimals with menus and sales flyer to make it more meaningful for students.
• Have students solve a problem one way and check it another way.  
• Get away from KEY WORDS for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division when problem solving because it's not always helpful to students.  (i.e., TJ has three less baseball cards than Ethan.  Ethan has seven baseball cards.  How many baseball cards does TJ have?  Answer: TJ has four baseball cards.)
• When teaching math, you can break up domains, but DO NOT break up clusters.

• Check out the Making Number Talks Matter Blog.  Scroll to the bottom to preview the new text, the entire text.  Find out what number talks are, why they are so important, and how to get them started in your K-6 classroom.
• Check out Howard County Schools per Dr. Nicki's request.  For each grade level, they have a page/s for each domain listing important vocabulary, activities students could practice at home, and learning links, or computer games, that could be used at school and at home. Here is a sampling:
• Kindergarten Counting and Cardinality
• First Grade Numbers and Operations Base Ten
• Second Grade Operations and Algebraic Thinking
• Third Grade Number and Operations (Fractions)
• Fourth Grade Measurement and Data
• Fifth Grade Geometry
• Sixth Grade Expressions and Equations
• Dr. Nicki also likes the Read Tennesee Math Site.  For each mathematical practice, this site provides videos to watch, articles to read, websites to explore, and how to apply the mathematical practice in the classroom.  Here is a sampling:
• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively
• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
• Model with mathematics
• Use appropriate tools strategically
• Attend to precision
• Look for and make use of structure
• Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
• Dr. Nicki also suggested looking at what the Arizona Department of Education has put together.  They have a document for each grade level that includes the standard, what mathematical practices go with the standard, and explanations and examples of the standard.  Here is a sampling of what you can find on the Arizona math site:
• Kindergarten
• First Grade
• Second Grade
• Third Grade
• Fourth Grade
• Fifth Grade
• Sixth Grade

HAPPY MATHING!

Dr. Nicki Is on YouTube - What Is Guided Math? Why Do Guided Math?

Dr. Nicki is on YouTube!

What Is Guided Math?

Why Do Guided Math?

A Guide to the 8 Mathematical Practice Standards - Getting Ready for Dr. Nicki's Visit

This is a great visual to help us understand the Mathematical Practice Standards

Dr. Nicki will be referring to the mathematical practice standards during her visit to Nixa on Monday, June 29th.  The mathematical practice standards are a lot to take in.  However, they are woven throughout our math lessons each day.  As we teach the standards, we also teach the mathematical practices. They are the foundation for mathematical thinking and practice in our classrooms. Here is a quick read article on the mathematical practice standards from Scholastic outlining:

• What each mathematical practice means
• How to own the mathematical practice in the classroom
• Useful resources for each mathematical practice

Click on the link below to check out this easy read article from Scholastic:

A Guide to the 8 Mathematical Practice Standards

Another way to look at the Mathematical Practice Standards