ST Math Projects for Early Finishers

ST Math Projects for Early Finishers

What do I do if students finish the curriculum early?

First, congratulate your students! Show them the grade level green flag indicating their success.

It is a tremendous accomplishment to complete all of the grade level content. They are finishing much faster than the majority of their peers. Think of this as students who read ahead in their textbooks to the end; the classroom lessons and pacing continue as usual. Just as with a textbook, the software is designed to provide grade level appropriate curriculum, and students are not licensed to move up to the next grade level until they actually change grades.

Tip: If you notice students on their way to finishing the curriculum early, we suggest that you not assign new material as homework. Remember, students can still access previously completed material from home by clicking the Objective History icon while logged into ST Math.

What should students do next on the computer?

yy Challenge Objective: Once they reach 100% syllabus progress, students are automatically assigned to the Challenge Objective. The games in this objective exercise students' multi-step visualization skills, and take many sessions to complete. Students may take an entire period working on one puzzle, but with persistence they can succeed. It is beneficial to ask students to try out possibilities rather than hinting towards solutions. We recommend that you do not assign challenge objectives as homework.

yy Optional Objectives: Assign content from the Optional Objectives folder. Avoid assigning the Intervention objectives, as these are intended for those students who lack foundational skills.

Please note: Challenge and Optional Content objectives will not appear as progress on the reports, but will appear in the Current Objective column.

yy Replay Challenging Content: Students may replay games they found challenging. We recommend 2nd through 5th grade students review their post quiz data:

Click on the Objective History icon at the bottom of the screen.

Next, click on an objective.

Click on the Data button at the bottom of a module or game screen.

Review and note which objectives were challenging.

In addition to reviewing quiz data, students can look for green flags under the modules, games, or levels. These indicate that the student found one or more areas particularly challenging.

Tip: When students are replaying the puzzles, ask them to find solutions to the puzzles both visually and symbolically, recording the symbolic form of the math (equations, etc.) that matches the visual shown in the puzzle.

yy Synchronize Replays with Classroom Content: Assign students to replay objectives to sync with classroom lessons, thus using ST Math to preteach and re-teach concepts. For example, replay a Fractions Learning Objective in advance of a forthcoming Fractions lesson in the classroom. Ask students to show the fraction using both the visual model in the puzzle and the written notation of the fraction or equation/expression.

What to do next in the Classroom:

To maximize retention and achievement, students benefit from multiple opportunities to practice, talk about their understanding, and systematically review concepts and skills.

yy Ask students to create a JiJi bulletin board for the classroom, the hallway, or the lab. Create annotated posters that demonstrate and explain how to play a game or how to use a problem solving strategy.

yy Ask students to design their own JiJi puzzles for one of the ST Math games. Students should both create the math puzzle (including the picture or diagram) and identify the solution. Be sure students explain the mathematical thinking that leads to the solution.

yy Have students write about their experiences with JiJi. Students can write about their favorite games or most challenging games. Students should explain what the animation in the game was and how that helped them to understand how to solve the problems.

yy Ask students to create their own JiJi game to teach a particular math concept. Remind students that in the games math concepts are shown visually. Students should explain the mathematics involved in their game and how the visualization supports the learning.

yy Ask students to create a quiz. Particularly advanced students may also create appropriate distracters ? misleading answer choices. In the published form of the project, students should provide an answer key with explanation as to why the answer is correct.

yy Have students pick a textbook lesson and decide which game best fits the concept. Students should explain on paper the similarities and differences between the textbook material and the games.

Copyright ? 2012 MIND Research Institute. All rights reserved.

C4E0122B12ALL1112

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download