The Journey Through Smath

Enabling my students to do learn more and retain more

• Students regularly solved complex word problems

• Very confident they could solve any problems I found for them.

• TAKS scores were always very high in the Problem Solving section

• Taught 6 years in Northeast ISD• ALL passed Obj. 6, Problem Solving• Frequently asked how this was

accomplished• Confident my students could problem solveThen one day....

Why can't they do this?

• Students brought data from Science class for help to work through some extension problems

No One Knew !!!!

• Posed 1st questions

• No one could answer

• Employed problem solving techniques already learned

• Still, no one knew what to do

• Much discussion about experiment & data students gathered

• Realized students had no idea what they had done or why they had the results they got

No One Knew !!!!

• Organized data into table to see what was happening in experiment

• Discussed what results meant

• Asked if results acceptable• Students said no• Numbers not in integer form• Integer form always used in math

What Do We Do With These Yucky Numbers?

• Redid entire lab, discussing all componentso formulas usedo data gatheredo appropriate units usedo rounding techniques

The "Aha" Moment

• Confident students could problem solve even if the numbers weren't pretty.

• But students needed practice, so...

The "Aha" Moment

• Next topic: introduce integers• Natural connection to science: building

atoms

Integers Made Easy

• Discussed roles of protons & electrons atoms

• Had to balance• Students understood net charge being 0

Integers Made Easy

• Used Periodic Table to choose elements to build

• Questioned difference between atomic number and atomic weight

• Good review of decimal addition and subtraction

• Students researched and presented findings

• PBL for Math, Science, LA, and Technology

Integers Made Easy

• Next topic: solving equations• 6th grade expectations - simple 1 or 2

step equations• My expectations - equations using

o distributive propertyo combining like termso fractional coefficientso solving for different variables

• Used models of elements and compounds to introduce equations

Solving Equations - Use Elements

• Students moved between science and math vocabulary with ease

• Transferred knowledge gained from building elements & compounds to solving algebraic formulas

• Used algebraic knowledge to balance simple chemical equations

Solving Equations -Used Elements

• Science is the best subject to teach math in this manner

• Science topics pose math problems with "hard and unfriendly numbers"

• Must interpret the results they get• Students had a purpose to learn how to do

skills taught in math• Students asked to use a skill & apply it to the

work on their own. • I was onto something !• Students were retaining more math and

eager to do complex problem solving

Value of Integrating Scienc & Math

• Used pattern blocks to show students differences between compounds and elements.

• Used molecular formulas to make compounds out of the pattern blocks.

What Do Pattern Blocks Have to Do With Elements & Compounds?

• Taught distributive property, an extremely difficult topic for young students to grasp

• Students were able to differentiate between ways science & math distributes

• Discussed what was actually happening to numbers or elements

What Do Pattern Blocks Have to Do With Elements & Compounds?

• Many thought-provoking discussions about nomenclature of the compounds compared to equations

Pooping Bunnies? What?

• Reviewed unit rates & speed by using wind up bunnies that pooped jelly beans

• Revisited speed & average rates of dropped jelly beans

• Used distance probes & graphed the bunny's movements

Pooping Bunnies? What?

• Deeper understanding graphs of movements of bunny was evident when assessed

• Science Benchmark showed these students scoring much higher than other students.

• Tracking weather• Growing plants• Running businesses• Constantly applying

statistics on anything students can think of

• Students almost writing lessons we are doing

• Probability next• Excited to see where

they take this

Other Topics to Explore

• I continued to teach as many science topics as I could work to my daily topics

• Students were much more willing to work at problem solving

• I found them discussing problems with other students who were not in my classes and showing them how to solve problems

Assessment scores improved significantly for all of my students

Conclusion