First Week Tasks-2024
Purpose
The lessons in Module 1 are designed to provide you with time to get to know your students and establish routines and procedures in your math class before diving into the grade level curriculum. These tasks are intended to:
- build a math community.
- get to know your math learners.
- establish routines and procedures for your math class.
- highlight students' math identities to begin to foster productive dispositions towards mathematics.
- engage students in collaborative problem solving.
- determine student understanding of mathematics concepts from previous grades as well as the grade they are entering.
- provide insight into student proficiency with the Standards for Mathematical Practice, such as persevering when problem solving and modeling with mathematics.
As students work with their group and then on their own, we are able to observe conceptual understanding and mathematical learning behaviors.
Task Design
The tasks are designed as performance-based activities. Each task is divided into four sections: an introductory activity, a group cooperative task, a whole group discussion, and closure activity. The introduction is brief and is designed to set the stage for the task that follows. The cooperative task and the whole group discussion are designed to be facilitated by the teacher but led by the students. The teacher functions as “guide on the side” asking questions and observing students’ understanding (and misunderstanding) about the concepts. The teacher’s role also includes observing for behaviors such as:
- the degree of student involvement in the group task and discussion,
- perseverance of students when tackling the group tasks and independent activity,
- the student’s ability to communicate their thinking/critiquing the reasoning of others, and
- the student’s ability to reason through and make connections between new and previously introduced concepts.
Cooperative Task
The cooperative tasks include concepts from previous grades and related concepts from the current grade level. Previous concepts are incorporated to help determine the degree to which your students have retained concepts from the previous year. Since the tasks also require application of concepts from the grade level students are entering, parts of each task will be challenging for the students. Observation of and discussions with students will give a sense of their readiness for concepts that will be taught during the year.
Independent Task
The independent task is designed to provide insight into each student’s understanding. It is based on concepts taught in the previous grade. Students are expected to apply their previous learning to complete the task. Student performance can serve as a data point to inform future instruction.
Implementing the Tasks
- There are a total of 7 First Week Tasks available for implementation: 3 tasks build math community and highlight students' math identity, and 4 tasks that are content/grade specific.
- Teams should use all 3 Building Community lessons. These should begin on the second day of school.
- Before implementing the task, it is advised that you spend time working through all of the tasks exactly as the students will work through them. This will enable you to be prepared to facilitate the tasks. Things to consider before facilitating the tasks:
- What standards from the current grade level are reflected in the tasks?
- What standards from the previous grade level are reflected in the tasks?
- How can these tasks help me identify a students’ level of mathematical understanding (or misunderstanding)?
- How might students complete the task? What strategies might they use?
- On what parts of the tasks might I expect students to excel?
- What parts of the tasks will likely prove challenging?
- What are the key “look fors” – concepts and behaviors that will show the students’ level of understanding (or misunderstanding)?
- What kinds of questions can we ask to help elicit (but not give away) mathematical thinking?
- How can we encourage students as they struggle through the task?
Grouping Students:
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Ideally, students are grouped in three or four. Groups should be set up heterogeneously, with diverse levels of learners in each group. Also consider balancing the personalities of the students. Students should remain in the same groups throughout all tasks.
Recommended Timeline:
- Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - Building Community Day 1
- Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - Building Community Day 2
- Thursday, August 29, 2024 - Building Community Day 3
- Friday, August 30, 2024 - Choose a content task
- Tuesday, September 3, 2024 - Choose a content task
- Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - Choose a content task
- Thursday, September 5, 2024 - Choose a content task
- Friday, September 6, 2024 - Some tasks may take more than one day. There are intentionally only 4 tasks.
*This module must end on September 8th. Module 2 begins on September 11th.*
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Building Community Lesson 1 |
Getting to Know Our Class Links to an external site. This lesson includes a math inventory, a data collection activity to learn more about each other, and an introduction to the Standards for Mathematical Practice. You will want to have them printed and displayed in your classroom. The Number Routine, Over/Under, is embedded in the slide deck. Closure: Review of Standards for Mathematical Practice Additional printable resources for Lesson 1: |
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Building Community Lesson 2 |
Brains Grow and Change Links to an external site. Students will watch a video about about how brains grow and change. Each student will create a square for a class number quilt that describes them. Provide an opportunity for students to share with each other. The Number Routine, Over/Under, is embedded in the slide deck. Closure: Review of Standards for Mathematical Practice Additional printable resources for Lesson 2: |
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Building Community Lesson 3 |
Working Cooperatively Links to an external site. Students will work with a small group to complete an activity. You will need red, yellow, green, and blue cubes as well as the reproducible handout. After the activity they will reflect on what worked and what did not work when they were working as a group. This is an opportunity to create class norms, routines and procedures around group work in your math class. The Number Routine, Over/Under, is embedded in the slide deck. Closure: Review of Standards for Mathematical Practice Additional printable resources for Lesson 3: Student Handout Links to an external site. (These will need to be cut for each group prior to the lesson) |
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Day 4
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Standards for Mathematical Practice (15 minutes)
Additional Resources: |
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Day 5 |
Standards for Mathematical Practice (15 minutes)
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Day 6 |
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Day 7 |