While on vacation Jean left this comment to my blog.
"Cathy Mere (Reflect and Refine: Building A Learning Community) suggested that I ask you for a recommendation. I am looking for resources on creating a Math Workshop in my classroom. I have been doing Readers' and Writers' Workshop for several years. I want to stretch the format to Math. We use Saxon, but I want to restructure for the kind of learning I see in Reading and Writing. What books shall I read???"
Hands down, Jean I would use, read, borrow, collect books by the Math Solutions group which was all started by Marilyn Burns. I went to my bookshelf and found these four titles and didn't want to only represent one source. About Teaching Mathematics by Marilyn Burns is a great book to help grow a teacher's understanding about mathematics and has ideas for K-8. Another invaluable math resource is Teaching Student Centered Mathematics by the late John Van de Walle and comes in three different grade level bands. A new resource to me but one I am enjoying for the format of ideas and just filled with lessons is Hands On Standards by Learning Resources and available for specific grades. Now, back to Marilyn Burns and Math Solutions. She is the queen of teaching mathematics in a workshop format. Growing Mathematical Ideas is a series, one for grades K-4 and would be a great jumping point for a year of mathematics for any grade level. You can't go wrong with other books from this group either. They have some Math and Literature books, fiction and nonfiction with lesson ideas based on a book which helps a teacher feel like the are in the middle of literacy. I hope you have found these ideas helpful and enjoy your journey!
PS - I thought this was a great question for everyone with summer here to refresh our thinking.
I am going to have to extend my summer,so much reading I want/need to do! Thanks for your shares! I just posed this very question to my math coach!
ReplyDelete~deb
Thank you so much for these resources. I have never seen math workshop in action and would love to learn more.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Deb, my "summer" is going to need to go til October with all this reading to do.
Thanks so much for sharing your resources. Math is my main focus this summer. I just bought Debbie Diller's new math workshop book and am loving it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great ideas. I have several of Marilyn's books and even took a Math Solutions class way back when. I loved the Burns' methods! Over the last ten years I have felt restricted by my district's use of Saxon. It's a good program for "good test state scores". I have tried to supplement, but I needed a boost to alter and extend the math learning in my room. Good thing I have a month and a half to delve back into Marilyn's books!
ReplyDeleteYour response will get me moving.
Thank you again!
Thanks for sharing these resources. I'm going to be in my own classroom for the first time in several years and need all the help I can get, especially in math!
ReplyDeleteCarol