Differentiating Mathematics for All Learners

Participants(s): Lori Darst, Teresa Rhyne, Brenda Bezio, Kristie Hulbert

Overview :
As teachers, not only must we address the important mathematics children need to learn, we also need to help children learn to think, reason, and become proficient problem solvers. New York State has recently adopted new standards in mathematics. Our Pilot Proposal is to create a differentiated learning unit on the content strand Number Sense and Number Operations.

Young children enter elementary school with many different needs, skill levels, and learning histories. Classroom populations are comprised of a general population of children who are at different developmental and skill levels. The multiple intelligences that comprise classrooms must be challenged in a multitude of ways. Differentiating instruction is a necessity in order to meet the individual needs of all learners.

As an integral part of a math program, it is essential to include links to other curricular areas. We will incorporate a number of literature-based activities to teach these lessons. Math journals will be used on a daily basis for students to record their personal understandings about how they solve a problem.

We will focus on three types of differentiated lessons; Tiered Assignments, Ability Grouping, and Interest. Each literature-based lesson will incorporate practical routines for skill and practice in previously taught mathematical concepts and multiple activities that support the Number Sense and Number Operations content strand.

Four primary resources will be used for these lessons: Math Trailblazers, Investigations in Number, Data, and Space (TERC Dale Seymour Publications), First Grade Math – a Month by Month Guide (Vicki Bachman, Math Solutions Publications), and Saxon Math. In addition to these, we will use materials and activities from ‘Math Their Way’ and ‘Box it and Bag It’ as Anchor Activities.

Our Pilot Project will allow us to provide a standards-based Number Sense and Number Operations unit that will meet the needs of most of our students.

Length of Instructional Time for Unit : Approximately Two Months

Grade/Age of level of audience : All students in K-1

New York State Standards Addressed:

Mathematical Strand: Statistics and Probability:

Kindergarten

K.N.1: Count the items in a collection and know the last counting word tells how many items are in the collection (1 to 10)
K.N.2.: Count out (produce) a collection of a specified size 1 to 10
K.N.3: Numerically label a data set of 1 to 5
K.N.4: Verbally count by 1’s to 20
K.N. 5: Verbally count backwards from 10
K.N.6: Represent collections with a finger pattern up to 10
K.N.7: Draw pictures or other informal symbols to represent a spoken number up to 10
K.N.8: Draw pictures or other informal symbols to represent how many in a collection up to 10
K.N.9: Write numbers 1-10 to represent a collection
K.N.10: Visually determine how many more or less, and then using the verbal counting sequence, match and count 1-10
K.N.11: Use and understand verbal ordinal terms, first to tenth

First Grade

1.N.1: count the items in a collection and know the last counting word tells how
many items are in the collection (1 to 100)
1.N.2: Count out (produce) a collection of a specified size (10 to 100 items),
using groups of ten
1.N.3: Quickly see and label with a number, collections of 1 to 10
1.N.4: Count by 1’s to 100
1.N.9: Count backwards from 20 by 1’s
1.N.10: Draw pictures or other informal symbols to represent a spoken number
up to 20
1.N14: read the number words one, two, three…ten
1.N.22: Use the words higher, lower, greater, and less to compare two numbers
1.N.23: Use and understand verbal ordinal terms, first to twentieth
1.A.1 Determine and discuss patterns in arithmetic (what comes next in a repeating pattern, using numbers or objects)
1.N.11 Identify that spacing of the same number of objects does not affect the
quantity (conservation)
1.N.12 Arrange objects in size order (increasing and decreasing)