September 2018
By now, we’ve met our students, set classroom expectations, and gotten into our routines. Here is a chance to have some guided reflection on how the year is going so far:
Community:
- How well do your students work together?
- What can your students do and what can you do to become a stronger community?
Procedures:
- Are there any procedures that need to be revised?
- How are students reminded of classroom procedures each day?
- Do your students know the importance of following the classroom procedures?
Self-Care:
- How did you take care of yourself this month?
- How are you going to continue to take care of yourself?
How will your answers to these questions shape your teaching in the upcoming weeks?
Free English Learner/WIDA PD for ALL Oklahoma Educators in 2018-19!
FREE EL PD FOR 2018-2019: OSDE is excited to have Oklahoma be a pilot state for WIDA's new eLearning modules.
***From September 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019, every educator in Oklahoma that has a WIDA website login or requests a WIDA website login will have free access to four self-paced elearning modules designed to help educators use best practices in meeting the needs of their English learners.*** The modules may be used by individuals or PLCs, and each provides resources and handouts to aid educators in putting their lessons into practice. Users will be able to print PD certificates to document completed training(s).
HOW DO I LEARN MORE?: Please consult this WIDA Self-Paced eWorkshops flyer.
ACTION NEEDED: Districts who wish to participate need to identify a District Learning Coordinator to the Office of Assessment using the WIDA DLC Designation form. Participation is strongly encouraged by OSDE, but not mandated. However, if a district wishes to participate, they must designate a DLC.
WHAT DOES A DLC DO?: The WIDA District Learning Coordinator (DLC) is OSDE's contact for all WIDA eLearning activities. In general, the DLC will be responsible for creating any new WIDA user accounts for district staff who wish to access the WIDA eLearning modules, and for tracking eLearning participation at the district level. The DLC may also be asked to distribute surveys or otherwise collect information from district participants regarding their experiences in using the modules.
If you have questions, please reach out using the contact information listed below.
Elizabeth Warren, Director of English Language Proficiency Assessments
Office of Assessments
Oklahoma State Department of Education
(405) 522-5073 - elizabeth.warren@sde.ok.gov
High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM)® :
November 9-19, 2018
HiMCM offers students the opportunity to compete in a team setting using mathematics to present solutions to real-world modeling problems.
Click here for more information!
Want to go to a conference, get supplies for your classroom, or go back to school? NCTM and NCSM have many grants available for classroom teachers and teacher leaders!
 STEM:
STEM Let’s Turn It Up!
Many teachers, administrators, parents and community members are interested in incorporating STEM into K-12 classrooms. In reality, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who isn’t an advocate for STEM, but a lot of times the people advocating for STEM also ask, “What is STEM?” Click on the link for some answers to this question.
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Elementary Monthly Math Question:
Here is a picnic that David and Michael are going to share equally. Can you tell us what each of them will have? |
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Secondary Monthly Math Question:
Thanks to Robyn from Jenks for submitting this question for consideration! At the NE Consortium meeting, we reflected and puzzled over why the top work did not lead to the correct answer. What a great problem to promote discussion with your high school classes! Be sure to send in your thoughts. |
Additional Math Resources
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Formative Assessment Probes- Each probe is an all-inclusive resource that guides you through using Cheryl’s own A-C-T cycle (Analyze the Math, Consider Student Thinking, and Take Action). The A-C-T cycle provides guidance around implementation of the probe including support for analyzing student work and using the findings to plan your instructional next steps.
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Robert Kaplinsky- Math resources that create problem solvers, not robots.
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NRICH- This an awesome resources that embeds rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.
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Calculation Nation- A free education service that uses the power of the Web to let students play games and challenge opponents from anywhere in the world. At the same time, students are able to challenge themselves by investigating significant mathematical content and practicing fundamental skills.
 Each month, we’ll present a “puzzler” or “puzzlers”. If you think you have the answer, email Christine Koerner with an explanation. Your answer could be featured on our website, on Facebook, and/or on next month’s newsletter!
This week's puzzler is called the "bridge riddle" from TedEd. Watch the linked video, but don't forget to pause and process before the solution is revealed! Email Christine your thoughts, reactions, and process to be featured in next month's newsletter.
Thanks to Steve and his wife, Susan, from Glenpool for sending in their solution to last week’s problem:
Original Problem:
Can you plant exactly seven trees, so that there are exactly six rows, each containing exactly three trees?
Steve’s Process:
I tried a couple of patterns but only made 5 rows of 3. My wife Susan immediately drew a triangle with 6 rows of 3, but I didn't have time to see that it worked, because we were on our way to dinner.
At dinner we tore up the straw sleeve into 7 pieces and started arranging. She didn't seem to remember what she had done the first time, but I made a triangle that only had 5 rows of 3 because the tree in the middle was making one row with the two middle trees on the left and right sides.
Then I tried moving the two middle trees on the sides up a little toward the top tree. That way each made a separate row with the bottom corner, rather than both making one row with each other. I drew the design on a dessert napkin and sent it in. When we got home and I looked at her first drawings, I found that she had drawn the same design immediately upon hearing the puzzle. I was properly humbled.
Thank you, Steve, for that amazing explanation of your process!
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OK Math August Newsletter
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