Mathematics Cross Content Newsletter

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 05/30/2019 08:50 AM PDT

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Mathematics Supports Student Learning

Across Content Areas

Number Sense
Instructional Routine
Cross Content Integration

May 2019

Knowledge is rarely silo-ed in the “real” world. How do we help students make connections across content areas, and solve problems using knowledge from all relevant subject areas? Learning and Teaching is interested in engaging districts in conversations about standards-based classroom approaches to content integration and the systems that support them.

May Editor:
Jennifer Cronquist
K-12 Math Specialist

Jennifer is the K-12 Math Specialist in Learning & Teaching. She enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, reading, and cooking. Reach out to Jennifer for support around implementation of our Washington state Math Learning Standards.

Math Professional Development Calendar

Washington Applied Mathematics Council Summer Conference, Richland, June 24-28 Register

Modeling Our World With Mathematics Summer Institute, Wenatchee, August 6 Register

Bridge to College Summer Institute, Wenatchee, August 6-7 Register

58th Northwest Mathematics Conference, Tacoma, October 10-12

Additional Professional Development

WASA/OSPI Special Education Conference, Tacoma, August 1-2 Register

WA-ACTE Summer Conference, Spokane, August 4-7 Register

WERA/OSPI Annual Conference, SeaTac, Dec 4-6 Register

Number Sense

Number Sense Progression Document

OSPI has created a progression document of the Number Sense strand for use by teachers in all subject areas.

Math Teachers: Use this document to further your understanding of the coherence of the Number Sense strand across the grade levels.

Other Content Areas: Use this document as a resource when planning your lessons. Increase your understanding of what math skills you can expect students to be able to access and what you can reinforce as part of your lesson to strengthen cross-content integration.

Number Sense Progression Video Series

Whether you are an elementary or high school teacher, a big way to increase your students' access to mathematics is for you to have a solid understanding of learning progressions and the models used in earlier grades. An excellent resource for this is the progression video series that Graham Fletcher has put together. Each video is 7 minutes or less and is packed with important information.

Check out the videos here

Instructional Routine

Clothesline

A great instructional routine to build number sense is called Clothesline.

In the Clothesline routine, students consider and discuss how to place and space numbers in relation to each other on an open number line. Students strengthen their understanding of number relationships, relative magnitude, and equivalencies through this routine. The dynamic nature of the clothesline allows students to explore, manipulate, and make sense of math concepts without memorizing definitions. Click Here to explore this routine.

This routine is not confined to math:

Social Studies: Create an interactive timeline of events

Science: Organize cycles or time periods

Language Arts: Chart the events of a book

Cross Content Integration

Math Through Reading

Books about math are the perfect cross-curricular tool to introduce your students to complicated concepts and mathematical thinking. Books help students put mathematical concepts into real-world context.

Though a simple internet search will bring up hundreds of titles, there is an award specifically designed to recognize books that are both engaging and rich in mathematics.

Award-winning Mathical titles are selected by a nationwide committee of mathematicians, educators, librarians, early childhood experts, and others. Each year’s selections join a growing list of stories ranging from picture books and graphic novels to chapter books and young adult literature,

Click here to learn more about the books that have received the Mathical Award, and explore the educator guides that accompany some of the books.

Students working at the Tacoma Art Museum

Bringing Art into the High School Math Classroom

As an extension of the Arts and Music module of Modeling Our World With Mathematics, students from Mt Tahoma High School had the opportunity to visit the Tacoma Art Museum. While visiting, a museum docent helped them explore how perspective affects art, and tried their hand at creating their own two-perspective drawing of Tacoma’s varied and interesting skyline. See them here using painters’ tape on windows to create perspective lines to guide the development of their scenes.

Math: G.SRT.2, G.MG.1

Art: VA:Cr1.1.I, VA:Re7.1.I, VA:Re7.2.I

Click here to view course materials for Modeling Our World With Mathematics.

Math in Civics

The Civics Education Initiative mission is to ensure that every student is provided with high-caliber civics education, from kindergarten through high school. As part of the initiative, elementary lessons have been created around children's books. The book Hey, Little Ant by Phillip M. Hoose allows for multiple cross content connections. While these examples are for 1st grade, it can be adapted for other grade levels.

Math: 1.MD.2- Students measure the height of the boy in 'ant units'. Click here for a more detailed lesson.

Civics: SSS3.1.1- Facilitate a discussion about the different points of view (boy and ant) in the book. Talk about how this relates to the relationship between humans and the environment.

Science: ESS3.C- Students discuss how their personal decisions impact the environment. Specifically, how their lives are interconnected with the lives of ants.

Reading: RL.1.4- Students identify words and phrases in story that suggest the feelings of the boy and ant.

Writing: W.1.1- Students write an opinion piece about whether the boy should squish the ant or how the story could end.

Music: Pr4.3.1- Listen to the song together as a class, identify and examine how the ant's and boy's feelings are expressed through the song.

Art: Re8.1.1- Put together a collection of ant images (including a picture of a real ant and the ant from the book) and have students compare the images. Have students create a piece of ant art that can accompany their opinion writing.

We Want to Hear from you!

We will be shining a light on content integration, leading with different subject areas. Help us find excellent examples of content integration occurring in your classrooms and buildings to showcase. What are teachers doing in classrooms to integrate content? What building or district systems (e.g., PLCs, common planning times, classroom proximity, funding streams, etc.) encourage teachers to integrate content? What do you need from the state to support your work? Email Kathe Taylor with practices and ideas you would like to share.

ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

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