New Family Newsletter!
We are excited to announce the launch of our new newsletter Mathematics at Home.
This newsletter is designed for families and will provide fun, low-prep activities that families can easily engage in at home or around the community.
Our first edition will target families with kids pre-school through 3rd grade and will be sent out later this week. We invite you to help us get the word out by forwarding the email to your families. We will also include a PDF version that can easily be attached to classroom emails.
We hope that Mathematics at Home becomes a useful tool for your families and encourage you to contact us with any suggestions or feedback.
K-12 Mathematics Virtual Office Hours
Thank you for joining us for Office Hours this spring. We enjoyed meeting educators from across the state and hearing many different perspectives.
We are taking a break over the summer, but will resume again in August.
To view the slide decks and recordings of past office hours visit our Educator Resources page.
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Thinking about Math
We love hearing and learning from you all, so here is this edition's Thinking about Math question:
What has been your best strategy to spark math curiosity virtually?
Click here to submit your answers
In our April edition we asked you to share something you think of math-ishly when you do it and we got some great responses.
"Running! I am constantly calculating my pace, effort, distance to go, what I have completed, and what I can sustain. Whenever people ask me what I think about when running, my answer is always math!"
"Knitting: it requires counting, calculation, problem solving, 3-D knot theory, and more"
"Ballet. Patterns, combinatorics, geometry, the golden ratio, even fractals. From simple barre exercises to formations made during choreography, ballet is filled with mathematical ideas."
The two winners for the April drawing are:
Rebecca S. from Renton School District
Mark E. from Seattle Public Schools
In each Newsletter edition we will randomly select an entry to receive a free set of classroom posters.
The Washington Hub on OER Commons
The Washington Hub on OER Commons contains openly licensed instructional materials and remote learning suggestions for educators and families curated by OSPI content experts.
Click here to view the Math page.
The OER YouTube Live video recordings are now available on the OSPI YouTube Channel! These are intended as a highlight of resources available on the Washington Hub and any upcoming events/opportunities.
For more information or questions about OER Commons and/or Open Educational Resources, contact Barbara Soots at barbara.soots@k12.wa.us or 360-725-6102.
Tiny Polka Dot
Tiny Polka Dot is the playful way for children ages 3 – 8+ to fall in love with numbers. Tiny Polka Dot is built to grow with children, teaching critical skills in counting, arithmetic, and logic along the way.
If anyone is in a position where they know kids and families who could really benefit from having a way to play with mathematics, the creator, Math for Love, has put together this Tiny Polka Dot Starter Deck for free download.
- It features the core three suits, so it’s a little lighter and more focused.
- It also has white backgrounds, which makes it printer-friendly.
- Instructions come in English, but are also available in Spanish, French, and Chinese here.
Click here to explore Tiny Polka Dot and the Math for Love website.
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Exploring Math Through Stories
Great stories are a wonderful way to get young people of all ages excited and interested in mathematics. The annual book prize, Mathical: Books for Kids from Tots to Teens, recognizes the most inspiring math-related fiction and nonfiction books that bring to life the wonder of math in our lives.
Really Big Numbers (2015 Award Winner)
Written by Richard Evan Schwartz
2nd grade through 8th grade
This book talks about really big numbers in terms of everyday things, such as the number of basketballs needed to cover New York City. Read this book and satisfy your thirst for truly huge numbers. Travel part of the way to infinity!
Click here to watch the Book Trailer
Key Math Concepts
- Connecting enormous numbers to daily things familiar to students
- Estimating and comparing
- Having fun playing with numbers and puzzles
Reading Guides
Want to enjoy Mathical books with the children around you? Feeling uncertain about guiding them through the math-related parts of the book?
These reading guides are designed for parents, librarians, after-school caregivers, and educators of all stripes. You don’t have to be a math whiz to enjoy exploring math with the kids in your life. Just plunge in, and see where the story takes you!
Each reading guide includes both math-centric and narrative activities to start discussions and activities with one child, a handful of kids, or an entire classroom.
First Book educator resource guide: Really Big Numbers (Grades 3-5)
First Book educator resource guide: Really Big Numbers (Grades 6-8)
Copyright © 2019 All Rights Reserved. Mathematical Sciences Research Institute.
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Modeling Our World with Mathematics (MOWWM) is a high school mathematics course developed locally by OSPI with input from educators across Washington, and is designed to follow Geometry. It contains career-connected thematic units where students use high school mathematics to analyze everyday life and work. The content and instructional strategies support increased attainment of the common core high school content standards while developing the standards for mathematical practice.
Course Overview:
- MOWWM contains career-connected thematic units where students use high school mathematics to analyze everyday life and work.
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Course Flyer to learn more
New Materials for 2020-21:
- Environmental Science Module
- New topic in Health & Fitness
Training:
To learn more about this course, visit the MOWWM website or contact OSPI K-12 Mathematics Specialist, Jennifer Cronquist at jennifer.cronquist@k12.wa.us or 360-725-6429.
Collaboratively designed and developed by higher education faculty, high school teachers, and curriculum specialists from multiple colleges and school districts, the Bridge to College courses are grounded in essential career and college readiness expectations as reflected by Washington State’s K–12 Learning Standards for English language arts and mathematics.
Who is Bridge to College Math for?
Bridge to College Mathematics is fourth-year (senior-level) course designed to follow Algebra II and develop college readiness in students. Students who earn a "B" or better in the Bridge Course are eligible to enter college level mathematics coursework in any of the State of Washington Community and Technical Colleges. Bridge to College Math is also a designated transition course that fulfills a Graduation Pathway.
*Please note that Bridge to College Math is not remedial in nature and is designed as a post-Algebra II fourth credit course for seniors, not as a third-year course to meet credit requirements.
For more course information read the BtC bulletin
Additional Information about the course can be found at bridgetocollegecourses.org and OSPI
See training opportunity below under Trainings & Events
Coming Soon from Math and ELA Assessment Development:
As the fall approaches, Math and ELA Assessment Development will be releasing a series of videos covering WCAP portal resources. There are a few changes for the 2020-2021 school year including: Tools For Teachers, a new score reporting system for ELA and math, and bringing back the THSS system for hand-scoring specific interim items. The videos will cover these new systems, how to use them, as well as older systems like AVA (Assessment Viewing Application), Universal vs. Designated vs. Accommodated supports for assessment, how to find a Common Core standards when the assessment only uses Claims and Targets, among other topics. Stay tuned for where the videos will be released in the fall.
Tools for Teachers Launches in September.
But you don’t have to wait till then to check it out!
The Digital Library went into retirement on May 28th, but don’t worry Tools for Teachers will be opening with its full suite of resources in September! In the meantime, Tools for Teachers will have its soft-launch on June 16th. You can access Tools for Teachers through the WCAP portal through the current Digital Library card using your current portal log-in. After June 16th, you will be able to access and explore Tools for Teachers but be mindful that additional instructional resources will be added to it in time for the September Grand Opening. Contact digital.library@k12.wa.us if you have any questions.
For more information or questions about mathematics assessments, contact OSPI Mathematics Assessment Specialist, Serena O’Neill at serena.oneill@k12.wa.us or 360-725-6437.
Distance learning has given us all a chance to experience and reflect on different forms in which learning can take place. We are excited that this time has given us chance to re-imagine virtual professional development. We hope that this new format will be more accessible to educators especially during this time of limited travel.
Modeling Our World With Mathematics
2020-21 Summer Institute
The Modeling Our World With Mathematics (MOWWM) Summer Institute is a free training designed to provide teachers with the familiarity and support to implement the full course and its accompanying assessments in the 2020-21 school year. New modules and updated MOWWM materials will be released at the Summer Institute.
Who: Any teacher who will be an instructor for the Modeling Our World With Mathematics course
Where: Virtual
When: Actual dates and times of the course will be announced by July 1
Register:
New Teacher Registration
Returning Teacher Registration
For more information contact OSPI K-12 Mathematics Specialist, Jennifer Cronquist at jennifer.cronquist@k12.wa.us or 360-725-6429.
2020-21 Summer Institute
The Bridge to College Summer Institute is designed to provide Bridge to College teachers with the curriculum, tools and community connections needed to be prepared to offer the course during the 2020-21 school year.
Who: Any teacher who will be an instructor for the Bridge to College Mathematics course
Details:
- The course will be offered live.
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Note: Districts must register in iGrants to receive the registration password before their teachers can register for the Summer Institute.
Where: Virtual
When:
New teacher August 3 & 5
Returning teacher August 4
Register:
New Teacher Registration *password required
Returning Teacher Registration *password required
For more information contact OSPI Director of Mathematics, Arlene Crum at arlene.crum@k12.wa.us or 360-725-6233.
Mathamacation -
A Staycation with Mathematics
This summer, the Washington State Mathematics Council (WSMC) is sponsoring “Mathamacation - A Staycation with Math”
What do you get?
- The opportunity to collaborate and connect with other math educators
- A chance to experience digital learning practices with fellow educators and have discourse around how it could look online or in your classroom.
- A list of resources and ready-to-use activities that can be used this fall in your classroom
- Free professional development
- Up to 12 free clock hours
Session Format:
- Open with solving a math problem* collaboratively.
- Continue by exploring collaboratively the set-up and delivery of the problem.
- Finish by sharing resources and activities from facilitators and participants.
*Problems will have multiple entry points for participants to engage with and represent their thinking.
For more information about the Washington State Mathematics Council please visit us at WSMC.net .
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NCESD 2020 STEM Summit
Join us online for the North Central ESD STEM Summit where we will be highlighting multiple professional learning opportunities for teachers and educational staff members in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics taught by experts and specialists in their fields.
- 60+ Sessions offered morning and afternoon over the course of 9 days
- 39 STEM Clock Hours for purchase
- 400+ teachers in attendance
- Early Learning Institute
- New Science Kit Trainings
- Chelan County PUD Teacher Academy
New This Year:
- August 11-21, 2020
- Virtual Sessions (Online Only)
- No Cost to NCESD STEM Co-op Members
- Non Members Only $495/person
When: August 11-21, 2020
Where: 100% virtual
Register: Click here
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