1. How does the CMP
curriculum align with the national Common Core and NCTM standards?
For many years now, Salem-Keizer has modified the
order and level of the CMP books from what the authors originally wrote. With that being said, it seems like it was
not aligned very well to the state standards.
With the upcoming national standards the district
and the authors are working hard to find some alignment. Last summer the authors of CMP held a
workshop to introduce supplementary units which will patch up the curriculum to
fit the new national standards. However,
I find the units a little disjointed.
The authors have begun a third addition of CMP to match the national
standards.
2. Numerous
students are a year or more behind in the basics. How does one
address the needs of these students on a daily basis so they can get up to
grade level and also experience success in the inquiry to investigation
philosophy of the CMP?
- The best
way is to have a support class which helps the kids fill in during
another period. However, that is
not always possible. So the
teachers spend a lot of time looking at the material the kids should have
learned before and building those skills into warm-ups or 5 minute
drills.
- In my
class, I am lucky to have 15 computers which can be used to differentiate
the classroom. I have used them to
do Math workshop which is basically different stations. The lower kids are with me in a group
and the higher kids are on the computer doing Math whizz or manga high as
fun extensions. In a perfect world
I would like to do this once a week but I tend to get behind in my
implementation plan if I do that.
- After
school tutoring also helps. Our
special education department holds a mandatory special education help
session twice a week. Students get
individual support on class work.
- About CMP
and the inquiry approach and kids with low ability. It is hard. If you follow the grouping strategy of
CMP then being very strategic in building the groups is important. Most of the time, I try to put mixed
groups together so kids can learn from each other.
1. What is the role
of homework (and accountability) in the CMP? ____
CMP
has three levels of homework for each investigation. The first are application, the second,
connection and the last, extensions. I
believe that homework is practice of what the student has a beginning
understand of. However, the
constructivist approach that CMP uses often follows through on the homework
assignments making them a huge challenge for the kids. I know we are trying to increase rigor with
the work but we don’t want to deflate the kids.
Because
homework is practice, I count it very little in my grade book. I ask the students to try at home so that
they connect to the problem and can find their mistake easier. Since I stopped grading homework, I have less
accountability from the students so this is still a place I struggle. I have thought of doing all work in the room
but there are not enough hours to do the teaching and practice of all of the
standards.
2. CMP
Investigations compose of small-groups (pair-share, teamwork, cooperative
learning).
§ Describe several
classroom management techniques that ensure all students are actively engaged.
Eg, how are individual roles established? Accountability (Group, individual)?
Ongoing assessment(s) and checking for understanding?
I
like using partners and then I ask who wants to share and pick the partner
instead of the volunteer.
In
groups of 4 I have assigned roles for the 4 students (recorder, time keeper,
supply person, drill Sargent) and they have to do their roles. One student is responsible for asking group
questions so I will not talk to the whole group.
When
groups are stuck or off task, I ask one member to huddle with me to get some questions
answered and take the answers back to the group.
To
establish roles, I have used cards that they pick or have them number off and
all 1’s are recorders, all 2’s are time keepers…).
Accountability
is hard. I ask each student to turn in
work rather than group work. I have done
partner tests but I will also do individual tests. I want to know what each student understands.
I
often do formative exit quizzes on skill based questions. Very simple 5 minute questions and I record
these at 2 points or “not yet” in my grade book. We circle back to make sure the students have
a chance to show me that they understand.
