TVES Math
Night
th
October 6 , 2010
Our Goals for Math Night
• To provide parents with an
opportunity to experience their
child’s math class interactively.
• To show parents some of the new
strategies currently being used to
teach math.
• To give parents an appreciation
for the effectiveness of the new
strategies.
• To show parents how to support
their child with math homework.
Then vs. Now
Rote memorization
Fact knowledge necessary,
understanding critical
Following Processes without
understanding
Emphasis on conceptual knowledge
versus step-by-step processes
One right answer
Alternative solutions to problems
Algebraic Concepts and Applied
Problem Solving at Middle-High
School Levels
Algebra, Statistics, Mathematical
Applications starting at K
Why Math Expressions???
•Research-Based Rigorous Program
•Combination of Traditional and Constructivist Approaches
•Encourages students to find alternate ways of solving problems and explain their
math thinking
•Support and challenge available for all learning levels
•Heavily emphasizes real world problem solving
Lesson Features
• Quick Practice/10
Minute Math
• Student Leaders
• Concept Building
Activities
• Math Talk
Manipulatives
Tonight you will get a chance to look at some of the
manipulatives your child uses in math class to
construct their understanding. Most of them are used
in hands-on discovery activities, while others can be
used virtually with the Smartboard.
Some examples include:
•Secret Code Cards
•Math Center Challenge Cards
•Product Cards
•Base-Ten Blocks
•Targets
The Way We Teach Math
• Students are involved in daily sharing of ideas
through discussions.
• Students gain important mathematical insights by
building on discoveries.
• Discussing math promotes good listening habits
and a receptive attitude toward the ideas of
others.
• Students are constantly talking about how they
solved a problem and what they are thinking
mathematically.
• By discussing their thoughts, students are
clarifying and solidifying their learning.
Games
• Math Expressions games provide students
with necessary practice of a skill in a
student-friendly way.
• These games are also used as an informal
assessment for teachers to see who is
understanding a certain topic.
• Examples of games and game rules will
be on the back table, feel free to take a
sheet home.
Supportive Technology
Like StoryTown, Math Expressions uses the
ThinkCentral website to provide extra lesson practice
and games related to what your student is learning in
class.
Log-in procedures and passwords are the same.
Students can access:
Mega Math:
Destination Math:
Soar to Success Math:
Education Place:
Homework
Homework assignments will usually be in your child’s
Homework & Remembering Workbook, unless otherwise
specified by their math teacher.
Homework is meant as a practice exercise on a skill or
topic your child has learned and can do fairly
independently.
If there is confusion, or your child is experiencing
frustration with a particular question, circle it or write a
quick note indicating your child is having difficulty. The
math teacher will address it the following day.
Response to Intervention with Math
Expressions
• Math Expressions provides different levels
of Intervention Support :
• Intervention Level Activity Cards
• On-Level Activity Cards
• Challenge Activity Cards
All cards are centered around a topic related
to the day’s math lesson.
RTI Activity Card Examples
How can you help your child?
•Talk about math
•Connect Math to Daily Life
•Try estimation activities
•While traveling create new
math problems
•Talk about math while cooking
and shopping
•Provide activities that make math fun
•Model how to solve problems
Be positive about math!