Student Support Ideas
Evidence Gathered in the Classroom:
Information should be collected by the teacher
using three methods; Observation, Conservation, and Product. See Appendix 1 and 2
Summative versus Formative Assessment: A chart showing the difference between the
two is included. See Appendix 3 (2 pages)
Levels of Questions: There are three different levels of questioning teachers should be using.
Included in this are the percentages that should be used for testing. See Appendix 4
Bloom`s Taxonomy: A chart indicating some useful verbs for the three levels of questioning.
Please focus on knowledge, comprehension and application. See Appendix 5
With the new curriculum beginning September 2013, teachers will have
access to Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Mathematics Moodle site. The site will provide additional resources to
support students.
Support Methods Gathered from Teachers:
1. Using Rubrics: One great site you can access is Rubistar.
This is a great site to use rubrics as an assessment tool that you can customize. This site has a math
category and you may want to log in to experience the full service of the site. Login is free of charge.
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=NewRubric&module=Rubistarions
2. Every Pupil Response Techniques. For more details see Appendix A

Choral Response

Clothesline

Fist of Five

Four Corners

Individual Response Boards

Signal Cards

Speedometer

Thumbs Up

Windshield –See Muddy Buggy Clear: Appendix B
3. Other informal Response Techniques: For more details see Appendix C

Entrance Card -Warm-Up

Exit Card

Journal

KWL Chart

Matching

Most Difficult First
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Observation

Pre-Post Test

Word Sort
4. Stars and Stairs: Copy the form such as the one below. Describe what the student did well in the
star area and offer specific intervention feedback in the stairs area. You can also draw the star
symbol and the steps symbol next to success and intervention feedback as you write it on their
work. See Appendix D.
5. Clipboard Cruising: This idea was demonstrated at the in-service. A clipboard is used with an
index card for each student. The index cards can be lifted up to have access to each student`s
card. Anecdotal notes are recorded on the index card about each student. Some variations are
to use color coded index cards, include the outcome you are addressing on the first card, or
placing the finished card into either a recipe box or a file.
6. That`s Good! Now This: Record Success and Intervention feedback on a form such as the one
below in example 1. If students are resubmitting their work you may want to use a form such as
the one in example 2. Students revise their work based on your feedback and then reattach the
form to their reversion with a comment about what they did and a suggestion for what they
would like you to pay particular attention to. This helps you to track how they are interpreting
your advice.
Example 1
That`s Good
Example2
MY TEACHER’S COMMENTS:
That`s Good!
Now This:
MY COMMENTS:
Now This:
What I did:
Please give special attention to:
7. Glue it to Show it!: Students brainstorm previous understanding of a topic (division) and record
this information in their scribblers. Circulate around the class and have kids cut out pictorial,
vocabulary, sentences, etc. from their scribblers and glue it to a class chart. You may see
repetition and will see solid understanding. One student may mention repeated addition so
this will be the focus to work on. This is good for teacher and inspires students as they are
reminded of what they knew. Variations: You may also wish to use newspapers or magazines
that the class may go through to cut up to represent the topics.
8. Frayer Model – See appendix E for Frayer Template
The Frayer Model is an organizer used to categorize a math word/concept and build vocabulary.
It prompts students to think about and describe the meaning of a word/concept by giving a
definition, describing the main characteristics, and providing examples and non-examples of the
word or concept. This organizer is especially helpful to use with a concept that might be
confusing because of its close connection to another concept.
9. Concept Definition Map – See Appendix F for Map Template
The purpose of a concept map is to prompt students to identify the main components of a
concept, show, the interrelatedness, and build vocabulary. Information is placed into logical
categories, allowing students to identify properties, characteristics, and examples of the
concept.
10. KWL –
Know
Want to Know
Learned
K-W-L is an instructional strategy that guides students through a text and uses a 3 column organizer
to consolidate the important ideas. Students brainstorm what they know about the topic and
record it in the K column. They then record what they know in the W column. During and after
exploration, students record what they have learned in the L column. The KWL has several
purposes; it



Illustrates a student a student’s prior knowledge
Gives a purpose to the exploration
Helps a student monitor his or her comprehension
11. Think Aloud
Although usually used in reading, it is a useful tool around solving problems. Thoughts are
verbalized, and meaning is constructed around vocabulary and comprehension. It is helpful for
brainstorming, exploring story problem features, and constructing meaning when solving
problems. It can reveal to a teacher the strategies that are part of a student’s experience and
those that are not. This process should encourage students to follow the following strategies as
teacher models verbally the thinking process:





Connect new information to prior knowledge
Develop a mental image
Make predictions
Self-question
Revise as comprehension increases
12. Three, Two, One…
On an index card or in math scribblers have students vertically list:
3…
2…
1…
This can be adapted in any way to fit the concept area being taught / learned. For 3, students can
list 3 facts, for 2, list 2 new learnings, for 1 a question that they still have.
13. Academic Journals
The types of materials students would put in their journals would be…

Strategic lessons- lessons they would identify as being pivotal as they attempt to understand
mathematics
 Examples of problem-solving strategies
 Important vocabulary
Journals should only be marked on a basis of how the student is using the journal and whether
or not they have appropriate entries. The goal is to help students articulate their understanding
of mathematics and their thought processes in solving problems and learning concepts.
14. Checklists for Observation
If teachers have a systematic way of gathering and recording information, it will allow them to
provide valuable feedback about student progress to both students and parents. First teachers
must decide what they are looking for and which students will be observed today.
Some possible recoding data examples:
Understanding
Students
Super:


Clear communication
Communicates concepts in multiple
representations
 Shows evidence of using ideas without
prompting
On Target:

Understands or develops well
Uses designated models
Not Yet:




Shows some confusion
Misunderstands
Models ideas only with help
Name:
Date
Activity
Observed behavior
Progress Suggested
15. Cups for understanding—Use red or green depending on their level of understanding. Students
will place the red cup on their desk to show that they need additional help. When they place
the green one, that informs the teacher that they do not require any help.