Hey Everyone!
I would like to clarify a little about the 20 big ideas. We have a set of big ideas for each subject area. For example, math has 20 but language has 12. We are still in the process of revising these, as each curriculum rewrite comes up. We do not assess all of the big ideas from each subject area. We have picked these things to assess for our target assessments, three times a year - non-fiction reading, fiction reading (comprehension and written responses,) descriptive paragraph, solving 2 step story problems, 3 digit addition and subtraction, 95 addition facts in 4 mintues, 95 subtraction in 4 minutes, 95 multiplication facts in 4 minutes and graphing information. Is there a specific subject area you would like to know the big ideas for?
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2 comments:
Jessie,
A little off the subject but as a third grade teacher is it important that kids do math facts in a given amount of time. I thought we had left that thinking. What do you think? Does it make some kids to anxious?
I also use timed tests in my room (1 minute for 30 problems in single digit addition and subtraction; 2 minutes for 40 problems in multiplication). I find that many of my students are still using fingers in third grade and it takes them a considerable amount of time to complete basic facts. If anyone has a better way of increasing their speed and getting them away from fingers and drawing lines before they go onto fourth grade, please advise. I know that we aren't supposed to encourage skill and drill in math facts anymore, but our middle school students are still using their fingers in math class, so to me something is being missed here. I give my kids the example that when you go to the Brandon Store, it is much quicker to round up and add prices in your head than use your fingers to see if you have enough money to buy ice cream cones for you and your brothers and sisters (or worse yet, get to the clerk and not have enough money after she has scooped up each of your cones!).
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