I teach 5th grade math in a departmentalized group. After we take time to switch classes, we only have about 40-45min a day for math. Additionally, when a class has a field trip or guest speaker we either don't switch classes at all or have abbreviated switches of about 30 minutes which leaves about 20 minutes of classtime. This doesn't seem to bother the science or social studies teachers but I am struggling to get all the math in that I need to teach and there is no time for remediation with low students. How much time do the rest of you spend on math each day?
We don't departmentalize in third grade. The district requires (possibly a DPI requirement?) 90 minutes of math instruction for all grades at my 3-5 school.
I schedule 45 minutes a day for the official math lesson. That gives about 10 minutes for the lesson, 10 minutes for guided practice, and 20-25 minutes for independent practice. We reinforce math concepts while waiting in line at the restroom and other places. They also do drill and practice on computers during our computer lab time.
We have an hour scheduled for math every day. In that hour, we check homework, learn a new lesson, do some guided practice, and then they work independently. Most of them can finish their homework before we end the class.
While we are waiting in line, I ask, "Who knows the sum of 3 +4?" "Can someone tell me another addition problem with the same sum?" "Who can tell me three other number sentences in the same fact family as 3+4?" We have only three stalls in each bathroom, so I have 14 kids waiting while three are in each restroom. This keeps them from getting crazy, and reinforces first grade math concepts at the same time.
We have an hour each day, but many times I do not finish what I intend to... questions and other concepts always come up! We too, correct homework, odds only, introduce lesson, practice and go ...I am pushing for 1 hr 10 minutes... Also, I teach high math grade 5... I don't know how the regular teachers do it!
75 minutes--I could certainly use more though since I teach the lower performing and inclusion math students for my grade level; they would greatly benefit from additional practice time. Even 10-15 more minutes would be great!
I love having this much time! We departmentalize 4th and 5th. I teach math and science and my partner teaches language arts and soc. st. We change at lunch, so I have plenty of time to teach math.
We ability-group within the grade level for math so we have a one hour block of time that we switch kids to different math classes for instruction and practice.
In our hour (in my class) we usually correct/review homework, learn something or re-teach something and do some in class practice with an activity or something.
The hard part is when the hour is up -- your kids have to switch back, whether you have finished or not. I know, i know, departmentalized teachers do this all the time. But my self-contained flexible schedule self likes to reteach on the spot when something isn't working or it's going so well I want to start somthing else!
I dont' think that the negative i listed above though, outweighs how much our kids are progressing in our different groups (one compacted/advanced and four mixed ability where two of the four have an extra teacher and kids with math goals) so that I'd want to change it.
I have 50 min. with each homeroom. Then they are supposed to have an additional 10 min. with their homeroom teacher for basic facts. It's hard because we're departmentalized, and the number of required min. for math is greater than for math or ss.
03-24-2007, 06:32 AM
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