Elementary Mathematics

Lisa Saldivar
(310) 354-3492
lisa.saldivar@lausd.net


  • Routines to Promote Thinking

    Posted by LISA SALDIVAR on 7/17/2015

    This morning I slid into the parking lot of LD South, Earth, Wind and Fire blaring on the radio, singing "Love’s Holiday" like I was Maurice White himself. As I walked in, I looked down only to notice that I was wearing navy shoes with my black and beige outfit. Now, these navy shoes are not just any navy shoes. They are clouds strapped to my feet. They are incredibly ugly, but are pillowy goodness that Dansko likes to call the “Larissa” sandal. Dansko, just a side note, a cute name does not make them any cuter.  It doesn’t matter that they make me feel like I can walk ¼ of a mile (yes, that says ¼ of a mile), but the fact of the matter is, they do not match my outfit no matter what I wanted to tell myself. How did this happen? How could I have left the house looking like I didn’t even think about what I was putting on? Oh that’s right, because I wasn’t thinking! That’s what happens when things begin to become routine. Have you ever driven somewhere, only to get there and not realize how you got there? You were on autopilot and thinking goes out of the window when you are on autopilot. The next thing you know, you have navy shoes with a black and beige outfit.

     

    As we open the new school year (YAY!!!), let's think about the math routines that we lead our students through. Do they encourage students to think? Are their minds on fire, considering all possibilities, or are they mouthing the same series of numbers they said the day before?  Are they skip counting to 100 in Kindergarten out of routine or do they truly understand why each number comes after the one before it? Do our calendar activities of stating the next color in the pattern really teach kids why patterns are important and do regrouping the sticks into tens and ones really teach place value? As we consider how we spend our time with our kids, time that is sacred and limited, think about our routines and how they are contributing to students’ understanding of number. Have a conversation with your colleagues and talk about what math routines you do to get your students’ brains fired up. You may find that it is time to change it up and challenge your students in a new way. Below are some suggestions, with more to come, for math routines and links to resources that I have found useful and I hope that you find them useful, too. I wouldn’t want you to walk out in navy shoes with a black and beige outfit, after all.

     

     

    Counting Collections

    Background Information

    Directions

    Student Recording Sheet

    Parent Letter in English and Spanish

    Videos- Primary and Upper

    Powerpoint for PD

      

    True/False Number Sentences

     
     
     
     
                

    One of These Things

     
     


    Ways to Make a Number

     

     

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  • Elementary Math Updates

    Posted by LISA SALDIVAR on 6/17/2015

    • Elementary Math Summer 2015 Professional Development Online Course: Elementary teachers can register to take a 3-hour online course in the My Professional Learning Network (MyPLN). This elementary math course offers 7 chapters of learning, covering Math CCSS shifts, standards, practices, curriculum maps, First 10 Days of School, Number Talks, Number Strings, 3-Phase Problem Solving Structure, planning and assessing, and the Smarter Balanced Assessment. This course is for elementary teachers, elementary administrators, elementary out-of-the classroom personnel (coordinators, coaches). Individuals who fully complete the course by midnight, 6/26/15, will receive a $200 stipend. There will be no partial stipend for partial completion. To register, follow the directions here.

      (Info from ESC West) 

    • Delivery of My Math Materials: The following is an update regarding the delivery of mathematics instructional materials, specifically, the new My Math Program. (Info from ESC West)

       

      1. My Math instructional materials are now being shipped out to schools by McGraw Hill.  We estimate that 85% to 90% of material will be delivered to all schools by June 19.  If you do not receive the material by this date, the materials will be stored at the warehouse and will be delivered in July, when the school re-opens.  

       

      2. Once you receive the material, please check the materials in the boxes against the packing slip and the purchase order.  

       
      • The packing slip will be INSIDE of Box #1.  Please make sure you keep this  packing slip on file. 
      • The purchase orders will be sent from Textbook services via school mail—many have already been mailed.  Please make sure to give the SAA this purchase order.     
      • Your SAA should go into SAP and process the goods receipt for the materials received.   If it is only some materials, she/he should only process a partial goods receipt.  This tells Accounts Payable to pay the invoice.  Please make sure this is done prior to leaving school for the summer break. 
       

      3. If your school ordered TK material, it will be labeled as "Pre-K."  This is how McGraw Hill labels the program, but it is intended for your TK Students.

       

      4. For those teachers who have registered for the Elementary Math Summer PD for the new textbook, My Math, we are encouraging them to bring the Teacher's Edition from the new program.  They should bring the TE for the grade level they will be teaching next school year.  If this is not possible, teachers can bring a digital device and they will be able to access the TE online. 


    • Obsolete enVision Math Materials: As we move into our new math adoption for the 2015-2016 school year, Central would like to remind us of the specific protocols for replacing our previous series with the new adoption. REF-6497, titled "Transfer of Obsolete Mathematics Textbooks and Related Materials to District Warehouse" states "all Mathematics textbooks and related instructional materials replaced by the newly adopted textbooks and instructional materials must be kept at school site until the newly adopted materials are implemented at the school site to ensure Williams sufficiency in case of any delays in receipt of the new materials. Once all newly adopted materials have arrived and schools are Williams compliant, then obsolete materials are sent to the District textbook warehouse." Once the newly-adopted Mathematics textbooks and instructional materials are implemented, all previous materials may then be sent to the District Warehouse per the instructions set forth in REF-6497. Please note that any sales of obsolete instructional materials shall be conducted by Procurement, not by individual school sites.

    • Common Core Elementary Math Summer Professional Development: Due to the number of no-shows this week, they are allowing a small number of walk-ins to the My Math Summer Professional Development at Legacy High School (Address: 5225 Tweedy Blvd., South Gate, 90280). K-6 classes are available Thursday, June 18th and Friday, June 19th. As a reminder, teachers should bring their Teacher Edition, if available, and a digital device to access the online resources. Teachers will be paid their hourly rate and the class is from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Participants may only attend the My Math Training once. There will be no further My Math training in the South region after June 19th. 

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  • Math Updates for New Textbook Adoption

    Posted by LISA SALDIVAR on 5/20/2015
    As we move into our new math adoption for the 2015-2016 school year, Central would like to remind us of the specific protocols for replacing our previous series with the new adoption. REF-6497, titled "Transfer of Obsolete Mathematics Textbooks and Related Materials to District Warehouse" states "all Mathematics textbooks and related instructional materials replaced by the newly adopted textbooks and instructional materials must be kept at school site until the newly adopted materials are implemented at the school site to ensure Williams sufficiency in case of any delays in receipt of the new materials. Once all newly adopted materials have arrived and schools are Williams compliant, then obsolete materials are sent to the District textbook warehouse."
     
    Please see here for the full reference guide and label for sending books to the District Warehouse: REF-6497 and Label
     
    Additionally, McGraw Hill will be sending the new textbooks to school sites shortly. As a reminder, the books marked "Preschool Program" are actually for the Transitional Kinder (TK) classes. Schools will need to ensure that these books are given to the TK classes. 
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  • PD Update

    Posted by CHARITY WEBER on 11/19/2014
    We are wrapping up the K/1 Thinking Tools professional development in elementary math.  Please check the upcoming ESC South Professional Development Calendar for dates to attend the Fractions PD for grades 3-5.  The Grades 3-5 Fractions professional developments will focus on strategic, intentional methods to deliver fractions to students.  Hands-on activities will familiarize participants with CCSS Math fractions content standards on what is the same and what is different for their specific grade levels.  They will also participate in tasks and activities that can be taken back to the classroom that will support student development going from the concrete to the abstract.
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