As a teacher we all make mistakes or find out the hard way that "there was a better way". I have always had a little bit of trouble teaching number sentences with missing addends to my students in a way they they can wrap their heads around. It always seems to be super confusing no matter how much I scaffold or reteach. This year while brainstorming ways to teach this skill. Actually…I had two. Needless to say they both failed miserably, once when my principal came in to informally observe my classroom.
My first idea was simply to use a part-part-whole map. Poof! I thought it would be crystal clear to them like it was to me! If they understand that the whole is the sum in addition and the first subtrahend in a subtraction sentence then this would work perfectly. However when I began to explain it to my students it was like I was speaking a foreign language…yea….it was frustrating.
After my second idea which involved a number line I decided it is okay to try new ways of reteaching, but its always good to have a back up plan in case that epiphany you had at 3:00 a.m. the night before doesn’t work out like you have hoped.
Scaffolding is key. Make sure they know the basics and if they don't that is where you need to start. They need to have a solid foundation before moving on to anything else.
Post-Failure Plans...
1. What can I do differently when I go back and reteach?
2. Are there students who understood what was taught and how can the lesson be extended for them?
3. What were the misconceptions for those students who did not meet the expectations and how can they be addressed?
Thanks for reading,
Deb Avrick
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