Bridges Blog Archive for Classroom Management

I've been working with an extremely diverse group of learners, looking at the 4th Grade October Number Corner Calendar Grid. At the beginning of the month one experienced Bridges student detected a pattern, labeling it "base 4." Another child was unable to detect any patterns; even when asked to pair-share, the child couldn't come up with an idea on what the next day might look like.

The following list of links and resources is designed to support Bridges users with planning, prep, and organization as they begin a new school year.

Manipulatives

How do you ensure engagement from all students? On Lesson Cast, you'll find a 2:24 minute video called "Every Student Response Strategies." In it, you'll find pictures and descriptions of several techniques designed to generate responses from every student, including:

K-1 teacher Misti Simmons of Evansville School in Casper, Wyoming, loves to play the guitar during transition times, integrating movement into warm-ups. Even as children hang up their back packs they know to look to the Smart Board to see what's rockin' today. No down time in this K-1 classroom!

Misti sent in the extensive collection of links for songs and activities that she uses with her kids. The blog will feature them over the next several months, by content. Warning: After listening to these, I've been known to walk around for days, chanting the lyrics. They're catchy!

This past summer in a Getting Started Workshop, we discussed ways to balance student participation. In the Number Corner books, it suggests putting each child's name on a craft stick.

Last month, Shelly Scheafer shared an inspiring math moment from her first grade classroom in Bend, Oregon. Here are a few follow-up questions with this Bridges teacher.

Question: Your students show a high degree of mathematical confidence. How do you grow and maintain that confidence?

Susan Morris recently "retired" from Portland Public Schools where she taught grades 3-5. She now works as a Math/RTI Coach at Forest Park School. She shared this tip while participating in a Grade 4 Bridges Getting Started Workshop: