Having done many of the lessons this year, I appreciated learning the "why" behind them. Knowing the research and process that went into the curriculum gives me a foundation for going forward.
Porter
What you’ll get:
Facilitator: Sarah Schaefer
Location: Virtual Live Sessions via Zoom Platform
Target Audience: Early Childhood Teachers, Math Coaches, Math Coordinators, Teacher Leaders
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What you’ll learn:
Session 1
Our first session will be an introduction to the Developing Roots Pre-K program with a focus on classroom setup, organizing student materials, and navigating the Teacher’s Guide and Teacher Toolkit. You will learn the importance of establishing a classroom culture that fosters independence, perseverance and deep thinking in your young mathematicians.
Session 2
We will explore Unit of Study 1: My Space, My Place and the big ideas of math in this unit, with an emphasis on helping students develop a beginning understanding of number, number names, and numerals. Through an examination of UOS1 lessons, you will learn to use the learning trajectories within each lesson as a tool for assessing student learning and differentiating instructional activities for your students. You will also learn how to integrate choral counting routines into your classroom, as well as the importance of providing students with independent practice through games during “math shelf” or “math center” time.
Session 3
The focus for this session will be on the spiraling math ideas addressed in UOS 2: Explore Some More, with the main focus on geometry. As you participate in lessons from UOS2, you’ll learn how to use the “Look for” section of your teacher’s guide to help you document and record student growth. You will also learn how to incorporate the math routine of Quick Looks in your classroom as a way for students to explore patterns.
Session 4
We will explore the math content of Unit of Study 3: Helping Hands and Unit of Study 4: Winter Wonderings. Identifying common attributes, patterns and mathematical relationships is a focus of UOS3 and UOS4, and will therefore be the focus of our lesson study. You will learn how to implement the Paired Looks routines as a means of building the foundations for fluency, and explore additional ideas for enhancing the learning and deepening student thinking through questioning and extension activities.
Session 5
The final session of the year, will focus on helping students explore part-whole relationships through the lessons in Unit of Study 5: What Spring Brings. Participants will learn the importance of conceptual subitizing in helping students combine parts to make a whole in order to build a foundation for operational thinking and fluency. The big ideas of measurement and data will also be explored through a study of UOS5 lessons.
Having done many of the lessons this year, I appreciated learning the "why" behind them. Knowing the research and process that went into the curriculum gives me a foundation for going forward.
Never before have I attended such an excellent conference! Early childhood mathematics is complex. The creators of Developing Roots have developed a program that adds logistics and practicality to mathematical theory in a way that incorporates best practices and most importantly, in a way that is meaningful to young children. It is heavily researched, tested, and teach-approved. Even so, Sarah & Cheri realize the work is never finished and they’re happy to work with teachers as they work for teachers.
Sarah presented tasks that made us think. Through these tasks, administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals engaged in the productive struggle that our students will endure each day when using this incredible resource. She continuously reminded us of the importance of helping our students remember that this uncomfortable feeling means that their brains are growing.
The energy with both campuses was extremely positive and their feedback was equally encouraging. Donna was masterful at modeling routines and stressing the importance of looking towards big ideas and using appropriate math language. I also appreciated the way Donna spoke about integrating math into your day and not just in math class. Explaining the reason this program works and how it changes the way kids think through play. Also suggesting ways to extend activities and having us participate in the activities. I am so excited to teach this program next year.
Those two days were fantastic. When you come, you bring an energy that is contagious for all of our teachers. After going through the pandemic, I thought we needed a little spark in math, and you definitely gave it to us. You don't waste a minute and are so devoted to whatever we ask you to do. It was really fun to hear the impressions of those teachers who had never met you before. They were truly wowed and so excited about enhancing their teaching. You are one talented educator, Sarah, and we are so fortunate our paths have crossed.
The true passion Sarah delivers makes my teacher's heart sing! It is so helpful to hear honesty so freely. I feel so inspired after spending valuable time practicing as a teacher and student. I am motivated by the classroom setup to run back home and make my classroom that is engaging for my students. Thank you!