• WELCOME TO OUR THINKING CLASSROOM

    Where everyone has something to contribute!

    What is a Thinking Classroom?

    My goal is to create an environment where students think about math and are active participants in their learning. In this classroom, students will . . . think, collaborate, persevere, and push themselves.

    How Will We Do It?

    In 6th-grade at Sakai, we use the Desmos Math Curriculum. This curriculum is designed to help every student love learning math by using the flexibility of paper, whiteboards, and the power of computers to provoke wonder, enable mathematical creativity, and connect ideas. I invite you to learn more about the Desmos Math Curriculum at https://www.desmos.com/curriculum.

    On any given day in our classroom, you will notice:

    - Standards-aligned lessons designed to get students thinking

    - Feedback that shows students what their ideas mean without judgment (which encourages perseverance and revision)

    - Frequent random groups

    - Collaboration on whiteboards

    How Can a Parent/Guardian Help?

    Homework is a chance for students to check their understanding and take the lead in their learning. Your job is to support their learning, not to give them answers, formulas, or algorithms which could stop their learning. It is called productive struggle when people are given the opportunity to use their resources to work through a challenge. This process will lead to learning and growth. Here are some things you can do to help.

    - Ask questions.

                   - What are you trying to figure out?

                   - What information has been given?

                   - What have you done so far?

                   - Have you used your resources (notebook, classwork, calculator, internet)?

    - Do not spend more than an hour on math homework.

    - It is OK to skip a problem and come back to it later.

    - If a student can not get the correct answer to a problem, it is OK. However, they must write a specific question whose answer will help them to understand and solve the problem.

    Grading in a Thinking Classroom

    In a thinking classroom, I want a student’s grade to represent their consistent mathematical understanding. I don’t want a student’s grade to be penalized by early not knowing or comprised of a single test score. Throughout the school year, I will gather lots of data and give everyone opportunities to demonstrate evidence of mathematical understanding. Students will be given a rubric of grade-level standards and examples of what understanding of those standards looks like at a mild, medium, and spicy level. Students will be able to track their own data and growth. They will have many opportunities to learn and demonstrate their depth of understanding.

    These opportunities may be:

    ✯Formative Assessments

    ✯Conversations with the teacher

    ✯Quizzes

    ✯Tests

    ✯Board Tasks