math free-time
TRANSCRIPT
Math Free-Time Rocks!Presentation for Global Math Department by Amanda Northrup @msnorthrup
Inspired by work done by Justin Lanier @j_lanier www.ichoosemath.comandPaul Salomon @lostinrecursionwww.lostinrecursion.com
The Skinny:• 20-40 minutes• At least once per month• Math through many lenses:
• Problem solving challenges• Games• Coding• Reading and writing• Creating• Practicing and Teaching
• Student choice• Goal-oriented
The Tasks• Quality, rich tasks are essential
• Tasks should be challenging, but not overwhelming
• Emphasize the many forms math can take
• Organize them into categories
Free-Time In the Classroom• Goals structure student time
• Students set 3 specific goals“Master 4 topics on IXL”“Complete 10 logic links”
• Once you start on a goal, you have 3 work periods to complete it
• Bingo format give goals further structure• When all 3 goals are complete, students may set
new goals
Celebrate AchievementWhen a goal is achieved, students write their goal on a post-it note and place it on the goals wall
“Riley taught a group of 1st graders about subtraction”
Implementation• Math Free-Time works best when it is scheduled for 20-
40 minutes at least once per month. • I schedule it every other week OR a rotation of free-
time for 4 weeks and problem-solving tasks for 4 weeks
• In weeks with no math free-time, my students participate in whole-class problem solving tasks such as those from Marcy Cook
• You will need a few days at the beginning to explain the tasks and help students create goals