I am writing today with several exciting items! I hope that this will be a welcome relief from the seemingly endless stream of notifications from every company that has your contact information telling you about their protocol for limiting the spread of the coronavirus!
Concrete Foundations in Early Algebra
I was so looking forward to many of you joining me for my talk at AMS. It, of course, was not to be. But you have two options to get that content:
- Come to AMS- Boston in March 2021. I plan to re-propose the topic and hope to be re-accepted. Then, barring other unforeseen circumstances, you will see the same talk that you would have seen last weekend as part of the AMS conference. This option is free-ish: all you need to do is pay for the conference (!) and wait 11 1/2 months.
- Get the monograph by the same name today – Concrete Foundations in Integers and Algebra contains all of the content from the talk and beyond. It includes full lesson write-ups, material-making masters for tickets and displays, follow-ups and more. While this option isn’t free-ish, I am offering this monograph at half price (just $10) for the next month, whether you were scheduled to come to AMS or not. Just use the coupon code CONCRETE50 at checkout.
Three New Products
Today, I am releasing three new products to the math page. The first two cover curricula for which children are now held accountable by Common Core Standards: Ratio/Proportion and Probability/Statistics. These are natural extensions of fraction studies already ongoing in your classrooms. Both lesson albums include detailed lesson plans, masters for material-making, graphs and other illustrations, follow-ups, and Controls of Error. They are all fully indexed to the common core standards that they introduce. Whenever possible, the lessons are taught concretely. Sometimes they use Montessori classroom materials and sometimes they are augmented by things like playing cards, coins, or checkers. The sequences bridge children from concrete to abstract understanding – some earlier than others. For some lessons, instruction is predominantly abstract but continues to Isolate the Difficulty and to lead children on a path of self-discovery. Click on the Sneak-a-Peek for each product to see the full scope and sequence of the lessons with CCSS indexing, a bit of theory on the approach, and a couple of sample lessons.
The third product is called Alternate Numeration Systems. It has 2 sections: one on Roman Numerals and one on introducing Alternate Base Systems. While there is little or no Common Core accountability for children in these two areas, both reinforce concepts of place value in the decimal system. Roman Numerals explores a system of numbers with no positional notation (place value) and Alternate Bases explores the true meaning of hierarchies in multiple bases. Both build children’s semantic knowledge of the hierarchy of numbers in ways that other lessons cannot. As with today’s two other releases, the monograph includes detailed lesson plans, masters for material-making, charts, follow-up activities and Controls of Error.
I hope that these will brighten your day and will allow you to teach these subjects in the style of the Montessori Method.
More than anything, in these days of confinement, I wish you all continued health and optimism. I hope that you find ways to stay stimulated and connected with those darling children who you love so well. May this plague pass us by quickly and definitively so that we can all return to the work that we are meant to do in the manner that we know to be best for children.
Peace to you all-
Betsy