Tunstall’s Teaching Tidbits-blog 

Tidbits-blog 
October 22, 2018 
2018 
 
Math Block Balance​
Balance​- ​allow yourself flexibility to adjust to your class needs 

 
10% of the time Warm up 
25% of the time Whole group 
55% of the time Small Groups/Rotations 
10% of the time Reflection/Share 
 
Experts say​
say..​.. ​Students struggle with….. 
Perseverance in problem Solving 
Critical thinking 
Communication 

 
  
WARM UP​ UP​- ​ (10 mins) short spiral review, keep past concepts fresh (Number 
Corner)  
 
- Not about the answer it is about the process, making connections…..why did 
you think of that? ( Number Talk)  
- Video- Mental Math /Number talk 
Teaching Channel Classroom Close up 
 
Monday​​- Math
Monday ​Math Cha​ Cha​t- Number talk 
​Mix-up​- Center card that has a match- Students mix and mingle to find 
Mix-up​
your matching buddy 
Money- ​Review Money 
Mingle- ​Mingle and Count- get into groups of a number ( number sense) - 
Review group rules Be respectful, get into the group, how do you behave and 
problem solve. Students walk around saying mingle and teacher calls out a number. 
Students group themselves… if not in a group provide a different movement. For 
example hop like a frog.  
 
Tuesday-​​ Time  
Tuesday- ​Time
​ Talk it Out​
Out​ - Number talk 
T​ricky
ricky Tales​
Tales​- TEK that students are struggling with 
 
Wednesday- Workout​ Workout​- youtube math song- Doubles Rap 
​Wordy Wednesday​
Wordy Wednesday​- current concept vocabulary 
​ Which one​
one​- Number relationships. Which number doesn’t belong 
​ What’s wrong​
wrong​- Study what went wrong with a problem 
Thursday- Thinking
Thinking​​- Higher order thinking  
​Theorem​- Mathematician thinking 
Theorem​
  Things​​- Subitizing 
Things
 
Friday- Fast Facts​
Facts​- Fluency strategies 
​ Find It Friday​
Friday​- Real world image 
Flip it Friday- Hide something under a paper and give clues 
Fun Friday- Game 
 
Game- countdown-- similar to Sparkle- count by….stop at…. 
 
Whole Group 
Group 
 
Powerful Math mini lessons followed up with small group 
group 
 
4 key components 
components 
Establish learning goal​
goal​- *TEKS…..I can statement 
 
Hands on​
on-​ keep mini lesson as conceptual as you can. Create a model, work with 
document camera 
Thinking out loud​
loud​- Talk through how to get an idea. Model what a mathematician 
does. 
Public participation - ​Model with peers  
 

 
Mini Lesson ( 10-15 mins) 
Time management - Shorter, dynamic 
● Clear plan 
 
Example lesson- 
Essential Question/Lesson objective/Lesson 
● Number line 
● Number necklaces- greatest number, least number 
● Hundred chart 
 
 
SET EXPECTATIONS- CHAMPS- Locker Room Chat  Chat 
 
Review expectations either daily or on Monday 
 
*Math Journal- Make a sample copy  
 
Making the Groups 
Groups 
● Academic abilities 
● Social development 
● Behavioral needs 
 
Mixed Ability​
Ability​- Students of different strengths and weaknesses work together in 
math rotations 
How to hold students accountable if in small group? 
 
Same Ability​
Ability​- Teacher can be a rotation 
 
Research doesn’t say one way is better than the other 
 
Social and Behavioral​
Behavioral​- students are grouped considering how personality traits work 
together. Students that require behavior modifications are carefully placed and 
monitored. Role models/leaders are used, ongoing feedback and praise used. **Use 
student bubbies 
Management Tools for Difficult students

 
 
 
Fast Finishers- Expert 
Expert 
* Goal is not to have fast finishers 
 
1. Extra credit practice- worksheets for students who like paper pencil 
2. Math stick games- BANG, SORRY Subtraction, Addition 
3. Math cards/Tasks- Center cards that students have already seen. Pocket chart, 
concentration--similar to Mix it Monday 
4. Well-loved stations- one that students really liked  
 
Pacing Pains 
Pains 
Natural Stamina 
Stamina 
 
Mayhem monitoring- watch and listen to the productive hum. * shorten time at 
each station.   
Molasses Molly 
Molly 
2 types- 
Time waster 
Most and best 
One-on-one agreement- today you are going to get to this problem, then you can 
rotate..modify for that students..increase all year long 
Constant praise and feedback 
 
Checking Work- Thursdays * great for Seesaw 
Seesaw 
Folder and journal out 
Incomplete or missing 
Corrections 
 
Friday rotations- use this time to make up work 
 
SMALL GROUP 
GROUP 
Differentiated 
Enhanced communication 
Daily use of manipulatives 
Teacher knowledge 
Students stay focused 
 
LET’S DIFFERENTIATE 
DIFFERENTIATE  
CONTENT..PROCESS..PRODUCT 
CONTENT..PROCESS..PRODUCT 
 
Content (​(​ TEKS) - ​change delivery  
*chunk 
 
Process​​- ​learning styles 
Process
Tool & Strategies (visual auditory, kinesthetic)  
 
- For example, you can use a tool to help get them going, but they need 
strategies that are going to allow them to grow to make further connections 
 
Product-​ use blooms (verbs)..draw, build, discuss, explain, create, identify, relate, 
Product-​
examine, choose, justify, compare, design AND CRA 
 
ROTATIONS 
ROTATIONS 
 
1. Self Selected System 
● Students move themselves through centers in a 
systematic way Using contracts or planning sheets 
to record what activities have been completed 
 
2. Rotation System 
● When using a rotation system, a designated amount of 
time is given to each center before students move to 
the next center. 
Kids move or Stations Move 

 
STACK (5 groups) 
groups)  
S​- small group- teacher table 
T​- Technology 
A​- Apply- Independent Practice (Current Skill) put after small 
group table. Can use any math tools (Community bucket). Place 
for your graded assignment in stations  
C​- Create- Math Journal, Critical thinking problems (Can take a 
grade from Journal) Differentiate  
K​- Kinesthetic -Hands on Math center, games, center activities, 
manipulatives, moving pieces (Use picture to monitor) 
Reflection   
Reflection
 

 
 
Use photos to show examples of good center work 
work 
-What do we see that is good? 
good? 
-What could we do better? 
better? 
Only show a picture with bad without kids in it
it  
Organization- 
Organization- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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