Blog Post 3

Top left problem.

In my classroom, we have been disconnected from our work for a few weeks because of my MT leaving for six days of conferences and a week long field trip at a nature center. My MT created this worksheet that would bridge the gap between what the students had been working on and to remind them of where they had left off. Because each student is at a different "math skill," my MT created an open-ended work sheet that challenged the kids to make five story problems that could be applied in the real world. This helped her see two things: how the students commanded what they learned, and if they knew how to apply it appropriately and meaningfully.

This student is one that I got to work with last year in a literacy program. She was in a regular public school and struggling with reading and writing. When we realized we had the chance to work together again, we were both very excited. She not only struggled in reading and writing, but with the entirety of her schoolwork. Montessori so far has empowered her and showed her a different way of approaching her work. And though I know that not every student thrives in Montessori, this student has really developed a new relationship with her work.

This worksheet is another success for this fourth grader. She created problems that she did not realize were in an advanced math skill (four levels up!). You can see that my MT pointed out that her problems were about division. I think that because this lesson was framed with "real world" problems, this student produced authentic work that she already does everyday. Though if you gave her a division worksheet, she would shy away from it (and has in the past). She also created pictures to do the work because she did not know the formal way of setting up the work.

When she got her worksheet back, she was beaming at the compliment and felt very excited. This worksheet let her display her skills of her choosing and in her own way. The open-endedness of the task led to her success. When she was done, she grabbed a division work sheet and started on it. She was not able to complete it, but I encouraged her to continue sequentially and she would get there. I love seeing her confidence grow, and I think that it is greatly aided by worksheets like this.