It also allowed me to look across the classroom and see if all students had a green sheet out. Saying ‘green sheet’ led to nearly 100% of students being successful with my request. When I say, “ Everyone, please get out your green sheet on solving systems of equations“, it takes moments for the entire class to have out the correct sheet. ” and then watched students spend 5 minutes digging through their folders looking for the right sheet only for 1/2 of them to get out the wrong one? I reserve the color green in my classroom to only be used for the 1-2 review sheets I make for students each unit. Why green card stock? Have you ever tried saying, “ Students, please get out your review sheet on ‘solving systems of equations‘. I call this one-pager review sheet a ‘green sheet’ because it is printed on green paper, specifically green card stock. Simply, a ‘green sheet’ is one sheet of paper reviewing mathematical concepts, connected to current learning, for students to use in the math courses I teach. Green Sheets alone will not solve your challenge of supporting students who are not academically ready – but they will give you a tool that can be part of a larger overall plan (and they may be a great way to start). SOOOOOOOOOOO……….I created a plan to support all students being able to do grade level work in my courses. (& again, as I said above, I refuse to create separate courses for students who are ready and those who are not for grade level work. Two, it is not fair to the students who are academically ready for the course they are enrolled in. One, slowing down means that they will not have time for grade level work and this will put them further behind. It is so tempting to slow down my pacing and teach the things I know many of my students missed out on prior to the courses I teach. BUT – they can not do grade level mathematics unless I have a plan to support them in filling the academic holes/gaps they arrive with AND to do this with minimal time lost to grade level work. Regardless of this, I know that all of these students can do grade level mathematics. I have large numbers of students that are not proficient on our state exams. Each year I have large percentages of students who arrive – due to EL status or homelessness or _ – with gaps in their education – due to no fault of the own. I believe that all students in my mathematics courses can grow and learn grade level material.Ĭhallenging my beliefs my entire career has been a large portion (more than 50%, at times much higher) of students enrolled in my courses each year that are not academically ready to be there. I am against teachers teaching ‘7th grade math’ and only covering 60% of the curriculum because they feel their students are not ready to go faster. I support NCTM’s ‘Catalyzing Change’ books with recommendations like ‘Dismantling structural obstacles that stand in the way of mathematics working for each and every student.’ Specifically, I am against taking students out of grade level courses and putting them in courses that slow down the curriculum. I am a big believer in heterogeneous grade level classes for all. If I am teaching Algebra 2, then all my students – even if some test says they are not ready for Algebra 2 – will be supported in making growth on Algebra 2 standards. I am passionate in my pursuit to assure all my students, regardless of the skills and background they brought with them, make growth on grade level mathematics.
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