Best Blog Post of 2018

Recently I read that the best advice for growing your blog is to

WRITE THE BLOG ENTRY YOU WANT TO READ

What have I been reading?

The most awesome blog entries I have been reading lately are written by Vicki Davis who writes the Cool Cat Teacher Blog

Ms. Davis has been teaching high school for 15 years, teaching teachers how to use technology in the classroom for 20 years, blogging since 2005 and recording podcasts since 2013.  She’s earned numerous awards which you can read about on the bio written on her home page.

I take away rich, valuable, resources that I can apply from almost every share.

80 Days of Excellence

Ms. Davis is now writing a series of blogposts called, “80 Days of Excellence” which began January 1, 2018.  She has committed to learning and sharing about excellence each day, in some way.  Even though it’s now January 7th, these entries are timeless and can be easily accessed on Cool Cat Teacher Blog

What I am enjoying most about these posts is that Ms. Davis shares herself.  Her posts are rich and universal, in their truth and easily applied.  I find myself reflecting on her shares and trying different ways to increase excellence in my own life.

I could go on and on…

I hope you’ll visit Cool Cat Teacher Blog

No matter what you teach, or even if you don’t teach, I hope you check out this excellent blog!

Thank you for letting me share.

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Which Operation Should I Use to Solve a Word Problem? -- Interactive Anchor Chart

Wanted:  Anchor Chart for choosing the correct operation for problem-solving

As my students and I discuss problem-solving, I have been looking for the “exact right” anchor chart as a visible reference for choosing the correct operation.  I’ve seen anchor charts that address addition vs. subtraction or multiplication vs division but not one that includes all four operations.

Then…

     I was viewing a video on YouTube called, “Introduction to The Bar Model (Strip Diagram) - Math Problem Solving Method”.   The anchor chart I’ve been looking for was on the last screen! 

Last screen of video, "Introduction to the Bar Model"

 My rendition

I redrew this to make it larger (and add some color).  Here's what I came up with:

Make it Interactive?     

If you want to make this chart interactive, ask students to write words that helped them choose the correct operation on small sticky notes.  Tack under the appropriate strip diagram.  Words may include:

Total:  whole, biggest, everything, final amount

Addition:  in all, altogether, total, combine, sum, more

Multiplication:  each, equally, times, per, every, share, rate, product

Subtraction:  left, difference, change, how many (much) more, how many (much) less

Division:  each (also used for multiplication), one, divided, part, how many groups? Per (also used in multiplication), quotient

Share your Ideas

Do you have an idea for an anchor chart that illustrates which operation to use?  I’d love it if you would like to share it. 

Thank you for letting me share!

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