Why I use a Math Curriculum

For me, teaching is facilitating learning. How fortunate I am to spend my days implementing integrated and inquiry-based learning in my classroom. How thankful I am for an administrator who has given me the freedom to do so. With such a strong commitment to a fully integrated approach it may seem like a defection to use what some would call a "canned curriculum" in my math instruction. All items for instruction are provided in a tidy curriculum kit; workbooks, lesson plans, homework pages, assessments. That I use this kit may seem unusual since I there are no textbooks or curriculum for any other subject matter in my classroom. It may seem even more odd when I share that I have been given permission to not follow the math curriculum precisely. But the reality is math instruction is complex. 

No longer is instruction the presentation of algorithms and processes students must remember. We are developing in our elementary students an understanding of the base 10 number system. We explore how numbers and place values relate in this system. By the time these students are presented with traditional algorithms they should be so familiar with what the numbers do that the algorithm is simply a shortcut. In general, I find this approach is working. But the process of learning requires a lot of play and practice. Math instruction includes many games, activities, and yes, homework pages to verify understanding.

This is why I follow a curriculum: I have spent a few years creating and adapting worksheets, homework pages and assessments to meet my instructional needs. While I have some training in assessments, as all teachers do,  this is not my wheelhouse. My degree is in curriculum and instruction (of the integrated variety, of course!) The time it takes to create all the assessments and additional pages takes away from the time I can spend on instructional preparation, which is my area of expertise. If I follow the curriculum I can swap out games and activities that I think better fit the students I have before me. But the language and methods of student workbooks is echoed in homework and assessments. In short, my instruction is less disjointed than it has been.

But what about integration and inquiry? Well, I must thread math concepts into my other instruction. Integrating math is part of any STEAM activities we do and math is easily integrated into science. But what about in Social Studies or Language Arts? My students use math when we learn about economics and I have found and created some reading passages with activities on the Fibonacci sequence, Pi, and other fun math concepts. It's not full integration, but it's as close as I can get for now. So, what's a teacher to do when full integration is the goal?

She accepts her limitations.

Integrating STEAM and Social Studies

As I put together inquiry units for my fifth grade classroom, I found that I had connected social studies, writing and reading standards without much difficulty. A few adjustments were necessary to cover all standards, but all-in-all the process was more exciting than frustrating. I also found that with the abundance of content-related resources, and through careful choosing of writing lessons and prompts, it was fairly easy to connect English language arts (writing, reading and language) to math and science.

What was missing was a connection between STEAM experiences and social studies content. At first I convinced myself that I could live with that. My students would access social studies learning through a variety of activities, so it really wasn't necessary to dovetail such different learning opportunities as history and science. But as I looked at my schedule it became apparent that our STEAM time was going to be a stand-alone experience, disconnected from classroom inquiry units. That needed to change.

So, I reviewed our social studies lessons for authentic connections. Not surprisingly, once I looked through the STEM lens (the arts were already integrated), the connections jumped out at me. For example, as we cover maps and exploration we will learn about navigation tools such as the magnetic compass and the astrolabe. Students will learn how the purpose of a boat affects design and then they will design and/or create a model of a vessel to transport them and their loved ones to a new colony.

One of my best discoveries has been the book, The Ben Franklin Book of Easy & Incredible Experiments from Franklin Institute Science Museum. This book not only chronicles many of the experiments that Franklin conducted, but shares his thought process through his letters and notes. In order to conduct some of these experiments, my students will need to make some adjustments, which will provide an authentic example of implementing the scientific method.

Ben Franklin is a favorite historical figure of mine. He exemplifies the strength of daring to be different, his leadership in compromise allowed our Constitution to exist, and his scientific and technological discoveries helped propel us to a modern world. I couldn't teach American history without telling some of Ben's story and now this book will allow me to connect science to history through primary documents.  All aboard! We're heading full STEAM into history!

Citizenship Mentors? How Civil!

An integral piece of Integrated Instruction is the theme. Units of inquiry and instruction that deliver standards-based and content learning are connected through an overarching theme. Many factors influenced my choice in this year's theme of "Citizenship". After three years of teaching the history and writing of the Constitution, I wanted to provide my students an opportunity to witness how this document that was written nearly 230 years ago still impacts us.  Effective instruction attaches learning to real world experiences so I want my students to meet with active civic participants from the community.

The idea was planted in my head by a retired fourth grade teacher who had buddied her class with a local law firm to support learning about NH government, which is a fourth grade social studies expectation. In fifth grade we study the how the United States came to be an independent country. In the course of learning about exploration, colonization and the American Revolution we take a look at how the citizens responded. We compare and contrast loyalists and rebels, the Sons of Liberty and the governors put in place by the King. The actions and attitudes (and conflicts) of all these citizens shaped our country. But how do citizens today shape our government? Do they? This is what I want my students to ponder.

So I have invited members of the community to be pen pals with my students. I have asked school board members, town librarians, selectmen and police officers to name a few. We have committed to writing three to four letters during the school year that focus on what it means to be a citizen. I am eager to read how my students' understanding develops as we explore citizenship not only through the lens of history, but also as we consider how our civics impacts our science. Heady, but valuable topics. In fifth grade we evaluate opinion from informational writing, and there should be plenty of examples of both as we consider what it means to be a citizen.

By the end of fifth grade, as always, my students will have a foundational awareness of their government and an understanding of our nation's formative history. But it is my hope that with our interactions with our mentors, and other inquiry activities that are planned throughout the year, my students will also have the tools to discern fact from rhetoric, the confidence to form their own opinions and the determination to act on them. Buckle up. We are heading FULL STEAM into a year of inquiry about citizenship!

Why STEAM, or STEM, or whatever you want to call it?

There is no shortage of acronyms, abbreviations and catch phrases in education. It seems that as soon as a term is coined it becomes part of the vernacular. Several years ago that phenomena occurred with the concept of STEM education. STEM, as most people are now aware, is an acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. I have to admit, this was a phrase bandwagon I jumped on without hesitation. 

It is not surprising that I have become an eclectic teacher since I have always been an eclectic learner. While I was strongest in Language Arts, I also loved some science and some math. I used to doodle building designs in the margins of my writing notebook. But then again, I would draw pictures of animals in my math book. I knew engineering, and related areas of study, were not only for the math wiz kids, but my educational experience reinforced the concept that if I wasn't strong in ALL areas of math and science, I was supposed to stick with the humanities.

When I was a Technology Integrator I was allowed to change the computer lab to a STEM lab and to bring engineering concepts into my instruction. Now, as a classroom teacher I have adapted my jack-of-all-trades style to fully embrace inquiry learning. It seems I am knowledgeable in many areas, but not quite an expert in any field. Except, perhaps, in how to mix stuff together, which is why I am so suited to integrated, or cross-curricular, or theme-based instruction. (We do love to rename our educational theories!)  My approach helps me teach engineering to all my students because I know that everyone has the ability to design.  

But is it STEM or STEAM? Well, it is true that all design requires some art. Whether it is drawing plans, adding aesthetic features or writing or speaking to communicate, there is art in design. Many will say it is important to focus on the STEM, and not muddy the waters by adding art to it. STEM grew from the awareness that we needed to expand our teaching of math and science to create the next generation of engineers. (Yes, the "STEM grew" play on words was deliberate!) I firmly agree that we need to continue to foster those skills, but I have found engineering and design to be a place where I can encourage my reluctant writers, readers and artists to push themselves. So I consider my classroom to be a STEAM classroom, not because I want to dilute science, technology, engineering or math, but because I value them enough to honor the presentation of ideas and to include ALL learning in the process.

Ultimately, it is not about what I call it; it is about what happens in the classroom. My students will not care if I call it STEM or STEAM or inquiry or project-based. My students will only care that I foster their curiosity and give them the opportunity to develop their own understanding. My responsibility is to create a positive learning environment where every student values and honors their own abilities and feels safe enough to take a risk. Call it whatever you want, we are heading full steam (full STEAM?) into a new year of challenges and discovery!