Reflection and revision close the loop on learning. If students merely receive work back as "graded" they don't have the opportunity to digest what they could do differently. Better yet, when given an opportunity to revise, students can grow from their mistakes.
Today, as I return student work from yesterday's centers I provide students with time to make sense of feedback that was provided. This time includes opportunities to ask questions and make revisions.
I conclude this warm-up by putting an expression from one of the centers on the board x/12 and then list some examples of phrases (word) from the students' work.
I ask students to talk with their group members to determine which of these phrases does not belong and why.
This discussion pushes students thinking about the properties of different operations. Some students think that the last choice is incorrect because of the word quotient.
Comparing these phrases requires precise thinking, so make sure to extend the discussion to help students recognize that 12 divided by a number is different from a number divided by 12 because there is no commutative property of division.
While students work on their choice time activities, I pull small groups of students to the side table to work on using models and manipulates to solve problems. The goal of this guided practice is to help students make connections between modeling, writing/expressing, and solving a problem.
Working with a small group of students (grouped by ability/color group), I ask them to take turns reading a story problem out loud. Then, I guide the students through the process of:
During choice time, students have the freedom to move from station to station at their own pace. They are encouraged to attempt to solve the problems independently first, then ask a friend at the same station for help if needed. Before moving on, I ask them to compare answers and have a discussion if their answers vary.
Choices (the majority of these resources are pulled from our text book, I use them as a review a the end of the topic to help students reinforce skills.)
To create your own choices, tailored to your students, you can find activity resources online. For example, translating words into algebraic expressions can be found on the Math-Aids Web Site.
Because we didn't have a great deal of time to share out today, I have students record their group share thought on the cover sheet of their work. Students organize their center work, and turn in their work/share product.