Math



=Math Resources=


 * 1) **[|Pop Your Way to the PSSA document]**

//**This PSSA incentive program was first developed by the Math Specialist**// [|Susanna Freed] //**and Reading Specialist Shannon Nickischer at [|Nazareth Middle School].**// 
 * Both teachers created or found questions that addressed these troublesome anchors and created a handout for the school's math and reading teachers.
 * Utilizing their school's six-day cycle, the teachers of reading and math posed a problem a day to their students for the first five days of the cycle. Each student received his/her own copy of the **//Pop Your Way to the PSSA//** handout.
 * On the sixth day of the cycle, the teachers turned in their sheets and winners were selected from all the students who performced proficient or advanced. Winners were given a prize such as microwave popcorn as a reward for their scores.
 * After three cycles were completed, winners were selected to receive a movie party consisting of popcorn, prizes, and a movie. The movie party was determined to be the day before first day of the PSSA testing window.

2. [|Keeping Data for Learning in Math doc] __ ument __
//**This exercise is based on the principles and practices of**// [|DataNotGuesswork]//**. If used effectively, Keeping Data for Learning is a tool that states key vocabulary that students must know for the PSSA. To reduce the volume of data without compromising the quality of information, random sampling is used. Students are responsible for monitoring their own progress using**// [|DNG graphs document]//**.**// [|DNG Grades 5 and 6 page 1 doc] [|DNG Grades 5 and 6 page 2. doc] [|DNG Grades 5 and 6 page 3. doc] [|DNG Grades 5 and 6 page 4. doc] [|DNG Grades 5 and 6 page 5. doc] [|DataNotGuesswork Answer Key Grades 5 and 6. doc] [|DNG Grades 7 and 8 page 1. doc] [|DNG Grades 7 and 8 page 2. doc] [|DNG Grades 7 and 8 page 3. doc] [|DNG Grades 7 and 8 page 4. doc] [|DataNotGuesswork Answer Key Grades 7 and 8.doc] [|DNG Grade 11, page 1. doc] [|DNG Grade 11, page 2. doc] [|DNG Grade 11, page 3. doc] [|DNG Grade 11, page 4. doc]

3. Math Trifolds and Quadfolds
[|Grades K - 2 Math Assessment Trifolds] [|Grades 3 - 5 Math Assessment Trifolds] [|Grades 6 - 8 Math Assessment Trifolds] [|Traditional High School Math Trifolds and Quadfolds] [|Integrated High School Math Trifolds and]
 * //Under the direction of//** [|Stacy Pizzola//**] **//and//** [|Drue Feilmeier] **//from//** [|Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit #13] **//teacher committees in that regional area created math assessment anchor content standards prepared in a tri-fold format to allow teachers to examine math scope and sequence across three, sometimes fourth grade level//**

4. [|Assessment Anchor Tool Kit]
**//During the summer of 2004, a team of experienced math teachers from across the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit #13 area converged and created a collection of teacher-friendly tools that would allow districts to easily check their mathematics curriculum alignment and to identify the prioritized essential learning//** **//for all students at each grade level. Primary Grade Companion Documents were created by back mapping the eligible content referenced within the Grade 3 Assessment Anchors.//**

[|Assessment Anchor Tool kit Usage document]

===**5.** [|Fading support poster document] ===


 * //Kelly Pauling, Director of Curriculum at [|Colonial Intermediate Unit #20], contributed the idea of a fading support poster. Commericially-made posters can now become interactive educational tools with the use of post-it notes. On a daily basis use one post-it note to cover up a single piece of key information on posters identifying mathematical concepts and ideas around your room. The process should be done both gradually until all the information on the poster is covered. Allow for engagement and active participation by having students in the class try to can guess which part of the poster will be covered the day before.//**

6. PSSA-specific Instructional Strategies
 **//Maria Katsaros//****//, Instructional Supervisor of Mathematics at Upper Merion School District, offers these instructional strategies to introduce students to rubrics.//**
 * Present the rubric on an overhead transparency underlining key vocabulary. Discuss and explain key vocabulary. Discuss and explain key terms.
 * Explain each level of the rubric, noting the use of words such as "all, most, some, few, or none" and their relationship to the scores 0 - 4.
 * Brainstorm and practice a problem together.
 * Have students score their own work using the Math General Problem Solving Rubric and discuss how they can improve their scores.
 * Use the [|item sampler] to illustrate the differences between a 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0 score. A //third grade item sampler has been hyperlinked for your perusal.//

7. **Explanation Tips**

 * Show all the steps used to solve the problem. If a calculator was used, or did some of the work came from memory, students must write a description of the steps they followed.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">Write an explanation stating the mathematical reason(s) why each step was taken to solve the problem.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">Explain not describe the steps used to solve the problem.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">** Description ** || <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">** Explanation ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">**// "I multiplied 5 and 20 to get 100." //** || <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">**// "I multiplied the number of quizzes and the number of points of each quiz to find the total points for the quizzes." //** ||
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">A good way to remember the difference between describing and explaining steps to solve a problem would be to incorporate the use of the words contained in the [|Magic Words doc]__ ument __.