Math Free-Time

Math Free-Time Rocks!Presentation for Global Math Department by Amanda Northrup @msnorthrup

Inspired by work done by Justin Lanier @j_lanier www.ichoosemath.comandPaul Salomon @lostinrecursionwww.lostinrecursion.com

The Skinny:• 20-40 minutes• At least once per month• Math through many lenses:

• Problem solving challenges• Games• Coding• Reading and writing• Creating• Practicing and Teaching

• Student choice• Goal-oriented

The Tasks• Quality, rich tasks are essential

• Tasks should be challenging, but not overwhelming

• Emphasize the many forms math can take

• Organize them into categories

Free-Time In the Classroom• Goals structure student time

• Students set 3 specific goals“Master 4 topics on IXL”“Complete 10 logic links”

• Once you start on a goal, you have 3 work periods to complete it

• Bingo format give goals further structure• When all 3 goals are complete, students may set

new goals

Celebrate AchievementWhen a goal is achieved, students write their goal on a post-it note and place it on the goals wall

“Riley taught a group of 1st graders about subtraction”

Implementation• Math Free-Time works best when it is scheduled for 20-

40 minutes at least once per month. • I schedule it every other week OR a rotation of free-

time for 4 weeks and problem-solving tasks for 4 weeks

• In weeks with no math free-time, my students participate in whole-class problem solving tasks such as those from Marcy Cook

• You will need a few days at the beginning to explain the tasks and help students create goals

All resources can be found at

teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com

Follow me@msnorthrup