Week 6

This week, we have been reviewing for an end of the unit assessment. The only work we have done on Monday was a review, Tuesday was our assessment, and since Wednesday was a half day, we didn't have math class. During review, I would ask the students a question and they would write the answers on their slates. What I saw the most that was confusing, was the money problems. I would have them come up with one way to show 25 cents using dimes, nickels, and pennies. A few students had the same thinking by writing 5 dimes instead of 5 nickels. I think that the case here is that students are mixing up the values of nickels and dimes. I'm thinking that if the students were to represent a quarter as 25, a dime as 10, nickels as 5, and pennies as 1, they might understand how to make certain total amounts. Then, we could have them transition into quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. I think a good way to start this would be by having coin antennas. I would put a quarter with 5 antennas, a quarter with 3 antennas, a quarter with 7 antennas, etc. The students would have to put the different combinations on the antennas to equal 25 cents. Then, students might understand ways to put coins together to show a total amount.
On the actual assessment, students were given a clock that read 3:30. Some students wrote 4:30. I believe this is a case of the hour hand being between the 3 and the 4, and the students not knowing that the hour hand moves slowly to get to the next hour. I think this will need much more explicit instruction  and practice until the students understand how the different hands of the clock work.