Introduction to organizing in math

• Students identify information they have and must gather to solve a problem... Key Elements of Organizing• Students select a graphic organizer to help them arrange relevant information.

Introduction to Organizing

in Math

What is Organizing?

• Organizing is a strategy to detect and understand patterns of relevant

information

• Students identify information they have and must gather to solve a problem

Key Elements of Organizing

• Students select a graphic organizer to help them arrange relevant information.

• Examples of graphic organizers include:

• Graphs

• Tables

• Charts

• Lists

• Concept maps

How Does Organizing Help

Students?

• Supports them in more easily seeing

patterns and learning mathematical

concepts

• Guides their thinking about what they do and don’t know about a problem

• Gives them ideas of ways to approach

solving a problem

• Helps them maintain chunks of information

in memory to use in problem solving

Discussion Questions 1

1 How do you explain organizing to your

students?

2 How does organizing connect with the

CCSS Math Practices?

3 How can organizing help a struggling

student get “unstuck” when working with

a problem?

How Can I Support Students'

Use of Organizing?

Use Evidence-based Instructional Practices

• Provide Clear Explanations

• Use Varied Examples, Materials, and

Models

• Provide Ongoing Formative Assessment

Differentiated Instruction

• Plan instruction that considers students' readiness, learning needs, and interests

• Use a range of technology tools to:

– engage learners at varying levels

– engage learners in multiple ways

– offer students options for demonstrating

understanding and mastery

Teacher-Dependent Ways to Differentiate

• By Content

– Different levels of reading or resource materials, reading

buddies, small group instruction, curriculum compacting, multi-level computer programs and Web Quests, audio materials, etc.

• By Product

– Activity choice boards, tiered activities, multi-level learning

center tasks, similar readiness groups, choice in group work, varied journal prompts, mixed readiness groups with targeted roles for students, etc.

• By Process

– Tiered products, students choose mode of presentation to

demonstrate learning, independent study, varied rubrics,

mentorships, interest-based investigations

Student-Dependent Ways to Differentiate

• By Readiness

– Options in content, topic, or theme, options in the tools needed for production, options in methods for engagement

• By Profile

– Consideration of gender, culture, learning styles,

strengths, and weaknesses

• By Interests

– Identification of background knowledge/gaps in

learning, vary amount of direct instruction, and

practice, pace of instruction, complexity of activities, and exploration of a topic

Discussion Questions 2

1 In what ways do you differentiate

instruction when you introduce organizing information to your students?

2 What technology tools have you used to

enhance instruction?

3 What criteria do you use for selecting

organizers to show your students?

Provide Clear Explanations:

Possible Strategies

• Explain how organizing helps us find what we are looking for or see if something is missing

• Describe the purpose of each kind of

organizer (list, table, graph, concept map,

etc.).

• Discuss with students the features that make each kind of organizer helpful

• With each organizer, give students time to

think about how the information is organized.

Use Varied Examples, Materials, and Models: Possible

Strategies

• Share many examples of each kind of

organizer with students.

• Model how to use each organizer to solve

problems.

• Give students time to practice using a variety

of organizers to solve different types of

problems.

• Have students who use different organizers share their strategies and reasons for using them.

Provide Ongoing Formative

Assessment: Possible

Strategies

• Make sure students understand how to choose and use organizers before they start tackling

problems.

• Note any problems that students have in entering information into an organizer; provide support

• Look for student misconceptions in the use of

organizers; re-teach use of organizers as needed.

• Have students create and add to a portfolio of

organizers they successfully use to solve

problems.

Use Research-Based Strategies

and Tools

• To launch the lesson

• During the learning task

• As you bring closure to the lesson

Discussion Questions 3

1 What challenges do your struggling

students face in using organizers?

2 What strategies do you use to help

students overcome their challenges?

3 Which formative assessment strategies

do you find most effective?

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