Instead of "I don't know"

With our focus on constructivist teaching, we're trying to reverse learned helplessness.  We want to eliminate the I-give-up, "I don't get it!" attitude. Here are some phrases and sentence starts to go over with your kids, post in the classroom, or print out and give to students to keep with other reference materials.

If students are still saying, "I don't know," you can redirect them by saying, "What do you know so far?" and "I'm coming back in 2 minutes. Be ready to tell me exactly where you got stuck and at least one method you've tried."

Fonts courtesy of dafont.com

Accountable Talk

We have a focus on constructivist teaching and accountable talk at our school. Below are some phrases and sentence starters you can put on a poster or print out for students to keep in binders or reference books. Most of these are what we encourage kids to say to each other in partner, group, and whole-class math discussions. These can easily be used in any subject!

Fonts courtesy of dafont.com

Fact Fluency Student Letter

Before the kids get to 4th grade, they really need to know their multiplication facts 0-12, which doesn't always happen.  Here is a note I sent home to let students know that expectation and why it's important!

We're rewarding the kids with an ice cream party, and giving certificates to students who pass the first multiplication test of the year.