Making Math Discourse Stick- a Stick It Together Solution

Number talks, thinking mats, constructed responses... I love it all! It's ironic because as a kid I distinctly recall telling people that I wasn't a "math person". The funny thing was that I didn't get bad grades in math- I only recall saying that when I was struggling with a concept and it was then that I realized that is how many of our students feel. Regardless if it was a complete process error made on my part or a simple computational error that resulted in the incorrect answer - if it isn't correct they internalize that they don't know it at all! What I realized in the classroom that this activity addresses the issue by allowing students to talk through their thinking without having to feel like they don't know because they work together to discuss their rationale on their approach and appreciate those errors made since it was necessary to understanding the correct answer. So this sounds great and all, but how do we execute this during distance learning? Well with G Suite, of course and breakout rooms. 

The Process Before the Process 
When assigning a Stick It Together there are a few steps that need to take place to ensure that it runs smoothly and is impactful for all students.

+ Groupings- As you would in the classroom- the stick it together mat is designed to have students with varying academic abilities work together to solve a problem. The mat has four different color sticky notes which each represent a different academic level as represented with the Kagan technique: High, High Medium, Low Medium, and Low.

 

+Problem-   Application problems, exit tickets, and word problems from the Eureka curriculum lend itself well to use for the stick it together prompt. You may even choose a simple problem to determine if students are able to understand the problem at a computational level.  

+Creation-  When creating the assignment I use both Google Slides and Google Drawings. Google Drawings is where students will create their work that they will then copy onto their own virtual sticky note. When assigning this you will want to set it as "Make a copy for each student". For the Google Slides you will copy the same slide for how many groups of 4- making it "students can edit". This allows you to see all groups at the same time as well as allowing members from the same group work to create the final Best Answer. When the activity is done I change the share settings to "students can view file" so no changes can be done while I am reviewing and providing feedback. For template copies of both click HERE & HERE

The Implementation:

Having students actually working to complete the Stick It Together is the best part because it is a time where as a teacher become the facilitator and allow students to take the reins of their learning. Keep in mind that the first few times you do this activity it will take time - but with practice it will run smoother and students will ask for more time just to talk about what they could have done to make it the best possible answer- because improvement is the goal. Here are the steps that I follow to complete the stick it together. If you would like a Copy of the digital presentation click HERE

1. x-Present the Problem= Have students open up their digital google slides assignment so they can see the problem for themselves. During this time I read the problem aloud to students and ask them to analyze what pieces of the problem they will need to be successful. Students will generally point out any vocabulary such as "product" or if there is a picture they will use math vocabulary to describe the picture (i.e "angles") 
2.  x-Think Time =This step is crucial because it allows students to think about the process they will take in attempting the problem. During this time students may run through multiple strategies they could use to solve this problem before deciding which is the best one. When this time is provided it allows students to feel confident when it is time for them to start working on the problem. Keep in mind that NO WORK is being done during this time - it is purely time for students to Think about the problem. Your low medium and low students will thank you for this because when it is time for them to start working they won't feel rushed and it allows students to work out any misconceptions they may make without this step. 
3. x-Completing the Problem= Have students open up their Google Drawing assignment----> click on the "line" icon------> select "scribble". This tool allows students to write and draw their numbers that best resembles writing in pen. Students may also use the "Shapes" and "Text Box" tool to fill out their sticky note. To ensure that all students are making adequate progress I monitor on Lanschool and remind them of their time and give them gentle reminders to have RDW on their sticky note or as I say: Numbers, Pictures & Words. If this is a step that is difficult for your grade level have students simply use the line/scribble tool on google slides in order to avoid step 4. I personally decided to use Google Drawings so students work is their own and they are unable to copy or all do the same strategy because they see their partners work as it is being done on the google slide. 
4. x- Copy & Paste= Now this is a step that doesn't have to be done if you were in the classroom, but what now what I do is have students select all of their work --------> Arrange------> Group. Then I will call out my colors and as their color is called they will paste their work and drag it to their corresponding sticky note. Making sure they group their work ensures that it all stays together and doesn't split when they move it. 
5. x- Share Your Evidence (Breakout Rooms) = Once all students have pasted their google drawing of the completed problem it is time for the breakout rooms. I tell students which color I would like to go first. You can decide for this to be your High students to set as an example because they are more inclined to use academic vocabulary and clearly explain their work or you can have your Low students go first so they have that confidence without worrying about if their answer matches their group members. I personally have students select their breakout rooms based on their number slide in the google Slides- this helps with time. I work with students on explaining their sticky note by saying "First I did.....", "Then I did.....". When students go into their breakout rooms I have the student who is explaining their work share their screen and use the "pointer" feature on the slide so students can clearly see what part of their sticky note they are referring to. In the slide I also have a 2 minute timer that the presenter may share- this is to ensure that students are using the full time to ask any questions or make comments. As I am starting off I will bring students back and do a visual check that the selected person has shared. I will then say who is sharing next and send them back into the breakout room. This continues until all students in the group have shared. When I join the breakout rooms these are the main things I am looking for. 
   
6. x- Determining a Best Answer=  This is the best part of this activity because this is where the collaboration comes in. My understanding of the "the best answer" is that students work together to take portions of their groups sticky note to create one entire sticky note of the question. For example if each student used a different strategy they may go with the one that best visually represents the problem while they might use a number sentence from another person's sticky note. During the discussion students may also realize that they didn't get the correct answer or their drawing isn't correct and so this is the time to correct any errors they did have. 

Extending The Activity

This type of activity takes time so I always like to make it meaningful even after students have completed it. Here are some ways that I like to extend the activity:

% Having Students Share an Ah Ha Moment= Right after students complete their best answer I will quickly do a 1 minute breakout room with a random peer and have them share something that they learned during that stick it together. This could be: a new strategy learned, the meaning of a vocabulary word, maybe an error that they made or that another student made, or anything that they helped make this activity valuable. While this isn't very difficult in task- it does help with building a class community and working with others. It also makes them aware to really reflect on what they just did and their contribution during the activity. 

% Analyzing and Grading Best Answers= After students complete some type of assignment they always wonder "How did they do"?. Now as teachers we know that we can't always provide automatic feedback so this is not only a great way for students to challenge themselves, but also understand rubrics to provide feedback. Next what I have them do is have students look at their own best answer and rate themselves a 1, 2, 3, or 4. This grading scale rubric is similar to the Eureka understanding. When students complete this process, you start to see that they are harder then you may be which is good because they are now internalizing the expectations and how to meet it. 

% Cross Curriculum Match Up= What I love about this activity is that it can be used with many different subject areas- such as using it for a RACE response or having students create an ending to a paragraph if you are working on having students understand text features & authors point of view. What is great that if you have a prompt for whichever subject this activity can be used. 

 

I know this is quite a bit to take in but to whichever amount you chose to implement it your students will enjoy the opportunity to collaborate with one another. 

                                                                    Lively Teaching,

Jessica Magana