Does this scenario ever happen in your classroom?  
I work with small groups of students every day during ZONES rotations.  The students come to me with white boards and their resource journals.  I come prepared with example problems for them.  When I work with students in small groups and using white boards they are nailing it.  Few errors, proving mastery, no confusion.  So I leave that class feeling completely successful.  The next day, I start with an entrance ticket to catch any student that I may have missed during my small group time.  I give them a short paper pencil quiz and the whole class completely bombs it.  What?!?!  So I continue with my whole group instruction, since the whole class got the problem incorrect and my data yesterday was obviously wrong, giving another example problem to the whole class that they complete at their desk, this time with whiteboards.  This time they are all getting it right again.  GRRRRR!  I do not understand!

This situation puzzles me greatly.  I do not understand why students feel more at ease with white boards instead of with a paper and pencil.  I do not understand how they can master a concept using a dry erase board but not with a pencil.  I am so perplexed.  However this is not the first standard or concept or school year that I have seen this happen.  I am so glad that I can accommodate this using ZONES.

I have noticed that students are able to have a greater mastery of a concept using whiteboards as an option.  Therefore, I have always allowed this to be a choice for my students.  During whole group time, I can work the room to star correct problems on the worksheet that were done on a white board.  This gives me immediate feedback on who needs help and also saves me time grading after class.  If you are fortunate enough to have a second pair of hands in your classroom during ZONES time, that second pair of hands can circulate the room starring correct problems during On Your Own or Notebook as well.  This is also an option for the teacher to do during conferencing time.  

This year I have also noticed that students have greater mastery while working in a small group setting rather than a whole group setting.  ZONES has allowed me to accommodate for that as well.  I will often give the final mastery checkpoint of a concept in a small group setting.  This does not mean that I correct the students or help them.  The work is still done completely independently.  However, when students know their work is being monitored, for some reason mistakes are greatly reduced and precision is increased.  I have also taken this to the next level and allowed student the choice to "sit by the teacher" while they are working on another zone.  Their zone work is still done independently, but again, for some perplexing reason, proximity to the teacher does help some student perform with greater accuracy.

So I am here to proclaim, "Let them use white boards!"  If that is the tool they feel most comfortable with, then let them use it.  If they are most comfortable having a teacher "watch" them do the work.  Great!  With ZONES I have the flexibility to allow students to have that choice.  We are not assessing how the student learns best, we are assessing that the student has mastered the concept.  If those tools help and they are fairly easy for me to allow and implement, then I say "No Problem!"  

​Olivia

Show of hands -- how many of you think teaching fractions is a BEAST?!?

Yep, so did we!! Especially in 5th grade, where everything comes together and students need a VERY strong understanding of fractions in order to meet the standards.

In our 5th grade co-taught math class, we were struggling with the best way to go about teaching fractions, especially for many students who still did not have the basics.

​Enter: The Fraction Progression.

This 1st - 5th grade progression of what students need to know does not cover every Common Core standard for fractions. However, it shows the major understandings students need to have before moving on to the next concept. {You can grab it for FREE from our TpT store!}

We are using this progression as a checklist for our students. We start at the top of the list -- if they show mastery of one concept, then they move to the next.

We gave students a pre-test on the concepts. We found that a majority of our students needed work on equivalent fractions, so that is where we focused our whole-group instruction and ZONES rotations. While students were working in the ZONES, we worked with students in small groups to cover any gaps.

We use the ReThink Mathematics checkpoints to assess student mastery. These are short (usually 3-4 questions) assessments, targeted at a specific standard. Students must get all questions completely correct in order to demonstrate mastery.  Remember, students to not need to complete a 20-question test to show they understand a concept!

At the end of the week, we gave a checkpoint for equivalent fractions. This checkpoint, combined with their independent ZONES work, gave us a good gauge of where students were at. We saw that a majority of the students showed mastery of equivalent fractions, so we are moving on to comparing fractions.

Some students still needed support with basic fractions and equivalent fractions. So, we are using our small group form to guide our small group instruction for this week. {Grab your copy from our TpT store!}

It was very interesting working with these students one-on-one and in small groups. They were able to show a much stronger mastery in this setting than they showed on the checkpoint! Most students are ready for a follow-up checkpoint. That score, combined with our informal observations in small groups, will determine if that student has mastered the standards for equivalent fractions.

And, since we l-o-v-e spreadsheets so much, I also created a color-coded spreadsheet to keep track of where students are at in the progression.

The next step is to give students their own copy of the progression. Each student will check off what he/she has mastered, and focus on the standard she/is is currently working on.

What do you think of this progression? Would you like to see something similar for other standard strands? How do you use formative assessments and grouping in your classroom?

Give us a shout-out with your answers on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments!

Moving along,
Christi

I first identify what is not working.  I find these problems fall into 2 categories - the framework isn't functioning in your room, the students aren't working to their potential.  First, I run a couple days of ZONES or ZONES rotations and just observe the students instead of conferencing or pulling small groups.  A question I ask as I reflect is does my whole classroom feel chaotic?  Are the students confused?  Is the majority of student work poor?  If yes, then you might have a framework issue.  If no, then I move to the second round of questions.  Are a few students causing problems/distractions?  Are a few students off task?  Are a few students not completing work?  If yes, then I will focus on a solution for these students.

Keep in mind the reasons WHY you have chosen ZONES and all of the benefits your students receive by implementing this framework.  But you should not continue with the fully implemented model if it is not working.  Your first priority is to make sure all students are in a successful learning environment.  Make the necessary shifts to make the framework successful for your classroom, your teaching style, your curriculum and your students.  Also remember that students also LOVE ZONES math.  They are excited and engaged with this form of math instruction.  Students will want to continue this format and will be cooperative with getting ZONES back up and running again.

If you run into any tough situations with ZONES please reach out to us!  We will be happy to brainstorm solutions so you can be successful with this framework!

Olivia

Bring it February!  The longest shortest month is in full swing here in beautiful Michigan.  I may count it as one of my spiritual gifts to make it through each winter here; but alas, spring break is on the horizon (48 days... if you're counting  #thankyoujesus).

We kicked off the new year with some great site visits from other Michigan schools interested in starting ZONES which got me thinking about some of the common questions we receive. 

Here's the low down on how I've made the ZONES framework successful... and work for ME in my classroom.  I think that's one of the best things about the ZONES framework is its ability to be customized FOR you and TO your student population.  Our team always laughs when we discuss things about ZONES because we find each of us utilizing it slightly differently. 

So, here goes.  Welcome to Root's Room!  P.S. We love visitors!

First things first, I use the NY Engage Curriculum.   So when I sit down to plan each week, I focus on the overall skill/standard as my starting point.  From there I think of ways to plug it into each zone. So, basically I plan for the daily lessons, as well as how I can incorporate the standard focus through each zone.  This particular week the focus was developing the concept of multiplication using groups of 4.  The way I've found best to organize this for me and my students is through the use of a menu (which I customize each week). 

Exhibit A:

The expectations have been set when we launched ZONES back in September, so all I really need to do is a quick run through each week of what each center entails.  From here the students are put in charge of their own learning, while I'm freed up to conference or pull small groups.   They make their selection of which ZONE they want to go to, and I initial their choice on their menu.  Once everyone has chosen, I set a timer for 20 minutes and ZONES is off and running!

*As a side note, my literacy is taught through this similar balanced approach, which really makes it seamless for the kids.  ZONES aligns amazingly well to the Daily 5 choice board. #winning

This is an easy one... it pretty much stays the same all year.  God bless Reflex Math.  If you haven't checked it out, it's an amazing program for fact fluency and spits out fabulous data reports for teachers, students & parents!  Students also have the option of practicing fact fluency in other ways such as flashcards (with our handy dandy ZONES MemoriZe Mat), or power towers. 

On your Own is typically a worksheet practice of some sort.  I really push the use of their Resource Journal to complete independently. 

It's organized using a shoe holder.  Each week there's pages they MUST complete, and if they accomplish them, they MAY choose another extension (typically it's more of a fun activity or spiral review pages).  If they choose not to do a MAY do (and they are done with the MUST do) they can always work with their flashcards.

This is where the writing component for math comes into play.   I've found the K-5 Teaching resources journal prompts work fabulously for targeting this skill.  Because 18 of my 27 students are English Learners, this center can have its challenges.  One way to scaffold this is through the use of sentence frames to help walk them through the steps to solve.  When we launched the Notebook zone, we spent a lot of time building the expectations and modeling.  There's a page in their Resource Journal they can always go back to if help is needed.

{ Also see: Notebook got you in Knots? }

Each student MUST solve the problem of the week.  Early finishers MAY create their own story problem, or do flashcards.

This seems to be a favorite zone... I mean, what kids don't like to play with TOOLS (if I got a dollar every time I had to say "TOOL or TOY?" in September - ha!)?

I've found that the dollar bins are great for storing and grabbing manipulatives for this center.  At this center you want kids to use manipulatives to solve problems. 

Early finishers who complete the task get to work with any type of problem solving game.  Here are a few of our favorites:

- Head Full of Numbers (like Boggle for equations)
- Mobi (like Bananagrams with equations)
- Rush Hour Jr.
- Rush Hour
- Katamino
- Rubics Cubes
- Tangrams/ Pattern Blocks/ Pentaminoes [spacial shape games]
- Puzzles

Last but not least, there's play with Someone - another favorite.  Think of this center as utilizing a game to cement the standard focus.  Since we've been into multiplication, I found the best way to organize was with a bin and file folders.  I have different bins like this for each unit that I simply have to pull out! #winningagain

Supplies they need are right next to the bin.  If it's a new game, Mrs. Gilbert & I have lots of fun reverting back to 3rd graders to model how it's NOT played and have the kids tell us how we SHOULD play it.  #memoriesaremade

SOoooooooooooo.... clear as mud?
By the end of the week, the weekly menu looks something like this:

The key to ZONES it to remember it's a framework for the guided/balanced math teaching approach.  What works for me is to do the math lesson for the day and with the remaining math time allow the students to do ZONES.  Some days time is limited so we may only have time for one zone rotation (20 minutes), where other days we may have time for 2, or 3 rotations.  I've found for myself personally, 7 is the magic number.  Typically with that amount of rotations, students are able to accomplish weekly tasks. 

Another little tidbit is I color code chosen centers each day for tracking purposes -  as students aren't allowed to repeat a center within the same day (example: Monday I initial in red, Tuesday orange...).  It also helps me to see where they've been and what they've gotten accomplished.  Some students are able to complete a ZONE task in one rotation, while others may need to revisit (on a different day) to complete.  Early finishers who complete a ZONE can go back to do the MAY do options that particular ZONE offers.  

Friday's are known as "FINISH FRIDAYS" and they must complete and turn in the practice page, notebook, and explore work.  Depending on the week, I usually don't do any actual lesson on Fridays to allow for students to focus on completing their ZONES work. 

Here's how the data each week is tracked - it's kind of a hot mess, but it works for me.  Students turn in work as it's completed.  I'm able to document scores each night as I check it.   This also really helps with planning for small groups and remediation.

Annnnnnnnnnddddd.... for sticking with me through this crazy long post... here's your FREEBIE!  Like who wouldn't want a tracking form??  #livingthedream

Still have questions?  Drop us a note in the comment section below!

Rock on,
Kristin