Math and Literacy

Weekly graph answered by all the grades using their graph photos.

Some of the ways in which literacy is incorporated into the math curriculum: 

PLEASE READ THIS POST ON THE COMPUTER AS THE PHOTO LAYOUT BELOW DOES NOT WORK ON MOBILE.  

If you have been to the math cabin you will notice that it is a print rich environment.  There are labels on many of the shelves designating where the materials live, there are posters stating the ground rules and agreements, graphs, songs, and a quote which is changed weekly.  Our present quote is:

"Your attitude, not your aptitude, determine your altitude" Zig Ziglar (motivational speaker)

About once a week, I either read or tell a story to the students, which then prompts a sharing topic.  These stories may be connected to a math lesson, introduce global cultures, or prompt discussions on values.  The vocabulary is rich and we often stop to discuss a concept or word.  

There is a daily schedule written on the board and the students come to rely on it and learn to read it.  Sometimes, if I am reading a quote or an item on the agenda, I ask a student to help me sound it out.  All abilities are honored.  

Students have math journals in which they paste papers or write down lessons occasionally.  During the harvest festival, they created apple mind maps in their journals.

During the Harvest Festival, and at other times, such as for the Stone Soup celebration, students follow recipes with adult help, to create delicious dishes.  There are many ways in which literacy is woven into the classes at Orchard School, as well as being explicitly taught in Language Arts.   We all love books, words, stories, and more!