Sacramento Homeschool Math By Hand

A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 230

For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”

And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.

Today was a busy day, Math By Hand intensive!  We were filling up the bins and shelves with kits and packages and binders, like the shoemakers who were lucky enough to have the help of skillful elves in the night.  Only I’m afraid our workshop will look exactly the same in the morning.  Oh well, it is a labor of love and that makes it all worthwhile, elves or no elves.

So, a lighter post today.  But a very informative one, from the Philadelphia Waldorf school’s blog, Loving Learning.  Click here to access the blog, where you will find an extensive comparison of Waldorf with mainstream education, along with many reference links.  Waldorf’s qualities and advantages can be elusive since it lives in a more artful zone than educational systems that are more straightforward and practical.

Here’s a chalkboard drawing of a geometric circle, also from the Philadelphia Waldorf School.  Sixth grade students take on geometric drawing with instruments after five years of freehand form drawing geometry in the lower grades.  Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal.  Tune in tomorrow as we continue to explore ambient counterparts to the CCSS language arts standards.

The post Why Waldorf? A Closer Look, In Comparison (#230) appeared first on Math By Hand.

A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 229

For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”

And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.

Back to the Common Core for Grade 3 English Language Arts Standards.  Math By Hand integrates language arts with math, and though the Waldorf curriculum is taught in blocks, none of the subjects are really taught in isolation.  Integration is key, and the ambient standards posted here will reflect that.  The Common Core language arts standards are listed here in blue, followed by ambient language arts suggestions.

READING: INFORMATIONAL TEXT
Key Ideas and Details:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.2
Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.
Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

Contrary to a current idea re the role of the teacher as a “guide on the side” along with the greater use of technology in the classroom, the Waldorf teacher is still the sage, but not necessarily the “sage on the stage.”  Until the children reach age of reason at 11 or 12, the teacher is relied upon as the sage who imparts the worldly knowledge s/he has gained through life experience or thoroughly and specifically researched for each teaching moment.

This is a living fact, that no textbooks are used in Waldorf instruction.  No “informational text” is read independently by the students.  Rather, the teacher will humanize the lesson by customizing the necessary information to the class or individual student’s needs.  For example, the plans for a building project will be drawn up by the teacher or parent in advance, or better yet, drawn up together as a class with the teacher.

The students ask and answer questions as they proceed through the project.  “Main idea” and “text details” are too analytical for now, so they will be experienced within the context of actually working with projects that demonstrate these qualities.  For example, the foundation of a shed is a main idea and the types of screws or nails used to put it together or the length of the floorboards are the supporting details of a living text.

The relationship between a series of historical events is made clear through the cultural and / or anecdotal / biographical stories heard daily.  Scientific ideas or concepts can be learned experientially through gardening or experiences with farm animals, bees, etc.  Language that pertains to time, sequence, cause and effect occurs regularly in the context of the above-mentioned stories or practical projects.  This playhouse built by the Grade 3 class at the Vancouver Waldorf School is a wonderful example.

Craft and Structure:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.4
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.5
Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.6
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.

Close reading of informational text is a cornerstone of the Common Core.  But again, if the young child learns about the things of the world directly through a teacher-mentor, the necessary support needed at this age is built in.  Rather than hunching over workbooks and worksheets indoors at a desk, shouldn’t an active 9 year old be out in the world learning by doing, under the trusted guidance of a caring parent or teacher?

Waldorf students do not use technology until Grade 6 when they can better understand and manage its potential invasiveness and addictive qualities.  Many technology proponents do not wish their children to be exposed to technology until they’re older, as evidenced by Silicon Valley parents preferring Waldorf education for their children.

As stated earlier, children at this age have not yet established individual points of view to the extent that they can write (or talk extensively) about contrasting them with an author’s.  They do experience this indirectly as they recall/recount the stories told by the teacher, demonstrating their individual understanding and nascent opinions within the bounds of this context.

How many domain-specific words can be learned in the context of working together on a building project?  Like this one at the New Hampshire Pine Hill Waldorf School.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.7
Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.8
Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.9
Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

These sorts of analytical reading and writing skills must wait.  If the foundational knowledge is put in place now, these more advanced skills will quite naturally flow at a later time.  All of the above are very well covered within the context of the classic cultural/historical literature shared with the children daily by the parent or teacher.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

There are no textbooks in the Waldorf classroom, since the teacher is the filter through which the child sees and learns about the world.  The material presented by the teacher or parent, learned, and beautifully written about and illustrated by the child, is way above the high end of Grade 3 text complexity.  Proficiency is gained, but the child is not expected to learn and perform independently yet.

Just look at this small, wood-fired oven built by the Grade 4 class at the Eugene, Oregon Waldorf School with the help of Day One Design!  Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal.  Tune in tomorrow as we continue to explore ambient counterparts to the CCSS language arts standards.

The post RI.3 1-10: Parent/Teacher vs. Text As Information Source! (#229) appeared first on Math By Hand.

A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 228

For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”

And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.

Back to the Common Core for Grade 3 English Language Arts Standards.  Math By Hand integrates language arts with math, and though the Waldorf curriculum is taught in blocks, none of the subjects are really taught in isolation.  Integration is key, and the ambient standards posted here will reflect that.  The Common Core language arts standards are listed here in blue, followed by ambient language arts suggestions.

READING: LITERATURE
Key Ideas and Details:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Creation stories and stories about how we build shelters to survive here on earth are the focus in Grade 3. As always, the parts are taken from the whole as the children hear authentic, original source literature.  I told a story a day, taken from and covering the entire Old Testament over the year, when I taught third grade.  Math By Hand’s creation stories are taken from diverse cultures’ creation myths.  Cultural stories accompany examples of how and why shelters are built around the world.

All creation stories (including and perhaps especially the Old Testament stories) are dramatic, replete with lots of action, motivations, feelings, lessons and moral implications.  But the children do not analyze them as such at age 9.  The reasoning and logic needed to do this has not developed yet.  So the stories are taken in deeply, weaving the very fabric of the children’s developing personas, and are allowed to remain deep, outwardly expressed only in the drawings and stories that make up their main lesson books.

Craft and Structure:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.5
Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.6
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

This sort of technical jargon is best reserved for later.  It is essential for elements of literature to be learned at some point, at this level of analytical thinking.  But not yet.  All of the above can be covered with exposure to classic, quality pieces of literature: from the historically cultural to short stories and chapter books, poetry, limericks, and songs.  It is not yet possible to clearly distinguish a point of view at age 9.  These things are deeply felt at this age, but should not be extricated and examined.  If allowed to germinate, as a seed does, the knowledge and wisdom imparted here will flower and bear fruit later on.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.8
(RL.3.8 not applicable to literature)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.9
Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series).

The Boxcar Children was the first chapter book series my daughter read, at the end of third grade.  As a Waldorf student, she was not encouraged to read until there was a readiness for it.  So the joys of reading independently were great!  I’m sure she was able to process all of the above, but was not made to sit down and produce worksheets or be tested on any of it.  Again, it was all taken in deeply and when the time was right, she did learn these very elements of literature.  The metaphor of the germinating seed is an excellent one to keep in mind here.  If exposed to the light too early, the seed fails.  It must be buried in darkness in order to sprout and grow.  So it is with children until they reach the age of logic and reason.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Mid to end of third grade is when most Waldorf students begin to read independently.  They never needed to read “simple” books, because at age 9 there’s a readiness to take on “real” books.  There must be a certain feeling of frustration attached to reading at the lower grade levels before real, meaningful literature can be taken in.  That’s why if the child is supported by being exposed to quality literature before being able to read independently, there’s a much greater appreciation for literature overall.

This article re the Pasadena Waldorf School’s Grade 3 Shelter block illustrates why this sort of project-based learning is far superior to a test and worksheet based curriculum.  The group of model houses pictured below bears witness to this fact!

Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal.  Tune in tomorrow as we continue to explore ambient counterparts to the CCSS language arts standards.

The post RL.3 1-10: Reading (& Appreciating) Literature (#228) appeared first on Math By Hand.

A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 227

For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”

And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.

This project is especially relevant for Grade 3 because it creates not only the knitted pouch but the needles to knit it!  It’s small and very doable. and can be used for any number of purposes, while affording the same measure of satisfaction and self-sufficiency as a larger project might.  Here’s the pouch and needles followed by full instructions.

You will need: 1) yarn in two contrasting colors, 2) a pair of chopsticks or two small, thin dowels, 3) beads or foam stickies, and 4) a pencil sharpener, emollient, and a soft cloth.  Here’s how:

1) Sharpen the chopsticks in a pencil sharpener.

2) Sand them with fine sandpaper, blunting the points somewhat.

3) Apply an emollient (I use shea butter) and rub the needles vigorously with the cloth until slippery.

4) Attach beads, clay, or foam “stickies” (as shown) as stoppers.  Use a bit of glue for permanence.

(You can also use this same process with any size dowels.)

Make the pouch shown above by knitting two small rectangles in contrasting colors, casting off for a buttonhole close to the top on the front. Fold the finished, two-tone rectangle in half and sew it shut with a blanket stitch all around, using contrasting colors.  Attach the rope handle by securing it to the top corners, sewing the ends on the inside.  Fold a small braided tie (made with the same yarns) in half, attach it with a few stitches to the inside top back, pull one end through, and tie!

Here’s how to make the rope handle:

1) Cut 3 pieces of yarn 3 times longer than the length of your finished rope (be sure to use both colors).

2) With a partner, hold both ends and keep the yarn very taut while twisting in opposite directions.  If alone, tape one end to a surface and twist in one direction.

3) When it’s twisted so tightly that it begins curling up on itself, carefully fold the twisted strand in half and let go, while smoothing the two strands together. Tie the open ends together with a single knot. Rope!

Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in again tomorrow for more Grade 3 fun!

The post Grade 3: Another Little Knitting Project (#227) appeared first on Math By Hand.

A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 226

For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”

And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.

Handwork is one of the most essential elements of Waldorf education.  It is through the hands and heart that the child attains a real knowledge of self and world, because the heart is engaged through the hands.  In this youtube, “On Handwork” by Renate Hiller, revelatory and sadly forgotten truths are touched upon.  

One idea among many others is that we find empathy for the things of this world (whether it be yarn, wood, or fabric) when we hold the materials in our hands and work with them to fashion our own unique creations that are then kept for ourselves or given away.

My third grade class and I visited a sheep shearing at a nearby farm, and after seeing the fat, fluffy sheep sleekly transformed, surrounded by mounds of their wool, we gathered up a bagful.  The next day, washtubs with lots of soapy water were set out to wash the wool, and the children dove in with a will!

They were amazed at how after much scrubbing, rubbing, wringing, and rinsing, the smelly, matted wool was transformed into soft, white clouds.  Then we carded and spun the wool with stone drop spindles (as you see Renate doing at the beginning of the youtube) resulting in a ball of white wool yarn with a stone inside.

The children knitted small pouches with their homespun yarn, but many other things could be knitted, like these playful lambs.  Here’s a link to Annette’s Waldorf Lamb blog with full instructions.  This is a simple pattern using a garter stitch, increasing and decreasing by casting on and casting off.  Grade 3 is a good time to expand knitting skills!

Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in again tomorrow for more Grade 3 fun!

The post Grade 3: Homespun, Heartfelt & Hand Worked (#226) appeared first on Math By Hand.

A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 225

For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”

And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.

Catie Johnson’s Waldorf Chalkboard Drawings page is an excellent resource, not only for the images that are relevant to each of the grades and thorough, informative tutoriasl on chalkboard drawing, but also for the succinct, in-depth portraits of each grade’s spirit or mood.   The Grade 3 page features these chalkboard drawings as well as a brief but essential summary of the year.

Do explore Catie Johnson’s wonderful collection of chalkboard drawings, while learning how the images relate to each particular window of time in childhood.  Visit the other grades as well for a well-rounded picture of the progression from young to middle childhood and beyond, to young adulthood.  

Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in again tomorrow for more Grade 3 fun!

The post The Essence of Grade 3 In Images and Chalk (#225) appeared first on Math By Hand.

A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 224

For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”

And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.

Any one of many garden themes would suit the Grade 3 needs and mood.  All children have a built-in love for those who share this planet, and a deep appreciation for its many-faceted beauty.  And though they may experience the pain of its present plight, it’s not in their best interest to be too explicit with details.  

Stories, pictures, and simple practical activities are the language your child speaks and understands.  So a focus on gardening and crafts is appropriate.  Planting a bee and butterfly garden is just such a practical activity.  The planning and care of a garden offer many opportunities for integrating academics, especially math and language arts.  

A garden also serves the higher purpose of creating a safe, nurturing space in a world that can appear unsafe, to both the growing child entering it and by extension, to endangered bees and butterflies.  No need to quote statistics, but you could share stories about how the bees find and forage flowers and how the monarch butterfly relies on the milkweed plant.  See this link to help get you started on your garden.

Here are some images of the monarch caterpillar and butterfly, milkweed flower, and bees busy in their hive.  Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in again tomorrow for more Grade 3 fun!

The post Grade 3: Planting a Bee & Butterfly Garden (#224) appeared first on Math By Hand.

A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 223

For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”

And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.

Today’s post will feature a handy packet of times tables flashcards.  By mid-third grade all tables should pretty much be in place. With long multiplication and division coming right up and fractions on the horizon in Grade 4, this foundational skill is essential!

These little fold-ups are nice because each times table has its own venue, so to speak. They’re fun to make and easy to use, and very compact: all 11 tables (2s – 12s) make a neat stack that can be banded and stashed till next time.

The Math By Hand / Grade 3 / Kit 1 is a fantastic toolbox for times tables mastery. Here’s what you get for only $37! (FREE shipping / continental US.)

All hands-on materials and coordinated lessons/activities are included: 

Mini Cloth Chart and Pouch

Folding Factor Trees

Factors and Patterns Booklet – to go with the chart and factor trees

X-Cards – make the deck, then play fun times tables card games

Fold-Up Flashcards – pictured here:

Drills and rote learning can quickly become a boring chore, so do liven it up with Math By Hand’s colorful, hands-on materials! Go to the Math By Hand Grade 3 Shop page here and order today to get a jump on those times tables! 

And while you’re there if you haven’t yet, do subscribe to the FREE weekly Math By Hand newsletter, for lots of fun math tricks and treats delivered to your email inbox.  Find the opt-in form on every page of the website.  Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in again tomorrow for more Grade 3 fun!

The post Grade 3: Pocket Fold-Up Flashcards (#223) appeared first on Math By Hand.

A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 222

For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”

And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.

Today’s post will take a deeper look at the patterns found in the times tables 1-10, as posted earlier (in #192).  This activity is uniquely engaging and spurs an ongoing interest in seeing patterns, which plays such a vital role in learning the times tables.  Since knowing the tables by heart is such a crucial piece for mastering higher math concepts, it’s imperative that it be fully in place by mid to end of third grade!

Just a few simple materials are needed here: 1) a black or white board with chalk or markers or a large paper pad with crayons or markers, 2) a ball of colorful rope or yarn (rainbow yarn is nice, since it shows the patterns’ progression) 3) a beanbag, 4) 10 large, blank index cards and a crayon, 5) anything round and flat to make the small circle like a paper plate, cardboard disk, etc.

To prep for this, draw 4 or 5 circles on the board or large paper  at least 10-12″ in diameter using anything round as a template.  Draw a large (at least 4 feet) circle on the ground or floor with a stick or chalk, by placing a pencil with a 2′ string attached in the center and tying the other end to the stick or chalk.  Evenly space 10 points on all of the circles and place 10 index cards numbered 0 – 9 at each of the 10 points.  Now you’re ready for the fun!

This activity is best done with 10 or more children, but can be adapted by 1 or 2 by placing river rocks (or anything round and weighty, tomato sauce cans are great!) on the 10 points, as targets for the beanbag, and markers to loop the yarn or rope around.  The circle of numbers 0-9 is formed in several places: on the floor, on the board or large paper, and on the cardboard circle.  The numbers stand for themselves as well as the 2nd digit, for example 0 is also 10, 20, 30 . . . 1 is also 11, 21, 31 . . . 2 is also 12, 22, 32, etc.

Have the children explore the patterns, first by throwing the beanbag then asking them to draw the pattern on the board or large paper.  The patterns are then traced with the yarn or rope on the large circle, and finally drawn on paper.  For ongoing practice, make a cardboard circle like the one pictured below.

Find more creative tricks and patterns like this one in the Math By Hand / Grade 3 / Kit 2, available with the Complete Package for $134, or as an Individual Kit for only $37.  As always, knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in again tomorrow for more Grade 3 fun!

The post Grade 3: Patterns Make Times Tables Fun & Easy (#222) appeared first on Math By Hand.

A Year in the Life: Ambient Math Wins the Race to the Top!
Day 221

For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.”

And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times. Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful.

Night and day.  Now, in Grade 3, is the very best time to teach time.  Time might wait for no man as the saying goes, but along with measurement, it does wait until Grade 3 in the Waldorf system.  Developmentally at 9 years old, young childhood is left behind as the child takes the first steps out of innocence and out of the garden.

This is why creation stories, and most specifically the Genesis stories, are told at this age. The picture of “leaving the garden” resonates strongly now, and so this is the best time to bring the practical things that supported our first ancestors as they left their respective gardens behind.  There is a readiness to take on the more practical elements of time and measurement that was not present before. Grade 3 is the most practical of all grades. Housebuilding, gardening, and other home crafts make up the core curriculum from which all academic subjects grow.

Our modern time-telling devices, whether analog or digital, are abstract and complex compared to the simple sundial, hourglass, or water clock.  If we accept that child development parallels human cultural development, it becomes apparent that concrete, visual support is needed before jumping into teaching time-telling using blank clock worksheets or plastic play clocks.

The second 12 hour set on our clocks passes in the dark (or in the moonlight). Show these hours with this simply constructed moondial. It can also be used as a sundial, but its unique look sets it apart, so it might be nice to have two: one for night and one for day!

Here’s the link to AstroEarth with instructions (scroll down to access them).  And here is the moondial!

Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in again tomorrow for more Grade 3 fun!

The post Grade 3: Night & Day, Moondials & Sundials! (#221) appeared first on Math By Hand.