Setting up for CGI instruction

For CGI to run smoothly in my classroom I have to have a few things in place.  Those things are: a way to present the problem, materials for students to use in problem solving, and a place for students to do their problem solving.  In this post, I will share how I accomplish these things in my classroom.  Most of the ideas I use came from my inclusion coteacher.  They worked so well for us that I have continued them into my own first grade classroom. I will show you the way I accomplish these things, and you can take those ideas and adapt them as needed.

Presenting the problem is probably the easiest part of the prep work, as most likely you will use things you have handy in your classroom.   

I typically present a problem orally and in one of two visual ways.  I show students the problem on either the SMART board or on chart paper.  I am lucky enough to have a SMART board, but you might substitute for a white board, paper and a document camera, etc.  

When deciding how I want to present the problem, I have a few things in mind for each display.
-Have my students ever worked a problem like what I am about to present? 
-How do I want to incorporate visual information into share time?  
-How successful do I think my students will be with this particular problem? 
I like to use chart paper if I anticipate I might have some really great strategies to record on the chart paper during share time.  So, if it is the first time I present a join result unknown problem, (JRU) which is a less difficult problem type, and I think my students will do a really great job with it, I might use the chart paper.  This way, I can save the chart paper and hang it or refer to it in the future.  Students will have a visual reference for the problem type we did that day, as well as a reference for some of their classmates' strategies as I record them on the chart below the problem.
Now, if I already have a few JRU charts in my classroom with great strategies, I might not want to make another one.  In this case, I would display the problem on the SMART board and students would visually share their strategies right there on the SMART board below the problem.  I might save this but more than likely I was presenting that problem type as a refresher and will not save it in my files.  

Chart paper can also be great in comparing problem types and strategies.  For instance if I presented an adding (join) problem on Monday and a separate (subtraction) problem on Tuesday, I might show each chart with the two different problem types.  I could essentially have a whole math lesson just by comparing the problem types and strategies on those two chart papers.  

Sometimes, if I am presenting a join change unknown (JCU) problem and it is the first time my students will see this type of problem, I might just present on the SMART board.  This problem type is one of the most difficult for students to solve.  It might take several attempts for the class to be successful, and I may anticipate that I will not have many effective strategies that I will want to record on a chart for future reference that particular day.
In addition to this big visual of the problem, I give students a small copy of the problem to take with them to their seats and glue into their math notebooks.  (More about this below)  This way students will be able to refer to all problems in their notebooks and check out their own strategy when needed.  There are so many scenarios here, just chose which method for presenting the problem you think might work best for your class.  As a rule of thumb, if I anticipate I might want to refer back to the problem or strategies I chart it, if not I "go green" and use a less permanent presentation.

 Once the problem is presented, students are going to need to get some materials to work with.  If you have manipulatives in your classroom that is awesome!  Manipulatives can be anything students might use to help them create a concrete representation of the given problem.   Here are some that come to my mind- counters, base ten blocks, linker cubes, hundred's charts, number lines, measuring tape, plastic or paper money, and much more.  Now, if you don't have these things, there are some pretty cheap options out there for you.  Any small object can be used as counters, beans, pasta, beads, etc.  If you need hundreds charts, those are easily printed off from a computer.  Then you can laminate or put inside page protectors for many uses with dry erase markers.  I store these materials in a small shoe box sized plastic container with a lid.  I like to put the smallest objects in zip lock baggies and containers.  This is not my original idea.  My coteacher always stored her materials in this manner, I thought it worked really well, so I just continued it when I moved into my own first grade classroom.  I make enough "CGI" tubs for about 4 students per tub to share.  I do this over the summer and keep them hand on a bookshelf year round in my classroom.
I designate one person per table as my materials manager and they retrieve the tub for their group.
Some students may choose to solve with mental math, fingers, drawings and other "non manipulative" ways.  These strategies are great too and can definitely be used in any classroom instead of manipulatives.  If you the teacher choose to stay away from manipulatives for problem solving, you can still incorporate CGI into your classroom very successfully.

Okay!  Here we are to my last point of this post.  The students have their problem and their materials, now where are they going to do their work?  I usually instruct my students to problem solve independently at their desk and record their thinking in their math notebook.  Math notebooks in my class are full sized composition notebooks.  I use those because I also use some interactive notebook cut outs in other lessons.  In the past when my coteacher and I only used notebooks for my CGI problems, we would cut the notebooks in half and only use half a notebook for math and the other half for something else.  Most office stores can cut the notebooks in half for a small price.  I wish I could take credit for this great idea, but another teacher in my grade level turned my coteacher and I onto it a few years ago.
Okay, so now students are at their seat,  they should glue their copy of the problem in their notebook and then choose their strategy for solving.  If they are drawing they might solve their problem right there in their notebook.  Or maybe they use their fingers, choose a manipulative, or use mental math to solve.  Then, I have students attempt to draw out whatever they did to solve in their notebooks. Students draw their counters, fingers, brains, hundreds charts, whatever they used right there on their pages.   This can take some time to become efficient at.  During share time we do a lot of modeling on how to record strategies.  I also encourage students to record and equation to match their problem if it is within their ability to do so.

Well there you have it!  Those are all the materials you will need to set up your own CGI system in your classroom.  Be sure to adapt any bit of it to meet your own classroom's needs.  Email me with any questions or comments you might have!
I will be back next week to discuss problem types and planning for CGI instruction.

click here

What is CGI?

Well, funny you should ask!  This is the first of many posts that will introduce you to how I do CGI in my first grade classroom. My understanding of CGI is still evolving mind you, as I learn something new each time I teach a lesson, visit with a fellow teacher, or attend a workshop.  And you will never believe, this understanding has grown from a great deal of skepticism that lodged itself in my math teaching philosophy not too many years ago.  

 I started CGI style math instruction about 5 years ago with my coteacher in our first grade inclusion classroom.  Since that time, I have had 3 years of professional development here in Arkansas on CGI.  A great deal of our training came from the book, Children's Mathematics, Cognitively Guided Instruction  by Thomas P. Carpenter, Elizabeth Fennema, Megan Loef Franke, Linda Levi, and Susan B. Empson. 

click to find this book on amazon

This is a great resource, I refer to it often when planning for instruction as well as evaluating student problem solving.  

Over the past 5 years, I have learned so much about CGI and about the way our students naturally think about math and numbers.  CGI is a way of teaching math that attempts to use a student's natural mathematics understanding to develop different math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  CGI helps students develop a strong number sense through exploration and problem solving before teaching standard algorithms.   

Here's an example of how CGI might be used in older grades to teach a student to add two 2-digit numbers, you wouldn't teach them to write the problem vertically, add the ones and then the tens, and carry accordingly.  Instead, you would present a word problem, such as Katie had 56 goldfish and Sarah had 28 goldfish.  How many goldfish do they have all together.  The teacher would then help students understand the problem, but not solve.  Students would use any strategy that made sense to them to put the two number together, such as drawing a picture, using manipulatives, a number line, incrementing or any other strategy.  As students work through these strategies, their understanding of place value and addition will grow.  Later, they will grow into using more complex strategies such as the standard algorithm and more.  

CGI style problem solving can be used to facilitate mastery of many objectives and is ideal for kindergarten through third grades.   Can you imagine a kindergartner multiplying or dividing?  Stick with me!  I can't wait to tell you more.  

This style of teaching is very student lead.  There is very little teacher instruction, at least at the first part of class.  As I mentioned before, I was very skeptical when I first began teaching CGI style math lessons.  I thought that the problem solving approach was great for just that- problem solving, but more direct instruction was the only way for students to learn things like doubles and ten partners, fractions, place value, equal sign concepts and much more.  I have been amazed time and time again at students of all levels who were able to reach a greater understanding of numbers and math concepts in all domains over the past few years.  I probably don't have to tell you, I have been converted from a skeptic to a beliver!  

CGI is not really new math, it has been out much longer than common core state standards, but it is new to many teachers.  I know I had never heard of it before 5 years ago.  CGI also lends itself so incredibly to CCSS objectives.  I have taught almost every first grade math objective by incorporating CGI style lessons into my math units.   

Are you wondering if CGI is for you and your students?  I bet it might be!  There is so much I can't wait to tell you about.  We will talk about problem types, planning, student strategies, and many more things in the posts to come.  The next post I do will be about setting up your classroom for CGI instruction.  We will cover what I have found the most efficient way to store materials, work problems, display problems and more!

NOOO!  It’s come to an end!  This is the last blog post for a while of the Featured Teacher Tuesdays!

Heidi Neels from Flipping for First is a spunky and organized first grade teacher!  

Years of tumbling, cheerleading and a passion for teaching made her blog name come to life!  She has been teaching for 9 years, 6 of those being in first grade!  She has truly found her teaching niche!

Heidi has been married for 15 years (yep, he’s tied up in the basement) and has two beautiful girls ages 15 (don’t do the math) and 10!  Faith brings joy in her life each and every day!  God has blessed her family and teaching career!  She is a middle child (typical middle child syndrome) and requires lots of attention from those around her!

Organization fuels Heidi through first grade!  (It may be a disease!)  Check out her blog for some amazing tips on how to organize Words Their Way, Listening Stations, Behavior Management, Erin Condren Planner, Common Core Assessments, Classroom tips and so much more!

Laughing is important to Heidi!  Mo Willems, first grade quotes, and National Lampoon movies can put a smile on her face.  Just like Wimberly, Heidi can worry a lot!  Therefore Heidi clings to

Psalm 46:10  “Be still, and know I am God!

Heidi’s best seller is her Editable Daily Behavior Chart!  This is an amazing product that every teacher who has a student with challenging behavior needs!!  Heidi loves to hear success stories about teachers using this in their classrooms!!

Fry’s First 100 Sight Words came about when she had 30% of her students struggling with sight words!  Yikes!  To overcome this obstacle, Heidi created a product that focuses on teaching the words in context using pictures, repetition, and motor skills!  She ended that year with 100% of her students knowing all first grade sight words!  Love it!

Heidi’s First Grade Common Core Math Assessments are a full year’s worth of assessments!  She even has a blog post with a yearly calendar to help you plan!

Check out one of Heidi’s freebies!

Don’t forget to join me in following Heidi!

It’s Featured Teacher Tuesday!

This week I would like to you to meet Christina from Hanging Around In Primary.

Christina has been teaching for 21 years (gasp!) Most of her teaching has been in Grade 1 but she has also taught Kindergarten through Grade 4.  She also spent 3 ½ years working as a substitute teacher at the beginning of her career.  She has been teaching in a small village just outside of Kingston, Ontario, Canada for most of her career.  

When not teaching Christina is spending time with her family: a busy 12 and 15 year old and a husband who runs his own business.  She loves to travel and spend time time at the cottage.  

Christina has always had a passion for teaching.  When she was growing up there was no question about what she wanted to do when she grew up.  A first grade teacher was her dream job and she has been fortunate enough to teacher 6 year olds for the majority of her career so far.  

Christina has always had a passion for creating her own classroom materials and sharing ideas with her colleagues.  She stumbled upon Teachers Pay Teachers in 2012 and got the nerve up to post her own products in the winter of 2013.  Since then she has continued to add products and really grow her store.  She has many freebies to help early primary teachers out in Math, Literacy and Classroom Management.  Click on the covers below to check out some of her popular freebies.  

Christina loves to teach using centers to engage students and keep them practicing crucial skills.  Some of her most popular math centers are

She also creates products that support directed teaching as well.  These comprehension checks are perfect for whole group teaching as well for small group instruction.  The Word Jail is one of her favourite products.  She uses it to help students learn to read and spell those tricky rule breaker words.  Her students love it.  

   

Christina has been blogging for about a year and half.  She enjoys sharing what is happening in her classroom and showing off her products in actions.  You can check out a few of her most popular posts below.  If you like what you read be sure to follow her to keep up with her posts!  

 

You can also follow Christina on Social media.   Check out her accounts below:

I hope you enjoyed meeting Christina this week for our weekly Featured Teacher post.  See you again next week when you will meet another first grade teacher!   It’s Featured Teacher Tuesday! This week I would like to you to meet Christina from Hanging Around In Primary. Christina has been teaching for 21 years (gasp!) Most of her teaching has been in Grade 1 but she has also taught Kindergarten through Grade 4. She also spent 3 ½ years working as a substitute teacher at the beginning of her career. She has been teaching in a small village just outside of Kingston, Ontario, Canada for most of her career. When not teaching Christina is spending time with her family: a busy 12 and 15 year old and a husband who runs his own business. She loves to travel and spend time time at the cottage. Christina has always had a passion for teaching. When she was growing up there was no question about what she wanted to do when she grew up. A first grade teacher was her dream job and she has been fortunate enough to teacher 6 year olds for the majority of her career so far. Christina has always had a passion for creating her own classroom materials and sharing ideas with her colleagues. She stumbled upon Teachers Pay Teachers in 2012 and got the nerve up to post her own products in the winter of 2013. Since then she has continued to add products and really grow her store. She has many freebies to help early primary teachers out in Math, Literacy and Classroom Management. Click on the covers below to check out some of her popular freebies. Christina loves to teach using centers to engage students and keep them practicing crucial skills. Some of her most popular math centers are She also creates products that support directed teaching as well. These comprehension checks are perfect for whole group teaching as well for small group instruction. The Word Jail is one of her favourite products. She uses it to help students learn to read and spell those tricky rule breaker words. Her students love it. Christina has been blogging for about a year and half. She enjoys sharing what is happening in her classroom and showing off her products in actions. You can check out a few of her most popular posts below. If you like what you read be sure to follow her to keep up with her posts! You can also follow Christina on Social media. Check out her accounts below: I hope you enjoyed meeting Christina this week for our weekly Featured Teacher post. See you again next week when you will meet another first grade teacher!

I hope you have started to love Tuesdays as much as we have! It’s another week of Featured Teacher Tuesday!

Our Featured Teacher this week is Melanie Ebersole from Momma with a Teaching Mission!

Melanie Ebersole is a 1st Grade departmentalized Literacy Teacher. She is also the Mom to 4 young children, 2 boys (ages 10 and 6) and 2 girls (ages 7 and 1).

Melanie is currently in her 3rd year of teaching. She teaches at a school with approximately 700 students in Maryland. She worked in Human Resources for 5 years before finishing her teaching degree and pursuing her dream of teaching. Melanie always wanted to be a teacher, but with life happening, wasn’t able to pursue completing her degree until after having 3 children. You can read more about her journey HERE.

Melanie has a passion for departmentalization. She did a guest blog on Rachel Lynette’s Minds in Bloom, you can read HERE! She also wrote another guest blog post on a blog she collaborates on Who’s Who and New, you can read about Why Teaching in a Departmentalized Classroom Rocks HERE. You can also read more about departmentalization within the primary classroom on her own blog HERE.

Besides running her blog, Melanie is also a TpT author! You can find her store at Momma with a Teaching Mission.

Some of her newest products include…

Miss Independent CVC No Prep Printables. These are perfect for building your students independence stamina when working with CVC words.

*Common Core Bundle 1.NBT No Prep Printables*

This bundle pack is perfect if you are teaching the common core. So many different options for games, homework, formative assessments, or warm-ups.

An InLinkz Link­up