Math Class At The United States - 1756 Words

I have spent fifteen hours during this semester observing a fourth grade classroom at P.S 12; James B. Colgate School Elementary School in Woodside, NY. The math class meets Monday through Friday from 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm. I did not have any prior direct experience in the math classroom, so this was relatively a new learning experience. Having done my schooling in Bangladesh, I have always wondered about the teaching process and the different instructional strategies of learning math in the United States. As I observed this particular math class as a part of my assignment, I not only had a great time but I had a better understanding of how math class goes in the United States. I was also amazed to see the classroom setting and the†¦show more content†¦I noticed that in the rear of the classroom, there was a huge shelf containing many books organized in different levels like scholastic and science magazines, fiction, non-fiction, kids discover, national geographic world and so on. Throughout the class, there were some hanging instructions on how to take good notes, how to be a good listener, and how to nurture positive behavior. There was a shelf containing different categories of manipulative that include - multi-colored counters, pattern blocks, dollars and coins, time chart, measuring cups and spoons, mea sure scale, everyday math decks, 3-D shapes, flats, longs, and cubes. I also noticed that there were some interesting charts hanging in the wall. One of those are following: Math word wall (CUBES strategy for solving math word problems) C Circle the numbers U Underline the question B Box important fact or details E Evaluate how (+-*/) you will solve. - How many steps? S Solve the problem/ Check for errors. Ms. F would begin the afternoon lesson by reviewing the assigned homework from the previous day. She would present the solution on the smart board to allow students compare to their findings. In between, she would ask students to explain the steps they used to solve the specific math problem. Ms. F would solve few challenging problems on the smart board to help with students’ understanding of the concept. During the observation period, the class covered units