SUCCESSFUL MATH CURRICULUM - 4 Hallmarks of a - Vimme Learning
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4 Hallmarks of a SUCCESSFUL MATH CURRICULUM
As teachers, we’re not always handed
the tools for success in our classrooms
— especially when it comes to math.
The curriculum that administrators choose modern math curriculum from the ground
for us can be rigid and ineffective. The up — made by teachers for teachers.
textbooks we’re asked to use might as
Based on firsthand experience from more
well be ancient history. And the students
than 25 years in the classroom, Vimme is
who enter our classrooms each semester
constantly growing thanks to input from
haven’t always mastered concepts from
contemporary math teachers. Along the
the prior grade level.
way, we’ve pinpointed four key elements
At Vimme Learning, we believe that that any successful math curriculum
success in your classroom comes should offer to put the modern math class
when you’re given a proven model on a better path.
for achievement. That’s why we built a
01 KEEPING STUDENTS FROM SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS
L ES S O N O NE
Maybe more than any In a perfect world, students would learn
the skills in a given week to apply them to
other subject, math is the next concept. But how can a student
be expected to succeed with two-digit
brutally sequential. divisors if they’re still having trouble
Just take a look at this multiplying two-digit numbers?
5th grade lesson plan, With most math curriculums, that student
falls behind and isn’t given a chance
and you’ll see how to catch up. Two-digit multiplication
might not show up on coursework or
each week’s skillset quizzes at all after initially taught. The
builds the foundation struggling student rarely has a chance to
practice those fundamental skills again
for the next. without individual attention or additional
coursework.
4
LESSON ONE
The solution to keep students from While a weekly math quiz might
slipping through the cracks, as many of us be focused on calculating area and
have discovered in our own classrooms, volume, with spiral review it may also
is spiral review. Spiral review is the ask students to demonstrate basic two-
cumulative repetition of skills, week after digit multiplication. Spiral review is a
week. It gives students more opportunities cumulative approach to strengthen your
to practice, apply and ultimately master class’s foundation in math skills, and
each of the math skills they’re taught it’s one of the hallmarks of a modern,
throughout the semester. successful math curriculum.
When we were students, if you didn’t learn a skill during
week 3 you’d never see it again until the standardized text.
With Vimme, that skill keeps showing up even in week 16, so
students have a chance to repeat, apply and understand it.
Kyle Deboy, 6th grade math teacher
5
02 CATERING TO BOTH ENDS OF THE ACHIEVEMENT SPECTRUM
LESSON TWO
The reality is that not all students who
The start of the share a grade level are prepared to achieve
semester is an exciting in math at the same level. Success looks
different for each student. For one, it might
time to meet your new mean going from a 96% to a 98%. For
another, it might simply mean growth from
students and lay the week to week regardless of the letter grade
groundwork for the — a 35% to a 42%, for example.
year ahead. But for How do you challenge both of those
students to grow at their own achievement
many math teachers, level, when you only have a single period
it’s also a critical time to teach them both? The simple fact is that
math textbooks and standard curriculum
to assess the skill level aren’t equipped for the job. As teachers, we
of your class. spend our evenings scouring the internet for
activities and worksheets to fill in the gaps.
7
L ES S O N T W O
Vimme Learning’s math curriculum is
comprehensive enough to cater to
each student, whether they’re currently I used to do hours of
achieving below, at, or above their work for a single student
grade level. With the same quizzes, who needed the extra
coursework and homework, you can push. I don’t have to
challenge your math whizzes and
spend my evenings
while helping your struggling students
finding activities to
hammer home fundamental math skills.
challenge my kids
And when you need some extra help, anymore, it’s built right
Vimme’s robust library of resources into Vimme Learning.
is at your fingertips. You can reclaim
Joel Rolf,
your free time in the evenings and still
5-8th grade math teacher
help your students succeed at their
achievement level.
8
03 MAKING RIGOR THE STANDARD
L ES S O N T H R E E
When we asked one seasoned math In a successful math curriculum, rigor
teacher about the biggest change in isn’t a taboo word — it’s the norm.
his classroom throughout his tenure, We’ve found that students are incredibly
he said it’s that he’s “gone soft.” capable of applying themselves toward
Compared to when he started teaching complex problems when it’s built
more than 30 years ago, his coursework into their everyday coursework.
and quizzes are much less complex.
It’s natural for teachers to feel that
we’re asking less and less of our 6 in.
students as the years go by. Attention
spans are demonstrably shorter, and 8 in.
14 in.
we compete with an infinite amount
of distractions that weren’t present 1. What is the volume?
when many of us began our careers. 2. A refrigerator is delivered. The refrigerator box holds
240 cubic feet. If the refrigerator is 8 ft. high and 5 ft.
But that doesn’t mean that our students wide, what is the length?
aren’t capable of buckling down
3. How many 2 inch cubes would fit within a rectangular
and working hard when asked. prism with these dimensions? height: 12 inches
length: 8 inches width: 6 inches
Mental stamina doesn’t come from
rote memorization of equations. It
Textbooks don’t ask our
comes when students are asked to think
deeper. When they’re asked to approach
students for a lot of deep
a problem from several different thinking. There’s not much
angles, they’re given a real chance to rigor, and not much real-
retain and apply their knowledge. life significance. Vimme
By constantly reframing assessment
Learning puts my students
questions, a successful math curriculum through the paces, and
like Vimme Learning helps students they’ve risen to the challenge.
prepare for the rigor of state assessments Scott Beringer,
and the rest of their academic careers. 5-8th grade math teacher
1004
GIVING TEACHERS MORE DATA
11L ES S O N FO UR
Even if your school isn’t 1:1 with laptops Vimme Learning was built from the
or tablets, odds are your classroom is ground up to be a modern, technology-
much more high-tech than it was when focused math curriculum. Vimme
you were a student. But many math harnesses the power of real-time data
curriculums don’t put the wealth of to give you unmatched insight into your
available technology to use for teachers. math students’ needs.
You might still be stuck in the stone ages
using a textbook and pen-and-paper
coursework, or grading papers by hand.
dards week
See your stan
how well your
by week, and .
learning them
students are
Like any other modern online curriculum, Vimme grades your students’ quizzes and
tests automatically, so you can save time when grading. You’ll see what each student
got on the assessment, as well as the average grade across your class.
12LESSON FO UR
But the real power of Vimme is in the With Vimme’s dashboard you can view
question view. When your students sit your class’ average on each standard that
down to take the quiz or test, Vimme’s will appear on the standardized test, so
dashboard gives you a live look into how your students are prepared for academic
they’re doing on each question. You’ll success.
see a live, color-coded view of your class’
performance before the final student
completes their assessment.
Vimme’s online tests and
Thanks to that real-time data, you can
Mathbots give me and my
see what each student submitted as
their answer, and which skills would be
students instant feedback.
beneficial for them to review. You can filter I can see which students
test results to see which students need are struggling, and which
help with a particular concept, and group skills I need to focus on
them together for remediation. for review day. I’m not
struggling to help my
Vimme can also show you which
students anymore.
standards were covered on a particular
assessment. Because of spiral review, Amanda Thrasher,
each test cumulatively incorporates skills 3rd grade math teacher
and standards from the entire semester.
13Vimme Learning
Made by teachers for teachers
Vimme Learning is an online math pinpoint areas where your students are
curriculum made by teachers for teachers. struggling, so you can make the most
Vimme doesn’t just prepare students of review days. And with a robust library
for the state assessment. Through of resources, you’ll always have the
rigorous spiral review, it helps students tools you need to reinforce skills without
on both ends of the achievement falling behind in the pacing guide.
spectrum to apply math skills for
Sign up for a free demo and see
true comprehension and mastery.
how far your students can go with
Vimme provides structure for success Vimme. You’ll get a six-week lesson
in your math classroom, while offering plan for your grade level, from 2nd
enough flexibility to make lessons grade through pre-algebra.
your own. Real-time data helps you
Vimme Learning
Six-Week Free Trial
6-week pacing guide Real-time data reporting
6 weekly cumulative assessments • By week
• By question
6 weeks of instructional videos
• By standard
6 weeks of interactive notebooks
Online quiz builder
6 weeks of anchor charts
Pre-made quizzes
14From large, urban districts to small,
rural ones, Vimme Learning has a If you want your students
proven track record of raising state to be excited about a
assessment scores and preparing subject, you have to be
students for academic success. Start excited to teach it. I can
your free six-week demo, and put say definitively that
your math classroom on a new path. Vimme makes me excited
about math.
Kristi Bowen,
SIGN UP TODAY 5th grade math teacher
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