Kya Denny

EDUC 5545
Anchor Assignment
Connie can add and subtract 3 digit problems and understands regrouping. She uses an
organized procedure for completing the problems; she crosses out the numbers when she regroups and
writes the new number over the top when she borrows. She makes very few procedural and conceptual
errors. Genara can regroup with addition but subtraction with regrouping poses a difficulty. She
subtracts from the largest number, regardless of whether it is on the top or the bottom. She has a
difficult time going to the hundreds place. She uses very little strategy to solve problems. After a
reteach, it became clear that even the addition was difficult for her. Juan is unable to understand
written directions, cannot do basic addition or subtraction and has no procedural strategy. He does
understand that the answers to his problems need to be lined up in place value order. Karen Karen does
not know how to borrow in the hundreds to tens place, nor does she have a procedural strategy for
doing so. She does not take a 100 when she borrows. She can borrow from the tens to the ones place.
Steve does not line up numbers in place value and has a difficult time with conventional borrowing.
However, Steve has a different method which he uses and it works very well for him.
Only one student received a passing grade on the reteach. The reteach was not a fair
representation of the types of problems found on the practice sheet. Every student missed the problem
Find the sum of 239 and 170, but word problems like that were not included. Steve, the student who
was the most successful on the practice sheet using his own method failed the reteach using the
conventional style of regrouping. Connie was the only student who increased her score, and that was in
part because the types of problems she needed help with were not on the reteach worksheet.
It is apparent that another method of explanation should be used for the next class. The teacher
should begin by reviewing how to read a few problems s/he has written on the board as they would

word problems in addition to the conventional (example: Three hundred thirty-two plus two hundred
eleven equalsor I started with three hundred thirty-two. I added two hundred eleven more. Now I
haveor the sum of three hundred thirty-two and two hundred eleven is). This will help the students
who struggled with the word problems to connect the two and help develop and review key math
vocabulary such as sum. Practicing estimation by rounding to the nearest hundred would also be
extremely beneficial. A quick review of place value using flash cards should be done using the problems
on the board.
Students should all be given a place value mat and flats, longs and cubes to use to show their
problems. Saying the problems out loud and placing manipulatives in a place value chart will reach
auditory, spatial and kinesthetic learners. Since many of the students had difficulties regrouping, having
the manipulatives will be helpful for explaining the procedure. At first, the student should just solve the
problems using the manipulatives. This should be done as a whole group, with the teacher instructing
them along the way. After practicing the problems with only manipulatives, as a group they should
practice solving the problem with manipulatives and paper and pencil. Students should write the
problems down on their paper and draw place value lines in the problem and where there answer will
be. Once this has been done, the class should break off for independent math center time, so that the
instructor can pull small homogenous groups to direct instruction further. For the students who are not
with the instructor, games that review past units, place value games, and single digit addition and
subtraction games that are also in the form of word problems should be focused on. For the higher
students who do not need as much small group instruction, practice with manipulatives and three digit
addition and subtraction is beneficial; however, prior to allowing these students to do so, the instructor
needs to make sure s/he checked their work during the whole group lesson.
During small group time, the instructor should take the opportunity to talk to the students
about their mathematical thinking. After having a revamped whole class lesson in which vocabulary is

used, they may be able to identify their own struggles more easily. If not, the teacher will know which
students need more intervention.