Inside the Classroom: Tracy Martini - Lakeview Elementary
Inside the Classroom: Tracy Martini - Lakeview Elementary
Inside the Classroom is a series that visits Northwest ISD campuses throughout the year and highlights the magical moments that happen between teachers and students each and every day across the entire 234 square miles of NISD.
For the next edition of Inside the Classroom, we are taking you to Lakeview Elementary and Tracy Martini’s first-grade math class where the Bobcats are using their hearts just as much as their brains to push their learning to the next level.
Lakeview utilizes flex grouping for math and reading in first grade, meaning students are grouped by needs and ability and switch teachers to receive differentiated instruction. Ms. Martini teaches the extension group for math, which means she gets to challenge her Bobcats with higher-level concepts that are still aligned with the first-grade TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills), the state-mandated curriculum standards which outline what students should learn.
On the day of our visit, just before Halloween, Ms. Martini’s class was learning about tally charts and how to use them to interpret and compare data. They began their lesson by listening to the “Tally Marks Song” and singing along, setting the tone for a fun afternoon of math to come.
Next, Ms. Martini let each student cast a vote for their favorite Halloween candy. Students added popsicle sticks to a chart on the whiteboard until all votes were cast. They then counted their votes together and answered questions that required them to analyze the data they collected.
Throughout their time working together with the tally chart, Ms. Martini was praising students who were “listening with heart,” giving kudos to those who were extra attentive and engaged.
After completing the class tally chart, Ms. Martini explained that students would work in pairs or small groups to create and analyze their own tally charts. As Ms. Martini read the questions students would answer, she explained that the last question would be more difficult than the others, and you could hear an audible, collective “Yes!” from the whole class.
Ms. Martini knows she can challenge this group of students, and she did so in the assignment's final question by introducing the concept of doubling numbers, a lesson that is still to come in future TEKS.
Each group grabbed their bag of small plastic spiders plus a worksheet and began creating their charts. They worked through their questions with great collaboration, and in no time at all they finished and moved on to the highlight of their math lesson, choice boards.
Choice boards are games and hands-on activities that challenge students beyond their daily assignments. Students choose from 10 different options and work with a partner on an activity that aligns with the math goal they set for themselves at the beginning of the module.
One pair of students “solved the room,” meaning they walked around the room finding math problems to solve. Another group of students solved a mystery picture which involved answering equations and coloring boxes based on the solution’s value.
Throughout their time with choice boards and the spider tally charts, students came to Ms. Martini at her small group instruction table to receive one-on-one help. Additionally, Ms. Martini moved around the room and checked in on groups.
If groups finished their choice board early, they were able to play math games on their Chromebooks.
Just before it was time to return to their regular homerooms, Ms. Martini had students turn in their work and gather on the carpet.
Throughout choice boards time, one group in particular impressed Ms. Martini by “working with heart.” The pair of students played a game in which they repeatedly rolled a dice and charted their results. They worked together so well and so quickly that they also had time to graph their results.
Ms. Martini had the two students stand in front of the class and show off their work. She bragged about how they worked with heart, and you could see the pride radiating from them. They then each grabbed a sticker before returning to their regular homeroom class.
These Bobcats come to math with an eagerness to discover new concepts, and Ms. Martini is exactly the teacher they need to achieve their goals. She knows precisely how to challenge them, and she does it with a smile and lots of heart. In return, they listen and work with their hearts, and the classroom fills with a love for learning.
Check back regularly all year as we continue to visit students and teachers throughout Northwest ISD and offer a rarely seen look Inside the Classroom.