Creatively Crazy With Learning: Splash Math

Splash Math

Hello All,

This post is all about Splash Math and how you can FLIP your classroom!

https://www.splashmath.com

Here is a quick Selfie of me while my students are playing on Splash Math today!

Trust me, I don't get too many breaks, but this one was worth putting on my blog.

I even allowed my class to create a cute sign to show how much they LOVE Splash Math.

What is it?

Splash Math is a comprehensive and interactive math program that targets all grades and standards.

I am teaching Common Core Math to my first grade class and they are really enjoying this resource.

How do I get access to this resource?

You can sign up for a FREE premium version for a limited time to gain the FULL access to all that Splash Math has to offer. Just click the link under the picture above. Splash Math is available to use web-based (Internet and computer access needed) or mobile (tablets such as iPads). Splash Math can be accessed at school and while at school. The FULL access will expire at the end of this school year, but there are many pricing options available if you and your learners are interested. FYI- I have not been hired by Splash Math to sing their praises.

What is the best way to "Flip" my classroom using Splash Math?

You can use Splash Math to model concepts. Here I am using the ActivBoard to display the Teacher review feature. I like to pull up a skill and model how to play the game. I also allow students a chance to get involved. Say a question has four possible answers, I ask my students to hold up "Bunny Ears" aka (fingers) to represent their answer. This provides me with a quick way to observe if students understand the Then I will choose the answer to see who got the answer correct. Then after a few example problems, I will play, "Pass the Pen". This is when I start with the student on the end of my half-circle, and have that first student come up and choose the answer. After this person takes a turn, then the next student receives the pen, from the student who just had a turn, and takes their turn.

At the end of this review lesson, also called a Tier 2 group, according to the RTI process, I want to reassess my students' understanding of this concept/standard; therefore, I ask each of the group members to join me at my small group table where I have a device for each student in the small group, thanks to the iPad Initiative my county has put in place, staring this school year (2014-15), I currently have 10 iPads for students and 1 Teacher iPad. I also try to bring in my own personal devices to allow more users to get involved with whatever online/app-related resource I plan to use. In this picture you can see a small Tier 2 group re-taking a quiz they previously took on a standard they did not perform well on, according to my data analysis on the district-wide benchmark assessment. I am writing down scores in my Tier 2 binder I have compiled. I hope Splash Math will soon release the feature of printing out data.

The RTI process is big focus at my school and district. I would love to hear from you about your experience with this process because we are always looking for ways to improve our craft with this process.

Enrichment!

On the flip side, I have students who are working at their own pace and blowing through first grade standards. This student has made her way into third grade math standards! (ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!). As you can see on the iPad in this picture, she is dividing a single digit into the four digit number and getting the answers correct. How does she do this you ask? Well, I simply monitor the classroom during our whole group math time, and ask students to raise their hands when they get to a problem or skill they are confused with. I then said to this student, "All you have to do is take the 8 and divide it into the 32, and then do the same process, and divide it into the 79". The teacher's role has been changed to the "guide on the side", that interjects as needed and gets away from the old school style of lecturing. This student has been impressing me beyond words lately. Without having Splash Math as a resource to quickly see if students can master Common Core Math standards, I would have never thought of taking this child, this far above, first grade standards.

Can Splash Math be used for test prep?

At this point in the year, we only have 4 weeks of school left, but that means standardized testing is taking place soon. I am trying to maximize student learning and re-learning time to allow students a chance to review skills I have taught way back in first quarter, while still teaching new standards that just started this quarter (4th; last).

Here are some screen shots that help me identify standards and students that need remediation or enrichment based on their application and comprehension of standards presented through Splash Math.

This screen shot shows data of how many problems answered in this grade level and percentage of questions answered correctly. There are many different reports available to teachers as well.

This report below features standards (as seen in the grey) and how students performed in green, blue, red, etc. Green means the student has mastered the skill, orange means the student just started the game but didn't finish it, blue is a satisfactory score but not 100%, and red means the student did not master the skill.

These reports help inform my instruction for the next school day. I will either reinforce teaching standards again through my Tier 2 groups when I see red areas or enrich or move up Bloom's Taxonomy Levels, when I see the green.

I will make another post about Bloom's Digital Taxonomy (Andrew Churches) Levels another day :)

Please Sign Up and FLIP Your Own Classroom Today!

If you would like to sign-up for Splash Math Today, they are giving many incentives. Please take advantage and "FLIP" you own classroom; even if it is for the last weeks of this school year.

Send me an e-mail at www.creativelycrazywithlearning@gmail.com and I will send you a quick link to sign up with. We will both earn a $10.00 credit for next year!