Action Plan ◆ 167How do I monitor progress throughout the year?
Definitely give at least a beginning of the year, middle of the year and
end of the year word problem exam. This will at least give you some
useful information to navigate your teaching throughout the year.
What about time? There just is not time! How do I do this during my
math block?
Time is always a question. Cut some ELA time (they usually have double
the math block). Okay, I digress. You have to make the time to teach
problem solving in a planned manner. That means that you must track
what you are doing, so that you actually get to all the problem types for
your grade level during the year. You should make a big problem-solving
map/plan for your class, the grade and the school. You need to be very
intentional about the homework as well. Always send home some word
problems during the week for students to work on. Also, always have a
word problem workstation up and running throughout the year.
Reference
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principles and
standards for school mathematics. Reston VA: NCTM. Retrieved
August 4, 2015 from http://mrflip.com/teach/resources/NCTM/
chapter3/numb.htm.