Your Eureka Math Year-End Review

Wow! What a year it has been!  So many changes and challenges, it is hard to believe it is time to close up this school year.  This year we have been delivering lessons in so many different ways. Whether it was teaching remote, full time back in the classroom, or hybrid and doing both at the same time, there were new hurdles to overcome each day.  Who knew we would be able to pull through with a successful math curriculum through all of this? Well we did it! Breathe, and know your students are better because of your teaching even with all of the changes.  
 
Even though this particular year has been an obstacle, it is safe to say every year throws us some sort of hurdles.  There is always a place for refection.  Take a step back in a quiet moment, and decide what parts of your math curriculum went particularly well and where would you like to build up for next year.

What Went Well?
 
An aspect I think I did really well this year was with flexibility of the curriculum. Since Eureka Math provides so many ways to asses our students, I was able to hit skills again and again. I felt confident in that even if some students missed a lesson they would get exposure to that same skill again.  This gave me confidence in my remote teaching as well. Attendance is one of the biggest obstacles to be faced in that setting. I knew if a particular student was not attending one day, that they would be exposed to that skill again in another lesson. It is great that the lessons tend to embed so many different skills.
 
The problem solving routine really helps me to integrate previously taught skills and keep refreshing them. The students are open many times to choose a strategy to help them solve. I am able to see which strategies students feel strong with and know where to help them build up based on how they typically solve these problems.
 
The Practice Book that provides fluency practice, I found to be such an asset in a year like this one! The students were continuously practicing facts, number sense, and place value over and over again. It can be used as a type of assessment as well which is very helpful!
 
What Area Should I Work on?
 
For me, I know I want to work more on my time management. I am usually good at knowing what I want students to learn and setting up strong objectives before hand. However, sometimes once I get teaching, I get sucked into the moment. I just want to dive into everything to help as much as I can. This does not always make for the best time management. I find at times I will need two class sessions to complete a lesson.

One way I can help myself stay on track is to use a planning template like this one. This will help me to easily see the different sections of the lesson. If I notice the time moving on, I can skim down on my template and move on to the next section. I will also feel more organized as prepare for what is to come.
 
Another area that is always a challenge for me is planning ahead.  We as teachers see all the time that we plan and things change. Sometimes we get caught up in all of the other aspects of teaching such as meetings taking up all of the prep time we have. Then I typically find myself frantic thinking about what I am doing next. The planning template is a quick way of keeping myself planned out and paced well ahead.  This is also a great way to organize lessons for a substitute teacher if I have to leave lesson plans one day.
 
Looking Ahead
 
Reflecting back on a school year is the best way to know how far you have come and have a good sense of new goals to reach for. Each year we adapt to our new group of students to help them the best way we can. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing the progress students have made in an entire school year.
 

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My name is Stephanie Achord and I am from New Hampton, NY. I have been a classroom teacher for sixteen years.  I am currently a second-grade virtual teacher.  I enjoy spending time with my husband, two snuggly pugs, and two small boys bike riding and taking camping trips.