Grade 7 Support

Facilitator Information

Read-Me-First

In this document you will find:

an overview of the workshops

a suggested approach to Day 1.

a suggested approach to Day 2.

a list of the supplementary resources that can be found in the binder for grade 7 teachers.

Workshop / When to do the workshop
1 / EMLA- interpreting the results
-MDRs / Interpreting the results - Day 1
MDRs - Day 2
See Day 1, #3, and Day 2, #6.
2 / Activating Prior Knowledge in Fractions
(using a language activity, a math game, observation chart, student work and exit cards). This workshop also shows how to use formative assessment to inform instruction. / Day 1
See Day 1, #2.
3 / Error Patterns in Decimal Operations
(with suggestions for interventions)
Included are common errors and problems students have with decimals operations and information on what was learned from the EMLA about Grade 6 students’ knowledge of decimals. / Day 2
This workshop could be broken up and the work with base-10 blocks could be done at a later time.
See Day 2, #2.
4 / Article “ Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say” / Give as homework on Day 1 and do first on Day 2.
See Day 1, #4, and Day 2, #1
5 / Grade 7 Mental Math Yearly Plan
(includes ppt. and document) / Day 2
See Day 2, #3
6 / Differentiated Instruction
(includes a document and a lesson plan) / Day 2 or at another PD session
See Day 2, #4
7 / Binder contents
(make sure to spend some time on the 4 sample yearly plans) / Day 2
See Day 2, # 5
8 / Home School Communication Resource / See Day 2, #7

Day 1:

1.A PowerPoint of questions from the EMLA Sampler has been created (02_EMLA_sampler.ppt). It is animated so you could have it running as teachers arrive.

The purpose of this PowerPoint is to give Grade 7 teachers an idea of the expectations for Grade 6 students.

This PowerPoint is set up as a continuous loop (runs over and over until you stop it by pressing the Esc button). If you wish to change this, change the Slide Show settings in the Slide Show menu. Uncheck the box marked “Loop continuously until Esc”

Click below to access the PowerPoint:
02_EMLA_sampler.ppt

2.(9 a.m. – 2 p.m.) Workshop on Activating Prior Knowledge in Fractions. Facilitator Notesfor this workshop are found in (01_fractions_fac_notes.doc). All workshop directions and how and when to use the following files are explained in the Facilitator Notes.

Click below to access the files:

01Facilitator Notes / 01_fractions_fac_notes.doc
02EMLA Sampler PowerPoint / 02_EMLA_sampler.ppt
03Fraction Activity for Grades P to 3 / 03_P-3_fract_activity.doc
03AAnswers to Grades P–3 Fraction Activity / 03A_P-3_fract_activity_answers.doc
04Fraction Activity for Grade 4 / 04_gr4_fract_activity.doc
04AAnswers to Grade 4 Fraction Activity / 04A_gr4_fract_activity_answers.doc
05Fraction Activity for Grade 5 / 05_gr5_fract_activity.doc
05AAnswers to Grade 5 Fraction Activity / 05A_gr5_fract_activity_answers.doc
06Fraction Activity for Grade 6 / 06_gr6_fract_activity.doc
06AAnswers to Grade 6 Fraction Activity / 06A_gr6_fract_activity_answers.doc
07AThink–Pair-Share for 2 ¼ (version 1) / 07A_think-pair-share_2_one_fourth.doc
07BThink–Pair-Share for 2 ¼ (version 2) / 07B_think-pair-share_2_one_4.doc
08AMore than One-Half Instructions / 08A_more_than_one_half.doc
08BMore than One-Half Observation Sheet / 08B_more_than_one_half_obs_sheet.doc
08CMore than One-Half Circles / 08C_more_than_one_half_move_circles.doc
09AExit Cards (Equivalent Fractions) / 09A_exit_cards_equiv_fractions.doc
09BSample Exit Card Templates / 09B_sample_exit_card_templates.doc
10Student Work Samples (Equivalent Fractions) / 10_student_work_equiv_fractions.pdf
11Proportional Practice Questions / 11_proportional_practice_gr7_support.pdf

3.(2:00pm – 3:00p.m) EMLA – interpreting the results. Board leaders have indicated that they will determine what they want to do for this session. Files on the site that will help plan this session are provided in this list.

Click below to access the files:

012010 EMLA Teacher Reference / 01_2009-10_EMLA_teachers_reference.pdf
022010 Report to Teachers (sample) / 02_EMLA_report_to_teachers_2010_sample.pdf
03Mathematics Development Record Gr. 7 / 03_MDR_gr7_TCRSB.doc
04MDR Information Checklist Gr. 7 / 04_MDR_info_sheet_gr7_TCRSB.doc
05Class Tracking Sheet / 05_class_tracking_sheet_TCRSB.doc
06CCRSB EEMLA PowerPoint / 06_CCRSB_EEMLA.ppt

4.Homework for Day 2: Have teachers read the article “Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say” (12_Never_Say_Anything_a_Kid_Can_Say.pdf), found in their binder. Using the template, (12A_NeverSayAnything_Quote_Template.doc),ask teachers to select and record two quotes that they believe are important and explain why they believe each quote is important. Teachers should be prepared to discuss the article and the selected quotes on Day 2. You could ask them to send in their completed template prior to Day 2. Reading what the teachers have selected for quotes and the accompanying explanations will be very informative for the facilitator. Discussing the article and sharing quotes and explanations could take about 30 – 45 minutes on Day 2. Both the article and the template are in the binder as well as on the website.

Click below to access the files:

Article – Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say / 12_Never_Say_Anything_a_Kid_Can_Say.pdf
Quote Template – Never Say Anything… / 12A_NeverSayAnything_Quote_Template.doc

Day 2:

Following are suggestions for Day 2. There is more here than you can do in one day. You will need to decide what you will use today and what you might save for the next PD opportunity.

1.(30-45 min.) Start the day with the article “Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say”. See #4, Day 1, for instructions.

Click below to access the files:

Article – Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say / 12_Never_Say_Anything_a_Kid_Can_Say.pdf
Quote Template – Never Say Anything… / 12A_NeverSayAnything_Quote_Template.doc

2.(2-2.5 hrs.+)Workshop on Error Patterns in Decimals. Facilitator Notes are found in file (01A_error_patterns_decimals_fac_notes.doc).

In this workshop, student work for the 4 different decimal operations is examined.Teachers determine each student's misconception.Ways to help the student are discussed and modeled. The most common interventions are estimation and base-10 blocks. If you do the entire workshop, it will take several hours because of the time necessary to work with the base-10 materials.

The EMLA results indicate that students did poorly on questions that involved base-10 blocks. Because of this you may choose to look at the student errors and do the work on estimation with the teachers on Day 2 but save decimal operations using base-10 blocks for another session dedicated entirely to that.

It is also important to go over the work found on pages 15, 16, 18, 19 in the Facilitator Notes.
This work is also in the file (04_what_learned_from_EMLA_decimals.doc). This filegives important information on

treatments of remainders in division situations

some common errors and misconceptions about decimals

what we learned from the EMLA about students mistakes when working with decimals

Click below to access the files:

01AError Patterns in Decimals: Facilitator Notes / 01A_error_patterns_decimals_fac_notes.doc
01BStudent Samples of Error Patterns in Decimals / 01B_student_work_error_patterns_dec.doc
02ANumber Lines / 02A_number_lines.doc
02BVarious Decimal Number Lines / 02B_decimal_number_lines_various.doc
03Hundredth Charts / 03_hundreth_charts.doc
04What We Learned From EMLA about Decimals / 04_what_learned_from_EMLA_decimals.doc

3.Mental Math Yearly Plan Grade 7is in both Word and pdf formats (01_mental_math_gr7.rtf) and (01_mental_math_gr7.pdf).

A Power Point has been created for this document (02_mental_math_gr7_samples.ppt).

3a) (20-30 min. +) The ppt. could be run with each teacher trying theproblems individually and then, as a group, reviewing each problem and discussing strategies. There are 15 problems in the ppt.

3b)(30 min. +) Pair up the teachers, give each pair a problem from the ppt., ask them to find the problem in the yearly plan, identify the sector where is can be found, and create 2 more problems like it or like other samples from that section in the yearly plan.

Go over the yearly plan with the teachers and have teachers share where they found the problem and what they created.

NOTE: This is a yearly plan that is connected to the core resource Mathematics 7: Focus on Understanding. This is a different approach than P-6, where mental math booklets for strategies have been created.

Click below to access the files:

01AMental Math Yearly Plan (pdf format) / 01A_mental_math_gr7.pdf
01BMental Math Yearly Plan (Word format) / 01B_mental_math_gr7.doc
02Mental Math Grade 7 Samples PowerPoint / 02_mental_math_gr7_samples.ppt

4.Differentiated Instruction:

a)(3- 3.5 hrs)Differentiated Instruction document. Facilitator Notes have been developed to help plan how to use this document with teachers.

Click below to access the files:

01aDifferentiated Instruction: Facilitator Notes / 01a_differentiated_instruct_fac_notes
02aDifferentiated Instruction / 02a_differentiated_instruction.pdf
03aTask Grid / 03a_task_grid.doc
04aFrayer Model Template / 04a_frayer_model.doc

b) (2-2.5 hrs.) Differentiated Instruction lesson. In this workshop, the lesson taught in Chapter 3, Section 3.3, pages 126-131 of Mathematics 7: Focus on Understandingis developed through the lens of differentiated instruction. Constant reference is made to the DI document found in 4a. Facilitator notes have been written to help plan how to use this document with teachers. Teacher notes have been written to help teachers plan to do this lesson with students. Teachers will need their textbook for this workshop.

Click below to access the files:

01bDI Lesson: Facilitator Notes / 01b_DI_lesson_fac_notes.doc
01bDI Lesson: Teacher Notes / 01b_DI_lesson_teacher_notes.doc
02bDI Lesson: Mental Math PowerPoint presentation / 02b_DI_mental_math.ppt
02bDI Lesson: Mental Math Activity answer sheet / 02b_DI_mental_math_activity.doc
03bDI Lesson: Grids (4x4, 5x5, hundredths) / 03b_DI_grids.doc
04bDI Lesson: Worked Examples presentation / 04b_DI_worked_examples.ppt

5.EMLA – interpreting the results. Board leaders have indicated that they will determine what they want to do for this session. Files on the site that will help plan this session are provided in this list.

Click below to access the files:

012010 EMLA Teacher Reference / 01_2009-10_EMLA_teachers_reference.pdf
022010 Report to Teachers (sample) / 02_EMLA_report_to_teachers_2010_sample.pdf
03Mathematics Development Record Gr. 7 / 03_MDR_gr7_TCRSB.doc
04MDR Information Checklist Gr. 7 / 04_MDR_info_sheet_gr7_TCRSB.doc
05Class Tracking Sheet / 05_class_tracking_sheet_TCRSB.doc
06CCRSB EEMLA PowerPoint / 06_CCRSB_EEMLA.ppt

6.(20 min.) Going over the Binder Contents – When going through the binder, it is important to go through the 4 Sample Yearly Plans that are found in Section 3 of the binder.

Click below to access the files:

AYearly Plan from CCRSB / A_CCRSB_mathematics_7_plan.doc
BSample Yearly Plan 1 from Grade 7 TR / B_gr7_TR_sample_yearly_plan1.doc
CSample Yearly Plan 2 from Grade 7 TR / C_gr7_TR_sample_yearly_plan_2.doc
DGrade 7 Yearly Mathematics Plan / D_gr7_math_yearly_plan.doc

7.(30 min.) Home-School Communication Resource
There is a copy of this resource in every junior high school. The purpose of the resource is to help junior high mathematics teachers inform parents and guardians about their students’ mathematics program. You might wish to take sometime during Day 2 to go over this resource with the grade 7 teachers. Alternatively, you might present it at an after school session.

8.Participant Website
Copies of all files of use to participants (excluding the facilitator's notes) have been placed on a website for teachers to access the materials if needed. The URL for this website is:

All files for facilitators can be found at:

List of Documents for Mathematics 7 Supplementary Resources binders

Tab # / Document Title
1. / Atlantic Canada Mathematics Curriculum Grade 7
2. / Mathematics 7: A Teaching Resource
3. / (A) Grade 7 Mathematics Yearly Plan: (CCRSB)
(B) Yearly Plan 1 from Mathematics 7: A Teaching Resource
(C) Yearly Plan 2 from Mathematics 7: A Teaching Resource
(D) Grade 7 Mathematics Yearly Plan
4. / Mental Math Yearly Plan, Grade 7
5. / Differentiated Instruction & Flexible Grouping
6. / “Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say”
Article and quote template
7. / Atlantic Canada Mathematics Curriculum Grades 4–6
8. / Mental Math in Mathematics 4
9. / Mental Math in Mathematics 5
10. / Mental Math in Mathematics 6
11. / EMLA Teacher Reference, 2009–2010

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