Differentiating Instruction with Menus: Math (Grades 3-5)
Mindprint Rating
Tags
Skills
Mindprint Expert Review
Pros
- This math workbook is a great supplement for teachers to provide engaging activities for their advanced students to practice and apply math skills.
- The menus allow students to choose activities that align with their interests and strengths, promoting engagement and ownership of their learning.
- The activities are hands-on and exercise not only the specific math skill of topic, but also integrate background knowledge and other higher order thinking skills, such as complex reasoning, flexible thinking and planning.
Considerations
- Many of the activities involve outside materials or resources, such as using recycled materials to build a 3D sculpture, so teachers should be prepared to offer necessary materials or guide students on how to find what they will need.
- Menu activities rely on mastery of the specific math skills, as well as the ability to apply those skills and integrate other complex planning and thinking skills, so teachers will likely need to support even their most advanced students in some ways.
- Teachers should anticipate the need to work with some students on how to make good, efficient choices and manage their time.
Mindprint Expert Review
This teacher's math workbook is part of the Differentiating Instruction With Menus series which is intentionally designed to give advanced and gifted students choice and flexibility in developing their learning. The book is organized in chapters that cover whole numbers and operations, fractions, probability and statistics, geometry, measurement, and problem solving.
The concept of the menus, much like the menu you choose from in a restaurant, is to offer students choice in how they practice skills and demonstrate their learning, as opposed to giving the whole class the same assignment or worksheet. After teaching a math unit or topic, teachers offer students the opportunity to select from the menu of choices to demonstrate their learning. The choices offered in the menus are hands-on activities that will engage learners to apply their learning in creative, motivating ways, such as designing board games, creating a set of trading cards, or creating an advertisement. All the activities are designed to demonstrate understanding and application, and they rely not only on mastery of the math skill but also on the student's ability to organize and execute the project. Most students should be able to find an engaging activity on any given topic and appreciate the opportunity to choose, but teachers should expect to support students with their math skills as well as their project planning skills. The book provides in-depth guidance to teachers on each activity, including objectives, time frame, grading rubrics, and special notes which includes practical advice.
Academic Benefits
Improves academic skills
- Provides sufficient and varied types of practice problems to maximize understanding and generalization of the targeted skill/concept
- Manufacturer claims alignment with Common Core/Known Standards
- Presents educational concepts accurately
- Explains answers so students can learn from mistakes
- Better for teaching the skill to new or struggling learners
- Better for practicing or refreshing the skill
- Skills are practiced through authentic, meaningful problems (not just rote practice)
Fun
Engaging for the Mindprint recommended age range
- Appropriate for a broad age range to use and enjoy
- Subject matter and problems are relevant, interesting and authentic to students
- Includes reward stickers
- Visually stimulating and appealing (uses student-centered pictures, colors, and themes)
- Graphics and overall feel of the workbook is appropriate for the target age range
- Relative to most workbooks, fun to use from a child's perspective
- Offers ongoing, progressive challenge
- Overall - Enjoyable. Given the option, students would choose this option
Easy to Use
Understandable for children in the Mindprint recommended age range
- Provides teaching guidance for adults to support the child and set appropriate goals
- Student should be able to use independently after first use
- Specific topics/lessons are easy to find
- Presents information in multiple formats (voice over, pictures and text, etc.)
- Overall - Easy to use
Cognitive Concerns
May not be advisable for students with the following cognitive needs
- Abstract Reasoning
- Directions may be confusing for students using independently
- Word problems assume additional knowledge (conversion factors, formulas, symbols, etc.)
- Anxiety
- Displays grade levels that cannot be hidden from students
- Age inappropriate amount of work which could overwhelm or discourage students
- Attention
- Age inappropriate amount of work which could overwhelm or discourage students
- Directions may be confusing for students using independently
- Visually distracting with too many pictures, problems or moving objects
- Organization
- Age inappropriate amount of work which could overwhelm or discourage students
- Directions may be confusing for students using independently
- Verbal Reasoning
- Directions may be confusing for students using independently
Manufacturer Description
The best-selling Differentiating Instruction With Menus series has helped teachers nationwide differentiate instruction for their high-ability learners with easy-to-use menus and exciting tools to challenge and reach gifted and advanced students in the classroom. Each book includes an updated, student-friendly rubric that can assess different types of products, free choice proposal forms to encourage independent study, and new and favorite challenging menus to meet the needs of these diverse higher level learners. Readers will also be able to save time by using updated guidelines the reflect changes in technology for each of the products included in the menus and find direct alignment with standards approved in recent years. Topics addressed in Differentiating Instruction With Menus: Math (Grades 3–5, 2nd ed.) include whole numbers and operations, fractions, probability and statistics, geometry, measurement, and problem solving.