M ELAN IE EVANS leads Mary ^ ^ c^ZmiS^ SL "nle C*& ami cutting dmris. and a'pU? of chZF"' Union Teachers Sold On 'Saxon' Approach To Learnina Math BY SUSAN USHER Remember grade school math? Chances are you learned math by one of two approaches: A: The traditional textbook ap proach, in which a new math skill is introduced in every chapter, in isola tion. Students typically never see the material again once the class moves on. Either you "get" it or you don't B: The applications approach, in which students grapple with a prob lem, and are then introduced to con cepts that help solve it But what aUkut C? Union Ele mentary School teachers believe they have found a way to teach math that makes more sense than A or B above, a method that works for more students. It doesn't skip from topic to topic, doesn't change language in mid-stream, doesn't use application or frustration as a starting point for learning. It does build on what students have already learned and provides plenty of opportunity for mastery and recall. It emphasizes skills first then abstract theory. The approach is called incremen tal development, in which a concept introduced at one point keeps reap pearing. and being practiced, throughout the year. Advocates call it "Saxon" math after its renegade publisher, former U.S. Army omcer and junior college algebra instructor John Saxon of Norman, Okla. This year kindergarten and first grade students at Union use Saxon; next year third grade will too. Union's performance-based ac countability plan requests a waiver to use state textbook funds to buy the materials. The waiver is needed because Saxon isn't on the state list of approved math IWOWCM, even though the approach is getting good reviews iron far Keel teacners wno use iL Veteran Union first-grade teacher Amy Watkins read about Saxon's approach ic math is a profession*! magazine, then followed up. "We were so upset with the math we were using." she recalled. "1 sent for a sample of the materials and a list of iCaCucis iniug ii iii Nuiih Caro lina." She got on the telephone and came away convinced Saxon should be tried. After eight months of use, she's more certain than ever. "In 18 years of teaching I've nev er wen anything like it" she says. "I'm impressed" What's got her and other teachers so enthused that teachers from other county schools are coming to Union to see what's goisg on? A complete turnaround from the fragmented ap proach found in most texts; a consis tent scholar's vocabulary; a fresh way of looking at math conceptual ly, practical applications that rely on everday situations such as counting money, ratting time, forecasting the weather and making a calendar; and a heavy emphasis on reading skills, uae of manipulative* such as blocks and ruler*, and practical applica tions. Teachers don't need special train ing to use the Saxon approach. The packct comes with detailed instruc tions on everything from how to set up the eta?room to scripted Inma. Watkins follows the scripts carefully when introducing new material; she wants to make sure nothing impor tant is skipped. With 130 lessons provided for a 180-day school year, the program provides plenty of time for teachers HH to incorporate lessons on topics of their own choosing, like calculators, the one subject on the state first grade math curriculum not covered by Saxon. Using Saxon, kindergarten stu dents work frequently with cubes and pattern blocks, two types of "manipulatives." Lessons are at tuned to a young child's short atten tion span, shovt, moving quickly from one activity to another. At all grade levels, new material is introduced in hits aivl niens inte grated into what students are already doing. Work sheets include prob lems based on new information and previous lessons. Basic math concepts and vocabu lary once considered out of first graders' range are common. During a recent visit to Watkius' class, stu dents eagerly drew examples of oolvgnns on ?hf board, carefully lev ing off each line segment with a ruler. Corey FormyDuval has also used his ruler to measure the height of his bean plants. The first time he mea sured, one plant was three inches tall, the other six inches tall. When he measured again, the tallest was nine inches. He was impressed. Before writing their name at the top of a paper, students first draw a line segment. But they don't just draw a line, they draw a line of a specific length ? 4 inches, 2 inches, 8 centimeters ? with endpoints. And learn to adjust their signature to fit. As part of their classwork during one recent visit, watkins' students were writing math sentences for problems. To illustrate 6 + 4 = 10, Heidi Bas wrote. There were 6 pigs in a pen, 4 more came in." Qock skills build on students' un dCTw?ridifi? Of f aaCiiOii5, USiug !C> iiu such as "half past 10" The approach appears to encour age students to reason, to begin see ing relationships, asking questions and drawing conclusions. "Because of this math some of my kids have thought about multi pi rat ion who wouldn't have other wise," Wstkins said. They begin to see it when we work with 2 + 2 + 2 ? 6 and you ask 'How many times 2 ts ft? Three times 2 is 6." Watkins asks a special question every day that requires students to draw on tlieir growing logic and crit ical thinking skills. One recent ex ample: How could you divide a pack of 8 sticks of gum with four friends (plus yourself, of course)? "Wc couldn't ask those kinds of questions before because our stu dents couldn't think that way," inter jects Reading Recovery teacher Nancy Wemyss, who formerly taught a self-contained class. "We have always done the calen dar every day," said Phelps, who has taught kindergarten students TA of her nine years in education. "The one thing we have noticed is that now that we have added counting by 10's and the clock, they arc picking up skills like telling time. You don't have to teach a specific lesson; they just pick up on it naturally." "I've always used a lot of hands on activities, but this program ties it all together." Like Watkins, she's impressed with the incremental learning Kmilt into every activity. When working with the calendar kindergarten stu dents are first cxnected to create ABAB (like red/blue/red/blue) or ABCABC (red/bliie/greea) se quences with their pattern blocks, she said, and "now they're being asked to do A/B/B/C patterns. '' Calendar time is also a standard ? * ? ? < **? "TV* M* IMM fciuwv, ? ?!? % VI IIM> IVlMrUUK Place." With the Saxon approach the period is used to subtly work on a larger range of skills than in the past. This day it is Ryan Bennett's turn to "teach" in Watkins' class. He guides classmates through a routine that includes reviewing the date, day of the year, month, season, time of day, day in the school term and the remaining days of school. Ifi a tap bcai iocy uuul aiuud, "It's fun. it's fun. I can count bv 10 and I'll sun with 1. 10. 20, 30 j" On "The Meeting Place" board students track the weather for each day of the week, creating a graph. Studying the graph, the Student of the Day gets to predict the next day's weather. In Mary Dawson's class, a shy Melanie Evans takes classmates through a similar routine. Today's MMpc m s trapezoid, she uc* fore leading the class in counting by S's to ISO. It's the 154th day of the school year (only 26 days until summer va cation, the kids point out). Translated into money. Drew Winters calculated, that would make $1.54. He begins pulling out real money ? a do!!ar bill phis two quar ters and four pennies or five dimes and four pennies. The dass has only recently begun working with quartets, but hasn't forgotten dimes. "When we count -..crviiuriai udy