Major Work of the Grade

Math Major Work of the Grade

As we each get further into the school year, there are three questions that I hear more often than anything else:

1. Where can I get examples of the new assessments?
2. What am I supposed to focus my instruction on?
3. Where are the best resources for teaching math at my grade?

Each of these is a great question because it all focuses on the importance of instruction and how good instruction leads to increased student growth.

I've shared a little (as much as I know) about assessments in previous posts, so today, I want to share a couple good resources for knowing what to focus on.

In addition to the Unpacking Documents (the documents that help clarify what the standards mean (Unpacking Documents)), NC DPI has produced what are called the "Major Work of the Grade" documents.  What I like about the Major Work documents is that they give a one-page brief on what is the most important work for each grade level.  At the North Carolina math conference, these documents were developed even further with activities to help us all understand what the Major Work really is.  Here is a link to the page with all the presentations and activities: Major Work Presentations and Activities.

Here are some examples of the Major Work from the Presentations:

As the Teacher Leadership Councils are working on locating the best resources, I will be glad to post some things here, but I also know that they are working hard to get some quality resources pulled together.