Teacher Guidance
Teaching Journey & Lesson Plan
Documenting Students' Learning After Storytelling in Mathematics
Capturing students’ learning after storytelling activities is essential to understanding their progress, reflecting on the effectiveness of teaching strategies, and planning future lessons. Below are various methods to document and assess students' learning in a meaningful way while promoting inquiry and mathematical thinking.
1. Visual Documentation
Visual tools allow students to express their understanding and thought processes creatively.
Story Maps: Ask students to create a visual map of the story they experienced, including the math concepts they explored (e.g., creating a timeline of events in the story where math was used, such as sharing objects or measuring lengths).
Drawing Solutions: Encourage students to illustrate how they solved a problem presented in the story (e.g., dividing objects, comparing sizes).
Photo Evidence: Take photos of students engaging in storytelling and problem-solving activities. Label the photos with students’ explanations and mathematical reasoning.
Why It Works:
Visual documentation helps young learners articulate their thinking and allows teachers to assess their understanding of math concepts in a non-verbal way.
2. Journaling and Written Reflections
Encourage students to reflect on their learning through journals and
upload on educational platforms such as Seesaw.
Methods:
Math Journals: Provide prompts such as:
“What happened in the story today?”
“How did we solve the problem?”
“What was your favorite part, and why?”
Shared Writing: Collaborate as a class to write a collective summary of the story and its mathematical focus.
Why It Works:
Journaling reinforces language skills and allows educators to track individual progress and areas where additional support is needed.
3. Class Discussions and Video Recordings
Facilitate discussions where students share their ideas and record these sessions for later review.
Math Talks: Host a circle time discussion where students explain their reasoning and listen to their peers’ ideas.
Video Documentation: Record storytelling and problem-solving activities, then review the videos to identify patterns in students’ thinking and participation.
Why It Works:
Oral reflections build communication skills and provide real-time insights into students’ thought processes. Video recordings also serve as evidence for student portfolios.
4. Portfolios
Create individual or class portfolios that can be shared with students and families. Educational platforms such as Seesaw can be used.
Methods:
Digital Portfolios: Use platforms like Seesaw or Google Classroom to upload photos, videos, and written work.
Physical Portfolios: Collect physical artifacts such as journal entries, drawings, and worksheets.
Why It Works:
Portfolios allow for long-term tracking of student growth and can be shared with parents to illustrate progress.
Teacher Observations
Record anecdotal notes and observations during and after the activity.
Methods:
Observation Sheets: Create a template to record specific behaviors, such as:
“Did the student share their ideas?”
“Did the student use mathematical terms correctly?”
“How did the student solve the problem?”
Checklist: Track which students met the learning objectives.
Why It Works:
Teacher observations capture qualitative data and provide immediate insights into students’ engagement and understanding.
Why Documenting Matters
Documenting learning after storytelling in mathematics helps:
Assess Understanding: Identify what students grasp and where they need more support.
Celebrate Success: Highlight students’ creativity and mathematical thinking.
Guide Instruction: Inform future lesson planning and adapt to students’ needs.
Communicate Progress: Share evidence of learning with families and other educators.
By combining these methods, educators can create a rich, ongoing narrative of student learning that aligns with the inquiry-based nature of early years education.
