Chunking

I recall Maggie replying to what I wrote, long time ago on the blog, with a question about how I transfer methods to teach Literacy into Mathematical implementation, and, I was stumped. I was always under the impression that teaching Math is nothing like teaching Literacy. Since I was stumped by Maggie's question I have been thinking about it and, at my age, I feel that learning is a never ending process. Well, I don't want to waste whatever time I have left:):):)

A few days ago, in one of my third grade Read 180 groups, (not even working on Math), there was a sentence containing a six digit number: 330.000 of something. The student couldn't read the number and he just said thirty three, and just kept saying that three times. I had to do a "mini" Math lesson in the middle of a reading program, without getting my "tucked away" home made Place Value chart. So I covered the three zeros and asked him to read 330, and he did beautifully. I uncovered the rest of the numbers and asked him to read the whole six digit number but he lost it again.....and said three hundred thirty........over and over again. I empathized with him, because some of the other four students barely had their eyes attached to their sockets. They knew how to read that. However, I have always told them that giving someone the answer without giving them a chance to think is like robbing/cheating them from the learning/thinking process. They have been great about not blurting the answer......now!!

So I HAD TO get my chart......and asked him to put those numbers on the chart, noticing that the 330 is under the thousand "roof." Bingo......he could read the numbers and he was so proud of himself! To me the process of covering the zeros resembles chunking in Literacy, reading a long word by identifying the shorter words in it, seemed to be an AHA to me but perhaps to others it is not news:):):)

I had to share this with you all. I was too lazy to get my chart to begin with, at times being lazy has its own advantage:):):) Hopefully this makes sense to you. Thanks for taking the time to read.