I am almost at the end of my unit, and I am fairly pleased with how it went. I was able to do three different labs, which is something the kids hardly get to do in math class. I think these labs went well, especially the volume lab. In this lab, the students had to measure four different three-dimensional solids, record the values in a table, and then find the volume of each one. At the end of the lab, they were given some problem solving questions that related directly to my action research.
Although I feel my lessons and activities cover the material well, my students have seemed to struggle at times. My host teacher told me that the chapter I'm teaching is always the hardest one for the Course 3 students to learn and comphrehend. The students seem to lack some basic, necessary math skills, which could be part of the problem. They struggle with the basic operations and using simple area and volume formulas. I have been hard on myself about it, but my host teacher told me not to blame myself. All I want is for my students to learn this material and really understand it. I have provided them with graphic organizers, manipulatives, and visuals to help with comphrension, but it doesnt seem to work as well as I'd like it to. Tomorrow is their test, so I will know then whether or not they have mastered the material.
