Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/619098
J E F F R A M I R E Z A N D J E S S E B A R B E R were married in July. They both teach fih grade in Romoland School District in Riverside County. They're passionate about each other, the Common Core, and creating curriculum. They design meaningful, real-world math lessons for students and other educators. They describe their passion as "cre- ating complex, real-world scenarios in which students choose appropri- ate concepts for application, encompassing cross-cur- ricular activities while working through multi- ple math standards." For example, their Airdrop Project asks students to design several small boxes for supplies, along with the actual package in which these supplies will be dropped by parachute. First, students create models based on each item's dimensions. Next, they determine what size box is needed to package the items. The goal is to discover the formula for volume rather than having a teacher dispense it, so students can solve prob- lems on their own. It's tied in with an engineering task to create a parachute, and drop and test their creations — safely landing packages without damage the items inside. The Romoland Teachers Association members also cre- ated a Park Project, where students create a city park by researching real-world costs, budgets and dimensions, along with efficient, eco-friendly use of space. This combines standards from several content areas. Barber, who teaches at Mesa View Elementary School, and Ramirez, who teaches at Boulder Ridge Elementary, are part of the Instructional Leadership Corps (ILC), a collaboration between CTA and Stanford University that is building a net- work of educators to support Common Core implementation. "Our goal is for students to no longer ask, 'Why do we need to know this?'" says Barber. "By providing experiences where students discover the math, stu- dents immediately understand why these skills are necessary. That's because they are actually using them, on their way to becoming successful and productive members of the 21st century." Jeff Ramirez and Jesse Barber Math lessons that rock "Our goal is for students to no longer ask, 'Why do we need to know this?' " 23 December 2015 / January 2016