Article
JLN Photography/Shutterstock (Jordan Louis)
Math,

Home-Learning Successes!

When school doors closed, online classrooms opened 

By Jessica McKenna-Ratjen
From the September 2020 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will use number lines to calculate the elapsed time between events on an e-learning class schedule.

Lexile: 850L; 690L
Focus Area: Measurement and Data,
Standards
  • MATHEMATICAL PRACTICES: MP2, MP5, MP6 COMMON CORE: 3.MD.A.1 TEKS: 3.7C, 4.8C

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Lexile® measure

  • 850L
  • 690L

JLN Photography/Shutterstock (Jordan Louis)

Jordan Louis, a third-grader in Miramar, Florida, completes schoolwork online.

Starting this past winter, a new illness called COVID-19 sickened people around the globe. In more than 190 countries, schools closed to slow the spread of the virus that causes the disease. When DynaMath went to press, it was unclear when and where schools would reopen.

But learning didn’t stop! Students completed lessons at home, often online.

A new illness called COVID-19 was discovered this past winter. It sickened people around the globe. Schools closed in more than 190 countries. Officials wanted to slow the spread of the virus that causes the disease. It was unclear when and where schools would reopen at the time DynaMath went to press.

But learning didn’t stop! Students completed lessons at home. Many of them attended school online.

Courtesy of family 

Kameryn Diaz starts a school day at her home in New York.

It wasn’t easy. In many homes, families shared one device. Some families didn’t have access to a computer or the internet at all. Whether students were video chatting or writing in paper packets, everyone could agree that school wasn’t the same.

“I miss that I can’t actually talk to my friends and be there with them,” said Kameryn Diaz, a fourth-grader from New York City. 

But students found ways to make remote learning work for them. They chatted with friends at the start of online class meetings. They followed daily schedules and found special spaces to do schoolwork. 

Teachers worked hard to make their remote classrooms feel like school. Chauntae Brown, a second-grade teacher at P.S. 80 in New York City, used supplies from her garage to create a colorful video chat background. 

“It’s important to have a bit of fun in times like this,” she says.

After just a few weeks, students discovered how resilient they could be. They had successfully become remote learners!

“My students had no remote learning experience,” Brown said. “I’m proud of their eagerness to learn by any means necessary.”

It wasn’t easy. Many homes had one device for families to share. Some families didn’t have access to a computer at all. Some didn’t have internet access. It didn’t matter if students were video chatting or writing in paper packets. Everyone could agree that school wasn’t the same.

“I miss that I can’t actually talk to my friends and be there with them,” said Kameryn Diaz. Kameryn is a fourth-grader from New York City.

But students found ways to make remote learning work for them. They chatted with friends at the start of online class meetings. They followed daily schedules. They found special spaces to do schoolwork.

Teachers worked hard to make their remote classrooms feel like school. Chauntae Brown is a second-grade teacher at P.S. 80 in New York City. She used supplies from her garage to create a colorful background for her video chats.

“It’s important to have a bit of fun in times like this,” she says.

Students discovered how resilient they could be after just a few weeks. They had successfully become remote learners!

“My students had no remote learning experience,” Brown said. “I’m proud of their eagerness to learn by any means necessary.”

Math Talk

If you were in charge of a remote-learning classroom, how would you schedule the school day?

Math Talk

If you were in charge of a remote-learning classroom, how would you schedule the school day?

Elapsed Time

What to Do

Elapsed time is the amount of time between the start and end of an event. You can use a number line to help you find the time that has passed.

Example

In March, Ms. Brown’s class schedule included a Spanish lesson. The lesson started at 11:50 a.m. It ended at 12:45 p.m. How much time did Ms. Brown spend teaching Spanish?

• Draw a number line and label the first tick mark with the start time. 

• Draw an arrow to hop forward to the next friendly time on the number line. Write down how much time you moved.

• Continue hopping forward in increments of minutes or hours until you reach the end time.

• Add together the increments of time to find the total. 

10 minutes + 45 minutes = 55 minutes

Ms. Brown spent 55 minutes teaching Spanish.

Elapsed Time

What to Do

Elapsed time is the amount of time between the start and end of an event. You can use a number line to help you find the time that has passed.

Example

In March, Ms. Brown’s class schedule included a Spanish lesson. The lesson started at 11:50 a.m. It ended at 12:45 p.m. How much time did Ms. Brown spend teaching Spanish?

• Draw a number line and label the first tick mark with the start time. 

• Draw an arrow to hop forward to the next friendly time on the number line. Write down how much time you moved.

• Continue hopping forward in increments of minutes or hours until you reach the end time.

• Add together the increments of time to find the total. 

10 minutes + 45 minutes = 55 minutes

Ms. Brown spent 55 minutes teaching Spanish.

Now You Try It

Use your knowledge of elapsed time and the information in the sample schedule below to answer the questions.

Use your knowledge of elapsed time and the information in the sample schedule below to answer the questions.

According to Ms. Brown’s schedule, how long did students spend in story talk? Show using a number line.

According to Ms. Brown’s schedule, how long did students spend in story talk? Show using a number line.

Which time period is longer: writing or lunch? By how many minutes? 

Which time period is longer: writing or lunch? By how many minutes? 

Ms. Brown sometimes adds an extra 40 minutes after math for some fun math activities. At what time do the extra math activities end?

Ms. Brown sometimes adds an extra 40 minutes after math for some fun math activities. At what time do the extra math activities end?

Not including lunch, how long do Ms. Brown’s students spend in class on an average day?

Not including lunch, how long do Ms. Brown’s students spend in class on an average day?

Continue Your Learning

  • Create your own daily schedule! List at least 5 activity blocks in your day (e.g., outdoor play: 25 minutes, art: 45 minutes). Then choose a start time and determine at what time each activity starts and ends.
  • Watch the video “Voices from Quarantine.” Then write a paragraph about your own experience during the pandemic. Ask a family member to help you record yourself reading your paragraph aloud.

Continue Your Learning

  • Create your own daily schedule! List at least 5 activity blocks in your day (e.g., outdoor play: 25 minutes, art: 45 minutes). Then choose a start time and determine at what time each activity starts and ends.
  • Watch the video “Voices from Quarantine.” Then write a paragraph about your own experience during the pandemic. Ask a family member to help you record yourself reading your paragraph aloud.
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