SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM ❚ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018 ❚ 3B
Helping students grow ‘Math Minds’
Dea Begert
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Commentary
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USA TODAY NETWORK
One of my hopes for the new year is that more stu-
dents in Oregon will step up their game in math. The
last round of test scores showed just over 40 percent of
all students meeting state standards. We can do better,
and I mean “we” because our students are not alone.
We as teachers and parents need to do better to sup-
port our children when it comes to math.
After becoming an elementary school teacher my-
self, my students would tell me how much they hated
math, that it was too hard, and that it was just for
geeks. Here I am now, many years and countless stu-
dents later, knowing firsthand that math is not too dif-
ficult for anyone! All students have the potential to be
good at math when they are encouraged, are allowed
to explore numbers, and understand that it’s alright to
make mistakes.
Much like learning to ride a bike or to play guitar,
math is a learned set of skills that students must be
given the opportunity to practice and understand how
to use. With perseverance, effort, encouragement, and
patience, every student is capable of making their
math mind grow. Mistakes are part of that learning
process.
It’s up to parents and teachers to guide students on
that journey to grow their math minds and nurture
their perseverance. Here are a few tips —- by the num-
bers:
1. Explore math on their own. Give your students a
math project and allow them to be creative to complete
Dam
Continued from Page 1A
weather or otherwise, then getting delayed and ex-
tended. That would push the threshold of that resil-
ience.
"It's a very convenient, much used getaway for peo-
ple," Loveberg said of the lake. "People go for a picnic
for a day or stay for a week. People come and pitch a
tent or stay in a motor home. We have people who live
on their boats.
"Those people are going to be missed."
Construction options
Corps representatives, including project manager
Jeff Ament, described a 300-foot tower and fish-col-
lector barge the size of a football field. They presented
an overview of the scope of the project and encouraged
all on hand to submit input about the project’s effects,
which will be used as part of an environmental impact
statement.
Ament’s presentation outlined a handful of alterna-
tives considered for the project, which is envisioned to
take place in two phases of about 24 to 36 months each
between 2021 and 2028. The most impactful phase —
as far as water reservoir levels and river flows — would
take place during the tower building phase.
The alternatives ranged from a dry build, which
could potentially reduce Detroit Lake levels signifi-
cantly for two years, to a wet build, which would not
reduce the water but could create numerous complica-
tions, safety considerations and obstacles, a project
akin to building a skyscraper base under water.
Contact Justin Much at 503-508-8157 or jmuch@salem.gannett.com.
the assignment. Some children may draw pictures, or
experiment with other tools instead of written equa-
tions. This kind of independence and empowerment
teaches children to take ownership of their learning.
Parents may see one of those “lightbulb” moments
when your child realizes how to solve a challenging
equation. If they get stuck, try one of the steps below.
2. Problem solving is a process. Let children dis-
cover there are many different ways to solve problems.
Allow them to take risks, try new things, experiment,
take a guess, be wrong, find and correct their own mis-
takes. Perhaps there is no right or wrong answer, just
concepts to try. Listen to your student and their ideas.
Encourage them to ask questions, or explain the meth-
od they used to work out a problem.
3. Math is all around us. Students often under-
stand the importance of math if you show them that
math is everywhere in everyday life. Ask them to use
practical applications such as measuring ingredients
for recipes, calculating discounts at the grocery store,
or determining mileage on vacation.
4. Play fun math games. Find math-oriented
games including old-fashioned board games or puz-
zles from a local toy shop. You can create lots of math
games by using a pair of dice or playing cards. How
about hop-scotch with some colorful chalk on the
sidewalk for younger kids or a math brain teaser to de-
velop logical reasoning and problem-solving skills for
older children? Of course, there are a ton of apps and
other digital learning tools available for making math
more enjoyable.
5. Praise and positive energy. Commend the
processes your students use and their efforts. When a
challenging problem leads to discovery it boosts your
child’s confidence in their math abilities. Provide posi-
tive comments about math and connect it to your chil-
dren’s interests or hobbies. Praise your students for
their efforts even if the answer is not yet correct. Let
them know you believe in them.
I enjoy helping my second graders explore, ask
questions, make mistakes, work for the answers and
develop their imaginations in math. As a life-long
learner and teacher I’m looking forward to trying new
math methods and improving old ones; I hope some-
day more students will see math as a skill to practice
and learn instead of a chore to fear and dread.
Dea Begert of Clackamas is a second-grade teacher
at Oregon Connections Academy. She can be reached
through the academy at www.OregonConnectionsA-
cademy.com, 800-382-6010.
While the project, including the environmental im-
pact statement, is in its incipient planning stages, a
thin window for providing input has created another
issue; the corps is accepting public input through
Tuesday, Jan. 23.
The corps is charged with modifying water temper-
atures to be more hospitable to the fish as part of a
2008 legal agreement termed the Biological Agree-
ment. Ament indicated that strides have been taken to
that end, including developing adult fish collection fa-
cilities between 2009-16, and exploration of the cur-
rent project builds from that.
Input is central to that planning.
“We do not have all the answers; that’s why we are
here,” Ament said.
"We’re working on that input, and we've been ad-
vocating that some of our customers pay close atten-
tion to the issue too," Loveberg said.
Proposed alternatives presented illustrated a varie-
ty of scenarios, all of which included no hydropower
production during the project.
One saw the reservoir levels remaining at 1,310 feet
for two full years — more than 100 feet lower than the
recent 2015 dry spell — which posed the lowest safety
risks.
On the other extreme was construction at normal
reservoir elevations, which requires underwater blast-
ing, expensive approaches and significant construc-
tion obstacles and safety risks.
The alternatives between the extremes varied, in-
cluding one summer with the water level at 1,310 feet to
construct the foundation on dry grounds while the re-
mainder of construction would be tackled in under-
water conditions.
Another proposed a summer construction season
with 1,310-foot water levels, then gradually increasing
reservoir water levels with construction height, but al-
ways building in dry or above water conditions.
Building a watertight enclosure called a coffer dam
around the construction was also suggested, but the
canyon’s geometry may hamper the feasibility of that
approach.
Public input can be submitted to: detroit.fish.pas-
sage@usace.army.mil or by mail to Kelly Janes, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Attn: PM-E, PO Box 2946
Portland, OR 97208-2946.

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