Do your students struggle with explaining how they solved a problem? Do they give up on a problem soon after starting or before they even begin? Number talks are the answer! They are short, purposeful mini lessons that enhance students’ ability to comfortably and flexibly problem solve, reason, and respectfully
Math accommodations are an incredibly important component of best practice elementary math instruction. Making curriculum accessible to students is necessary in order for each child to reach his or her highest potential. How can we do that considering the diversity in twenty-first century classrooms? There are three answers. First, offer
Math centers, also commonly referred to as math stations or math rotations, are a great way to offer fun and engaging learning experiences to elementary students during your math block. They fit neatly in the math workshop with guided math framework, but can be used without the implementation of that
What is vertical alignment curriculum? Why is it important? What is vertical team planning? There are lots of questions surrounding vertical alignment education in schools. It is great that these conversations are happening currently! Vertical alignment has the power to transform an education system. This is true in all content
There are so many common misconceptions about math fact fluency: What it is, if it’s really that important for elementary students, the best practices for how to teach it, how to properly assess it, and more. These fact fluency misunderstandings lead to a heavy focus on math fact automaticity and
The 8 standards for mathematical practice, which are also commonly referred to as the math practice standards or the math practices, are often overlooked. The focus tends to be more on the grade level specific standards outlined in the Common Core (and their vertical alignment). However, it is important to
Are your elementary students lacking enthusiasm about math? This might sound like groans or silence and look like kids zoning out or being off task. One strategy you can use to increase engagement and get your students excited about math is by discussing how what students are learning applies to
There are so many math tools out there that have the potential to transform your elementary math instruction. This blog post focuses on 5 of them. It doesn’t matter if you teach first, second, third, fourth, or fifth grade – you need these tools! 5 Math Tools All Elementary Classroom
When you tell your students you will be working on word problems, do you hear a chorus of groans? If so, you are not alone! Teaching students how to solve math word problems tends to not be the most exciting math exercise in an elementary math curriculum (especially not learning
I’ve blogged in the past about how math instruction used to be a huge struggle in my classroom and how I solved that problem by using a guided math workshop approach. This allowed me to greatly increase student engagement, easily meet the diverse needs of every single student, and best
A math picture book, which is also commonly referred to as a math read aloud or math story, is an effective tool to introduce, teach, and review math concepts, skills, and vocabulary in meaningful contexts. They can be presented in the format of shared reading, a read aloud, or a
Before I go into detail about math exit tickets and how to use them in your classroom, let me share my journey and how I got here. Throughout the school year, I used progress monitoring assessments to collect and track data on my students’ progress towards proficiency with each standard.
