Hello 2019-2020 school year. And with a new year, come fresh faces in our classrooms, new beginnings, and a year to explore mathematics. Some teachers have their usual beginning of the school activities. I usually like to look around and research fresh new ideas to try out especially for my math curriculum. One activity that I tried out was the 100s task by …
Ten Percent Increase – Pt.2
During the last blog post, I described the circumstances at the beginning of the year (September 2017). Teachers were fired up about comments made by our superintendent. As a matter of fact, there were teachers who attended and spoke at a board meeting. Let’s just say the board wasn’t thrilled by our superintendent’s words. And this brings us …
New Routines for 6th grade
In my district, there are several 6th grade teams at three separate elementary schools. They are an anomaly in that they are invited to secondary professional developments & textbook trainings with other middle school teachers, but yet they are their own special group. It’s not easy to have secondary expectations, all the while being at a site with kindergarteners passing …
Clothesline Fractions
Fractions is one of the “F” words in math. (The other is functions, but I’m not working with that grade level). Whenever these two words are said, teachers usually groan with frustration (that other F word). Understood because both can be hard to understand for students. Part of my job is to turn that frustration into FUN! Third grade has …
Share your thinking!!!
I love it when my teachers take an idea and run with it. Not only did a teacher run with it, but added even more to a suggestion. And that’s what I saw today. One 4th grade teacher that I’ve been coaching (Mrs. P) had asked me to work with her on number talks. She had wanted me to …
Number Talk Images
Can I just say that I can’t get enough of visual math routines? Or do you call it a number talk image? Some call it a visual number talk. It’s a picture that’s shown with a known quantity. Students may start by making observations and ask questions that are lingering in their heads (AKA Notice/Wonder–thanks Annie Fetter!) Once their questions …