How we spend our valuable math minutes is a decision we make every single day. Using math warm-ups to kick off a powerful math class is a tried and true way to activate students' deep math thinking. Much like an athlete needs to get themselves ready for their workout, using math warm-ups prepares our students to do the "real" work of our lessons. Sometimes I like to vary how I do these ... Read the Post
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Solving Word Problems: A Boot Camp!
Solving word problems is an essential part of elementary math, but so often we fail to give students the tools needed to be successful. One strategy to help is to do a word problem "boot camp" to get them off on the right foot! Here's what I mean. We know students have been solving problems since kindergarten (we hope!), but often in the primary grades, we don't showcase different strategies ... Read the Post
Summer 2022 Teacher Planning Challenge!
This simple blog post is your home base for all things "challenge" this summer! You can refer here for video explanations, for the weekly challenge images, for the tracking document, and more! Rafflecopters can be entered here as well, so bookmark this page for safekeeping! Here we go! Your Recording Sheet and Bingo Board! Click HERE to get the PDF version or HERE to get a ... Read the Post
5 Place Value Activities for Deep Understanding
If you teach upper elementary math, you know that a solid understanding of our place value system is essential. Unfortunately, many math series focus a great deal on "fill in the blank" place value work. This could involve reading and writing big numbers, writing numbers in expanded form, or putting greater than or less than signs between two or more numbers rather than deeper, more meaningful ... Read the Post
How to Plan and Organize Literature Circles (Making Your Book Clubs AMAZING!)
If you are one of the many upper elementary teachers who incorporate some type of book clubs or literature circles in your classroom, you'll want to grab a cup of coffee and check out today's post! See if you might find a new helpful hint or idea to shake things up for your next round of book clubs! Are you ready to think deeply about YOUR book clubs? Let's go! There are so many decisions ... Read the Post
Teaching with “I Survived” Books: Encouraging Reluctant Readers
Why I love "I Survived" books There are so many reasons why using the "I Survived" series is such a great way to engage readers. I'm going to try to showcase a few of them here! Let me start with the obvious--there are SO MANY to choose from! Whether you are a history buff or prefer action stories from more recent times, there is something for everyone! Speaking of history, let's be ... Read the Post
Comparison Problems with Tape Diagrams/Strip Diagrams
Comparison Problems: Using Tape Diagrams to Represent Math Thinking Word problems are a key part of rigorous standards everywhere, but teachers and students alike often dread tackling them. Even textbooks sometimes save them for the bottom few problems on a page or a separate lesson toward the end of a chapter. The thing is--word problems (at least good ones!) are the "real world" part of ... Read the Post
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