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The Teacher Studio

Learning, thinking, creating

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Quick Writing Assessments to Guide Instruction

More often than not, writing assessment is something we dread  Whether it's self-imposed restrictions or in-depth rubrics and checklists that take forever to interpret and use--writing assessment is often something we push to the back of our "to do" list.  It simply isn't very glamorous.  It isn't very fun. Quick writing assessments seem like a dream, right? Unfortunately, the importance of ... Read the Post

Valentine’s Day Lessons and Activities

Valentine's Day is such a fun time of year for elementary students!  Although we don't make it a big huge deal, we DO talk about friendship and kindness. I also make sure to plan some fun Valentine's Day lessons and activities. I thought I'd share a few with you today! Valentine's Day Math Games Although most of my Valentine's Day activities take place in the few days surrounding the holiday, ... Read the Post

Fractions are Numbers

Teaching fractions is a challenge for many teachers, and so much of it is because WE didn't have good fraction instruction!  I hope this blog post can give you a few key points to ground your thinking about fractions and the best approaches to take when teaching about these important numbers! Fractions...more than pizza So many textbooks focus on fractions of areas/regions.  Students are asked ... Read the Post

Winter Teaching Resource Roundup!

Winter is a time of year where we move into "that time" in our classroom.  "That time" where we know each other well--so well that our routines are in place.  That being said, winter can also be a time of less outside time.  Less ways to let off steam.  A sense of "routine" that could be seen as...BORING.  Winter is a great time to shake things up with some new ideas and routines.  I've put ... Read the Post

Providing Computation Practice Without Sacrificing Rigor or Engagement

Developing a deep understanding of different math operations and estimation is essential...but we want students to be fluent with computation too, right? Students NEED computation practice--whether they use concept-based strategies or a standard algorithm.  We also know that piling on worksheets isn't the best option.  Students need a variety of experiences to do "computation practice" where the ... Read the Post

Writing Summaries: A Gradual Release Lesson

Are you a fan of the "Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR)" model?  Our district works this "I do it, we do it, you do it" method into all our unit plans. Let me share how I worked this model into my lessons on writing summaries. The one thing that I have heard many teachers discuss is the LINEAR nature of the model.  This always reminds me a little of my high school trigonometry class. ... Read the Post

Algebraic Thinking Activities: Fun with Monster Math

We don't celebrate Halloween at my school, but we DO like to have a little fun.  There are so many cute monster books out there--so I like to do some "monster work" in the fall! I haven't had any monster MATH until now! Check out these great ways to teach algebraic thinking and problem solving with a fun monster theme! Monster Math with a Purpose What was my goal? To get students thinking ... Read the Post