Do you explicitly teach speaking and listening in your classroom? Many of us are familiar with the term "accountable talk" as it refers to discourse in the classroom. Many districts have begun implementing "accountable talk" initiatives. Teachers are working hard to explicitly teach students how to engage in quality educational discussions. I think most educators will be in agreement that this ... Read the Post
Problem solving in the “real world”
One thing that I think is super important for students to understand is that math is REAL. Math isn't "fill in the blanks" in your workbook...or a practice sheet...or even a math game. Math is everywhere--and in everything. Getting students to recognize this is key--and helping them see that math can help them make sense of their world and solve REAL problems should be a key part ... Read the Post
Creating a Climate for a Successful Math Workshop
If you have been following me, you know that I have been doing some Facebook Live videos about some ways to "dip your toe" in to the idea of starting math workshop in your classroom. It does NOT need to be a daunting task and there are plenty of ways to start small! If you haven't seen the first two videos (I'm just figuring out all the lighting and technical details so don't judge!), you ... Read the Post
Teaching Tips for Math Concept Sorts
Have you used concept sorts in your classroom? If you have followed my blog for a while, you know that I use concept sorts regularly--and have posted a number of times about different ways I use them. Click HERE and HERE for two of those posts! Using Geometry Math Sorts to Build Understanding Today I want to talk about a geometry sort I did the other day to "take the temperature" of my class ... Read the Post
Accountable Talk: Are They Ready?
Today is my day to post over on Elementary Chalkboard, but I thought I'd give you a sneak peak! Without giving away the nitty gritty details, let's just say that I am suggesting that we, as teachers, may need to do a little leg work before expecting our students to be masters at accountable talk. Want to see what I do? Just click this image to take you right to my post! By the ... Read the Post