Ah, the things teachers say when deep in the moment of teaching angles. These words came out of my mouth this week. During a formal observation. While I was teaching math. #lifeinthetrenches I know you know how it goes--your administrator pops in for those required observations, and you just hope all goes well, that the students rise to the occasion, and that NO ONE STICKS TISSUES IN THEIR ... Read the Post
Solving Word Problems…a Gradual Release Model
For many students, word problems and problem-solving strategies are the most difficult part of math instruction. They can learn algorithms and procedures but struggle to independently make sense of problems and work through them. So what can we, as teachers, do to help? Let me walk you my thinking and see if there is anything that resonates with you! Gradual Release of Responsibility Model ... Read the Post
6 Tips for Creating a Classroom Culture for Math Talk
So now that many of us have sketched out our year and have done some thinking about the sequence of instruction, resources we have at our disposal, and so on--it's time to start considering the math culture and math talk we want our classroom to have. This is a little less tangible than writing things down on a calendar, so I have a little food for thought as you ponder this idea. 1. ... Read the Post
Area and Perimeter: Getting Students Talking about Math
Research shows that students learn best when they are collaborating and talking about math. My 25+ years in the classroom tells me that this is, indeed, true--but I'll go a step farther and make the claim that math discourse can raise the level of engagement, motivation, and excitement as well. I thought I'd share some details about some recent area and perimeter work in my ... Read the Post
When Problem Solving, Precision, and Computation Meet: 5 Ideas to Ponder
I think it would be hard to find someone who would argue with the following statement: All students need to learn how to compute efficiently and precisely. I mean--I sure can't argue with it! I think the discussion comes in when we talk about how we expect our students to get there. Take these practice pages for example. I use them. In fact, they are part of two ... Read the Post
Decimal Sequencing and Critiquing Reasoning
"A well-crafted argument/critique requires a thoughtful and logical progression of mathematically sound statements and supporting evidence." Pretty powerful words when you think about it, right? Let's look at a few of the phrases: well-crafted thoughtful and logical mathematically sound supporting evidence Pretty sophisticated stuff for fourth graders, right? Not so fast. ... Read the Post
Candy, Prime Numbers, and Conjectures!
One thing that is a HUGE part of our curriculum in fourth grade involves multiplication concepts--facts, large number multiplication, measurement conversions, patterns, and more. Although my students had a LOT of exposure to multiplication concepts and facts in third grade, every year I feel it is worth my time to go back and make sure we are clear on a few things--like the ... Read the Post