Productive struggle time in math is not natural. Allowing children to struggle with something goes against every instinct I have. When I see a child having difficulty, every pore in my body wants to take over and fix the problem. However, as a mom and as a teacher, I know that is exactly what I […]
Productive Struggle and It’s Importance Read More »
Math work stations or math centers play a crucial role in my math instruction. They provide fun learning opportunities for students and give me time to work with guided math groups. You can learn more about the implementation and management of math work stations at this blog post. While I don’t begin math centers until
Math Centers for Upper Elementary Read More »
Upper elementary teachers frequently see their students’ misconceptions in math. Have you ever taught a math concept where you had to spend as much time undoing misconceptions as you do teaching new concepts? We often inadvertently teach misconceptions when we offer our students tricks and shortcuts to math concepts. This issue isn’t isolated to any
Misconceptions in Math Read More »
Changing grade levels is difficult. I still remember crying my eyes out the first time I had to change grade levels. It was devastating! It’s hard to sort through years worth of blog posts, resources, and articles to find just what you need to get started. Since it’s such a challenge, I’ve written this post
Moving to 4th Grade Read More »
Math problem solving strategies are a huge component of math instruction. Problem solving should be consistently embedded within quality math tasks, rather than teaching problem solving as an isolated unit. However, math problem solving strategies often need to be explicitly taught to students, especially students who lack a repertoire of problem solving skills. Math Problem
Math Problem Solving Strategies Read More »
Does anyone else’s students think that the minute state testing is over, they are finished with school for the year? While that might sound nice, it just isn’t possible with 20 days left of school. I may have taught all of my standards, but there are still concepts I want to reteach and a few
Teaching Math Outdoors Read More »
As the year draws to an end, especially after testing, it can become more challenging than ever to keep students on task and engaged. It’s that time of year when I feel I have to step it up a bit with the fun factor for my students. And a great way to introduce fun math
Food and Sports Math Lessons Read More »
I’ve had an idea brewing for a few days now that is a great way to introduce or review the concept of division and remainders. {Sorry, I couldn’t resist.} Last week I started my division unit and noticed that my students had some trouble determining the difference between the number of groups and the number of
Candy Corn Division Read More »
It literally took me months to finish my new 4th Grade Division Unit. It was the first time in any math product I’ve ever created where I hit a complete wall. I love teaching the concept of division and could think of plenty of lessons to introduce division (or review it from third grade), but
4th Grade Division Unit Read More »
Rounding to the nearest thousand, hundred, and ten is often difficult for students. In my adult brain, it seems so natural and easy. That is not the case with some students though, and the concept can be incredibly challenging for children. After years of teaching this concept, I’ve come to realize that students who lack
Rounding to the Nearest Thousand Read More »
