Student learning is no accident!
Are you looking for a cooperative learning structure that will really get your students working together? If so, the jigsaw strategy is for you! Using a jigsaw in your classroom is a great way to teach students to work cooperatively, as they truly rely on each other. Just like all of the pieces of a puzzle are needed to complete… Read More
As a middle school ELA teacher, I became aware very quickly that there are NOT enough minutes in a class period to possibly address all of the Common Core State Standards. After experimenting with a variety of different lesson planning and scheduling strategies, I landed on this. Whether you call them warm ups, bell ringers or do nows- those first… Read More
A while back I took stock of what we were doing as a math department to improve kids’ math fluency. It seemed that every year we had a chunk of kids who came up to sixth grade with amazing fact fluency. We had another chunk who fought with basic addition and multiplication much like struggling readers fought with multisyllabic words…. Read More
Do you want your students to behave or do you want more than that? If you spend all day managing behaviors, you are EXHAUSTED by 3:00. I know!!! I’ve been there. It takes so much mental energy, so much executive functioning to anticipate every fire that might start- and to put out all of the ones that do. So, take… Read More
In the next few posts, I’m going to focus on Differentiating Instruction in the Math Classroom. I will give you three strategies you can use immediately in the lessons you already have planned- to reach all of those kids! I promise not to ask you to do ANYTHING that wastes your time. I promise to only save you time.
If you’re thinking about fractions, you might be a 5th grade teacher… Thanks to the Common Core State Standards, fifth grade now throws the wildest fraction party on the block! I taught 6th grade math back when that was fraction central, and I learned 3 key things along the way. They have been just applicable in the 5th grade classrooms… Read More
“The ones who are doing the talking are doing the learning”
Talking About Fractions in Math Class • Write Solutions
There is no example stronger than that of talking about fractions in math class.I'm not wasting kids' time anymore, and I've prioritizing their conceptual learning over following procedures. They're doing the work themselves- and the room is a buzz of learning!Don’t ditch the concrete!
3 Keys to Teaching Fractions • Write Solutions
In the era of "new math," upper elementary teachers are tasked with teaching fractions. Here are three keys to teaching fractions in fourth grade, fifth grade or sixth grade.Conceptual understanding is more valuable that practicing a procedure EVERY SINGLE TIME. We’re starting the {practically} eternity long fraction study that IS fifth grade😂😂😂
I’ve been teaching fractions since it was a sixth grade thing- and I had to step back at least once a year then- to remind myself that some kids are just not developmentally ready for a certain concept. When they are, I will know. There’s no sense in teaching kids a bunch of procedures that mean nothing to them, just so that they arrive at an accurate answer.
Today, I had an aha moment when hardly anyone in one class could talk to me about WHY we need common denominators when we add or subtract fractions.
We need to back up. We need manipulatives in hand. We need to PROVE that 1/2, 2/4 and 3/6 are equivalent. You need to be SURE the value isn’t changing, just the name- and the size of the parts of the whole.
We grabbed fraction strips today for the first time this year. They made a difference. Stay tuned. I’ll post some videos and practice problems that help us prove that it makes sense to call 2/3 a name like 6/9- and we’ll do it with the strips.
They’ll get it. Not all of the same day- and DEFINITELY not in the same way. But they’ll get it and they’ll be able to TALK about it.
What are you doing to build fraction sense? We played Fraction Top It (War) in small group today... and I saw some lightbulbs get bright!! 💡💡💡
We’re establishing “15 minutes of alone time in our rooms” every day after school to unplug and decompress. Read a book, Stare at the wall, close your eyes. I’m hoping it resets everyone ❤️
