Student learning is no accident!
It took me years to figure out how to teach multiplying fractions so that students could conceptualize a part of a part. I learned that the traditional algorithm had to take a back seat to drawing and color coding models. When teaching this unit, I’ve found that the most important tool for my students- is sharpened colored pencils. We draw… Read More
Every year, many of my students struggle to subtract mixed numbers when regrouping is needed. Flipping my instruction around subtracting mixed numbers has made a HUGE difference! Once I have initially launched the concept, students work through problems at their own pace. First, they attempt a problem independently. Next, they click on the problem within a digital worksheet and watch… 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
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 that are doing the talking are doing the learning.” I know that. But, no matter how many times I say it, the impact on student learning in front of me is profound and somehow surprising. There is no example stronger than that of talking about fractions in math class. I’ve spent most of my career spending part of… Read More
We have moved on to subtraction with renaming (2.NBT.7). You might call this regrouping… but really- if we think literally about what’s happening- we’re also giving the values new names! 50+10 is a different name for 60. So, renaming, regrouping… you know what we’re doing! What’s Working I’ve been doing a lot of this work with students in small groups…. Read More
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I’m going to admit something: I have not been doing a super job talking about racism with my four White stepkids. And part of theSo important to recognize the many challenges our colleagues are facing... and just how innovative they have been!
Ask a Teacher: Why Aren’t You Offering More “Live Lessons” in Your Online Classes?
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On Wednesday, May 20, the Washington Post published an article by Donna St. George entitled “In Montgomery County, schools and parents...💔Not all of the homes our students live in, are meant for a 24/7 quarantine. Not all of the adults who live with children can handle the added pressure. For many of our students, school has been an escape, a respite, a safe haven- from their home lives. And that escape was taken 3 months ago without warning.
🛎 I’ve come to appreciate in recent months, the vital role public school departments play in our communities. The scale of the work has been much grander than the academics and due dates. There are mobile food stations and wellness checks, phone calls and internet setups. There are intuitive teachers recognizing that “something’s just not right” and administrators encouraging them to trust their instincts.
🌼Kids are resilient. Often, they are so strong and brave, you’d never guess where they’ve been.
🌈The WHOLE picture is a big one right now. Before you judge a decision, know that there’s a whole lot you do not know. And know, that everyone involved has the best of intentions. I am in awe of the amazingly thoughtful and important work being done by my educator colleagues in schools all over right now.
