You’re teaching math. You teach conceptually and consistently incorporate concrete, pictorial, and abstract representations. Your lessons are engaging and relevant. You give students the opportunity to practice and provide feedback. You provide opportunities for discussion and collaborative learning. Yet, some students don’t get it. You work with those students who didn’t get it. You slow […]
When Students Don’t Get It Read More »
There is definitely an art and science to teaching elementary math. Despite what you may read or hear, there is no one right way to teach math. Far too often experts support an all-or-nothing approach. However, those of us in the classroom realize that our students have varied needs, and we have to tailor our
Teaching Elementary Math Read More »
This end of the year project is the perfect activity to wind down the school year! It’s low prep and lots of fun! I’ve felt so guilty the past few days. I know my students want me to be fun, exciting, and playful, but I am SO TIRED. It’s a struggle just to keep my
End of the Year Project Read More »
I love teaching area and perimeter activities and lessons. There are so many ways to make the lessons engaging and relevant to students. This post if full of ideas for teaching area and perimeter activities that students will LOVE. These lessons were created for my fourth grade class but can be adapted to any grade
Area and Perimeter Activities Read More »
In this post I can’t offer you any eye-catching graphics or fun classroom displays. But, I would feel like I was holding out if I didn’t share one of our new favorite classroom games. Notice the “our”. My students and I agree on this one! Typically they favor games that offer a lot of fun-but
Why Students Need to Play Nerdle Read More »
As summer break quickly {but not quickly enough} approaches, it’s important to find engaging and creative ways to enrich and review our reading and writing standards. One of my favorite ways to change things up is with this mini unit which is centered round five summer themed books. There are three activities incorporated with each
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This project-based learning activity began as a single lesson that was so well received by students that I added an extra part, and then another. Eventually, it turned into a full-fledged math project. The premise of the math project is that students are planning to open a restaurant called The Snack Shack, and they incorporate
Project Based Learning – The Snack Shack Read More »
In this post you’ll find FUN research project ideas for upper elementary students! I certainly remember completing my fair share of boring research projects in elementary school. We go to the library to find an encyclopedia to take notes on our topic. Then, we would write a traditional five paragraph essay. Fun stuff! Maybe I’m
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It’s not a big revelation that this year is an incredibly challenging school year. What has been surprising is that academics aren’t most teachers’ biggest concern. Yes, there is an academic impact from the past two years, but the behavioral effects appears to be even more significant. Due to the conditions of the past two
Increasing Student Stamina and Independence Read More »
After finishing division, it’s time to move on to my fraction unit. With so many great resources available, it can be hard to pick and choose what works for your classroom. It can also be a challenge to determine how to incorporate all of your resources. In this series, I share my personal lesson plans
Combining Fraction Resources Read More »
