Subitizing to Foster Multiplicative Thinking

Grades 3-5

Learning basic facts through tricks or a mnemonic song leads students down a path of memorization, not understanding.  I previously discussed the idea of conceptual development here.  When students practice their multiplication facts, they’re expected to move from...

Demystifying The Fraction Rules We Teach

Grades 3-5

I’ve recently been working on two new progression videos that will focus on the operations of fractions. Here are some sketches from the addition and multiplication progression… In planning and researching the flow of each progression, I encountered lots...

Building Automaticity with Base Ten Cards

counting, K-2, Making Math Accessible, Math Tools, Strategy Development, Teacher Content

A few years ago, I was in need of a resource that would help students build fluency beyond 20 so I created some Base Ten Cards. I’ve referred to the cards in presentations but I haven’t shared them in this space…until now. Below you’ll find a...

Reasoning with Fractions Through the Lens of a 10 Yr Old

Against the Norm

My daughter has laid down a marker when it comes to reasoning with fractions. Well, at least in my small world. She’s 10. She won’t read this post for a long time because her mom and I know what she reads on the internet…at least we hope we do. Maybe she’ll never read...

Behind the Scenes: The Creation of a Progression Video

Against the Norm

In recent months, I’ve received a lot of questions asking how I create the progression videos. Here’s how it all goes down. Step 1: Research There are so many great resources available for early number concepts but I continually found myself coming back to...