Standards for Mathematical Practice…for Teachers
They're really for me but I plan to share them at some upcoming PL sessions. I'll take any suggestions and comments of how to make them better... 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them - Teachers of mathematically proficient students understand that...
The Algebrafication of Kindergarten
Counting and cardinality is critical in kindergarten. Without it, all math fails. With that being said, counting can be extremely boring which causes many students to quickly lose focus. One thing I've tried to do this year is identify ways to engage students in...
Teaching Keywords? Forget About it!
I received an email from a principal in my district last Tuesday: Please send me info on why teachers should be careful about teaching kids to pull out keywords from word problems as a key way to define what operation to use. I went to my Virtual Math Buddies (VMB)...
More than one way to skin a task!
I tried "the Big Pad" with a 4th grade class and my anticipation of possible solutions was way off!!! I mean, c'mon Graham, think outside the box. Our students attacked this problem in more ways than a charter bus filled with senior citizens attacks an All-U-Can-Eat...
Pulling the Plug on a Lesson (The Do-Over)
I returned to the class where I sucked more than Maggie Simpson. I wrote about it here. The highlights from yesterday's do-over: For the most part it went way better and the additional pieces I created to scaffold the lesson helped out. Some students constructed the...
Pulling the Plug on a Lesson
I taught a lesson on Tuesday and it sucked…Real bad! It sucked more than Maggie Simpson sucks her pacifier! I really felt for the 21 students, 4 teachers and the administrator who were observing. My face is still a little numb from how flat I fell on it! In my...
From Memory and Memorization: There IS a Difference
Question: If you memorize your basic math facts have you learned them? The term from memory is used twice in the K-5 math standards, and they continue to be the most misunderstood words I encounter each day. The term "from memory" does not suggest that students...
A Call to Fluency: Speak Up and Be Heard
Here's a letter I sent to over 100 of my closest friends. I just wanted to make sure I included YOU...because I know you care! Good Morning Dear Friends and Math Leaders, As many of you are aware the Revised Mathematics Standards have been posted for the next 57 days...
Undressing Tables, Naked Numbers and Modeling
I had the 2nd grade names and the information I needed, so I created this table and asked the students WDYN? Immediately students recognized the names of their 5 classmates and the perplexity session began! Lots of different ideas and "noticings" were floating around...
What’s Left to Teach Now? Modeling…That’s What!
My dear friend Krystal Shaw texted me this Vimeo Clip at 5:23am so I knew it had to be good... My gut reaction...this is awesome! The focus on number crunching has superseded our students' ability to problem solve for far too long. There's a definite need to develop...