THE BLOG
Math Practice #6 “Attend to Precision” feels familiar to most of us because it feels like the math goal of a generation ago of finding the correct answer and showing our work....
California has been inundated with rain this winter. The rain has got me thinking about rain gauges and measurement. I have a very informal system in my backyard. It’s just...
I keep reading that one of the secrets to a long life is deep connections with other people. Sure, eating well helps and lots of exercise too, but connection wasn’t one of the secrets...
Whenever a student is trying to make sense of a problem I like to ask, “Can you make a picture of it?” Using a tape diagram for math can help children model lots of different...
Young children love to snuggle up with an adult and listen to a story. These books are some of the best math picture books to read with children and they teach math at the same time. If you are...
Older elementary children still love listening to stories. Reading together helps reduce stress and creates a great feeling of connection between the reader and the...
Powerful mathematicians have many different strategies at their fingertips that they can use to solve problems. They can choose which strategy will be the most efficient for...
One morning a tour group passed through my second grade classroom. The students were chattering in small groups about different math tasks they were doing. Manipulatives were...
“Frustration is not a sign you are not learning, but ease is.” --- David Epstein
This quote always stings a bit. My mommy heart doesn’t want...
Number lines help children build mathematical meaning. Seeing the numbers arranged in order and then hoping up and down the number line helps children develop a better understanding of...
What does it mean to be computationally fluent? Has this definition changed? A generation ago, being good at math meant being fast and accurate. I’m not sure...
In second grade students are learning to add within 1000 using strategies based on place value. (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.B.7). So what does that mean to use a strategy based...