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What are Counting Collections? When I first heard of Counting Collections, my first thought was, “What’s the big deal?” But as I learned more, I soon realized that this deceivingly simple activity is in fact...

Have you ever encountered a math activity that is so rich that it addresses multiple topics, spans grade levels, can be used as an assessment, naturally differentiates, and engages children like nobody’s business? Meet Make...

I was recently facilitating a math professional development session for elementary teachers, and with about five minutes left at the end of the day, a teacher raised her hand and asked, “What about basic math...

The beginning of the school year is a time for many introductions, especially during math class. It’s a time when we build a foundation that supports sense making, independence, and engagement. It’s also a time...

How many feet are in a foot parade that has 3 snails, a ladybug, a moose, and an octopus? How about the number of feet in a foot parade with 5 ostriches? Or a parade...

Before you read on, imagine how a first grader might respond when asked to solve 23 + 20. Some might just stare at you, not having an entry point. Some might start counting from one,...

In a recent blog post (see Developing Decimal Number Sense), we talked about decimal number sense, what it is and how to develop it in our students. Defining decimal number sense isn’t easy, but it...

“Yours is not to reason why, just invert and multiply!” Sound familiar? This is how many of us learned how to divide fractions, by using the “invert and multiply” algorithm. But did we really understand...

Before you read on, think about how you would respond if someone asked you what it means to have decimal number sense.  If you’re struggling, don’t worry, number sense is hard to define. According to...