• Published On: December 8, 2020By 5.2 min readViews: 2447Comments Off on Blowing Bubbles to Learn About Math and Science

    When students are engaged in a lesson they are actively involved, motivated, and focused on learning. Engaging students is one of the most important aspects of our job as teachers, and it has been one...

  • Published On: October 15, 2020By 8.8 min readViews: 1565Comments Off on You Want to Engage Your Students? Play Card Games!

    Kids love math games that involve playing cards. The mystery of shuffling and then anticipating which cards will appear is part of the fun. And games that require students to make decisions and use their...

  • Published On: September 15, 2020By 6.7 min readViews: 1346Comments Off on Morning Meeting Online: Zooming with Second and Third Graders

    This week my friend and colleague Melissa Han invited me to Zoom with her second and third graders. When I logged on, her 24 students were just getting settled in, waiting for Melissa to finish...

  • Supporting English Language Learners During Distance Learning
    Published On: September 8, 2020By 7.6 min readViews: 1175Comments Off on Supporting English Language Learners During Distance Learning

    “English learners develop science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge and language proficiency when they are engaged in meaningful interaction in the classroom and participate in the kinds of activities in which STEM experts and...

  • Building a Classroom Math Community Online
    Published On: September 1, 2020By 12.6 min readViews: 1383Comments Off on Building a Classroom Math Community Online: Part 2

    Tips and Activities for Starting the Year By Rusty Bresser and Andrea Barraugh “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”   —Leonardo Da Vinci We spent last week searching for what is working in a variety of virtual...

  • Developing a Math Community in Your Virtual Classroom
    Published On: August 28, 2020By 9.4 min readViews: 1872Comments Off on Developing a Math Community in Your Virtual Classroom

    Activities to Start the Year "One of the most important things I do at the start of the year is make my classroom an environment that makes each student feel comfortable trying new things and...

  • Teaching About Time Online: Leveraging Students’ At-Home Resources
    Published On: August 5, 2020By 14.5 min readViews: 2586Comments Off on Teaching About Time Online: Leveraging Students’ At-Home Resources

    I was talking with a friend of mine recently who is a primary teacher and I asked her what her favorite lessons are for teaching about time. Her face scrunched up; this was not one...

  • Using Children’s Literature to Launch the School Year
    Published On: July 21, 2020By 8.2 min readViews: 1656Comments Off on Using Children’s Literature to Launch the School Year

    **Ideas for virtual instruction are included at the end of this post.** When I look for children’s books to use during math class, I first look for books that are good pieces of literature. Good...

  • Teaching Math for Understanding During Covid-19
    Published On: July 14, 2020By 9.7 min readViews: 2597Comments Off on Teaching Math for Understanding During Covid-19

    Since the pandemic began, there have been many challenges facing teachers, students, administrators, and families who are all trying to figure out how to manage in virtual environments. The pandemic has revealed limitations and exposed...