by Donna Boucher | Apr 30, 2017 | 3rd Grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, Book review, decimals, fractions, number talks
Three years ago I had the pleasure of hearing Sherry Parrish and Ann Dominick speak at the NCTM Annual Meeting in New Orleans. My campus had been using Number Talks in all of our K-5 classrooms for several years, and I knew first-hand how dramatically they could...
by Donna Boucher | Mar 26, 2017 | 3rd Grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, CRA, fractions, number lines
The idea of fractions being equivalent is such a key understanding for helping students develop “fraction sense” that it absolutely must be done right. Students need to see a variety of representations of equivalent fractions to help them see the...
by Donna Boucher | Jan 9, 2017 | addition, Computation, decimals, division, fractions, manipulatives, Multiplication, operations, subtraction
How did you learn arithmetic? By that I mean basic multi-digit computation, such as subtracting with regrouping, multi-digit multiplication, or “long” division. I learned totally by memorizing a series of steps for each operation. The teacher...
by Donna Boucher | Mar 4, 2016 | 3rd Grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, anchor charts, fractions, freebie, Slider
Recently, I published a series of posts describing the various strategies students can use for comparing fractions. While creating a common denominator is one of the strategies, it is often not necessary. For example, consider this pair of fractions: Do you really ...
by Donna Boucher | Feb 14, 2016 | 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, assessment, fractions, small group instruction, TEKS, visible thinking
There is a huge shift in mathematics education away from memorizing procedures and toward deeper conceptual understanding. How do we achieve that? One way is by asking the right questions. When questioning becomes part of your instructional routine, you might be...
by Donna Boucher | Feb 6, 2016 | 3rd Grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, comparing fractions, equivalencies, fractions, freebie, manipulatives, workstations
“Learning to compare and order fractions is important to developing an understanding of fractions.” Marilyn Burns (About Teaching Mathematics, 2015, p 430) “Helping students develop their ‘fraction sense’ is extremely important before...
