Comparing Teen Numbers using Place Value
Comparing numbers is much more than deciding which numeral is larger. Students need to understand why one number is greater than, less than, or equal to another. That understanding begins…
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Building Mathematical Communication from the First Day of School
One of the most important things we do at the beginning of the school year is establish the expectation that students will communicate their mathematical thinking. Learning mathematics is a…
FREE Ten Frame Placemat with Number Sense Routines
Ten frames are one of the most versatile math tools you’ll use in the primary classroom. They’re perfect for helping students develop fluency with number combinations and making ten, but…
Fast Five—Unleashing the Power of Ten Frames
Why Ten Frames Are So Effective Ten frames are powerful tools for helping students develop number sense, but their effectiveness depends on how they’re used. More than a way to…
Part/Whole Thinking for Fractions in Second Grade
Fractions are often one of the most challenging concepts students encounter in elementary mathematics. That’s why the elementary standards are carefully designed to build fraction understanding over several years, beginning…
Teaching Place Value with Base-Ten Blocks: Free Place Value Mats & Activities
If you’re not familiar with CRA, it stands for Concrete, Representational, and Abstract. It’s a research-based instructional sequence that helps students develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. If you’d…
Comparing Fractions Anchor Chart
As with many areas of mathematics, we’re moving away from the idea that there’s only one correct way to solve a problem. Comparing fractions is no exception. While creating a…
Measurement Misconceptions
One of the big misconceptions when kiddos measure with a ruler is what’s called tick counting. What that means is that instead of counting the units between the ticks on…
One More and One Less Freebie!
My classroom teaching experience was in grades 2–5 (mostly 5th), so Kindergarten has always felt like a whole different world to me. One thing that really stands out is the…
