Math? Yes, You Can! Fostering a Growth Mindset
“Why is it that as a society we’re willing to freely admit that we’re not competent mathematicians but would disguise any struggle we had with being literate? What if we…
Grades 3-5
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…
Prime and Composite Numbers
My favorite way to teach is to not teach at all. So, I’m done with this post. Oh, you’re still here! So is this just the rambling of an eccentric…
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…
Addressing Place Value Misconceptions
When starting a new unit of study, it really helps to know the most common mistakes students tend to make. That way, instruction can address those misunderstandings right from the…
Analyzing Math Mistakes
Look at the following multi-digit multiplication problems and see if you can tell why each one produced the wrong answer. I’ll wait… Okay, so did you figure it out? This…
Easy Coin Counting Workstation
Looking for some ideas for teaching counting money? I’ve written before about the strong connection between counting coins and skip counting. That post shares how to modify Count Around the…
