Unpacking math standards helps teachers build the foundation for what content they are teaching to students. Subsequently, unpacking math standards provides a framework to create actionable lessons. Essentially, unpacking math standards helps us answer these two questions:What are students learning?How will they learn it?This is part 1 of our Instructional Design series. Come back to ...
Turn Worksheets into Easy Math Activities
Easy math activities - is this an oxymoron? It doesn't have to be. You don’t have to be a teacher long to see that a worksheet full of problems does not incite the excitement and enthusiasm of many of your students. However, try any of these easy math activities, and you will experience unprecedented levels of excitement from your class.Now that I am a parent, I see this in my 3 ...
4 Test Review Tips for Teachers
The end of the semester is upon us. Let’s talk about some best practices for test review.First and foremost, I support best teaching practices, which involve monitoring your students throughout the year, consistently spiraling skills, and striving for high mastery. USE DATA TO REVIEW STRATEGICALLYLook at collective student data and determine the weak spots.What topic or skill did ...
Essential Math Manipulatives
Math manipulatives are some of the best ways to introduce a new mathematical concept and are the foundation of the C-R-A. They help to form a solid mathematical foundation as students move from concrete understanding to representational to abstract. By providing the opportunity to concretely work with the manipulatives, students are able to develop a conceptual understanding rather ...
Getting Started with Math Stations
Math Stations, when done correctly, can solve many classroom challenges. Math stations can meet the needs of various learners, provide practice on spiraled concepts, and it puts the responsibility of learning on the students. Seems like a win-win! In addition, technology has made personalized learning easier than ever!You may be eager to try math stations (or math centers), but are ...
Should Teachers Assign Homework?
Should teachers assign homework? Should you assign homework to your students? The answer to that question is dependent on a variety of factors, so let’s dive in. LISTEN ON: APPLE PODCAST | SPOTIFYWhat is the purpose of homework?What is your purpose behind assigning homework? Here is a quick brainstorm of how you might answer this question:The next question to ask yourself is: “Is my ...
The October Slump: Survival Tips
October is just around the corner! While there are so many fun things that autumn brings, it can be a challenging month to be a teacher. Let’s dive into some ways that we can thrive during this month.LISTEN ON: APPLE PODCAST | SPOTIFYWhy is October so challenging?October is just days away. Labor day was 16 work days ago, and Thanksgiving is approximately 30 work days away. The ...
Organizing a Substitute Binder
Preparing for a substitute used to be so easy! Ha - I am joking, of course. We had no idea how easy it used to be. Now with COVID, quarantining, and technology, it is pretty complicated. Schools have a variety of procedures regarding substitutes, and I also know that you might be lucky to even have a substitute. There are schools out there that rely on teacher’s planning periods or ...
Teacher Desk Supplies You Need to Survive
Teachers spend 8-10 hours a day at school. We need to be prepared for anything and everything. We also want to keep students from having to make unnecessary trips to the office for things that we can easily store in our classroom. These teacher desk supplies will save you!Maybe you will use these items never or 100 times. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared! (Check out the comments for some ...
4 Time Wasters to Stop as a Teacher
The beginning of the school year is when we have the best intentions for how the school year will go. Let’s keep this energy up by committing to stop doing these 4 time wasters. These time wasters lead to stress and burn out - I can personally attest!LISTEN ON: APPLE PODCAST | SPOTIFYPoint 1: Stop Bringing Your Work HomeThis may seem like the opposite of a time waster since you are ...