Back to School Math Survival Guide: Daily Math Routines That Work

Have you ever looked at your lesson plans for the first week of school and wondered how you are supposed to fit everything into one math block? Your students are returning after months away from the classroom. Many need a refresher before they are ready for new learning. At the same time, you are teaching […]
How to Set Up Daily Math Spiral Review for the First Week of School

The first week of school always seems to fly by. Between teaching classroom procedures, learning names, organizing supplies, and answering a hundred questions, it can feel impossible to establish meaningful academic routines. While all of this is going on, many of our students are walking in with summer learning loss, different experiences, and varying levels […]
Keep Math Fresh With Summer Review Activities for Upper Elementary

As summer approaches, many of us start asking a similar question. How can we help our kiddos maintain their math skills without turning summer break into summer school? After spending an entire year building confidence and mastering new concepts, it can be discouraging to watch our learners return in the fall, having forgotten skills they […]
3rd Grade Measurement Word Problems That Don’t Bore Your Students (or You)

A surprising part of teaching 3rd grade measurement is realizing your students understand the math when the skills are isolated, but everything changes once it shows up inside a word problem. I remember watching my students confidently measure objects, compare liquid volume, and solve elapsed time problems. But when those same skills were in a […]
Earth Day Math with a Purpose: Color by Number Activities That Reinforce Regrouping

You finish modeling a regrouping problem, ask your students to try one on their own, and within minutes, the room splits. Some students are ready to confidently solve these problems independently. Others are still trying to remember where that “extra one” comes from. On top of that, it’s April. The end-of-year energy is starting to […]
How to Review Math Skills Without Adding More to Your Teacher Plate

If you teach math, you know how important it is to review math skills. There’s no such thing as teach it once and move on if you want students to master the skills. But with the pressure of the scope & sequence, adding review to the mix becomes one more thing on an already full […]