in the classroom Student-Created 3 Act Tasks 10 Jul 20196 Feb 2022 Ashley, an experienced 2nd grade teacher, added the 3 Act Tasks to her repertoire this year. Among Ashley's many strengths include listening thoughtfully to students and engaging them in the design process. She…
assessment… Students Surprise Us: Interviews with Juliet 20 Jun 201919 Jun 2019 Have you ever had a student just gloriously prove all your assumptions wrong? Things move so quickly in a school. In order to grapple with the pace of our days,…
games One of Favorite Games: The Skip Count Game 30 May 20198 Feb 2023 This game is part of my "simple but high leverage" collection of games that are flexible, engaging, and easy to prep. Others include Number Boxes and the Answer Is... I've played the…
games… One of My Favorite Games: Number Boxes 29 May 20193 Feb 2023 This game is part of my "simple but high leverage" collection of games that are flexible, engaging, and easy to prep. Others include The Answer Is... and the Skip Count Game. I…
games One of My Favorite Games: The Answer Is… 28 May 20196 Jun 2019 This game is part of my "simple but high leverage" collection of games that are flexible, engaging, and easy to prep. Others include Number Boxes and the Skip Count Game. I have…
games The Simple-but-High-Leverage Game Collection: Making Games Routine 28 May 20193 Feb 2023 We use instructional routines in part because their predictable structure allows students to focus on the mathematics. So why don't we do this with simple, high leverage games? Games aren't…
in the classroom The Cookie Recipe: Learning Math from Students 1 Apr 201919 Mar 2024 Fourth grade teacher Alicia and I have a beautiful habit of doing math together when planning. We try out problems, and anticipate ways we think students. (It is rare that…
in the classroom You’re Both Right: Examining and Honoring Mathematical Assumptions 21 Mar 201922 Jun 2021 Even from across the room, there was no mistake: Jacob and Ian were deep into a mathematical debate. Jacob had pulled his chair up to Ian's desk, and they were…
curriculum… Mathematical Connections in a Kindergarten Science Unit 18 Mar 201915 Mar 2019 "I'm sorry, we're only loosely doing math today," Jessica apologized as I walked into her kindergarten classroom. "We're deep into our structures unit in science, and I'd like to keep…
in the classroom The Striped Snake Barbecue Puzzle: Exploring “Challenge” in 3rd Grade 4 Mar 20196 Feb 2022 Who gets to be challenged in class? How does the work we give students impact their status (or how they perceive their status) in the classroom? Meet Calvin You've probably…
in the classroom Daysha at the Board: Assigning Competence 2 Mar 20195 Feb 2022 "Sit down, Daysha... Daysha." Six-year-old Daysha shot me an icy glare while she leisurely pumped hand sanitizer onto her open palm. The rest of her class was all sitting on…
curriculum… “Why is the math teacher here for social studies?” 16 Jan 20196 Feb 2022 I slipped quietly into Room 304, trying not to distract the fourth graders, who were finishing up a writing assignment. I set up my laptop to project to the white…
in the classroom Talking about Geometry in Kindergarten, Part 2: The Shape Hunt 5 Jan 20196 Feb 2022 Talking helps us make sense of ideas. Talking helps us synthesize our ideas. Talking helps us communicate our ideas. We want to get this kindergarten class talking -- a lot…
in the classroom Talking about Geometry in Kindergarten, Part 1: Same or Different 4 Jan 20196 Feb 2022 Talking helps us make sense of ideas. Talking helps us synthesize our ideas. Talking helps us communicate our ideas. We want to get this kindergarten class talking -- a…
curriculum… #TeamBlankSpace 3 Jan 2019 Every time a child says, 'I don't believe in fairies,' there is a fairy somewhere that falls down dead.J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan (1904) When a work page is overly rigid…
in the classroom No More Mathematical Matchmaking: The Return of the Inaba Place Value Puzzles 26 Nov 201827 Nov 2018 When I first started teaching, I believed in being a mathematical matchmaker. I thought that differentiation meant giving students different tiered assignments -- it seemed much better than pushing every…
child study… Cultivating a Listener’s Mindset — with ELs 10 Jun 20186 Feb 2022 In a post last January, I wrote about how the "mental load" teachers carry can impact their ability to listen to their students. ...but listening is critical. It's especially critical when…
assessment… Anchoring Online Portfolios 10 Oct 201710 Oct 2017 When I was an elementary classroom teacher, my students built elaborate portfolios to document their thinking and progress. As a specialist, I carry components of this into my practice --…
five practices… Leading Act 3: Using the 5 Practices & Intentional Talk To Deepen Discourse About the “Whopper Jar” 3 Oct 201727 Oct 2022 The books 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions (Smith and Stein, 2011) and Intentional Talk (Kazemi and Hintz, 2014) have helped me transform how I facilitate discussions. I try my best…
in the classroom Coherence, Round 2: The Power of Connecting Instructional Routines 20 Sep 201720 Sep 2017 For a million reasons, I love, love instructional routines*. They engage students, active thinking and discourse, and, with the structures in place, students are given the freedom to focus on…
Jenna Laib 