discourse – Jenna Laib

The Case of the Impossible Triangles

3 Apr 20233 Apr 2023

The first thing I noticed when I walked into Caitlin's third grade class was that every student was, with bowed head, focused on writing in their math notebooks -- even…

in the classroom

Seventeen Pumpkins

There were seventeen pumpkins, all in a row. I walked into the kindergarten room a few minutes into the math block, and I tried to get my bearings quickly. I…

in the classroom

The Half-Triangle: Attending to Precision and Building On Others’ Ideas

12 Dec 202111 Dec 2021

From Investigations: Grade 4, Unit 4, Investigation 2, Lesson 2 "This shape fits my rule," said 4th grade teacher Ms. Cohen, moving the green right triangle to the left side…

in the classroom

“Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say”: Peas and Carrots Edition

Yesterday was an exciting day in first grade: the launch of peas & carrots! This is the first "how many of each?" problem in first grade. Students wrestle with two…

Reducing Bias with Desmos Dashboard

17 Aug 202123 Oct 2024

When I am teaching in person, I circulate around the room. When I first started teaching, I would circulate in similar patterns, winding my way through the desks and rows…

Problem Based Lesson #2: Making Connections with Symmetry in Grade 4

8 Jan 20205 Feb 2022

This is a post in a series about problem based instruction in fourth grade -- centering on a series of lessons classroom teacher Claire* and I taught about symmetry. This…