curriculum… 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…
formative assessment… Secret Squares and Stop Signs 28 Jun 2022 I wrote a deeply sad post today. As I went to publish it, I hesitated. Yesterday was my last day of school, and instead of ending with sadness, I'd like…
curriculum… The Learning that Led to Today 19 Apr 202219 Apr 2022 "You aren't these kids' first teacher, and you won't be the last."-Jennifer N. When I was an early career teacher, teaching 4th grade, I wanted to teach my students everything.…
games… “Oops, I Forgot”: Small, Beautiful Moments 2 Jan 20228 Oct 2022 I sat with fourth grade teacher Ms. Goldman in the back of her classroom as students cleaned up materials from the class. There were 15 minutes left in the school…
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…
response Exploring Geometry with Simon Gregg (Addendum to ‘Digging in the closet’) 18 Nov 202120 Nov 2021 Shortly after posting my recent blog post -- "Digging in the Closet: The Return of the Museum of Rarely Used Math Manipulatives (MoRUMM)" -- I received a DM from Simon…
in the classroom… Digging in the Closet: The Return of the Museum of Rarely Used Math Manipulatives (MoRUMM) 18 Nov 202112 Dec 2021 My officemate and I have an embarrassment of riches -- in the form of math materials. In the first district where I taught, manipulatives were hard to come by. My…
five practices… Which Shape Covers More: Orchestrating a Sixth Grade Math Debate 27 Sep 202022 Jun 2021 First, we must mourn for the loss of the Way We Used to Teach. I love my work. If I let you scroll through the photos on my phone, you'd…
curriculum… Problem Based Lesson #3: Learning From One Another in Grade 4 9 Jan 202026 Jun 2020 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…
education… 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…
curriculum… Problem Based Lesson #1: Launching Symmetry in Grade 4 7 Jan 202026 Jun 2020 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. Part…
curriculum… Getting Started with Problem Based Learning in Grade 4 6 Jan 202026 Jun 2020 What are the conditions that inspire teachers to take on problem based instruction? This isn't a story about how you can determine when a teacher -- novice or experienced --…
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 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…
Jenna Laib 