grade 3 – Jenna Laib

But It Looked So Good: Checking on Student Thinking

When I asked students to think-pair-share, they dutifully respected the independent think time before launching into a buzzy conversation with a partner. When I asked them to indicate their thinking…

Planning From Student Work: What -> So What? -> Now What?

16 Mar 202616 Mar 2026

In February, I gave a webinar for TERC's Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics. I was honored to be invited to speak -- it's an impressive lineup! -- and Karen…

Why Do I Love This Student Work: Examining Context & Bias

22 Oct 202423 Oct 2024

When we look at student work after school, long after the students have left the building, we make inferences -- guesses -- at what students were thinking. We ascribe meaning…

in the classroom

Fraction Intervention: Sonata for Eighth Notes in E Flat Major

24 Apr 202424 Apr 2024

As we waited for others to arrive, Ava couldn't help gushing about her weekend. Her parents had taken her to Montreal for the weekend to see Olivia Rodrigo in concert.…

in the classroom

A Third Grade Dilemma: Dividing by Zero

6 Apr 20246 Apr 2024

In a third grade class, students were in triads playing a game of "Headache," which is sometimes called Salute. Two students place cards on their foreheads, facing out, and the…

Fractions in Fractions: Sparking Creative Mathematical Thinking

Third Grader Owen was ready for third grade math a while ago. I only met him recently, but I'm guessing he was ready in... second grade? First? It's unclear. Something…

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…

“What Are You Hoping For?”: Facilitating the Number Boxes Game to Develop Reasoning – Learning with Teachers

8 Dec 20223 Feb 2023

Number Boxes is one of my favorite games to play. The set up looks similar to an Open Middle problem, with empty boxes that you will place digits into. Open…

Restless Teachers

13 Oct 202213 Oct 2022

My favorite educators are restless. They have that itch. Nothing is ever completely satisfying. If you chat with them after a lesson, they'll tell you three things they would change.…

formative assessment…

Secret Squares and Stop Signs

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…

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.…

#tmwyk

The Ramadan Calendar

Friday, April 1st, marked the first night of Ramadan. On Saturday, April 2nd, we began our daily fasting ritual that will last for the entire month. Beyond fasting, Ramadan is…

formative assessment…

What Will Help Plan for Tomorrow?

What do I need to know about student thinking today before I teach tomorrow? Towards the end of a math lesson, this refrain plays in my head. ______ In third…

Building Mental Representations

25 Nov 201917 Nov 2019

"Sabrina is fascinating. She will look at a problem for three minutes, not appearing to be thinking about it at all, and then come up with the correct answer," her…

The Story of Fibonacci, and the Math Ethnic Studies Framework

17 Oct 201917 Oct 2019

In the late 12th century, a young Leonardo Bonacci -- better known as Fibonacci -- traveled with his merchant father from their home in Italy to Algeria (North Africa). They…

in the classroom

Listening to Early Understandings of Division: “12 ÷ 5 is either -3 or 0”

20 Aug 20195 Oct 2022

This blogpost is a part of the (2019) HUMANIZING MATHEMATICS CONVENTION: Virtual Conference on Humanizing Mathematics hosted by Sam Shah and Hema Khodai___ I love, love listening to early understandings…

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…

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…

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…