in the classroom Anderson’s Endless Zeroes 12 Apr 202512 Apr 2025 Who makes the mathematical laws? Autodidact Abraham Lincoln managed to become a lawyer in spite of his lack of a formal education. After serving one term in the US House…
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.…
curriculum… Purposeful Number Choices: Fraction Subtraction 24 Jan 2024 Today, I introduced Number Boxes (blog #1, blog #2, blog #3) to a fifth grade class. (Read blog #1 for the rules to the game.) The teacher was looking to…
games… Fraction Addition: Playing a Game With Many Shades of Fluency 5 Jan 2024 Today in grade 5, we played Addition Compare with Fractions (Investigations, Grade 5, Unit 3). Students draw fraction cards, calculate the sum, and compare sums. My description there is deceptively…
assessment… Listening to Understand: Visualizing Adrian’s Thinking about Comparing Fractions 26 Feb 202326 Feb 2023 Marilyn Burns recently blogged about a 38 second video clip that I probably spent 380 seconds watching. (click on the image below to read the post -- but then come…
curriculum… “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…
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.…
curriculum… Using Diagrams to Build and Extend Student Understanding 16 Dec 20196 Feb 2022 Co-authored by Kristin Gray (@MathMinds) Originally published on the Illustrative Mathematics Blog (November 25, 2019) Take a moment to think about the value of each expression below. $latex \frac{1}{4}\times \frac{1}{3}$…
curriculum… Using Instructional Routines to Inspire Deep Thinking 21 Oct 20195 Feb 2022 Originally published on the Illustrative Mathematics blog (October 13, 2019). We want students to think about math deeply. Creatively. Analytically. Instead, what often happens is that students race towards quick solutions. So…
education Tyler’s Dilemma: Digging into Unit Rates, and One Student’s Resistance 11 Oct 201911 Oct 2019 "You have a choice of which version of the game to play," I said, as I placed out four different gameboards and spinners for our focus game. Tyler's eyes narrowed.…
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…
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 --…
Jenna Laib 