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Jenna Laib

Jenna Laib

The Blog of a K-8 Math Specialist

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Tag: visual representations

education…

Fractions in Fractions: Sparking Creative Mathematical Thinking

9 May 2023
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…
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…

Preserving Equality — Algebraic Thinking Across Grade Levels

13 Feb 202313 Feb 2023
Equality is a fundamental concept of mathematics. The way that we can play around with values -- adjusting numbers slightly -- but maintain equality is fascinating, and differs between operations.…
games…

Facilitating Number Boxes, Part 2 – Supporting Reasoning with Representations (Learning With Students)

15 Dec 20223 Feb 2023
"Hmm.. 8 + 3. Let's put the 8 in the ten frame. If we add 3, will it be more than, less than, more equal to 10?" Kyleigh missed parts…
#tmwyk

Rush Hour Conversations

8 Aug 20227 Aug 2022
The highway was crowded. All four lanes crawled slowly northward, each car taking its turn to move a few precious feet before slowing and stopping. Idling. I must have read…
#tmwyk

Caterpillar Math

20 Jul 202020 Jul 2020
This spring, my children fell madly in love with insects. Ants. Bees. Butterflies. We read books. We went exploring outside with magnifying glasses. We developed elaborate pretend play rituals based…
in the classroom

Debate in Kindergarten: Building Appreciation for Ten Frames

20 Jan 202020 Jan 2020
If we want students to harness the power of visual representations -- to own them -- students need to understand why that representation is important.  Visual representations can be elegant…
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.  $latex \frac{1}{4}\times \frac{1}{3}$…

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Upcoming Conference Presentations & Workshops

December 2025 & January 2026
EDC (Waltham, MA)
“Data Routines: Slow Reveal Graphs”

January 15, 2026
Math Coach Virtual Learning Network (virtual)

February 4, 2026
TERC’s Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics (free virtual webinar)
“Using Insights about Student Thinking to Shape Classroom Experiences”

SEE OTHER RECENT & UPCOMING EXPERIENCES…

Recent Posts

  • Culture & Identity in the Math Classroom 22 Nov 2025
  • Inputs and Outputs 20 Oct 2025
  • Anderson’s Endless Zeroes 12 Apr 2025
  • How Many Nivelsnorts: Assessing Silly Story Problems 7 Nov 2024
  • Tomás and the Jellybeans: Increasing Access 5 Nov 2024
  • Why Do I Love This Student Work: Examining Context & Bias 22 Oct 2024
  • “Yes! And!” 10 Oct 2024
  • For Our Math Education Community 29 Sep 2024
  • The Love Graph 17 Jul 2024
  • Estimating Products and Co-Planning in Grade 4 30 Jun 2024

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K-8 Math Educator

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Tags

#tmwyk access centering students ideas child study clinical interview desmos division education equity five practices formative assessment fractions games geometry grade 1 grade 2 grade 3 grade 4 grade 5 grade 6 grade 7 grade 8 illustrative mathematics intervention investigations Investigations (Inv3) kindergarten listening making connections mtbos multiplication problem-based instruction problem-based learning productive discussions race remote learning slow reveal graphs student thinking student work writing
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