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Embrace the Challenge

The Blog of a K-8 Math Specialist

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Tag: illustrative mathematics

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.…
five practices…

“Look! I showed my work!”

8 Sep 20218 Sep 2021
It's surreal to be back at my school, in person, after 18 months away. I feel a tremendous sense of vertigo when I look around at this place that is…
education…

How Are Students Representing Their Ideas During Remote Learning?

27 Nov 20203 Apr 2021
I come from the Marilyn Burns School of Student Work Samples -- which is to say I prize student work that fills a large, blank page. (#TeamBlankSpace) Marilyn Burns, one…
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 #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…

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…
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

Coherence, Round 2: The Power of Connecting Instructional Routines

20 Sep 201720 Sep 2017
For a million reasons, I love, love instructional routines*. They engage students, active thinking and discourse, and, with the structures in place, students are given the freedom to focus on…
curriculum

Coherence and Telling the Story

6 Sep 201719 Sep 2017
The more I teach, the more I realize the importance of coherence. Beyond serving as a guiding principle of the common core, coherence shines a light on the pathway towards…

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Recent Posts

  • Seeing the World through One Kindergartner’s Eyes 18 May 2023
  • Fractions in Fractions: Sparking Creative Mathematical Thinking 9 May 2023
  • “Teachable Moments,” and a Tale of Two Detours 27 Apr 2023
  • The Case of the Impossible Triangles 3 Apr 2023
  • Bugs Jump Really High #tmwyk 1 Apr 2023
  • How We Listen: Astrid’s Thinking about 5 x 6 27 Mar 2023
  • Ramadan Pizzas: Mathematizing Children’s Literature #tmwyk 22 Mar 2023
  • “It’s as fat as it is tall”: Language and Concept Development with Quick Images 7 Mar 2023
  • Listening to Understand: Visualizing Adrian’s Thinking about Comparing Fractions 26 Feb 2023
  • Preserving Equality — Algebraic Thinking Across Grade Levels 13 Feb 2023

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Upcoming Conference Presentations & Workshops

October 12, 2023
ATMNE Conference
(Portland, ME)
“Cultivating Student Ownership of Mathematical Language and Ideas” (with Louisa Connaughton)

October 27, 2023
NCTM Annual (Washington DC)
“Counting Collections as Context for Liberation” (with Kassia Omohundro Wedekind)

SEE OTHER RECENT EXPERIENCES…

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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 multiplication problem-based instruction problem-based learning productive discussions race remote learning slow reveal graphs student thinking student work visual representations writing
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