Investigations (Inv3) – Embrace the Challenge

in the classroom

“It’s as fat as it is tall”: Language and Concept Development with Quick Images

Some days, things just go sideways. It's the reality of teaching. I watched as Grade 1 teacher Rachel led her students into the classroom fifteen minutes later than usual. Rachel…

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.…

in the classroom

Peas and Carrots… and Beans

9 Feb 20238 Feb 2023

Last year, our first grade team had the opportunity to work with Investigations authors from TERC -- the inimitable Karen Economopolous, with Megan Murray in absentia. To prepare for our…

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.…

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.…

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…

“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

More Peas, More Carrots: Student Agency in Representations While Problem Solving

Today, the first graders revisited "Peas and Carrots." They had spent several days exploring part-part-whole thinking in the context of games like "how many are hiding?" and "counters in a…

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…

in the classroom

“Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say”: Peas and Carrots Edition

Yesterday was an exciting day in first grade: the launch of peas & carrots! This is the first "how many of each?" problem in first grade. Students wrestle with two…

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…

Making Space to Listen and Observe

My school recently adopted TERC's Investigations in Number, Time, and Space. The cornerstone of this curriculum is listening to, centering, amplifying, and leveraging student ideas. Many of the embedded assessments…

Back to School PD: Sharing Participant Thinking

12 Sep 202011 Sep 2020

Last week, I facilitated a few PD sessions for elementary teachers in my district. There were some predictable -- and wildly unpredictable! -- tech hiccups. I stumbled over some words.…

Choosing a Story to Tell: Examining a Lesson Close in 1st Grade

28 Aug 20196 Feb 2022

I had planned to spend my first time in Room 12 observing the classroom teacher and getting to know her students. Instead, the teacher texted me the day before to…