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…

100 Posts

20 Jul 202220 Jul 2022

This post is the 100th on my blog! 🎉 With all due respect to any of you beautiful and talented people reading this, I write this blog, first and foremost,…

Secret Squares and Stop Signs

28 Jun 2022

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…

How Many Birds: Mathematizing “Two Many Birds” In First Grade, Part 2

28 Apr 202227 Apr 2022

I have been reading Allison Hintz and Antony Smith’s Mathematizing Children’s Literature (Stenhouse, 2022), and it has disrupted how I think about the use of children's literature in math class. In my…

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.…

“Oops, I Forgot”: Small, Beautiful Moments

2 Jan 20222 Jan 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…

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…

“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…

Windows and Mirrors: Fair Shares for Eid al-Adha

2 Aug 20212 Aug 2021

A man's true wealth is the good he does in the world. Hadith attributed to Prophet Mohammed (ra) Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha was a little over two weeks ago. It…

Kids Mathematize the World: Arrays

30 Jul 2021

It's fascinating to observe how my children mathematize the world! Where do they see mathematics? How do they interact with it? Doing Puzzles in a Ballgown This morning, my 5yo…

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…

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…

The Cookie Recipe: Learning Math from Students

1 Apr 20195 Feb 2022

Fourth grade teacher Alicia and I have a beautiful habit of doing math together when planning. We try out problems, and anticipate ways we think students.* *This work is made…

“Why is the math teacher here for social studies?”

16 Jan 20196 Feb 2022

I slipped quietly into Room 304, trying not to distract the fourth graders, who were finishing up a writing assignment. I set up my laptop to project to the white…

No More Mathematical Matchmaking: The Return of the Inaba Place Value Puzzles

26 Nov 201827 Nov 2018

When I first started teaching, I believed in being a mathematical matchmaker. I thought that differentiation meant giving students different tiered assignments -- it seemed much better than pushing every…

Leading Act 3: Using the 5 Practices & Intentional Talk To Deepen Discourse About the “Whopper Jar”

3 Oct 201722 Jun 2021

The books 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions (Smith and Stein, 2011) and Intentional Talk (Kazemi and Hints, 2014) have helped me transform how I facilitate discussions. I try my best…

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…

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…

“Which is Greener?”: Connecting Fractions, Percents, and Ratios in Sixth Grade

16 Jun 201719 Sep 2017

Math should tell a story -- through the structure of units, and the structure of a year. There is no singular correct narrative; instead, I find joy in weaving different…

Making Connections during Number Talks

28 Mar 2017

All hands shoot up in 1M, a first grade classroom. The students strain their arms, employing arched eyebrows and pursed lips to entreat me to call on them. Of course, once I…