What the Heck is a Rekenrek??

Number Sense, Subitizing | 1 comment

I am preparing for my presentation at the annual US Math Recovery conference and thought it would be a great time to post about one of my favorite math manipulatives for PreK through 2nd grade; the Rekenrek…which just so happens to be the focus of my...

Teaching the Teen Numbers

Add-Subtract-Place Value | 0 comments

The teen numbers are hard!!  I was reminded of that again today as I picked up my daughter’s Kindergarten Pre-Assessment.  They had her write as many numbers as she could, and just like her older brother used to do, she wrote all the teen numbers incorrectly....

Common Core Curriculum is not the same as Common Core Standards

Common Core | 0 comments

I could not have said this better!  These thoughts have been mulling around in my brain for a few weeks but didn’t quite have the right way to say it until I read Fawn Nguyen’s interview over at A Math Babe’s blog.  So I’ll start with her...

My First 3 Act Math Tasks

Fractions, Multiplication-Division, Time-Measurement-Data | 6 comments

The other day I had one of the best days I’ve had in a long time out in the schools.  After watching Dan Meyer’s webinar about the 3 Act Math Tasks and then reading everything I could on Dan’s blog as well as many others, I created two of my own 3...

Quick Differentiated Math Fact Assessment

Fact Fluency | 0 comments

Right now we are in the midst of the state assessments, yet as I was helping my Kindergarten son get checked into his classroom I was reminded that the assessments teachers do to inform instruction can be quick and easily differentiated.  His teacher decided to put a...

‘School Math’ disconnects us from ‘Real Math’

Uncategorized | 0 comments

Why is it that kids go from seeing math every where in their real life to being disconnected from math and even hating it?  Why is it that early learners are so inquisitive and mathematics comes naturally to them but yet by the time they are in 1st grade (maybe even...

Easter Egg Math Activities

Pinterest, Subitizing | 0 comments

I am a firm believer in doing math activities that make kids feel like they aren’t doing math at all.  So, seeing all the cute ways teachers are using easter eggs to help kids with literacy and math got me inspired to create some math eggs of my own for my...