When I was an interventionist looking at our schoolwide data, I noticed something in our students’ math data. The students in third grade that scored lowest in math overall on our benchmark testing (NWEA’s MAP test), were the lowest scoring in the place value and number sense sub-domain. As time has gone on, I’ve continued to see that trend- that the lowest achieving students in math, tend to have poor number sense. Here are some
As a third grade teacher, I find that my word work center activities cover a variety of skills. I want my students to review and refine their sight word knowledge specifically focused on the correct spelling of many high frequency words. I want them to apply the phonics skills from the previous years and our current year’s instruction. I want them to begin to recognize and apply affixes and have a base level understanding of
I like to use videos and songs in my lessons as much as possible, and math videos are no different. Having a video give a minilesson gives students the opportunity to take a break from me and my voice, which they love. It also gives me a moment to sit down. Sitting down and being quiet for a moment is a glorious feeling that doesn’t happen too often in the classroom. Watching a video also
I originally heard of Grit during a conference discussing leadership in membership organizations when someone shared this Ted Talk from Angela Lee Duckworth. I immediately thought of my students and how grit was an important part of the work we do each day as educators. As a former teacher, Duckworth wanted to see what kept students engaged and successful with school. And what she said made so much sense. In education classes in college I
Early on this year, a group of bloggers that I admire tossed around the idea of doing a monthly link up of “bright ideas” with no strings attached. No freebies. No products. Just great, often simple, ideas that make a difference in our classrooms. I’ve been so excited to participate in it often throughout this year, sharing ideas that work for me and my students. This year, I showcased a variety of posts from management
I’ve spent the last 15 years teaching in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, and working beside elementary classrooms as an instructional coach and resource support. I’m passionate about math, literacy, and finding ways to make teachers’ days easier. I share from my experiences both in and out of the elementary classroom. Read more About Me.
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