There is a mathematical tragedy occurring inside many elementary schools in math these days and it's this: Students are not learning their multiplication facts. Yep, I said it. If this isn’t your elementary school, then that's great for you and your students! But I know many...
A strong foundation with multiplication skills is critical for success and is established in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. When people think of multiplication at this level, they mainly think of the memorization of multiplication facts. While learning and being able to fluently recall answers to...
The Importance of Mastering Regrouping
Across grade levels 3rd-6th there are several math skills that are arguably significantly harder than others to master. Consequently, these are also usually the skills that are the most critical to master because they 1.) continue to show up year...
The 2024-2025 school year has officially begun for most students across the country! Depending on where you live, you may be a month into the new school year already or one of the lucky ones just going back after the Labor Day holiday. Even though it can be hectic, I truly love the...
Recently I bought myself a new desk. You know, one of those “L” shaped desks that fit nicely in a corner with enough surface space for two monitors and a little shelf on one end for your printer. Dreamy right? Of course! But then it arrived in a large box with...
One of the best things about back-to-school season is the fresh start it brings for students, parents and teachers alike. The school year ahead is full of possibilities, and we all have a chance to leave last year's mistakes behind. With that in mind, it is also the perfect time to...
Here we go! I don’t know about you but as the summer came to an end, I was a tiny bit guilty of refusing to acknowledge the emails that started to trickle in from school administrators as well as the store shelves lined with loose leaf paper, glue sticks, and markers. However, it is time to...
April is recognized nationally as Autism Acceptance Month and April 2nd is recognized by the United Nations as Autism Awareness Day. In honor of promoting Autism awareness and acceptance, I thought this week we could explore one of the most common cognitive impairments that challenge...
No teacher wants to admit it, but every year certain math lessons and even whole chapters are either skimmed or skipped over entirely. But before anyone who is not a teacher gets all judgmental, please realize that math teachers face a steep uphill battle every year trying to cover the whole...
Ahhh the ever mysterious 504 plan. In many schools and school districts if you ask a teacher or school personnel about one, it seems to be something that no one can ever really give you a straight answer about and a topic that many even may avoid, embarrassed that they have no idea how to answer...
Ask any teacher or student what their least favorite thing about math is and more than likely you will hear the response of word problems come up again and again. They are no picnic for parents either! For students staring down a word problem, it can feel like they are being tested on an entirely...
State testing week brings out all the feels! Teachers, students and parents all feel the pressure to perform as schools attempt to simultaneously emphasize just how important these tests are while also advising not to stress out the students with too much, well, pressure. It can feel impossible...
