7 Ways to Improve Communication in the Math Classroom Do your students need practice with communication skills in math? Sure my kiddos can answer a sheet filled with addition and subtraction questions with the best of them - no problem. However, when the word problems get thrown in, many students start getting stuck. Ask them to explain "How do you regroup?" or "When should you regroup?" ...eish! These are skills they aren't used to doing in math. For a long ... View Post
Grade 1 Social Studies: Community Helpers Units
Note: This post includes testimonials from a lovely grade 1 teacher who has shared her experiences with me using this unit with her in-person class, as well as my own thoughts, tips and suggestions! xo-Tina Community Helpers are Here For Us! Have your kiddos noticed the news reports about Community Helpers lately? Mine sure have! With Covid struggles happening throughout the world, a large focus is on the people who help keep the community running despite the national ... View Post
Problem Solving Skills
If your students are anything like mine, you will always have students who can "rock" a simple worksheet or flashcard test, but as soon as you give them a context, they suddenly lose that fast fact recall. Many students have a "rote" memory of facts, they have memorized them, they can write them out, they know how to do it when you tell them which numbers and which operation to use. But, what about when you don't tell them which numbers and which operation... then the students need ... View Post
Word Work Done Right!
Have you been doing word work as part of your Daily 5 or literacy rotations? Tired of kids playing dominoes with your scrabble tiles and scribbling on your whiteboards? I know that I was! It is time for some rich, engaging and meaningful word study! After lots of trial, error, research, deliberation and lattes, I decided to divide my word work up into 4 categories. This keeps things fresh and fun while also ensuring I am covering the broad topic of 'word study' thoroughly. This ... View Post