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Free Number Sense Boosters
Could your students’ number sense use a boost? These quick and simple activities improve number sense while engaging your students.
Latest from the Blog
CREATING MATH GROUPS & GOALS IN 4 EASY STEPS
Nothing feels better than working with a small group of students who are just getting it. During whole group instruction, there are always some students who seem to be drowning and getting them into the right math groups with the right math goals can be the absolute make or break
How Benchmarks of 5 and 10 Build Remarkable Number Sense
If you have been with me for any length of time you know that I am all about simple and effective math instruction. Finding opportunities to build number sense by illuminating the benchmarks of 5 and 10 fits the bill on both counts. Students with number sense understand how numbers
How to use Simple Number Sense Activities to Boost Part Whole Thinking
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What are Spatial Relationships and How Does It Help Build Number Sense?
Last week we talked about 4 number relationships that build number sense in your students. In other words, students with number sense are strong in these number relationships! Building number relationships is one of those simple & effective strategies you can layer on top of the instruction you are already
4 Relationships You Need to Know to Build Number Sense
You intuitively know which of your students has number sense and, even more evident, you know which students do not have number sense. But how can you develop your students’ number sense? I used to be incredibly frustrated when it came to talking about developing number sense. I knew that some
How to Overcome the Top 5 CRA Math Model Obstacles
There’s math theory and then there is real life in the classroom. You may LOVE the idea of the CRA math model but you may wonder how you can incorporate this type of model with a classroom full of students with varying needs. Let’s dive into some common roadblocks to
How To Effectively Implement CRA Math Lessons
In an effort to implement CRA math lessons, you used hands-on materials all last week in math. Your students were absolute rock stars. This week you were sure your students were ready to take the blocks away and move to a drawing instead. And your students fell flat. You were
Which is the BEST Hands-On Tool for Teaching Decimals?
5th-grade teachers are set with a difficult task. Your students previously spent the majority of their time working with whole numbers in the base ten system. Now, you are supporting your students to build numbers that may be very difficult to model and conceptualize. Thinking CRA is helpful but what
How to Choose the Right Place Value Manipulatives
I recently saw a post on social media with a fun place value activity. The teacher was using saltine crackers as a hundred, thin pretzel rods as a ten and marshmallows as ones. Students would use these materials to build a variety of three-digit numbers. Fun! In general, I don’t
How to Use Numberless Word Problems to Boost Student Success
I’ve taught a few “number pluckers” in the past. You too? I’m not surprised! Number pluckers are those kids who, upon seeing a word problem, expertly “pluck” out the numbers and add them together. Done! I did it! I know you are shaking your head and smirking right now. It’s