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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.

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What Is Math Intervention?
Let’s get this out of the way right now. Math intervention does NOT mean pulling a group of kids aside and helping them to complete their work after a whole group lesson. Another end of the spectrum? Math intervention does NOT mean stopping your instruction to “work on number

Why You Need Dedicated Time for Math Intervention
The number one, most important thing you can do for students who are struggling in math is to meet them where they are and focus on increasing their understanding of numbers and operations. That’s it! The secret to math success! But here’s the thing, you can not do this without

Independent Practice Strategy
My third-grade teacher always told us Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent! When we were practicing our cursive lettering he wanted us to be sure not to get sloppy and practice incorrectly- the habits we formed during practice would be hard to break! The same is true of our

Why You Need to Plan Intervention Sequences
It’s a trap we have all fallen into. You teach your math lesson for the day and then pull aside the group that didn’t quite get it yet. You work on the independent practice together. Here’s the problem. The next day? You’re likely working with the same

Deficit vs. Asset Based Thinking In Math Class
A few years back I was talking with a colleague after a staff meeting. I mentioned that I had recently had a breakthrough with a student who had a multitude of “gaps” in their learning. This student was in an upper elementary grade level but had a very early primary

Introducing Place Value to 1st and 2nd Graders
It’s a common activity used for introducing place value. You give your students a pile of crackers, pretzel sticks and chocolate chips. You tell your students that the crackers are the hundreds, pretzel sticks are the tens and chocolate chips are the ones. You and your students take turns building

5 Simple & Effective Games to Practice the Partners of Ten
Knowing the partners of ten opens up the world of fact fluency and flexibility for your students. The best part? There’s no need to drill these facts! Your students can play engaging, hands-on, SIMPLE games to reinforce the partners of ten. The 5 games listed below will help your

The Simple & Effective Guide To Understanding Math Facts
Addition & Subtraction Strategies. Fact Fluency. Fact Memorization. Three different sides of the same coin. Thinking about teaching math facts as being learned at each of these three levels will change your perspective on instruction altogether! Addition & Subtraction Strategies Counting on fingers, using manipulatives, using a number

FREE Printable Math Manipulatives
Why Use Printable Math Manipulatives? Using a research-based CRA progression your students will move from concrete tools to drawings and representational models and will ultimately be proficient with abstract equations and ideas. Without manipulatives in the hands of our students we are missing the first and arguably most critical step!

Getting Started with Tier 3 Math Intervention
My first year teaching math intervention I was in over my head by the second week of school. Funny thing is, by the second week of school I really hadn’t done anything other than assessing students and starting to form groups. I was given the advice to look at