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https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/examples-of-differentiated-instruction/

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Attached is my field experience notes on Differentiation from DVE 5th grade!

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Get to know your students

Set individual goals with each student

Identify unique instructional approaches for each learning style

Leverage available technologies to support individualized instruction

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Our classrooms are filled with diverse learners, and as teachers, many of us strive to design learning experiences that respond to our students' interests and preferences. However, many of us struggle to find time to use individualized instruction in the classroom. Meeting the varied needs of students is demanding, but committing to adapt instruction comes from the belief that children learn better through the use of different modes and methods of learning.

So, what's the best way to create personalized instruction in the classroom? The first step is to start at the beginning of the school year when you are getting to know your students. This is the perfect time to have students set goals and introduce instructional approaches that can help set the foundation for the rest of the school year.
Further Reading: Inspiring Student Success Through Classroom Design
Kelly S., a fifth-grade teacher in Buffalo, New York, told me, "While it definitely takes more time planning, all of my students have specific strengths they can contribute to the classroom, and individualized instruction helps my students use these differences and develop the skills they need to be lifelong learners. It also doesn't hurt that they retain more information while enhancing their engagement in what they're learning."

Here are four steps you can take in the new school year to enhance your teaching with individualized instruction.

1. Get to Know Your Students

Kelly advises that teachers looking to individualize instruction should start by understanding what makes each student unique. She said, "At the beginning of the school year I administer a survey to find out students' strengths and learning styles, which in turn helps me to develop innovative ways to meet the needs of all students."

The start of the school year is the perfect time to get to know your students. Take this time to learn their interests, abilities, and learning styles. You can do this through an interest survey, where you ask about their likes and dislikes, what they do in their spare time, how they prefer to learn, etc. With this knowledge at hand, you can begin the process of creating and assigning topics based on interest and ability.

2. Set Individual Goals with Each Student

The second step to personalize instruction at the beginning of the school year is to help students set measurable and achievable goals.

Jen C., a middle school teacher in Lockport, New York, likes to start the school year off by having her students set SMART goals-specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. By creating an individual learning plan, she has students set goals at the start of the year, check-in each semester, then have an end-of-course reflection.

According to the American Institute for Research, student goal-setting is essential because it gives students a sense of direction and purpose and can help fuel students' intrinsic motivation. Using SMART goals like Jen C. can provide a structure for goal-setting that is easy for students to understand.

3. Identify Optimal Instructional Approaches for Each Learning Style

The next step is to choose an instructional approach. There are many to choose from, all with the goal being to improve the instructional experience for the individual learner. The information I learned, and the teachers I spoke with, all lead me to believe there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to individualized learning. Depending on their students' age, interests, abilities, and class size, many teachers like to take components from instructional approaches rather than follow them down to the letter.

For example, several teachers I know like the "go at your own pace" component from the Keller Plan, which is a framework for designing personalized instruction. Another approach is to use project-based learning. This strategy is student-centered and student-driven and allows students to demonstrate their own knowledge and skills. Choice boards are a popular approach that many teachers utilize because they support students at their own individual learning needs, according to BetterLesson.

A major pain point for the teachers I spoke with was time constraints. Time, along with a large class size, makes it difficult for many teachers to personalize instruction in a traditional way. To combat this, the teachers would scaffold learning by approaching new concepts in multiple ways (modeling, breaking it down, using visual aids), differentiating the process (using audiobooks for audio learners, colorful textbooks for visual learners), and using digital tools to meet the needs of multiple learners at the same time.

Grouping students by learning style was another suggestion. Jen C. found this approach helped promote learning.

4. Leverage Available Technologies to Support Individualized Instruction

Utilize assistive technology to help meet the needs of all learners. The U.S. Department of Education states, "Technology can enable personalized learning or experiences that are more engaging and relevant." The use of tablets and computer programs can help achieve personalized instruction because it allows students to work at their own pace, as well as adapt to their skill and ability levels.

For example, the popular game-based learning platform Kahoot has student-paced challenges, while IXL makes personalized learning simple with its real-time diagnostic comprehensive K-12 curriculum.

The use of digital tools-tablets, interactive whiteboards, etc.-can help educators manage a full classroom while meeting individual needs. Educators can allow students to choose from a menu of learning experiences while all working at the same time, on the same goal, but at their individual pace.
Further Reading: 3 Reasons Why You Should Utilize Assistive Technology for Reading
The biggest challenge you will face in trying to meet the needs of all students will be in the planning. This type of instruction takes time and patience. That is why it's best to start at the beginning of the school year so you will have the entire year to learn and modify as you go. Ultimately, it's up to you to determine how your students can learn best.

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Individualized Instruction: Meeting the Needs of All Students Starts on the First Day of School

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Individualized instruction can help you meet the needs of every student. Here are four tips to focus on individual learning needs.

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Differentiation in the Elementary Grades

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Differentiation in the Elementary Grades

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Boubet, Hockett-

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“The discourse of a classroom—the ways

of representing, thinking, talking, agreeing, and disagreeing—is central to what and how students learn mathematics” (NCTM,2007, p.46).

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Van de Walle Chapter 5-

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An education check-up!

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The University of North Carolina at Pembroke Online

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There is perhaps no more important element of learning than the assessment. Assessments are a great way to gauge student understanding, help teachers discern what went wrong when students don't achieve expected results and help parents understand what is happening in the classroom.

Educators use assessments to design instruction that enables students to increase academic achievement. Education professionals with an advanced degree in teaching with a specialization in elementary education are given the tools to assess student learning with effective strategies and proven tools. In fact, assessing progress has become compulsory, and assessment tools are necessary instruments used in most elementary schools across the county. Experts agree test scores would not be a surprise if all teachers had an assessment toolbox they used in the classroom.

Assessments are classified according to their specific purpose. Jody Durgin, teacher and education blogger, says there are so many assessments available, including formative, summative, informal, formal, standardized, diagnostic, benchmark and others, it can feel very overwhelming to educators.

In a recent blog post, Durgin writes, "The definition of a formative assessment in the education field is a type of informal assessment that teachers use to quickly and effectively collect student data and use the results to not only track their student's progress but also to inform and drive their instruction."

Formative and summative are two types of commonly used assessments that serve different purposes. Here are some key similarities and differences between the two:

The goal of formative assessments is to monitor student learning and inform instruction, and summative evaluations aim to evaluate student learning.

Formative assessments are given during a unit of study, and summative assessments are given at the end of a unit.

Formative assessments focus on students' performance and needs, and summative assessments normalize students' scores and compare them against a predetermined standard of achievement.

Formative assessments have little to no impact on a student's grade, but summative assessments significantly impact a student's grade.

Standardized tests like the ACT and the SAT are examples of summative assessments which allow students to show what they have learned. Formative assessments let students show what they are learning.

Teachers must be discerning when assessing students. A recent report from Edutopia explains that less is more with assessments and keeping it simple is the best approach. The point of a formative assessment is not a grade. Rather, it's an opportunity to get a basic read on progress.

Assessment tools and strategies might include:

Entry and exit times: Taking advantage of those hidden moments at the minutes top and bottom of the class can provide great opportunities to find out what students remember.

Polls, quizzes and in-class games work to find out what kids really know.

Quick checks, or dipsticks, are easy and fast assessments, like checking the oil in a car using a dipstick. Activities like asking students to sketch out a new idea or write a letter to a friend explaining a key concept are effective dipsticks.

Informal interviews, or casual classroom chats, put students at ease and give teachers a sense of the situation.

Art as an assessment tool is effective with elementary students. Drawing and creating often helps students synthesize their learning.

Self-assessment is empowering. Students who are consulted can often spot their own strengths and weakness.

These tools are meant to let teachers see what students know and understand very quickly. Proper, accurate assessments are critical at every level of education as they provide teachers with the necessary data to evaluate students and pinpoint areas of difficulty. A new report from the Center for Effective Reading says teachers must regularly assess student progress to adjust instruction as needed and help ensure that no students fall behind.

Assessment stresses the importance of critical thinking and reasoning. It informs instruction and can help build content mastery by reducing test anxiety, notes The Resilient Educator.

Educators looking to hone their assessment skills while also seeking a pathway to initial teaching licensure might consider the online Master of Arts (M.A.) in Teaching with a Specialization in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP). Gain the necessary skills to conduct assessments and apply many teaching strategies to today's diverse learners. This online degree will enrich your teaching experience and allow you to achieve full licensure to teach in North Carolina.
Learn more about Have a question or concern about this article? Please contact us. UNCP's online Master of Arts in Teaching with a Specialization in Elementary Education program.

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Learn Elementary Education Assessment Strategies With a Master's Degree

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Assessing progress has become compulsory, and assessment tools are necessary instruments used in most elementary schools across the county.

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Examples!

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Walk into any classroom today and you'll find great variation in student growth and kids with a variety of strengths, academic experiences, and needs. Superintendents now report an average of half of all their students are behind grade level, and other research suggests as many as 10% of students may be two or more grade levels behind.

The sheer variety of what students bring to school can be a major challenge for educators. Because these students' needs are different, they'll likely need different supports to be successful. At the same time, teachers are also tasked with ensuring every student has equal access to grade-level standards.

With only so many hours in the day, how can educators both differentiate to meet student needs and give all students access to the grade-level content they need to keep up and continue to succeed?

What the research tells us about helping kids succeed

It's been my privilege to conduct research focused on meeting this intense challenge. And what my colleagues and I have found is heartening: there are many strategies teachers already use that have proven to be especially effective in helping children make the academic gains we know they can make. We're calling these the Transformative Ten.

1. Provide supplemental learning time for targeted retrieval practice

2. Mix whole-group, small-group, and individual activities

3. Adjust student groups in real time

4. Share students and strategies within a grade level

5. Differentiate tasks within a unit

6. Provide targeted practice for foundational skills

7. Teach from multiple standards at once

8. Create opportunities for self-directed learning

9. Use student discourse as formative assessment

10. Explicitly teach academic vocabulary

Each of these strategies optimizes learning time, maximizes the amount of content students receive, and promotes student autonomy and empowerment. In our guide titled "The Transformative Ten," you can read a detailed description of each approach along with relevant research and specific examples. Think of the paper as your toolkit for getting started addressing the tricky balancing act of differentiation vs. providing access to grade-level content.

About our studies

My research began with a commitment to understanding how schools generate high levels of student growth and to continuing the work of my late colleague, Andrew Hegedus. In 2019, Andy released provocative work demonstrating that schools that produce above-average student growth come from all corners of the country; in fact, 60% of the lowest-income schools showed growth above average.

My colleagues and I picked up where Andy left off and identified 789 schools that produced above-average growth for students in all achievement levels for multiple years. We then partnered with two of those schools, located in Schiller Park, Illinois. The Illinois schools are similar to others across the country: 62% of their students receive free or reduced-price lunch, 55% of students are non-white, and per-pupil spending in the district is below the state average. Yet these schools produced higher-than-typical growth across all student achievement levels six years running.

Getting to the heart of what effective instruction looks like requires close partnership. I visited the schools-Kennedy Elementary School and Lincoln Middle School-four times over the last 15 months. Each time, we conducted observations of classroom instruction and interviews with our four focus teachers, adding up to around 87 total hours of data. None of that could have happened without the willingness of teachers, principals, and a district willing to open up their practice for the benefit of other educators, and Schiller Park's teachers and administrators deserve the bulk of the credit for making this work possible.

The purpose and intent of an effort like this departs in some important ways from other kinds of educational research. Unlike qualitative research, our intent was not to show conclusively that the strategies documented here can or will lead to high growth; other scholarship, particularly the pioneering work of John Hattie, meets that need. Instead, our intent was to pair existing research with concrete, in-the-moment details of professional practice that allow teachers and administrators to extract the best practices from high-growth schools and apply them in their own contexts and to their own students. Taking this approach allowed us to get much more specific about what high-quality instruction looks like while still drawing on past effectiveness research and the previously certified successes experienced in Schiller Park.

For the kids

Schiller Park teachers describe their commitment to student growth in five words: "All kids are our kids."

While the challenges associated with meeting the needs of diverse learners grew during the pandemic, they were present long before the pandemic and aren't likely to disappear anytime soon. By focusing on student growth and learning from the schools that achieve that growth, we stand to gain the specific research-based strategies teachers need to help all students succeed, not just those on the margins of grade-level proficiency.

We believe learning can be both individualized and equitable, and the Transformative Ten are first steps for getting there.

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10 ways to meet the learning needs of all students - Teach. Learn. Grow.

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Recent research from NWEA highlights 10 classroom strategies educators can use to support student growth for all kids.

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Implementing Standards for Mathematical Practices

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To read more about the review and revision of the Colorado Academic Standards, along with previous drafts, committee meeting summaries, and public feedback, see a complete listing of resources for all the content areas.

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Colorado

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1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

4. Model with mathematics.

5. Use appropriate tools strategically.

6. Attend to precision.

7. Look for and make use of structure.

8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

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Focusing on FAST isn't how you build elementary math fluency

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“true math is about pattern recognition and logic.”

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What is subitizing?

Subitizing is the ability to instantly recognize the number of objects without actually counting them.

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Subitizing is an essential part of developing number sense in young children. In this post, we explain what subitizing is, how it might look in the classroom or at home and why it is important for developing math skills.
What is subitizing?

Subitizing is the ability to look at a small set of objects and instantly know how many there are without counting them. For example, when rolling a die we don't need to count the dots to know what we have rolled. Subitizing was first coined by theorist Piaget. It is important in the early development of number sense.

There are two types of subitizing:

Perceptual subitizing

Conceptual subitizing

Perceptual subitizing

Perceptual subitizing is instinctive: we are able to look at the objects and just know what the number is without any further thinking. Children and adults alike are generally able to perceptually subitize smaller numbers up to 5.

Conceptual subitizing

Conceptual subitizing is the ability to look at a number of objects as a combination of smaller amounts. Looking at the die example again, when we roll a 6 we do not instinctively know it is 6. Instead, we see two groups of 3, meaning there must be 6.

Numbers can be grouped in different ways. For example, the number 8 can be interpreted by combining numbers like 3 + 5 or 4 + 4. Developing conceptual subitizing skills is therefore an important step towards many other areas of math.

When do children learn about subitizing?

Subitizing is generally introduced during the early stages of elementary education.

During these early years, the focus is on developing foundational math skills, and subitizing plays a role in developing children's number sense and understanding of quantity. Learners are exposed to different visual arrangements of objects (fingers, dice patterns, dots, etc.) and are taught how to quickly recognize the number of objects without counting them one by one.

Subitizing helps students develop a strong sense of numbers, which is essential for later math concepts.

How does subitizing relate to other areas of math?

Subitizing is an important skill to develop in the early years of math, as it is a core stepping stone to other areas of numeracy.

By encouraging young children to deepen their number sense, they gain a stronger understanding of how a number is made. This turns an abstract concept into something more meaningful.

For example, 7 is not simply 7. 7 is in fact 1 + 6, 2 + 5, 3 + 4, and so on. It can even be broken down further, for example 1 + 2 + 4.

Why is it important for children to learn about subitizing?

By understanding how a number is made, children can then learn basic number bonds up to 10, meaning the pairs of numbers that add together to make 10, for example. 1 + 9, 2 + 8, 3 + 7, and so on.

This understanding also acts as a springboard to other concepts such as part-whole, which will help children when they learn part-whole models and bar models in elementary school.

Subitizing is intrinsically linked to addition and subtraction. By first looking at addition, conceptual subitizing demonstrates to children that addition can happen in any order and that it is commutative.

For example, 4 + 5 = 9 and 5 + 4 = 9.

Once they are more fluent in addition facts, children can recognize the inverse relationship with subtraction. Both of these skills require fluency in conceptual subitizing, which in itself requires strong perceptual subitizing ability.

These simple addition and subtraction facts support children through elementary school where formal written methods are introduced.

Column addition and subtraction methods both require strong number knowledge. This way, children's working memory is not taken up by simple arithmetic. Instead it can be used for regrouping and exchanging within the calculation and applying other reasoning and problem solving skills.

How to teach subitizing

Here are some ideas for exploring subitizing in your classroom, or even at home. Using concrete resources is key, as it enables children to physically explore the numbers before absorbing the abstract knowledge into their long term memory.

Groups of objects

Asking children to identify how many objects they can see without counting is one of the simplest ways to introduce subitizing. Objects could range from counters to cubes, or even to toy animals and dinosaurs.

You could also incorporate it into your outdoor learning, using groups of pebbles or making tallies out of sticks. After working on perceptual subitizing up to 5, you could begin asking children if they can combine groups of objects, starting simple with 1 + 2.

Dominoes

The dot patterns on dominoes are some of the most universally well-known examples of subitizing that we are exposed to in our lifetimes. Playing dominoes in small groups can help children become more fluent in these number patterns and quicker in their subitizing ability. Why not make it even more exciting for your class by playing with giant outdoor dominoes?

Dot patterns

Linked to dominoes but less uniform in their layout, dot patterns can further develop subitizing skills. Children can be challenged to identify the number without counting and identify different dot patterns that show the same amount. Children can try finding the odd one out.

Hands

Looking at fingers on hands is one of the most straightforward ways to start subitizing. Perceptual subitizing can be practiced with 5 fingers on one hand, while conceptual subitizing can be introduced by using all 10 fingers. For example, 6 fingers is one finger more than 5 fingers.

Flashcards

Pre-K children can be shown representations of numbers on subitizing cards, whether it be dot patterns or pictures of objects. Showing them the flashcard and then hiding it or turning it over can ensure children are prevented from counting the items and must actually use instantaneous subitizing.

Subitizing games

There are a number of ways games can be played in small groups to build subitizing skills. This may include playing simple board games that use a die, such as chutes and ladders. Playing with two dice can deepen children's understanding further. Other games include snap and matching pairs, where various visual representations of numbers can be used in conjunction with number figures.

Tens frames

Common classroom resources such as ten frames can encourage children to combine groups of numbers and develop conceptual subitizing. Ten frames in particular can help children to see pairs of numbers. These can be easily reproduced at home by drawing the outlines on pieces of card and cutting them out.

3 examples of subitizing in math

Children in Pre-K can work through to develop their number sense. Working in small groups can expose children to other children's thought processes.

1. Dominoes

Ask: What numbers can you see? Can you see any other numbers inside the number?

Answers may range from 7 to 3 and 4. You can encourage children to think deeper by asking them to spot pairs of 2 within the number, for example.

2. Colored number patterns

Ask: How many numbers can you see in this whole number?

Children may give different answers. For example, 'I see 5 yellow, 2 green and 1 blue. There are 8 altogether'. Alternatively they may group them by position (2 + 2 + 4 = 8).

3. Subitizing to 10

Ask: How many numbers can you find in 10?

Using a 10 frame, you can ask children to show what numbers they can see. They may give different answers that begin to embed number bonds. You can challenge them to find as many numbers inside 10 as possible.

What is subitizing?

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Why not learn more about how it works?

The content in this article was originally written by primary school teacher Rosie Hasyn and has since been revised and adapted for US schools by elementary math teacher Christi Kulesza.

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What Is Subitizing? Explained for Elementary School Teachers

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Subitizing helps children develop a strong sense of numbers, which is key for later math concepts. In this blog we look at subitizing and share ideas on how to teach it.

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How to?

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Subitizing is one of those big words that comes down to something pretty darn simple: We teach subitizing to pre-school and kindergarten students as one of the basic building blocks of number sense! And despite the big word attached to the lesson, subitizing activities can make early math lessons a lot of fun for students.

The Teach Starter team of teachers has done a deep dive into the basics of subitizing and came up with some fun printable subitizing activities to make teaching this math basic fun for your students and hopefully easier for you too. Keep on reading for a definition (and fun word history), as well as tips on how to teach subitizing in elementary school.

What Is Subitizing in Math? A Look at the Definition

Forgive us if you already know the subitizing definition and just want to skip ahead to the activities (we won't judge!). In essence, subitizing is the ability to instantly recognize the number of objects in a small group without the need to count them.

Fun fact - subitizing actually comes from a Latin word that means "to appear suddenly." It makes sense, then, that subitizing is about having the number "appear suddenly" in a student's brain, right?

For example, let's say a student rolls a die. With subitizing, they can instantly recognize the number of dots on the face of the dice. Subitizing in preschool and kindergarten is all about helping students to relate numbers to actual items or groups of items.

Why Is Subitizing Important?

Subitizing is something many adults take for granted, but this core skill isn't something that comes naturally! We all had a teacher along the way who helped make it happen.

In the beginning stages of number sense, most young children will learn to count by rote, but while these students may sound like they know what they are doing when they are counting out loud, some children don't always fully understand the meaning behind the numbers they are counting. That's where teaching subitizing comes in!

Encouraging students to subitize groups of items allows them to develop an understanding of how a number is made up of a collection of items.
The process of subitizing can also be used with seeing parts in the whole. For example, in the image below, you could encourage a student to group the dots by colors and instantly recognize that there are four red dots and two blue dots making a total of six dots altogether.

This understanding of the part-part-whole enables children to separate and combine numbers and is the perfect platform for the understanding of addition and subtraction.

What Are the Two Types of Subitizing?

There are technically two types of subitizing:

Perceptual Subitizing - This is the subitizing skill you teach first, as it's a building block to the next type of subitizing. Students who can handle perceptual subitizing are able to instantly recognize the number of items in a small set, usually up to about 4 or 5.

Conceptual Subitizing - After perceptual subitizing success, students then move on to being able to break down larger sets, called conceptual subitizing.

Subitizing Activities and Resources

OK, so now that we've gotten all that out of the way, let's get to the fun stuff! The next step is to create a variety of hands-on, repetitive activities to consolidate your students' awareness of subitizing.

Here are some suggested subitizing activities and resources you could use in your classroom...

Pop-Its Subitizing

These fidget toys are ALL the rage, and they're perfect for subitizing activities in the classroom!

During your math centers, provide students with pop-its (or push bubble toys? Everyone seems to have a different name for these!) and dice. Students roll the dice, then "pop" the corresponding number of buttons.

You can also provide them with numeral cards to do the same - push the corresponding number of bubbles.

Subitizing With Mini Erasers

Have mini erasers in the classroom? Of course, you do! Print out blank 10 frames, and give each student a pile of erasers. Display dot flashcards, and have your students count out a certain amount of erasers in each frame.

Subitizing Rings (1-20)

All you need for this great hands-on activity is Subitizing Rings and some wooden clothespins.

Write the numerals on each end of the clothespins, and then encourage your students to match the numeral on the pin to the matching amount of dots on each of the Subitizing Rings.

Challenge them by timing how fast they can match the pins to their correct spots on the ring.

Subitizing Leap Frog Game

This printable leapfrog is a fun game for your students to play during math rotations when learning to subitize numbers from 1 to 6. Print a class set of the subitizing leapfrog game boards, then print and cut out a set of frog player pieces to store in a zip-lock bag with a dice.

In pairs or small groups, students play the subitizing leapfrog game by matching the dots on the lily pads to the dots on the dice.

Subitizing PowerPoint

Pop a PowerPoint on the whiteboard or smartboard that shows your students images they can count quickly! Images appear on the screen briefly, and students only have a few seconds to determine the number of images.

That is a really great way to work on subitizing together as a class - students write the number on their individual whiteboards. When the teacher says "show me," students all flip their boards to show the teacher.

Lock and Key Subitizing Activity

This is another great activity that you could set up for students to do as a bell-ringer activity when they enter the classroom or during math centers.

Write a number on each of the padlocks, then draw dots (like the dots on a die) on the name tag of each of the keys. Make sure the correct key unlocks the correct padlock! Students then need to try and unlock all of the padlocks by choosing the correct amount of dots on each of the keys.

Subitizing Animal Activity

Use these cute subitizing animals to consolidate your students' knowledge of subitizing small collections.

In this activity, students roll a die and then place that amount of round stickers or counters onto the circles in their chosen animal. They are finished once the animal is fully covered. Encourage students to get faster each time they complete this activity.

Subitize Classroom Objects

Another easy to set up activity is to create groups of objects from the classroom that students need to subitize. This is a great small group activity where the teacher can have an in-depth conversation with the students about the collections of objects. Some questions could include:

Without counting the rocks, how many rocks can you see?

How did you figure out there were 6 rocks?

How many green and black pompoms can you see?

How many pompoms altogether?

How many buttons altogether?

How did you work out how many buttons were there? Did you break the collection into smaller collections?

(Check out our subitizing number talk cards for more questions!)

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How to Teach Subitizing: Fun Math Activities for Kids

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Looking for new ways to teach subitizing and activities that make subitizing click for kids? Try these ideas!

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Number sense examples & activities

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Math tips and strategies for building number sense to 20 in Kindergarten and first grade: An extensive list of number sense activities and resources are included: books, materials, math manipulatives, and FREE activities!
By Proud to be Primary

The math tips and strategies you need for building number sense to 20 are right here. You will have everything you need to quickly implement and bring a wealth of number sense activities, games, and centers into your classroom or home.

Building Number Sense to 20

The activities, books, resource suggestions (including a FREE one) cover a ton of number sense concepts and are perfect for Kindergarten and first grade. Plus, find valuable number sense materials and manipulative suggestions, as well as freebies you can access today! Warning: It's LONG but filled with so much you won't want to miss anything!

Why is Building Number Sense Important?

Children need opportunities to learn and experience numbers. Learning to count, identify numbers, and understand quantity are a few of the essential concepts. Repeated experiences build understanding and fluency with numbers. These experiences help expand knowledge and learn new ideas. A strong number sense is vital for future understanding of more complex math topics.

The activities below are ones that have been used successfully. Use them as they are described or adapt them to your own needs. Be flexible. Have conversations about numbers and encourage questions. When there is an opportunity to order, count, match, or describe with a child, go for it! They benefit from seeing numbers in natural, fluid ways.

Make time for fun and engaging number activities daily and watch fluency develop.

Number Sense Concepts & Activities

Build Number Sense Through Counting

It is crucial to count with children every day. Repeated oral counting helps them hear what numbers sound like and to learn their order. Using math manipulatives, like counting chips, can help build a connection to verbal counting and counting objects. This one-to-one counting is an important skill that needs to be practiced often.

Activities

Count out loud as a class starting at one and building to higher and higher numbers.

Sit with a partner or in a circle and take turns counting by 1's.

As counting develops, teach number patterns and counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's.

Use a number chart to see what numbers look like visually. Point to each number as it is said.

Encourage kids to practice one-to-one counting with small objects. Have small groups of objects set up in a center for them to count.

Provide number cards (like those seen below) for kids to represent with counting chips.

Build Number Sense by Matching Numbers to Quantities

Provide materials for kids to count and connect with objects and numbers. This encourages children to see that numbers are more than words. Teach children that numbers have many representations, such as dots, fingers, counters, numerals, objects, ten frames, etc.

Activities

Match two different types of objects together, such as five counting bears and a domino that shows five dots.

Use links to create a number chain for a number.

Work up to showing quantity with more than two types of objects (as seen in the photo).

Have many different items available for activities, such as dice, dominoes, number magnets, bears, counting chips, cubes, and number cards.

Match number cards from a card deck or game of Uno with dots on dominoes. Find every number combination on the dominoes.

Complete number puzzles that have a different number representation on each piece. They help kids see that numbers can be modeled in many ways. These number puzzles to 20 are available as a FREE download further on.

Encourage one-to-one counting with clip cards. Kids count groups of objects and clip the numeral that matches to the correct quantity.

Ten frames are great for organizing numbers so that they can be easily counted. Matching numeral cards with ten frame representations is simple, yet effective at connecting quantity with numbers.

Build Number Sense with Number of the Day

When kids see numbers in many ways at once in a repeatedly, their number sense develops. Pick a number of the day starting at one and dissect it during your math block.

Activities

Learn about a specific number for each day that you have been at school. Teach and dissect that number during calendar time. Represent that number on a number line, count to that number, show that number with straws or cubes, etc.

Use a number of the day poster or anchor chart to break numbers down. Create your number of the day poster with the FREE poster templates.

Encourage kids to participate and show their understanding on paper or mini whiteboards. Ask a question, such as "How do we show 5 with tally marks?" and allow them time to try on their own. This makes an excellent fluency building warm-up to math lessons.

Read more tips on starting a number of the day routine in your classroom.

Build Number Sense by Ordering Numbers

Provide opportunities for kids to put numbers in order. While they put numbers or objects with numbers on them into the correct order, they are counting and building number sense.

Activities

Provide opportunities with using a number line and number chart that puts numbers in order for us.

Give sets of numbers to order correctly by finding them on the number line.

Cover different numbers on a number chart with sticky notes and ask kids for the missing numbers.

Build Lego stacks by putting the pieces together in an order written on the blocks.

Work together with a partner to order number cards from 0 to 20. Create a number caterpillar like the one seen below.

Number puzzles are a fun way to order numbers. Put the strips in the right order to reveal a picture.

Puzzles are simple and easy to create. Take an old puzzle and write numbers on the back of each piece.

Grab a piece of paper and write numbers in rows. Cut out pieces randomly and trade with a partner. Put the puzzle back together again for practice.

Complete a number order maze starting at 0. This activity can be reused when put into a pocket protector.

Build Number Sense with Place Value Activities

Teaching kids about place value should begin with teaching them to see ten in many ways. Move on to illustrating numbers with base ten blocks.

Activities

Practice making groups of ten things. Group straws, beans, counters, or any small objects.

Teach counting by 10's to count groups. Extend to teaching groups first and then singles.

Make groups of ten to get to the 100th day.

Show and examine a tens block and ones block. Discuss that a tens block has ten ones put together.

Use base ten blocks to represent numbers. Do plenty of examples where kids must use and count blocks. Use a chart to help count the blocks.

Say "Show (or draw) me 14 with place value blocks!"

Represent the number of tens and ones on place value mats (seen below). Ask questions like "How many ones are there?" or "How many groups of ten?". Make sure they understand what each number within the number stands for (i.e., the 1 in 18 is a ten and not a one).

Represent a number in different ways: expanded form, standard form, word form, numeral, etc. Worksheets like the one below, can help build this connection.

Reading and Writing Numerals

Kids are constantly surrounded by numbers in their environment. They quickly learn to recognize the individual numerals 0 to 9 through different experiences. Continue to encourage this familiarity by having numbers on the wall. Posters, number lines, and calendars are helpful tools.

Activities

Use a Boogie Board (seen below) or whiteboard to practice numbers over and over quickly.

Trace numbers frequently and repeatedly to build coordination and correct form. The mini-book below encourages this, as well as locating numbers.

Encourage the correct formation of numbers by teaching it explicitly. The posters (seen below) are helpful tools to use and post on the wall.

Catchy number poems help students visualize and remember number formation. Use your whole body to make actions or draw in the air.

Reading and Writing Number Words

Teach kids how to read number words as they learn to read. Teach each number word one at a time and how to spell them phonetically (when applicable).

Activities

Have number posters with both the numeral and number word on it.

Include number words on spelling lists so that kids learn to read and spell number words.

Use a number of the day routine to teach and focus on one word each day.

Match numbers word cards with numeral cards (seen below).

Play memory with a partner with number words and numeral cards. Look for pairs (twelve and 12).

Build recognizing and speed with mental math flash cards. Flashcards to kids, and they race to call out what they see (tally, numerals, number words, etc.).

Build Number Sense by Counting On and Back

Teach the strategy of counting on and back from a number to prepare kids for addition and subtraction.

Activities

Give students a number and a group of small objects to count on. Ask, "How many more do I have?" given 7 to start and a group of 9 counters to count on with.

Play games with small objects and decks of cards where counting on is needed.

Play a group counting game called 'Around the World.' Say a number, and each person counts on and says the next number as you go around the circle.

Use small objects to count on or back from a number given (cubes, counters, dice, etc.).

Put numbers in backward order. Take the ordering activities seen above and reverse them.

Build Number Sense through Estimating

Provide lots of opportunities for kids to guess how many things they see in their day to day lives. Ask prompting questions to encourage this thinking. Make sure kids know that they are estimating and that these are just guesses. Stress that estimates do not need to be exact but that they should be thoughtful. With more practice, estimations should become closer to the actual number of objects.

Activities

Fill clear or open containers with different sized objects for kids to guess. Keep them simple and work up in difficulty and size of objects. Smaller objects and bigger containers are usually harder.

Create an Estimation Station," where containers are set up with objects inside. Kids can take a close look and make estimates.

As a whole group activity, grab a pile of objects to show quickly. Cover them and have kids make guesses.

Play 'Show & Hide' with a partner. Use a cup and put some small counting bears inside. Quickly show a partner, and then hide them. They make an estimate, and then you count together to check.

Build Number Sense by Comparing Numbers

As familiarity with numbers grow, so does an ability to compare numbers with each other. Provide opportunities to compare numbers daily. Ask questions about which number is bigger, smaller, or the same.

Activities

Use a chart or number line to compare numbers.

Use small objects to make comparing easier. Say "Show 11 and 15 with cubes". Ask, "Which number is smaller?".

Teach the symbols < > and = and what they each mean. Use the alligator strategy (The alligator likes to eat the bigger number) to remember the signs and what they mean.

Create number towers. Kids use cubes to form towers to represent numbers. Compare two towers to see which is the tallest and, therefore, the bigger number. The alligator eats the bigger tower.

Compare numbers with math tools and indicate the correct symbol on clip cards (seen below). As kids become fluent, they should recognize the correct symbol without support.

The activities seen in this post can be found in the following resources found on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Free Number Sense Puzzles to 20

Prep this fun set of number puzzles for your classroom centers and help kids build their number sense!
Numbers to 5 for Kindergarten
Grab 20 FREE number puzzles with different representations on each piece by clicking the image below.
Numbers to 10 for Kindergarten

Numbers 11-20 for Kindergarten
Number Sense Books
Mindful Math Kindergarten Curriculum Numbers to 10 for First Grade Numbers to 20 for First Grade

I Spy Numbers by Jean Marzollo
1,2,3 Peas by Keith Baker
Chicka Chicka 1,2,3 by Bill Martin Jr.
Splash! by Ann Jonas (counting)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (counting)
How Do Dinosaurs Count to 10? by Jane Yolen
Number Everywhere by Elliot Kaufman
10 Black Dots by Donald Crews
How Many Bugs in a Box? by David Carter
How Many Snails? by Paul Giganti, Jr.
Ten Sly Piranhas by William Wise
None the Number by Oliver Jeffers
Zero the Hero by Joan Holub
More or Less by Stuart Murphy
Tally O'Mally by Stuart Murphy
Place Value by David Adler
What's the Place Value by Shirley Duke
Quack and Count by Keith Baker
Betcha! by Stuart J. Murphy
Mindful Math First Grade Curriculum
Number Sense Materials

Try the Mindful Math Comprehensive Program

Read about the Mindful Math program and how it can change your math block in positive ways! This comprehensive math curriculum is available for Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade.

Learn More about Teaching Number Sense

PIN
Building Number Sense free email series Number of the Day Activities 5 Tips for Building Math Fluency

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Building Number Sense to 20: Lessons and Activities for Kids

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Math activities for building number sense to 20 in Kindergarten and first grade. A list of resources, books, manipulatives, and freebies are included!

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Many upper elementary teachers notice a severe lack of number sense in their students, and that makes high levels of math extremely difficult for students. Number sense refers to "a well organized conceptual framework of number information that enables a person to understand numbers and number relationships and to solve mathematical problems that are not bound by traditional algorithms". There are five components that characterize number sense: number meaning, number relationships, number magnitude, operations involving numbers, and referents for numbers and quantities. This post shares some strategies I use to develop number sense in upper elementary students. It's certainly not too late to develop number sense with third, fourth, and fifth graders. Before we get started, I'd love to share a brief introduction to number sense video by Jo Boaler.

Hopefully, you'll be able to use some of the ideas and strategies below to develop a number sense with your upper elementary students. More than likely, you're already doing several of these things!
Browse the Number Sense Strategies:
Number Sense Strategy 1: Number Talks

I heard about number talks several years before I ever tried implementing them. I convinced myself that they were a complete waste of my time and just another buzz word in education. However, I saw other math teachers that I greatly respected begin implementing number talks and sharing the success they were seeing. I was in fear of missing out, so I reluctantly gave number talks a try. To be honest, I did not have any positive expectations.

I am now happy to share that I was completely wrong! Number talks now have a valuable place in my classroom. My favorite number talks resource is Number Talks by Sherry Parrish. It is a long, content heavy book, but it's not necessary to read cover to cover. I started by selecting the essential portions and teaching strategies as I learned them. One of my favorite things about number talks is that I don't need any special resources or materials. I use the book for my lessons and my dry erase board. That's it!

I quickly realized that number talks are an amazing routine that will help improve students' number sense, and this is as important for upper elementary students as it is primary students. I'm sure we've all had students who have relied on rote algorithms to complete math problems, but these students did not understand what they are doing. We've all seen the same error patterns over and over again (forgetting to carry the one, subtracting from bottom to top, etc.) and these errors show how the lack of number sense impacts computation. When we develop number sense, students understand the underlying concepts of math operations.

When it's time for our number talk, I have students sit on the carpet in front of my whiteboard. My rug isn't quite large enough for my whole class, but we improvise the best we can. When students come to the rug, they don't need to bring anything with them, since everything is done mentally. I use my Number Talks book to select 2-4 math problems for my students to solve for the day. I follow the order of suggested lessons in the book, but I'm sure you can skip around too! Next, I write one of the math problems on the board. I typically write the problem horizontally to discourage students from using the algorithm.

As students think about the problem, they hold their fist to their chest, and when they determine the solution, they replace their fist with a thumbs up. While students are waiting for the rest of the class to solve the problem, they should think of other strategies they could use and indicate the number of strategies they've though of by holding up two, three, or even four fingers to their chest. I like this procedure, because I can see who has solved the problem and who is thinking. It also prevents students from becoming intimidated by students who solve the problems quickly.

I ask students to share their answers, and I write all of the answers on the dry erase board. I then have students share how they solved the problem. As students explain their thinking, I write what they are telling me they did. After we go through the problem, students share if the strategy worked or not.

I explicitly teach the strategies from the Number Talk book before I expect students to apply that particular strategy, which is completely different from how I typically teach math. In a normal math lesson, I want students to construct their own rules and strategies, but this is a bit different. As I teach each strategy, I add them to our number talk anchor chart. The only bit of an issue that we ran into was that my students were coming up with too many different strategies. Our number talks could have gone on forever if I let them. However, I used this to guide discussions on the importance of selecting the most efficient strategy and how to determine which strategies were efficient.

To keep track of what problems I had used and who shared each day, I created forms for each strategy used for each operation. This is a great addition to a data notebook or teacher binder! You can download a free copy at the link below.

I can say with complete confidence that number talks are playing a significant role in improving my students' number sense. They've also opened my eyes to why some students continue to make the same errors again and again and why some types of problems cause students so much difficulty. Even if you only have time for them two or three days a week, I strongly encourage everyone to at least give it a try!

Number Sense Strategy 2: Math Facts

As an upper elementary teacher I do focus on the memorization of math facts. I've found that higher levels of math are extremely difficult for students who do not know their basic math facts. However, I'm not a proponent of isolated memorization or high pressure timed tests either. Many of us have standards that include 'fluency' as a goal, and this fluency comes about when students develop number sense. But isolated practice and repetition will not develop number sense in our students.

Research tells us that the best mathematics classrooms are those in which students learn math facts through engaging activities that focus on mathematical understanding rather than rote memorization. When students focus on memorization, they often memorize facts without number sense. This means they are prone to making errors and are not flexible in their thinking. The best way to develop fluency with numbers is to develop number sense and to work with numbers in different ways, not to blindly memorize without number sense. There are three strategies I use to help students learn their math facts and develop number sense.

One strategy is through my Multiplication Fact Booklets. As students work through their booklets, they gain a conceptual understanding of each multiplication fact. They are able to solve the fact with multiple strategies, begin to observe patterns, and develop a mathematical vocabulary.

Another strategy I enjoy is incorporating meaningful multiplication games into my instruction. Games are effective and eliminate the high stress that timed tests bring to many students. Math games can be played for homework, morning work, math centers, or early finishers. I've created a set of Weekly Multiplication Games, and we focus on one game a week.

Xtra Math

When I first started teaching, I had a firm rule that for me to consider a student fluent with a math fact, s/he must be able to solve the math fact in 3 seconds or less. Over the years I've learned that some students will be slower when memorizing a fact or recalling a fact, but they still have exceptional math potential. I've shifted my mindset to allow for flexibility and reasoning in students' thinking. I use Xtra Math as a multiplication fact practice tool, and I customize the program so my students have six seconds to solve a problem, rather than the defaulted three seconds. This gives my students the opportunity to apply multiplication strategies they've learned and builds math confidence with my students. Of course, if a student is sailing through without effort, I can adjust the time to 3 or even 1.5 seconds.

Flash Cards

I also like to put a spin on multiplication flash cards. With this twist, students match the cards with the same numerical answer. This activity encourages an understanding of multiplication as well as rehearsal of math facts. This is a great way to practice math facts while developing number sense. You can download a free set here.

Number Sense Strategy 3: Conceptual Instruction

To help our students continue to develop number sense and make sense of math, our math instruction must be conceptual, rather than a series of procedures. By far, the book with the biggest impact on my math lessons is Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics by John Van de Walle. The first time I read it, Van de Walle stepped all over my toes. I have many notes in the margins from the first time I read the book where I questioned everything I read. I've since reread the book several times, and acknowledge that I had a lot to learn when I first started teaching. I still do! This book challenges me to continually look at my math lessons and to find ways to improve those lessons.

When I started teaching, I often focued on algorithms, tricks, and shortcuts without first ensuring conceptual understanding. Algorithms and shortcuts are not necessarily bad. However, the key to using them correctly, lies in the sequence of events that occur in learning math concepts. Our math instruction must first ensure that students' conceptual understanding is deeply embedded. When students have truly mastered a concept, and they should be able to show all the detailed steps in a process, explain why those steps occur. Once students reach this point, we can expose them to more efficient ways to express or perform those same processes. When we teach algorithms and shortcuts first, they become the means to get to the answer. When we bypass conceptual understanding, it is harder for students to understand more complex topics as they advance in school.

Over the years, I've modified my math instruction to allow students to construct their own understanding. For example, when using maipulatives, I no longer structure my lessons so that students are directed in exactly how to use the manipulatives. When I do this, my students are blindly following directions and look like they understand. But a rote procedure with a model is still a rote procedure. When getting answers rather than solving problems becomes the focus, students will gravitate to the easiest method available to get answers.

This does not help a student's number sense, because the student is not reasoning with numbers. We must allow math to be problematic for students. A problem is a task where students have no prescribed or memorized rules or methods, nor is there a perception by students that there is a specific solution method. These problems focus students' attention on ideas and sense making.

An example of a task that would be problematic for students is this divisibility task. In this assignment, students must add a digit to the ones place to create a number that is divisible by three, and students explain how they chose that number. Yes, I could simply have students memorize divisibility rules, but there is no application or problem in that lesson. We could make a cute craft or sing songs, but without authentically understanding the rule, students will not be able to apply what they have learned. Of course, I'm not criticizing crafts and songs! They're a tool, but they are not enough for conceptual learning. You can download the divisibility task here.

Number Sense Strategy 4: Communication

My students ask me all the time why they have to write so much in math! Students should be able to think through what methods make sense and discuss the use of different methods. Communication of math ideas help students solidify their understanding of mathematics. Math can be thought of as a language, and communication plays an important role in making mathematics meaningful.

I occasionally have students write about math through Math Journal Prompts. I had my prompts for the year bound into books for my students, and they regularly write in their journals. The prompts are not word problems or multi part problems. They're unique in the sense that they're opened ended and encourage metacognition and evaluation.

I also try to regularly incorporate writing in my math tasks. I have students explain how they solved the problem using multiple representations. Getting a good response is typically like pulling teeth at the beginning of the school year. But with extensive modeling and practice, students always come around.

Number Sense Strategy 5: Time

I was hesitant to add time to this post, because it's something we don't have a lot of control over as teachers. As I write this, I recognize that I'm preaching to the choir. I get it. I'm teaching full time, so I'm right there with you. However, it's hard to mention the topics above without at least mentioning time. We all know that there isn't enough time in the day to do all that we need to do, and there isn't enough time in the school year to effectively teach all of our standards.

One thing we have to look at is our daily schedule. I've heard of classrooms with math blocks of 25 and 30 minutes. With that short of time frame, there is no way to adequately teach math standards and build number sense. Many of us have no control over the time allotted for each subject, but if possible, I recommend at least an hour a day for math. With our daily time crunch, it's important to eliminate as much down time and transition time as possible.

Every year I feel I have to move so fast through math standards that my students don't have time to truly understand and conceptualize the standards. Conceptual instruction takes longer than procedural instruction, so I'm not able to rapidly move through the standards. This leaves me in a panic after Christmas, because I have little time left to teach so many things. I'm learning to spend the bulk of my time on my essential standards or power standards. Those are the standards that it's important for students to master for success in math in later years. For me, those are my place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fraction, and decimal standards. I absolutely teach my other standards, but I don't go as deep as I would like because of time constraints.

In my experience, math is a subject that is often short changed. Whether it's professional development, early intervention programs, RTI, or after school tutoring, there always seems to be less of an emphasis on math. I teach reading too, so I'm completely on board with supporting students as much as possible with reading, but I don't think math should be neglected either.

I'm learning, not there yet, to not waste my energy complaining or worrying about what I can't control. I'll continue to advocate for high quality math instruction, but if I only focus on what's wrong, I won't make positive gains. I tutor one afternoon a week after school, because I know it's a need for my students. A coworker and I have set aside time for biweekly professional development, because we're not satisfied with where we are in our instruction. We want to continually improve. These are things I can do something about, and the rest....well, maybe one day.

I've found that the best way to instill number sense is through my math warm-ups. This incorporates each of these strategies, using only about 10 minutes a day-at most! If you'd like to learn more about my warm-ups, be sure to check this out. I also have a post with more information on math warm-ups.

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This post shares my top five strategies for developing number sense in third, fourth, and fifth grade students.

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Explains PAC- “PAC is a continuous feedback loop that helps our brains identify cause and effect relationships by predicting, testing, and analyzing outcomes.”

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See connections of Colorado Core State Standards (CCSS) in Colorado.

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The Coherence Map shows the connections between Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

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See CCSS by grade levels

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Achievethecore.org :: Instructional Content Nav - Mathematics: Focus by Grade Level

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The Common Core and other college- and career-ready (CCR) standards call for a greater focus in mathematics. Rather than racing to cover topics in a mile-wide, inch-deep curriculum, CCR standards require us to significantly narrow and deepen the way time and energy are spent in the math classroom. We focus deeply on the major work of each grade so that students can gain strong foundations: solid conceptual understanding, a high degree of procedural skill and fluency, and the ability to apply the math they know to solve problems inside and outside the math classroom. The following documents illustrate these concepts using the Common Core State Standards, but Focus, Coherence, and Rigor are integral to all college- and career-ready standards.

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6 types of assessment + how to use them!!

Diagnostic

Formative

Summative

The ones below are new and more advanced… but fun to read!

Norm-references

Criterion- referenced

Ipsative (new one to me!)

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Example- video

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Differentiating Teaching and Instruction: What, How, Why

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Presentation of SMP in class!

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Set of tools & practices that make both learners’ and teachers’ thinking visible.

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How learners talk about mathematics reflects what they understand

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How learners talk about mathematics reflects what they understand

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How does it support learnings?

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From the book: “The Development of Arithmetic Concepts and Skills” by Arthur J. Baroody

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From the book: “The Development of Arithmetic Concepts and Skills” by Arthur J. Baroody

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Page 111

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From the book: “Children’s Mathematics— Cognitively Guided Instruction” by Thomas P. Carpenter

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From the book: “Children’s Mathematics— Cognitively Guided Instruction” by Thomas P. Carpenter

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How a student decides to solve multi-digit problems really does depend on how they are solving single-digit problems.

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Homework is a word that most students dread hearing. After hours upon hours of sitting in class, the last thing we want is more schoolwork over our precious weekends. While it's known to be a staple of traditional schooling, homework has also become a rather divise topic. Some feel as though homework is a necessary part of school, while others believe that the time could be better invested. Should students have homework? Have a closer look into the arguments on both sides to decide for yourself.

Why Should Students Have Homework?

1. Homework Encourages Practice
Many people believe that one of the positive effects of homework is that it encourages the discipline of practice. While it may be time consuming and boring compared to other activities, repetition is needed to get better at skills. Homework helps make concepts more clear, and gives students more opportunities whenstarting their career.

2. Homework Gets Parents Involved
Homework can be something that gets parents involved in their children's lives if the environment is a healthy one. A parent helping their child with homework makes them take part in their academic success, and allows for the parent to keep up with what the child is doing in school. It can also be a chance to connect together.

3. Homework Teaches Time Management
Homework is much more than just completing the assigned tasks. Homework candevelop time management skills, forcing students to plan their time and make sure that all of their homework assignments are done on time. By learning to manage their time, students also practice their problem-solving skills and independent thinking. One of the positive effects of homework is that it forces decision making and compromises to be made.

4. Homework Opens A Bridge Of Communication
Homework creates a connection between the student, the teacher, the school, and the parents. It allows everyone to get to know each other better, and parents can see where their children are struggling. In the same sense, parents can also see where their children are excelling. Homework in turn can allow for a better, more targeted educational plan for the student.

5. Homework Allows For More Learning Time
Homework allows for more time to complete the learning process. School hours are not always enough time for students to really understand core concepts, and homework can counter the effects of time shortages, benefiting students in the long run, even if they can't see it in the moment.

6. Homework Reduces Screen Time
Many students in North America spend far too many hours watching TV. If they weren't in school, these numbers would likely increase even more. Although homework is usually undesired, it encourages betterstudy habits and discourages spending time in front of the TV. Homework can be seen as another extracurricular activity, and many families already invest a lot of time and money in different clubs and lessons to fill up their children's extra time. Just like extracurricular activities, homework can be fit into one's schedule.

The Other Side: Why Homework Is Bad

1. Homework Encourages A Sedentary Lifestyle
Should students have homework? Well, that depends on where you stand. There are arguments both for the advantages and the disadvantages of homework.
While classroom time is important, playground time is just as important. If children are given too much homework, they won't have enough playtime, which can impact theirsocial development and learning. Studies have found that those who get more play get better grades in school, as it can help them pay closer attention in the classroom.
Children are already sitting long hours in the classroom, and homework assignments only add to these hours. Sedentary lifestyles can be dangerous and can cause health problems such as obesity. Homework takes away from time that could be spent investing in physical activity.

2. Homework Isn't Healthy In Every Home
While many people that think homes are a beneficial environment for children to learn, not all homes provide a healthy environment, and there may be very little investment from parents. Some parents do not provide any kind of support or homework help, and even if they would like to, due to personal barriers, they sometimes cannot. Homework can create friction between children and their parents, which is one of the reasonswhy homework is bad.

3. Homework Adds To An Already Full-Time Job
School is already a full-time job for students, as they generally spend over 6 hours each day in class. Students also often have extracurricular activities such as sports, music, or art that are just as important as their traditional courses. Adding on extra hours to all of these demands is a lot for children to manage, and prevents students from having extra time to themselves for a variety of creative endeavors. Homework prevents self discovery and having the time to learn new skills outside of the school system. This is one of the main disadvantages of homework.

4. Homework Has Not Been Proven To Provide Results
Endless surveys have found that homework creates a negative attitude towards school, and homework hasnot been found to be linked to a higher level of academic success.
The positive effects of homework have not been backed up enough. While homework may help some students improve in specific subjects, if they have outside help there is no real proof that homework makes for improvements.
It can be a challenge to really enforce the completion of homework, and students can still get decent grades without doing their homework. Extra school time does not necessarily mean better grades - quality must always come before quantity.
Accurate practice when it comes to homework simply isn't reliable. Homework could even cause opposite effects if misunderstood, especially since the reliance is placed on the student and their parents - one of the major reasons as to why homework is bad. Many students would rather cheat in class to avoid doing their homework at home, and children often just copy off of each other or from what they read on the internet.

5. Homework Assignments Are Overdone
The general agreement is that students should not be given more than 10 minutes a day per grade level. What this means is that a first grader should be given a maximum of 10 minutes of homework, while a second grader receives 20 minutes, etc. Many students are given a lot more homework than the recommended amount, however.
On average, college students spend as much as3 hours per night on homework. By giving too much homework, it can increase stress levels and lead to burn out. This in turn provides an opposite effect when it comes to academic success.

Conclusion

The pros and cons of homework are both valid, and it seems as though the question of ''should students have homework?' is not a simple, straightforward one. Parents and teachers often are found to be clashing heads, while the student is left in the middle without much say.

It's important to understand all the advantages and disadvantages of homework, taking both perspectives into conversation to find a common ground. At the end of the day, everyone's goal is the success of the student.

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The Pros and Cons: Should Students Have Homework?

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Why should students have homework? All the pros and cons as to whether or not homework should be given outside of school hours.

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Is homework bad or good in the elementary math classroom?

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Is homework bad or good in the elementary math classroom?

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The debate about "how much homework is the right amount of homework" has been raging on and off for over a century. Even in the earliest years of public education, experts could not agree, stating either support of or objection to homework based on how it was valued for academic progress or character building, or how it was affected by issues outside of the teacher's control.

As early as the beginning of the 20th century, pediatricians were concerned about students who were not receiving enough fresh air, sunshine and exercise as increased homework was assigned to younger and younger students. Many progressive educators recommended eliminating homework for students under the age of 15. While many districts did not abolish homework entirely, the trend was to limit the amount and eliminate it in primary grades.

When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in 1957, however, the no-homework trend quickly turned around. The United States wanted to stay competitive in an increasingly technological world, and homework was seen as a means to accelerate learning and keep pace with global changes. In addition, the admissions process for college was becoming increasingly demanding and complex, according to .

During the last half century, the homework debate has continued to swing back and forth. For a while, homework was believed to cause excessive pressure on students, followed by an era when students were expected to work more and harder. By the late 1990s, the tide had turned again, when homework for young students was under fire from many parents, teachers and administrators.

Despite the hope of parents and teachers alike, there is little evidence that homework significantly helps students progress. Studies have been done, like the 2006 meta-analysis by Harris Cooper at Duke University, to find what effect, if any, homework has on the success of students at every age. Books have been researched and written, like Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs by education professor Cathy Vatterott, investigating the correlation or causation of homework and achievement.

While Cooper's conclusion gives credit to homework for improving study habits, self-discipline and independent problem-solving, the study also showed that "homework can cause physical and emotional fatigue, fuel negative attitudes about learning, and limit leisure time for children." Vatterott argues that, even with evidence of a correlation between homework and academic achievement, there is no proof that homework causes the achievement.

In her book, Vatterott explains how parents, teachers and administrators have traditionally bought into the philosophy of homework every night simply because it appeared to have a positive effect on student achievement. In addition, making changes to a system that appeared to be working seemed risky. There are, however, several reasons why this tradition at the elementary level is misguided and even problematic.

Assigning homework reflects the belief that intellectual activity is more valuable than other activities. Temple University Professor Dr. Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek offers an example of how real life provides the same benefit as a math worksheet.

"Believe it or not, you learn about math when you're playing different board games," Hirsh-Pasek explains. "And you learn about space when you put together train tracks and play with Legos. You learn important skills, like how to get along with other people when you play with other people. They're learning way more important skills when they're not doing their homework."

Homework can be seen as the means to teach responsibility and time management. While the requirement to finish a specified assignment at home may instill a sense of responsibility in students who can and do work well independently, that assumes parents have little involvement in the exercise.

If a student has an involved parent who does a backpack check every morning, the student - not the parent - is considered responsible. If students must finish their assignments before television, video games or playtime, again, the motivation is just a means to an end.

Some educators and communities believe that more homework is the sign of a rigorous curriculum. Vatterott does not agree that "more is better." In fact, with respect to homework, that argument "ignores the quality of work and the level of learning required."

"Rigor is challenge - but it is not necessarily the same challenge for each student. Given the diverse nature of students, challenging learning experiences will vary for different students."

Students who do not complete homework are perceived to be "bad" students. This narrow definition does not take into account the presence or lack of parental support, the students' family responsibilities, the students' ability to function independently, or the students' need for support or accommodation. It is true that many "good" students consistently turn in completed homework.

It should not be assumed, however, that all students have equal access to adults capable of helping them or that they have sufficient time, physical space or cognitive ability to work on their own. For students in single-parent families, in families experiencing extreme or generational poverty, or in dual-language families, daily homework can add disproportionate stress.

Educational researcher Youki Terada reports that the National PTA and the National Education Association support the traditional 10 minutes of homework per grade in school but that both parents and teachers are quick to qualify that standard.

At the elementary level, when students are learning how to learn, assigning even 10 or 20 minutes of homework to children who are not yet prepared to work independently can lead to a growing dislike for school and learning in general. It also puts undue pressure on families that place a high value on both quality time together and the importance of daily chores.

However, there is one activity that researchers, parents and teachers agree is worth making time for: reading. According to Hirsh-Pasek, "There is practically nothing that will be more important than reading time. It's a time when kids learn integrated narrative. It's a time when they learn about relationships and hear vocabulary that they don't hear anywhere else." In fact, the current trend is to eliminate homework entirely except for independent and family reading time.

Outside of the generic 10-minute standard, there has been no consensus drawn in the homework debate. Those who promote no homework are not convinced that the benefits of homework outweigh the disadvantages while those who believe in the value of homework will not recognize the concerns.

As experts continue to research this subject and the world continues to find new areas to investigate, good teachers will continue to assess the true value of sending work home each day. As concerned educators, they must carefully determine what is best for each student, especially in the elementary grades.

Second-grade teacher and contemporary no-homework pioneer Brandy Young puts it this way: "Spend your evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success ... eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside and get your child to bed early."
Learn more about the MC online M.Ed. in Elementary Education program.
Sources:
ASCD: The Cult(ure) of Homework Time: Is Homework Good for Kids? Here's What the Research Says SAGE Journals: Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A Synthesis of Research, 1987-2003 HuffPost: Elementary School Homework Probably Isn't Good for Kids Edutopia: What's the Right Amount of Homework? Live Science: Nix Homework to Help Students? What the Science Says

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Homework May Not Be Good for Elementary School Kids

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Experts have stated either support of or objection to homework based on how it was valued for academic progress or character building, or how it was affected by issues outside of the teacher's control.

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Against Math Homework in the Elementary classroom…

After debate and discussion in class. I personally am staying strong to my opinions about learning, and I believe math homework in the elementary classroom is not good, and I will not be giving out homework!

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Now, my last point is if you really do need to send homework home, make it be focused on what that child needs to be working on. The thing that irritates me the most is when I get the packet that gets sent home of 12 worksheet pages and most of it my kids are able to do, and it just becomes busywork. I am busy enough.

I don't need to be doing busywork with my kids. Now if my kids have a specific thing that they are needing to work on, then I will, by all means, spend time helping them with that specific skill or concept that they need extra work on. So, if you have kids who are struggling, send homework that is targeted to what they specifically need.

Now, really, all of these points are just in general about sending homework home in any subject, but in mathematics, it seems like that's what tends to get sent home the most is the worksheets to be completed, the packets, that kind of stuff. So, I wanted to spend some time talking to you about that and my thoughts around how we can build math minds is not through sending home packets of worksheets, but make it targeted.

If those kids need something specific to work on, communicate with the parents to say, "Hey. I'm not sending home frivolous stuff. This is really something your kid need to be working on." And, I bet the parents would be more than happy to do it. I would be, and I've got four kids. We have a busy life. But if my kid's struggling and they need to work on something, I would spend the time doing homework on a focused set of concepts that my child needs to work on.

Alright, I hope that this helped you build your math mind but really, how we help build the math minds of our students.

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The Case Against Math Homework - The Recovering Traditionalist

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Are you wondering should you give math homework to your students? Here are my thoughts on why you shouldn't be giving math homework to your students.

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Welcome fellow Recovering Traditionalists to Episode 116. Today you get to hear my thoughts on why we need to Stop Teaching Strategies.

Last weekend, I did a webinar about the missing piece to elementary fact fluency. And in that webinar, I kind of went off about how textbooks have us teach all these different strategies to kids. It's something I'm very passionate about. And so I thought I'd share a clip of that part of the webinar with you in today's episode. Some of the things I share in this clip are visuals of how textbooks teach kids to solve a problem like 18+27.

Also, if you miss the live webinar, you might just be in luck, depending upon when you are listening to this episode. If you are listening to the day it comes out, then you've still got a little bit of time to watch the replay before it gets taken down tomorrow. Head on over to buildmathminds.com/replay if you want to go watch it. For those of you who are Build Math Minds members, the recording of the webinar is inside the Build Math Minds PD site, so you have access to it inside the free trainings area of the PD site.

Okay. Here is the rant that I went off on in this last weekend's webinar.
So the big root of this issue. Yeah, we want kids to have strategies, but the problem is, you can't teach it. You cannot teach those strategies to kids because if you try to teach it, it just becomes another rule and procedure to memorize. And now they've got six different ways that they have to remember and memorize, and then each just becomes confusing. Every stinking textbook out there is doing it now, and it needs to stop. Right? You cannot directly teach these to kids. I could teach them, take two, give it to the 18 blah, blah, blah. But there's so much that kids need to know, think about everything that you need to know to be able to do just this one strategy. 18+27 we try to teach kids to make it friendly, right? So I'm going to take off 2, bring it over. I'm going to, but I got to know why should I take... How do I know to take off 2? Well, it's how many of it's going to make a 10, right? So once I chunk off the 2, do I know how many is left? And then once I get 20 and 25, do I actually know what 20 and 25 is? And that's just one strategy, but our textbooks are teaching kids all these strategies. So time to stop. Stop teaching the strategies. If we teach the strategies and I'm not talking about just the multi-digit stuff either, it happens even with single digit stuff. We're teaching kids all these different strategies for single digit addition, single digit subtraction, right? They end up looking like a deer in headlights. I live in the country. I see this all the time. Those of you who don't know that phrase, when a deer jumps out in front of your car and sees the headlights, they freeze. Even though a car is coming at them, they don't know which way to go. That's what our students are like right now. They're learning all these different strategies and they don't know which way to go. And you can tell them, just pick whichever one you want. They don't know which one to use. You've shown... We've shown them all these ways to do it. And they don't know which one to do. So your action item number two is stop teaching strategies. Now hold up a second. I want to make sure you're hearing me, because I love strategies. I use strategies. I want my kiddos to use strategies. The problem is we're trying to teach them. We're teaching and, we're directly teaching these strategies and it becomes confusing. Let your students solve it in a way that makes sense to them. Now, how do we help them make sense of strategies? Because remember, I love strategies. Kids need strategies, but you can't directly teach strategies. They are not taught, they are caught. Kids catch strategies when they have developed their flexibility. And again, I'm not saying we don't want kids to have these strategies. We want kids to have strategies, but the problem is they don't have a flexible understanding of numbers to be able to understand the strategies. Okay. So how do we actually help with that? How do we build that flexibility? The root of flexibility is kids' number sense. We have to focus on building number sense.
If you want to learn more about how to develop students' flexibility with numbers in the webinar. I get started on how to do that, but that is also what my online PD courses go deep into. The Flexibility Formula courses give elementary educators everything they need to help students build their flexibility with numbers. And the byproduct of that is students develop strategies on their own. You can go to buildmathminds.com/enroll to learn more and get registered for a course.

Registration is only open for a limited time, so go check it out now, before it closes.

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Welcome fellow Recovering Traditionalists to Episode 116. Today you get to hear my thoughts on why we need to Stop Teaching Strategies. Last weekend, I did a webinar about the missing piece to elementary fact fluency. And in that webinar, I kind of went off about how textbooks have us teach all these different strategies to kids.

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“Invented strategies are flexible methods of computing that vary with the numbers and the situation. Successful use of the strategies requires that they be understood by the one that is using them—hence, the term invented. Strategies may be invented by a peer or the class as a whole; they may even be suggested by the teacher. However, they must be constructed by the student” (Van de Walle, 2007, p. 216).

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Applying deeper understanding of numbers and operations to decompose numbers.

Learning “Landmarks” / Patterns (Multiples)

Forming effective mental math & estimation skills

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Free

Find on Pinterest

Easy & Fun!

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30 Flexible Addition & Subtraction ideas | addition and subtraction, subtraction, 2nd grade math

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Jun 22, 2018 - Explore Karli Wheeler’s board “Flexible Addition & Subtraction”, followed by 371 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about addition and subtraction, subtraction, 2nd grade math.

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I liked this website!

It gives great activities and examples, with amazing explanations to fully understand the content and instruction!

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Addition and Subtraction With Regrouping Activities that Build Number Sense - The Math Spot

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We can use addition and subtraction with regrouping activities to BOOST our students' number sense!

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It is a long, boring document…

But if you read through it, it has great explanations, activities, and information. There is links to click to see visuals and other things.

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Strategies for TEACHING!

Gives great examples and explanations with visuals for efficient instruction in both multiplication and division.

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Reliable source.

Short and sweet review

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In Teaching Through Problem Solving (TTP), students grapple with a mathematical task they have not previously learned to solve that embodies the new mathematical ideas or procedures to be learned. Teaching Through Problem-solving is similar to the 5 Practices for Orchestrating Mathematical Discussions by Margaret Smith and Mary Kay Stein that is widely used in the U.S. Many of the SFUSD Core Curriculum Lessons are based on this pedagogy.

Many SFUSD Schools use TTP, usually in conjunction with Lesson Study. This work is supported by the Office of Professional Learning and Leadership, as well as the Mills College Lesson Study Group.
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In a typical Teaching Through Problem-Solving lesson, the teacher starts the class by presenting a mathematics problem and making sure students understand what is being asked. Students write or glue a copy of the problem into their journals and begin solving it. As students work on the problem, the teacher walks around to see their work (often using a clipboard with a seating chart to note down each student's strategy). Having thought through in advance the "line-up" of work at the board that will build the major mathematical ideas of the lesson, the teacher selects several students to present their work and share their thinking at the board, in a sequence designed to build the key mathematical ideas. As each student shares their work and the class discusses it, the teacher makes sure each student strategy and important discussion points are recorded on the board in a way that is easy to read and follow. From comparing and synthesizing the various strategies, the lesson's new mathematical ideas emerge, and they are summarized on the board. So by the end of the lesson, the board provides a coherent story of the mathematics developed during the lesson.
This page describes the work that SFUSD teachers are doing to use TTP with the SFUSD Core Curriculum.
​More information about Teaching Through Problem-Solving is available from the Mills College Lesson Study Group.

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In Teaching Through Problem Solving (TTP), st udents grapple with a mathematical task they have not previously learned to solve that embodies the new mathematical ideas or procedures to be learned....

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Model a useful problem-solving method.

Teach within a specific context.

Help students understand the problem.

Take enough time.

Ask questions and make suggestions.

Link errors to misconceptions.

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Many instructors design opportunities for students to solve "problems". But are their students solving true problems or merely participating in practice exercises? The former stresses critical thinking and decision making skills whereas the latter requires only the application of previously learned procedures.

Problem solving is often broadly defined as "the ability to understand the environment, identify complex problems, review related information to develop, evaluate strategies and implement solutions to build the desired outcome" (Fissore, C. et al, 2021). True problem solving is the process of applying a method - not known in advance - to a problem that is subject to a specific set of conditions and that the problem solver has not seen before, in order to obtain a satisfactory solution.

Below you will find some basic principles for teaching problem solving and one model to implement in your classroom teaching.

Principles for teaching problem solving

Model a useful problem-solving method. Problem solving can be difficult and sometimes tedious. Show students how to be patient and persistent, and how to follow a structured method, such as Woods' model described below. Articulate your method as you use it so students see the connections.

Teach within a specific context. Teach problem-solving skills in the context in which they will be used by students (e.g., mole fraction calculations in a chemistry course). Use real-life problems in explanations, examples, and exams. Do not teach problem solving as an independent, abstract skill.

Help students understand the problem. In order to solve problems, students need to define the end goal. This step is crucial to successful learning of problem-solving skills. If you succeed at helping students answer the questions "what?" and "why?", finding the answer to "how?" will be easier.

Take enough time. When planning a lecture/tutorial, budget enough time for: understanding the problem and defining the goal (both individually and as a class); dealing with questions from you and your students; making, finding, and fixing mistakes; and solving entire problems in a single session.

Ask questions and make suggestions. Ask students to predict "what would happen if ..." or explain why something happened. This will help them to develop analytical and deductive thinking skills. Also, ask questions and make suggestions about strategies to encourage students to reflect on the problem-solving strategies that they use.

Link errors to misconceptions. Use errors as evidence of misconceptions, not carelessness or random guessing. Make an effort to isolate the misconception and correct it, then teach students to do this by themselves. We can all learn from mistakes.

Woods' problem-solving model

1. Define the problem

The system. Have students identify the system under study (e.g., a metal bridge subject to certain forces) by interpreting the information provided in the problem statement. Drawing a diagram is a great way to do this.

Known(s) and concepts. List what is known about the problem, and identify the knowledge needed to understand (and eventually) solve it.

Unknown(s). Once you have a list of knowns, identifying the unknown(s) becomes simpler. One unknown is generally the answer to the problem, but there may be other unknowns. Be sure that students understand what they are expected to find.

Units and symbols. One key aspect in problem solving is teaching students how to select, interpret, and use units and symbols. Emphasize the use of units whenever applicable. Develop a habit of using appropriate units and symbols yourself at all times.

Constraints. All problems have some stated or implied constraints. Teach students to look for the words "only", "must", "neglect", or "assume" to help identify the constraints.

Criteria for success. Help students consider, from the beginning, what a logical type of answer would be. What characteristics will it possess? For example, a quantitative problem will require an answer in some form of numerical units (e.g., $/kg product, square cm, etc.) while an optimization problem requires an answer in the form of either a numerical maximum or minimum.

2. Think about it

"Let it simmer". Use this stage to ponder the problem. Ideally, students will develop a mental image of the problem at hand during this stage.

Identify specific pieces of knowledge. Students need to determine by themselves the required background knowledge from illustrations, examples and problems covered in the course.

Collect information. Encourage students to collect pertinent information such as conversion factors, constants, and tables needed to solve the problem.

3. Plan a solution

Consider possible strategies. Often, the type of solution will be determined by the type of problem. Some common problem-solving strategies are: compute; simplify; use an equation; make a model, diagram, table, or chart; or work backwards.

Choose the best strategy. Help students to choose the best strategy by reminding them again what they are required to find or calculate.

4. Carry out the plan

Be patient. Most problems are not solved quickly or on the first attempt. In other cases, executing the solution may be the easiest step.

Be persistent. If a plan does not work immediately, do not let students get discouraged. Encourage them to try a different strategy and keep trying.

5. Look back

Encourage students to reflect. Once a solution has been reached, students should ask themselves the following questions:

Does the answer make sense?

Does it fit with the criteria established in step 1?

Did I answer the question(s)?

What did I learn by doing this?

Could I have done the problem another way?

Support

If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help. View the CTE Support page to find the most relevant staff member to contact.

Resources

Fissore, C., Marchisio, M., Roman, F., & Sacchet, M. (2021). Development of problem solving skills with Maple in higher education. In: Corless, R.M., Gerhard, J., Kotsireas, I.S. (eds) Maple in Mathematics Education and Research. MC 2020. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1414. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81698-8_15

Foshay, R., & Kirkley, J. (1998). Principles for Teaching Problem Solving. TRO Learning Inc., Edina MN. (PDF) Principles for Teaching Problem Solving (researchgate.net)

Hayes, J.R. (1989). The Complete Problem Solver. 2nd Edition. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Woods, D.R., Wright, J.D., Hoffman, T.W., Swartman, R.K., Doig, I.D. (1975). Teaching Problem solving Skills.

Engineering Education. Vol 1, No. 1. p. 238. Washington, DC: The American Society for Engineering Education.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Teaching problem-solving skills. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Teaching problem-solving skills. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.

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Teaching Problem-Solving Skills | Centre for Teaching Excellence

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Many instructors in engineering, math and science have students solve "problems"

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Includes great videos!

Use this for the- what students do vs what teachers do. This connects to the Lesson plan Understanding by Design and it also connects to my Framework for Instruction Class because it gives the teacher steps and student steps for many different grades, Kindergarten, 3rd, and 5th!

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How Do Teachers Support Problem-solving?

Although students do much of the talking and questioning in a TTP lesson, teachers play a crucial role. The widely-known 5 Practices for Orchestrating Mathematical Discussions were based in part on TTP. Teachers study the curriculum, anticipate student thinking, and select and sequence the student presentations that allow the class to build the new mathematics. Classroom routines for presentation and discussion of student work, board organization, and reflective mathematics journals work together to allow students to do the mathematical heavy lifting. To learn more about journals, board work, and discussion in TTP, as well as see other TTP resources and examples of TTP in action, click on the respective tabs near the top of this page.

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Although students do much of the talking and questioning in a TTP lesson, teachers play a crucial role. The widely-known 5 Practices for Orchestrating Mathematical Discussions were based in part on TTP. Teachers study the curriculum, anticipate student thinking, and select and sequence the student presentations that allow the class to build the new mathematics.

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Branching off of the above PDF-

Phases of lesson, and strategies to teach problem-solving skills.

Includes examples and videos of different grades as well! (Kindergarten, 2nd, 5th)- can use to connect to CAS and CCSS!

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Connect to Students’ Interests

Provide Learning Experiences Based on Students’ Individual Learning Strengths

Allow Students to Demonstrate What They’ve Learned in Multiple Ways

Focus on Language Instruction

Ensure Equitable Access

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Meeting the Needs of All Learners: A New Learning Domain – BetterLesson

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You have a wide variety of students, all of whom you care about and want to succeed. Learn how to support all of their diverse needs in our new Learning Domain: Meeting the Needs of All Learners.

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Great video to learn about meeting the different needs for every individual student’s earning styles. The goal is student growth and success!

The transitions are fun!!

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I LOVE TED TALKS!!!

Amazing examples and information on how to teach better problem solving skills to children.

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How to Teach Kids Better Problem Solving | Michael Arnold | TEDxGreenville

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Video on differentiation. Great examples and explanation.

Content is the same, but stations lets the teacher trailer her lessons to each individual group of learners.

Very similar to what my mentor teacher does in her classroom!

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Station Rotation: Differentiating Instruction to Reach All Students

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“Grappling” and student centered discourse

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“Grappling” and student centered discourse

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Grappling means when students ‘make meaning of their own with peers, rather than being taught by the teacher first.”

Great examples and understanding of why it provides deeper mathematical understanding and builds powerful habits of learning.

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Understanding Mathematics through Grappling and Discourse (not featured in book)

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A easy and fun video.

This is what was used in my mentor teacher’s class as well! And we had reviewed these in my Integrated Math I class as well!

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These were also used in my mentor teacher’s class and also I was reviewing these in my Integrated Math I class! I was able to implement this into my lesson plan!