This extensively updated teaching resource provides over 100 engaging, full-color visuals with explanations of how they can be used to stimulate mathematics learning, to explain mathematical concepts, and to assess students' mathematical understanding in grades K-8. Readers are provided with a strong mathematical background, downloadable copies of…

"Elementary and Middle School Mathematics" illustrates how children in PreK to 8th grade learn math, and then shows the most effective methods of teaching math using problem-based activities. Examples of real student work and common challenges help you visualize developmentally appropriate mathematics instruction and assessment that…

Teachers are constantly looking for new ways to make mathematical procedures such as radical simplification meaningful for students. In classes, teachers discovered what researchers have long known, that students who only memorize a set of steps get confused when their steps do not match a new problem or scenario perfectly. The area and side…

It is critical that teachers have opportunities to engage in meaningful, teacher-centered professional learning about the Common Core. This article introduces a creative activity format designed to help teachers gain deep understandings of the mathematics content standards. The idea was born out of the fact that the teachers in the authors' region…

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) aim to engage students in complex mathematical practices, including modeling, reasoning, and argumentation. Currently, little is known about how teachers' daily instruction supports these practices. This study draws upon data from daily logs completed by third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade…

Nature trails can be used as a tool for young children to learn about inquiry-based science and math in an open and natural environment. A nature trail provides the opportunity for children to develop their gross motor skills by walking, hiking or playing on the trail and enhance social skills by doing outdoor activities with their friends. The…

Measurement comprises an important set of concepts that are fundamental for students to competently navigate and work with objects and structures within their physical environment. Despite their importance, these concepts are difficult for students to grasp, as evidenced by low performance on measurement items on the National Assessment of…

Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students' achievements of intended instructional outcomes. Formative assessment means assessment embedded in instruction. That definition was adopted in 2006 by the Council of Chief State…

The mean can be interpreted as a fair-share value and as a balance point. Standards documents, including Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010), suggest focusing on both interpretations. In this article, the authors propose a sequence of five activities to help students develop these understandings of the mean, and they…

In this featured lesson, entitled "Fishy Feeding Frenzy," fourth-grade students engage in a classic science activity that requires them to experience the interdependent relationships of organisms in an ecosystem. The students explore how adaptations increase the survival of a member of a species by participating in an active "fishy…

"A Teacher's Guide to Using the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics" provides teachers and administrators with practical examples of ways to build a comprehensive, coherent, and continuous set of learning experiences for gifted and advanced students. It describes informal, traditional, off-level, and 21st century math assessments…

When finding the decimal equivalent of a fraction with 12 in the denominator, will it terminate or repeat? This question came from a seventh grader in author Erica Burnison's class as the student was pondering a poster generated by one of her classmates. Not only was the question intriguing, but it also affirmed the belief in the power of…

The purpose of this two-year observational study was to determine if the use of technology and intervention groups affected fourth-grade math scores. Specifically, the desire was to identify the percentage of students who met or exceeded grade-level standards on the state standardized test. This study indicated possible reasons that enhanced…

In this paper, I examine the utility of a mathematics learning trajectory as a tool to support teachers' attention to students' mathematical thinking. I present findings from one second grade teacher's use of a learning trajectory as she planned a sequence of three mathematics lessons. Findings suggest learning trajectories support teachers in…