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  • Elapsed Time – Scaffolded Handout

    Elapsed Time – Scaffolded Handout

    Several elementary teachers shared that elapsed time was the hardest topic to teach. Here is a scaffolded handout to help compute elapsed time. The elapsed time setting is presented with two clocks, starting and stopping time. Below is an image for one of the more advanced pages of the handout. Here is how the strategy…

  • Introduction to Absolute Value – Distance from Home

    Introduction to Absolute Value – Distance from Home

    Here is a Jamboard to introduce the concept of absolute value (make a copy and you can edit – see photo at bottom of this post). Start with prior knowledge of how many houses a child is from home. Emphasize that the number of houses is positive. Change the setting from a row of houses…

  • Multiplication Single Digits – Special Cases

    Multiplication Single Digits – Special Cases

    There is easy skip counting for multiplying by 2, 5, 10. Skip counting for 3 and 4 are often more challenging. There is the finger rule and related rules for multiplying by 9. I posted about rules for 6s and 8s (and scaffolding for the rule for 9s). 7s work for students who watch football…

  • DDS Accessible Playground – Please Support

  • Math Help

    Math Help

    Ask me a question about math for your student. Type it into comments.

  • Dividing a Binomial

    Dividing a Binomial

    If you have taught algebra, you have likely experienced this error. We know many students will make this type of error and we can help many students avoid it by being proactive. Below are excerpts from a Google Jamboard that can be used to unpack the underlying concept of the division or simplifying shown above.…

  • Dividing a Binomial

    Dividing a Binomial

    If you have taught algebra, you have likely experienced this error. We know many students will make this type of error and we can help many students avoid it by being proactive. Below are excerpts from a Google Jamboard that can be used to unpack the underlying concept of the division or simplifying shown above.…

  • The Next First Domino

    Each year spent with a student with special needs is the first year of a chain of subsequent years, like a line of dominoes. EXCEPT, there are multiple lines of dominoes and a teacher may be tipping over the first domino in a line of several possible lines of dominoes. One line may topple towards…

  • Plotting Points Introduction

    Plotting Points Introduction

    Plotting points is surprisingly challenging for some students. Here is an approach originated by one of my former math teacher candidates in a methods class I taught. This approach uses the analogy of setting up a ladder. First, determine where to position the ladder, then climb the ladder. (brilliant and not my idea). Plot the…

  • Slope, Constant of Proportionality, Unit Rate, Rate, Rate of Change

    Slope, Constant of Proportionality, Unit Rate, Rate, Rate of Change

    A question was posed recently that I find intriguing and important. The question was, “what is the difference between slope, constant of proportionality, unit rate, and rate of change?” I researched the answer to this to evaluate my own understanding of these terms. Here is what I found (and am open to feedback as my…