December 3 In 1956, Benjamin Bloom, a professor of education at the University of Chicago, created a method for ranking cognitive tasks according to their level of complexity. Known as Bloom’s Taxonomy, the organizational system has been a foundational tool for teachers ever since. The taxonomy begins with the least challenging level, knowledge and remembering. [...]
November 19 Multiples, common multiples, least common multiples, fractions, and multiplication facts: fifth grade math is serious business in November. While these topics may not be glamorous, they have been the source of deep thinking about number relationships this week. At the beginning of class on Wednesday, Mr. Downing distributed a brief quiz about multiples [...]
November 12 A: o o o B: o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o How many dots are in group A? How many are in group B? Chances are, you knew the quantity of items in group A without counting them. We [...]
November 5 After recess the other day, a group of first graders gathered on the rug with Ms. Felton, who produced a set of special dice and a large plastic container of coins. “We get to use quarters today!” someone exclaimed. Despite the game-like atmosphere and the materials involved, there is no reason for concern. [...]
“We are going to be building some big numbers today,” Ms. Twarog announced at the beginning of a recent third grade math class. “We’re going all the way up to the hundred thousands.” With that introduction, a review of place value took on the spirit of a game show, and the number 387,625 became the [...]