Common Core Resources

There is an awful lot of hype these days over the implementation of the new Common Core Standards. Teachers have been scrambling to gather materials, lessons, assessments, etc. to get ready for the upcoming fall implementation.  In order to make this process a little less overwhelming and a little more teacher-friendly, a few of my blogger friends and I are collaborating on a set of blogs that are sure to become a great place for you to find common core resources.


Common Core Classrooms will assist teachers as they plan and prepare for the school year.  The posts are labeled according to the standards which they address.  Many bloggers, including myself, will be adding posts regularly that will provide teachers with the best of the best ideas, products, and freebies to help with common core implementation.


Common Core Kids is a blog by the same authors designed to assist parents with school age children. If you are a teacher, you will want to be sure to pass this blog along to the parents of your students. We hope to make this a parent friendly site where they can get great information to help them understand the common core expectations and to help their children succeed in school.


Be sure to follow the blogs and check them often for the latest and best information from some of the best blogger/teachers across the country. We can all use a little nudge in the right direction to get us fully on board with what the common core standards require! And by all means, let us know what you would like to see as a focus on the blog! We value your opinion!

Math Computation Practice

In one of my recent guest posts, I wrote about the value of playing games in Math and how games were a great tool for building strategies for mathematical computation. Encouraging kids to play games is not a difficult task, and a child's natural curiosity and competitive spirit keeps them focused on the task and their interest high. If you want to check out the post, visit A Differentiated Kindergarten. Marsha will be glad you stopped by.

The beauty of playing games in math is that everyone loves to play them. When students get to play games over and over, they begin to think critically about strategies that help them win. And when those strategies involve mathematical computations, it is win-win for both students and teachers.  My students always enjoyed Math Workshop when I included a regular rotation of their favorite math games.

One of the games I frequently used was Four in a Row. It's an old favorite of mine and one that my students really enjoyed playing. I created a Four in a Row game package that includes a set of 10 different gameboards. They focus on number recognition, counting up, counting down, skip counting, and addition & subtraction. They provide great practice for students and only require a couple of dot cubes and some counters (aka: dice & chips). 


These games are super easy to make, manage, and store. You simply print and laminate them and they are ready to use! You can find them here for just $2.00 for all 10 gameboards! If you want to try a few of these games out before you buy, you can download a free preview which includes three games to get you started.

If you do not regularly include games as part of your math curriculum, you should give them a try. You will be amazed at the student gains. In fact, you are likely to see greater enthusiasm for math (which is always good) and fewer behavioral problems during small group time (which is also always good)! Thanks for reading along and keep on teaching the math!

Great Math Resources

A teacher friend recently asked me about my favorite math professional resources.  He was thrilled to be selected to teach all of the math for his grade level for next year (1st grade) and he wanted some advice about books to read over the summer to help him prepare.  But not just any books.  He wanted books which were filled with hands-on, inquiry based ideas!  My kind of books!  

It occurred to me, as I was contemplating my reply, that others may also be looking for the same thing.

Now typically, my favorite book is whichever one I may be currently reading. :)  And this year has been a big one for Professional Development books of the Math variety.  I will give you a couple of examples of great books you may want to add to your summer reading list.  Perhaps later I can go into greater details about their unique content.  You may have others that you think are worthy of mention.  Jot me a note if you do.  I am always looking for new resources to share with my teachers.

Here are two of my current favorites:

Number Talks by Sherrie Parrish

       Math Exchanges by Kassia Wedekind                 

You can see these books featured on my side bar bookshelf.  Click the link to check them out.