Have you heard this saying, “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail?” Or this one, “Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.” Maybe Winnie-the-Pooh (as written by A. A. Milne) said it best, “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.”…
“Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Several teachers have written me asking about the scheduling of readiness groups and the vigor with which the readiness groups should be taught.…
“Every piece of the puzzle that doesn’t fit gets you closer to the answer.” – Cynthia Copeland Lewis
“Doctors and scientists said that breaking the four-minute mile was impossible, that one would die in the attempt. Thus, when I got up from the track after collapsing at the finish line, I figured I was dead.” …
“Children need models more than they need critics.” -Joseph Joubert
It’s the beginning of a new school year. The students are ready to begin working on one of the most exciting mathematical concepts they’ll encounter this year…drum roll, please…WORD PROBLEMS! And, another drum roll, please…as your grade level increases, so do the number of steps in the word problems.…
Thank you to all the educators who have been visiting my website, using the FREE RESOURCES, requesting more information, and asking really good questions. This post will address some of the questions I’ve received over the last few weeks about motivating students when using student-directed small groups.…
It’s the middle of July and right about now there are thousands of children repeating, “What can I do now? I’m bored.” Here are a few mathematically meaningful and engaging ways to resolve that situation.
Wait until it’s a really HOT day. Crack an egg on a part of the sidewalk that’s in the sun.…
I’m sending a WOO HOO to all the educators who attended the Tabor Rotation sessions at CAMT 2010 in San Antonio this past weekend! Your attendance and enthusiasm indicated your desire to more effectively implement small-group, differentiated instruction in mathematics. Many of you requested the Tabor Rotation Time Line for Elementary School.…
Thank you to all the CAMT participants who attended my morning session on Tabor Rotation–what a FANTASTIC audience!!! I’ll be posting the time line and other requested resources tonight.
I’m at CAMT all day Friday and will be available to answer questions, share ideas, or discuss professional development possibilities.…
One of the most frequently “hit” blogs I’ve ever posted continues to be, Irregular! Impossible? Important! Area & Perimeter of Irregular Polygons. [https://glennatabor.com/2010/02/irregular-impossible-important-area-perimeter-of-irregular-polygons/]. My summer mission continues to be helping parents make creative linkages between mathematical concepts and every day activities. Our children are switching rooms and the oldest is rearranging her furniture next week…so get ready for practical application of area and perimeter of regular and irregular polygons…
As I was doing more research on irregular polygons by reading several articles, watching videos, and reviewing some of my own activities, I thought about the parents who might want to help lay the foundation for their child to understand complex concepts such as polygons, irregular polygons, area, and perimeter.…
I’m glad the parent blogs have been so well received! If you’re an educator reading this blog you can use all of the ideals with your students in small groups. The concepts explored in today’s blog deal with the prerequisites for counting and are appropriate for Pre-K, K, and 1st grades.…
