Have you ever been in the middle of teaching your math mini-lesson and felt like you were the only one listening? The pressure to cram everything you know into a lesson in order to teach ALL the things is real. I would often end up doing all of the talking because there were so many ... Read more The post 5 Math Mini-Lesson Ideas that Keep Students Engaged appeared first on Mr Elementary Math ..read more

“What does culturally responsive teaching look like during math instruction?” A new teacher asked me this question, and it got me thinking, “What a great question!” I had a general idea based on a training I attended many years ago, but it wasn’t math specific. I did some research and to be honest, information about ... Read more The post Culturally Responsive Teaching: What Every Math Teacher Needs to Know appeared first on Mr Elementary Math ..read more

In third grade, one of the most important math goals is teaching multiplication and division understanding.  Don’t make the mistake of jumping right into solving equations without first building a solid understanding of the concepts of multiplication and division The goal is not to memorize math facts, but to understand the concept of multiplication and ... Read more The post 3rd Grade Math: How to Build Multiplication and Division Understanding appeared first on Mr Elementary Math ..read more

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a teaching rut? Or pictured yourself spinning on that endless teaching hamster wheel? Then, you need time for some teacher reflection. No matter how good your lesson is, there is always room for improvement. One of the most effective ways to grow as a teacher is ... Read more The post Reflect and Reset: Tips for Becoming a Better Math Teacher appeared first on Mr Elementary Math ..read more

Teaching 3rd grade addition and subtraction can be challenging. Students often make mistakes when adding and subtracting larger multi-digit numbers. This is usually because they need a stronger understanding of place value.  When the standard algorithm is used correctly, it will yield the right answer. However, this strategy focuses heavily on digits and memorizing procedures ... Read more The post 3rd Grade Math: How to Teach Addition and Subtraction within 1,000 appeared first on Mr Elementary Math ..read more

Rounding numbers is an important life skill. Have you ever been in a situation when you needed to find out how much time it took to drive somewhere? You may have asked something like, “How many minutes is it from here?”  And you may have gotten back a response like, “5 minutes” or “20 minutes”. ... Read more The post How to Teach Rounding to 3rd Graders appeared first on Mr Elementary Math ..read more

There are 4 essential components that make up a meaningful math block. Let’s focus on the last one, student math reflection. Even though this seems simple enough, this was the area where I struggled. Have you ever been so focused on the other parts of your lesson that you forget to give your students time ... Read more The post Student Math Reflection Activities That Deepen Understanding appeared first on Mr Elementary Math ..read more

Are you a new third grade teacher and want to know how to teach 3rd grade math? Or are you a vet that just needs a refresher on the important skills for the grade level? If this is you, save this post so that you can refer back to it throughout the school year. It’s ... Read more The post The Essentials: How to Teach 3rd Grade Math appeared first on Mr Elementary Math ..read more

Math warm-ups are highly engaging, yet short opening routines…Real short. Depending on how much time you have in your math block, 5 – 7 minutes short. When used as a daily routine, math warm-ups help build a positive classroom culture where kids are eager to participate. In addition, they also provide opportunities for students to ... Read more The post Fun and Engaging Math Warm-Ups for Your Math Block appeared first on Mr Elementary Math ..read more