So your precious Kindergarten student has successfully graduated and moving on to First Grade. They can count to 100, fluently add and subtract within 10, and even identify many geometric shapes. However, now they are in First Grade. That Kindergarten year sure did go by quickly! Here is what your now 1st grade student can […]
Anthony Lawson
I earned my masters degree from George Mason University in Educational Leadership before leaving the classroom to become an instructional coach and eventually an Assistant Principal in Washington, DC. It is there where I forged my philosophy of education from my various experiences teaching and leading and transformed my school into one of the highest performing schools in the district . I am now excited to call Colorado my new home
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Mathematics, Parents
A Parent’s Guide to the Kindergarten Math Common Core
You may have already heard about Common Core. In fact, your student may already be involved with the Common Core Standards. So, as a kindergarten parent, what do you need to know? What will your student be taught? And, what can you do to prepare your student prior to kindergarten? Just to clarify, the Common […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Mathematics
First in Math and Reflex Math: A Program Comparison
There are many mathematical software programs available to schools and students. I have been lucky enough this year to initiate some action research in my classrooms of two different software programs: First in Math and Reflex Math. First in Math (www.firstinmath.com) was developed by Robert Sun, an entrepreneur born in Shanghai and […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Mathematics, Middle School, School Improvement
Procedures versus Concepts: A Mathematical Dilemma
There have been a lot of articles lately debating procedural teaching and concepts-based teaching in the classroom. As an elementary school teacher, this topic is of particular interest as mathematical reform models are sweeping through our curriculum. Whether you are a Common Core Standards state or, as in Virginia, simply “aligned” with Common Core, mathematical […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Mathematics, Uncategorized
The Mathematical Workshop Model: How Data, Differentiation, and Classroom Management Combine in an Elementary Classroom
We have all heard of various writing workshop models. Students working diligently on various stages of the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading and publishing. But how can we incorporate similar structures in the math classroom? To some, this may not be new. Various levels of the math workshop model do exist and so I am […]