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Why I Don't Use Keywords (or CUBES)

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Teacher confession time: I used to teach my students about keywords in math class. I did not create this poster, but I could have. In fact I had one very similar hanging in my classroom from 2007-2012. I even wrote one of my National Board portfolio entries about a lesson designed around keywords ! This brings be to CUBES. A problem solving strategy I've seen quite a few times in classrooms. I never used it, but mostly because I didn't hear about it. I probably would have been all over that. If you aren't familiar, here is the strategy: C- circle the numbers U- underline the question B- box the keywords, or math action words E- evaluate the steps you should take S- solve and check You might be wondering why I stopped using keywords in math class in 2012. Honestly, I was pretty stubborn. I mean, kids  got the right answers  when I taught key words! I thought I was helping them. Students liked them. Parents understood them. There are actually several reasons I...
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Block Schedule Planning

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I had an opportunity to teach on a 45-minute traditional class period schedule and a 90-minute block. Both models have their pros and cons. I think my own preference is block schedules because you have so much more time to dive into content. There are fewer transitions and it just seems calmer and more conducive to learning. However, one major challenge is finding purposeful ways to fill that block. If you notice that you are doing one activity for a long period of time, it might be important to think about chunking. What I mean by chunking is thinking of you period in 15-20 minute chunks of time and planning activities within those chunks. I find it's difficult to keep students attention if something lasts longer than 20 minutes, so that was my maximum for any activity (except an assessment). I developed the following sample block plans based on 85 minutes. So, if you have 60 minutes you can think about cutting out one of these pieces. If you teach 90 minutes, add 5 minute...
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MATH in the BATH(room)

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When you want people to read something, should you send an email? Maybe. I know some people are good at reading their emails. But, if you really want a captive audience, meet them where they are... how about the bathroom?! When people are sitting down to take a little *ahem* rest, they probably would enjoy a little reading material. That's where "MATH in the BATH(room)" comes in. I've heard of people posting newsletters and "Learning in the Loo" in staff restrooms and thought I would borrow that idea to bring fun/interesting math to teachers. This way I can highlight a few of my favorite go-to resources for finding interesting math problems and also just get math on teachers' minds. So, I made my first three editions of "MATH in the BATH(room)" and took them around to all 8 of the schools in my district. In case you are wondering, there are 28 staff bathrooms in my district, that is including the district building. And, yes, I've been i...
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