The Stenhouse Blog

It’s almost time for the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) regional conference in Boston, MA. Here is a rundown of what our Stenhouse math authors will be up to. Be sure to catch their sessions!

The following is an excerpt from Activate: Deeper Learning Through Movement, Talk, and Flexible Classrooms by Katherine Mills Hernandez on how to incorporate movement into your routine to benefit your students' test-taking.

One way to think about using movement to benefit testing is to consider when and where as opposed to what methods to use. We already know that rigorous cardiovascular movement wakes up the brain, so we need to strategize when and where to do it on testing days. We also know that the greatest benefits are achieved when movement happens before cognitive challenge.

If movement is going to happen before the test is administered, then students should be prepared to do some of this on their own, before arriving at school, since state tests usually begin at the start of the school day. There are also ways to build in brief movement sessions together, before the test begins. 

In case you missed it, here is the recap of last night's #StenhouseMath Twitter Chat with Elham Kazemi and Allison Hintz on their book, Intentional Talk: How to Structure and Lead Productive Mathematical Discussions.

Teachers and math enthusiasts from all over the country joined in to chat about how to use the strategies in this book to explore deeper math discussions in the classroom. There are a lot of great ideas shared, so read to get some tips!

Wouldn't it be nice to have your own, personal mentor guide you through your first year of teaching kindergarten? Meet Laura, a thoughtful and well-intentioned, first-year kindergarten teacher who bravely shared her experiences with us through these recorded conversations with author, Shawna Coppola.

By Paula Bourque

It’s independent reading time. The perfect opportunity to sit down with your students, face-to-face and have a great discussion about their reading that will inform your next teaching moves. You have your notebook ready. You sit down next to the first student on your list and ask, “So what are you thinking about this book?” Shrug. “I don’t know. I like it?” Silence. Now what? Not sure? Kari Yates and Christina Nosek can help.

by Katie Egan Cunningham

Here is a wonderful and creative explanation from talented author, Shawna Coppola, of what you can find in her new book, Writing, Redefined, in comic strip format!  

I believe what happens in the first weeks of the school year determines how well one’s entire school year will go. Planning classroom routines in advance of the first day of school allows all members of the classroom community to have their social and/or emotional needs met so you can meet students’ academic needs all year long.