State math consultant Sara Schafer is often asked for rich math projects at the elementary school level. While some of the projects in 10 Performance-Based Projects show promise, the lack of mathematically robust content in the grades 3-5 book disappoints her.
Pre-service teacher Emmy Avery Witham didn’t look forward to teaching math. But reading the ‘real-world’ strategies in Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You’d Had by Tracy Johnston Zager has boosted her confidence that she can help students succeed in math class.
Math Running Records in Action by Dr. Nicki Newton is an easy-to-read book that offers a helpful framework for assessing, teaching and practicing math facts. Reviewer Rita Platt says “this book was a revelation to me” for its focus on how students think about math.
Weber, Crane and Hierck provide many charts, examples and resources that can be instantly adopted, adapted, or enhanced for a school or district RTI process in middle school math. Instructional coach and interventionist Kim Schneider offers her highest praise.
Jerry Burkhart’s explorations into ratios, proportions and similarity are deep, rich, and open-ended, says veteran math educator Mickie Gibbs. Thanks to increasing levels of productive struggle offered for each topic, the book can benefit all of her students.
In a newly revised edition of Performance Tasks and Rubrics for Upper Elementary Mathematics, Charlotte Danielson and Joshua Dragoon show that developing performance tasks and using scoring rubrics are integrally linked. Math lead teacher Barb Rock says it’s an ideal PD tool for schools and systems.
In addition to clearly explaining research on the brain and mathematics education, math educator Anthony Jones says Stanford professor Jo Boaler ties all the research into practical, well-explained, innovative teaching strategies in “Mathematical Mindsets.”
Why should we use performance tasks in math class? How do we adapt them for formative or summative assessment? How do we create effective rubrics? The authors provide answers in a step-by-step guide featuring many examples, says veteran math teacher Jan Roberts.
With plentiful humor Gerald Aungst shows how to address math problem solving in powerful and realistic ways, helping students become innovative mathematical thinkers. Middle school math resource teacher Maia Fastabend plans to revisit his book frequently.
What’s the probability of finding a math book about probability that’s research based, innovative and fun? Teacher Linda Biondi has found it in Scott Chamberlin’s new book on how to use Model-Eliciting Activities. Recommended as stretch learning for grades 4-6.
