General Interest Archives - MARILYN BURNS MATH

Decimals Fractions General Interest Interviews One-on-One Number and Operations Numerical Reasoning

How Was Amber Reasoning?

The fifth-grade class I’m working with this year is studying addition and subtraction of fractions, and I asked to “borrow” the class to see how they would view Amber’s solution. I describe how I structured the lesson and have also included students’ writing.

Marilyn BurnsDecember 14, 2024

Data General Interest Graphs Numerical Reasoning

My First Ever Slow Reveal Graph

Have you ever tried a Slow Reveal Graph? This was my first experience—Heartbeats per Minute and Body Weights of Different Species. It was wonderful―for the class and for me.

Marilyn BurnsJune 19, 2024

Area and Perimeter General Interest Geometry Measurement

Part 2: Untangling Area and Perimeter

In my previous blog, I described a lesson I taught based on measuring the area and perimeter of my foot. Here I describe what happened when I returned to the class to have the students think more about the data they recorded and the mathematics it revealed.

Marilyn BurnsJune 13, 2024

Area and Perimeter General Interest

Untangling Area and Perimeter

This is a lesson that I’ve taught for many years when teaching about area and perimeter. I recently revised the lesson and I think my changes were an improvement. How did I change the original plan? What was my thinking behind the changes? How did the students respond?

Marilyn BurnsMay 23, 2024

General Interest

Milk Cartons, Origami Paper, a Desmos Tool, and More

After teaching this lesson, I taught it to another class to work out some of the kinks. My, it’s hard and time-consuming to prepare for and plan lessons. I hope my story makes the lesson accessible for other teachers and students to enjoy.

Marilyn BurnsApril 16, 2024

General Interest

When Is a Square Half as Big as Another Square?

I asked this question recently in two lessons I taught to fourth and fifth graders. Actually, I’ve asked the question many more times to friends, asking them to visualize a square positioned in the middle of another square that had twice the area. Read about how I introduced this Desmos tool and use the link to try it yourself.

Marilyn BurnsApril 8, 2024

Estimation General Interest Number Lines Numerical Reasoning Problem Solving

Teaching a Number Line Lesson

In my last blog, I describe how I planned a lesson about number lines. In this blog, I describe what actually occurred when I taught the lesson to a class of fourth graders. Read about which parts of my plan I followed, when and why I made some changes, and what the students did on the assignment I gave them.

Marilyn BurnsFebruary 20, 2024

General Interest Number and Operations Number Lines Place Value

Number Lines―A Lesson in the Planning Stage

This is a Tweet that has stayed in my mind for more than 7 years. I’m finally figuring out how to use it in the classroom. Here I describe my process for planning a lesson that would engage students in thinking about number lines and place value.

Marilyn BurnsFebruary 12, 2024

Division General Interest Number and Operations Numerical Reasoning Place Value Problem Solving Real-World Problems Word Problems

Mulling about Teaching Division

Teachers often report that division is hard to teach. How can we help build students’ understanding? Read on for an introductory division lesson I taught to fourth graders.

Marilyn BurnsJanuary 18, 2024

Fractions General Interest Number and Operations Numerical Reasoning

Representing 4/5 and 5/4: A Fraction Lesson

I took the photo of the board at the end of a fraction lesson I taught to fourth graders. The lesson engaged the students with representations of 4/5 and 5/4, using drawings the students had made. Read about how the lesson unfolded and what I learned about the students.

Marilyn BurnsJune 20, 2023

General Interest

How Was Amber Reasoning?

My First Ever Slow Reveal Graph

Part 2: Untangling Area and Perimeter

Untangling Area and Perimeter

Milk Cartons, Origami Paper, a Desmos Tool, and More

When Is a Square Half as Big as Another Square?

Teaching a Number Line Lesson

Number Lines―A Lesson in the Planning Stage

Mulling about Teaching Division

Representing 4/5 and 5/4: A Fraction Lesson

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General Interest

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