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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
This is a question that I’ve thought about for a while. It seems that I embrace the same pedagogical approach with both, but I know there are differences. I think I have some clarity now. Read on.
Marilyn BurnsJune 5, 2023
