How do you like your marshmallow?

Today, I moderated a panel of early elementary educators who discussed the Values underlying Michigan's Essential Instructional Practices in Early Mathematics [PDF]. 

The session began with my favorite ways to start a session/class: While We Wait. This is a nice way to give participants something to do while we wait for everyone to join the online space. It also provides an opportunity to get to know one another around a fun topic. Because today is National S'mores Day, I thought the following prompt was appropriate. (There's a whole calendar of National Days.)

I also thought the question was a good metaphor for the session: how the Values ought to inform our teaching practice. By thinking about our desired marshmallow and the ways that impacts how we toast them, we could transition to how teaching early math might change to reflect our desired values.

• So, how do you like your marshmallows? 
• What do you do to get them toasted just right?
• And how might the Values provided above change the way we teach math in the early grades?

The comments are open.

 

How many now?

Hierarchical inclusion is the idea that whole numbers build by exactly one and that they nest within each other by this amount. (Fosnot & Dolk, pp. 36 - 37). Understanding hierarchical inclusion leads to the big ideas of decomposing & composing numbers and part-whole relationships. Consequently, hierarchical inclusion is an important concept learners need to experience and explore early on.

A few years ago, I wrote the book In Flew One More as a way to introduce hierarchical inclusion to early elementary learners. The book is a series of poems and illustrations that leverage learners desire to find patterns. Through reading and discussing this book, the idea of numbers building on by one is explicitly explored.

Given that April is national poetry month, I thought it was an appropriate time to share my book.

And here I am reading In Flew One More in my wife's first grade class this past Tuesday.

Finally, these are some cards related to the book that I made for a learning center on hierarchical inclusion.

I hope you enjoy National Poetry Month!