I can't quite sum  up how thrilled I am to be teaching this 2023-2024 school year at Midtown Elementary.  This year will be my 2nd year at Midtown and it will mark my 14th year of teaching. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate such a milestone, than to educate the next generation of leaders exponentially. 

"The essence of math is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple" - Stan Gudder

In 4th grade, scholars learned a massive amount of math skills that we will continue to build on in 5th grade.  In 5th grade, mathematicians will be expected to compute and solve math problems without the use of the calculator. It will be vital throughout the year for scholars to practice basic fluency and numeracy comprehension. 5th grade is the last step before middle school. By the year's end, 5th grade scholars will be prepared to journey to middle school and beyond. 

"Mathematics isn't about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms: it is about understanding" - William Paul Thurston

5th grade mathematics instruction is taught through various instructional strategies: modeling,collaborative discourse, note-taking, fluency practice, and differentiated grouping.  Scholars will have opportunities to foster logical mathematical thinking skills and problem solvers in 5th grade. They will also have opportunities to work collaboratively as they share mathematical perspectives, strategies, and ideas. Whether math is currently your scholar's favorite subject or not, I know that this year will be one for the history books. 

"In Mathematics, the art of posing a question must be held of higher value than of solving it" - Georg Cantor

Mistakes in the Den: 

Mistakes in math class are viewed as learning tools because they illustrate that scholars are attempting to solve problems.