Learning never stops!  Am experiencing life’s bittersweet moments now.  My sweet, 86 year old mother is losing battle with cancer.  We are supported by the wonderful support of Hospice.  She is teaching me so much right now about many things and I am so grateful.

If you email and do not get reply, be patient or try again.  I am trying to stay on top of things but I am the “point guard” right now for my mom and my siblings so that is taking priority!

Mathematically yours,

Kim

Time sure does fly!  Can’t believe that this year is wrapping up with the celebration of all the holidays!  Got two days left before vacation?  Don’t forget to download the Number Trails (3 levels) from the Online Store.  Great game boards that practice factor analysis for every level!  Also the game “Factor Fun” from my Dynamic Dice book is an awesome game played with decahedron double dice or spinner…… students will constantly use the class number line.

My world was rocked recently.  Worked with several schools both teachers and students in Gallatin, Tennessee.  Called my friends John and Debbie Biord who have moved from Eureka, California to Nashville.  Meet them for dinner on my last night there.  John is the most amazing songwriter and singer who is following his heart to have a successful career in the music industry.  He performed after dinner and I was in awe!  Of course I had heard him when they lived in Northern California but he has really grown musically!  Had a potential Grammy nomination.  Did not happen but he was in the running!  You must look him up at iTunes!

Usually only write about math but could not pass up the opportunity to share his talents with my teacher friends!

I hope your vacation is filled with love, happiness and rest!  You really deserve it!

Mathematically yours,

Kim

Fee for the workshop is $120 per person.

• Please check back for updated workshop information.

You have an opportunity to attend an all-day training with Kim Sutton as she teaches her 10 Block Math Fact Fluency Program. There are two different training days- January 14th, 2012 for Grades K-2, the other January 28th, 2012 for Grades 3-6. Teachers attending will receive their own 10 Block book and Number Line, which are a $120 value – so the training is FREE. Space is limited as we will be filming the training for use around the country. Here is more information about the 10 Block Program, our powerful NEW grade-specific fact fluency program that will truly change the way you teach and how your students practice basic facts. Basic facts are the building blocks for all areas of mathematical content. The process of mathematical thinking is hampered when students do not have immediate access to a math fact. Kim Sutton’s 10 Block Schedule for Math Fact Fluency is a program designed to assist you in planning for a daily five to nine minutes of basic math fact practice. The 10 Block Schedule for Math Fact Fluency is a tool that breaks computational strategies down by grade level and gives classroom teachers a suggested plan for implementing the practice element necessary for fluency. The practice of each strategy must be intensive and motivational. Kim Sutton’s 10 Block Schedule for Math Fact Fluency accomplishes this. The program is broken into four books: Kindergarten, 1st/2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th/5th/6th grade. Each book comes with two music CDs: a grade specific collection of math songs by Ron Brown and a Random Number CD. The whole book is built to be incredibly teacher-friendly so everything you need is at your fingertips. The program is designed with a plan for 10 days of practice on each computational strategy. The music will motivate each practice block. This is a great supplement to any math program and is a wonderful intervention tool.

Program:

• 8:00 a.m. - Registration
• 8:30 a.m. - Class Starts
• 11:30 a.m. - Lunch (On Your Own)
• 3:00 p.m. - Adjourn

Who Should Attend?

All K-6 Classroom Teachers, Elementary Math Teachers, Resource Specialists and Curriculum Coordinators should attend.

Cancellations/Substitutions:

Substitutions may be made at any time. All cancellations received the day of the seminar or afterwards are subject to a $15 service charge.

This Seminar Includes:

• 10 Block Schedule For Math Fact Fluency Book with CDs
• Kim’s Number Line
• Toolkit and more!

How To Register:

Call (800) 841-5193 ~ Or Use Our Online Registration Form: Either Mail, Fax, or Use Your Credit Card on Our Secure Server. MasterCard and Visa Accepted (US funds only).

Making Place Value Easy and Fun for Your Students

Fee for the workshop is $209 per person. Groups of 3 or more $199 per person.

Lunch is included.

• Anaheim, CA ~ March 13, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Des Moines, IA ~ March 28, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Omaha, NE ~ March 29, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Oklahoma City, OK ~ March 31, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Wichita, KS ~ April 2, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Kansas City, MO ~ April 3, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Toronto, ON ~ April 23, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Baltimore, MD ~ April 25, 2012 ~ Site Information

Place Value is poorly represented in many math programs and it is a key element in mathematical understanding. All elementary teachers need to understand the importance of teaching place value. Kim Sutton’s new class for teachers grades K-5 goes to the heart of the area students are weakest in–place value! Kim will take you on a deep and critical journey into the world of place value, with an intense look at making place value come alive for your students.

This class will examine how to teach place value effectively, how to motivate students and demonstrate practical strategies that you can use tomorrow in your classroom. Kim’s 34 years as an educator brings a world of experience to her seminars along with content knowledge that helps every teacher teach the concepts more effectively. This class will clarify place value and how to teach it using a powerful three-step process! You will receive countless strategies including ready-to-go centers for easy-to-implement levels of competency. You will experience songs, dances, literature, games and activities to fill the gaps that exist on place value in the math textbooks. All the modeled games and activities will be using whole numbers and decimals.

Kim Sutton’s own brand of motivational strategies are infectious and you will gain new ways to generate enthusiasm for learning mathematics with your students. Kim will arm you with many tools, games, centers, literature and music that are amazing and simple to use. You will also see practical and meaningful classroom management strategies throughout the seminar

What You Will Learn:

• What are the place value concepts that are important to
  teach and reteach
• How to teach place value concepts effectively through a
  three-step model.
• Kim’s Top Ten children’s literature titles for place value
  power!
• Games that go the distance for building place value
  understanding.
• How to differentiate mathematical instruction with Kim’s
  “ready to go” centers-more than you hoped for!
• Strategies for intervention and to challenge all students.
• Classroom and student place value tools for maximizing
  your instructional time for achieving the best results in
  number sense.
• How to create leveled centers for reinforcement of place
  value using an RTI model!
• Place Value songs from Ron Brown that go to the “heart”
  of learning.
• How to make your classroom much more motivating for
  learning mathematics with Kim’s amazing strategies!
• Place value clues to reinforce all mathematical language
  and concepts—simple to use and extremely powerful!

Program:

• 8:00-8:30 a.m. Registration/Coffee
• 8:30-9:00 a.m. What do you really understand about place value?
  How do we go beyond our lack of understanding?
• 9:00-9:45 a.m. Make quick and powerful place value tools from scratch!
  Students will benefit from using the tools every day of the
  school year.
• 9:45-10:10 a.m. Games to build place value understanding.
• 10:10-10:25 a.m. Morning Break and Viewing Time
• 10:25-11:15 a.m. Do you know the place value balloons? What are the three
  steps for place value power? You will have a ball with
  your students!
• 11:15-11:45 a.m. Teaching regrouping with place value understanding, going
  beyond the procedure and into the depths of understanding.
• 11:45-12:45 p.m. Hosted Lunch and Viewing Time
• 12:45-1:15 p.m. Using a place value approach to teach complex
  multiplication and division concepts.
• 1:15-2:10 p.m. What you “see” in a number is what you get! How to train
  students to recognize number properties in a number just
  by looking!
• 2:10-3:00 p.m. How to create place value centers that can be used at every
  grade level!
• 3:00 p.m. Dismissal of class! Now the real journey begins!

Who Should Attend?

All K-5 Classroom Teachers, Resource Specialists, Curriculum Coordinators and Administrators should attend.

Cancellations/Substitutions:

Substitutions may be made at any time. All cancellations received the day of the seminar or afterwards are subject to a $15 service charge.

This Seminar Includes:

• Morning Coffee/Pastries and Lunch
• Door Prizes
• Extensive Resource Handbook

University Credit:

½ unit of credit from Humboldt State University is available for an additional charge. These credential/ licensure courses offered are designed primarily for elective or professional development purposes. Clock hours may also be available - please check at the workshop.

How To Register:

Call (800) 841-5193 ~ Or Use Our Online Registration Form: Either Mail, Fax, or Use Your Credit Card on Our Secure Server. MasterCard and Visa Accepted (US funds only).

Just spoke at two conferences, Northwest Math Conference and NCTM Regional in Atlantic City.  Times are tough and money is tight and yet there were so many dedicated teachers, math coaches and administrators attending!  Always great to meet new friends and reconnect with old friends.

Thinking today about the importance of helping children understand two models for each operation.  Seeing so many students struggle with subtraction with regrouping makes me realize that it is essential to teach the comparison model of subtraction using a number line.  Having students take adding machine tape and use it as an empty number line is a powerful alternative for regrouping.

Take for example the subtraction problem 71 - 29.  It can be solved mathematically using regrouping but an alternative is to place the two numbers on a number line asking students if they are walking from point of origin, which number would you meet first?  Students would write 29 on the left end and 71 on the right end.

Students are comparing the measure in spaces from 29 to 71.  They will mark the tens between the two points.  It would be four tens (40) and the one from 29 to 30 and one from 70 to 71.

Let’s not give up on students just because they can’t get it the way we were taught!

Mathematically yours,

Kim

Fee for the workshop is $209 (U.S.). Groups of 3 or more is $199 (U.S.) per person.

Lunch is included.

• St. Louis, MO ~ March 28, 2012 ~ Site Information

Are you a teacher who is looking for ways to challenge, motivate and engage every learner in your math program? In this interactive and fun math games workshop participants will learn how to use games as a teaching strategy and why this powerful strategy works. The handout and game ideas will focus on the following areas of the ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM: numeration and number sense, basic operations, fact families and fluency, place value, patterning, data management and more. Games integrate problem solving skills and strategies and use cards, all kinds of dice and dominoes. Come prepared to play and learn all kinds of game strategies and tips that appeal to all learning styles and will compliment any math program. Student samples, reproducible game boards, journal masters, home connection ideas will be provided. Get your math program rolling with this great workshop opportunity!

About the Speakers:

John Felling’s workshops are engaging, informative, fun and hands-on. In his workshops, teachers learn a variety of games and activities, closely tied to state and national curriculum standards that integrate easily with the learning resources teachers are already using. Teachers come away with knowledge and skills that enable them to easily implement a games teaching strategy. Their students benefit by engaging in interesting, challenging, easily differentiated, brain friendly activities which help them improve their academic achievement. In addition to learning new games and activities, teachers also learn “tips” on classroom management and organization that increase student on task time, decrease student disruptions and reduce teachers’ preparation time.

John is passionate about helping students improve their academic achievement. By assisting teachers with learning hands-on methods that interest and engage students, the teachers become better, more competent educators who then help their students improve their learning and ultimately their academic achievement. John brings a wealth of knowledge, insights, tips and humor to his presentations, gained through his 30 years of experience as an educator and educational leader. John has taught grades 2 through 8 in addition to his school responsibilities as principal and district responsibilities as mentor/trainer of new and aspiring principals. Throughout his career and evolving educational roles, John has never left the classroom, choosing to teach at least 25% of each year. As a result, he understands fully the current issues and concerns of teachers.

More recently, John has become a co-owner of Box Cars And One-Eyed Jacks, mainly focusing on providing teacher workshops and training new Box Cars consultants. He has also authored the book Daily Physical Education – “No Sweat” For Classroom Teachers and is currently working on authoring Active Learning, a series of books designed to help teachers add a physical activity component to their Math and Language Arts classes.

Jane Felling is the author of the award winning Box Cars & One-Eyed Jacks Math Game series. Jane is passionate about using games as a teaching strategy and brings over 25 years experience in elementary and special education to her workshops. Jane has worked with hundreds of school districts across North America and Australia and was teaching games before they regularly appeared on conference programs, curriculum documents and support resources. She is co-creator of well over a thousand games that integrate cards, dice, multisided dice and dominoes. Her best-selling books and games have sold close to 350,000 copies and are loved by teachers, parents and importantly STUDENTS. Experience Jane’s energy, enthusiasm and love of teaching during this full day, hands-on game workshop.

Program Highlights:

1. Math Games as a Teaching Strategy
   Current Brain Research and Reaching all Learners in your Classroom
2. Classroom and Resource Management
   Demystifying Dice – A Look at your Tool Bag – Dice and their Mathematical Potential
   Using Cards to Enhance Numeration/Operations
   Where to find Free resources for your Classroom
   Management Routines to help Maximize teaching time
3. Strategies and Games for the Operations
   Early Strategies for teaching basic addition and subtraction
   Multi-Digit work • Multiplication and division games
   Order of Operation and Problem Solving games
   LUNCH
4. Strategies and games for teaching Place Value
   Basic Hundred Board work, patterning, rounding, expanding, ordering and
   comparing numbers
5. Strategies and games for Teaching Data Management
   Games that integrate all kinds of graphs, probability concepts, data analysis
6. Implementation Plans – How to make Games as a Teaching Strategy Work for
   You and Your Students

What You Will Learn:

• How to use games as a teaching strategy and why this powerful strategy works.
• Games and strategies for teaching numeration, place value, all operations, patterning, data management, problem solving and more.
• Ideas for adapting games across the grade levels to reach all learners in your classroom.
• How games meet provincial and state curriculum standards.
• Classroom and resource management ideas.
• Ideas for math backpacks, cross-graded groups, centers, resource room, ESL programs.
• Extending math games into journals and assessment.

Who Should Attend?

All K-5 Classroom Teachers, Resource Specialists, Curriculum Co-ordinators and Administrators should attend.

Cancellations/Substitutions:

Substitutions may be made at any time. All cancellations received the day of the seminar or afterwards are subject to a $15 service charge.

This Seminar Includes:

• Morning Coffee, Pastries and Lunch
• Door Prizes
• Extensive Resource Handbook

University Credit:

½ unit of credit from Humboldt State University is available for an additional charge. These credential/licensure courses offered are designed primarily for elective or professional development purposes. Clock hours may also be available - please check at the workshop. Verification of hours of participation will be provided for continuing education or recertification.

How To Register:

Call (800) 841-5193 ~ Or Use Our Online Registration Form: Either Mail, Fax, or Use Your Credit Card on Our Secure Server. MasterCard and Visa Accepted (US funds only).

Greg Tang

Fee for the workshop is $209 (U.S.). Groups of 3 or more is $199 (U.S.) per person.

Lunch is included.

• Washington, DC ~ February 16, 2012 ~ Site Information
• St. Louis, MO ~ February 27, 2012 ~ Site Information
• New York, NY ~ March 7, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Seattle, WA ~ March 20, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Minneapolis, MN ~ March 21, 2012 ~ Site Information

After more than 1,200 workshops, conferences and school visits in the last 10 years, Greg Tang has taken everything he’s learned and created a supplemental math program that helps students meet the new Common Core Standards.

In this brand new workshop, Greg will show you firsthand all the great teaching materials he has developed, including his strategies, math centers, games, puzzles, books and activities. They develop strong computational and mental math skills, teach abstract and algebraic thinking skills, and provide the extensive repetition and practice kids need to achieve mastery.

The best part? Greg’s program is so fun it’s addicting – in a good way! Kids become hooked on math, happily doing thousands of calculations in their head. Yes,thousands! Every problem has a clever twist, requiring kids to do many mental calculations to get the answer. It all adds up to a lot more math and a lot more fun.

Join us for a mind-bending, paradigm-shifting, spirit-lifting workshop that will leave you excited, invigorated and ready to reinvent your students’ thinking. Math will never be the same!

Program Highlights:

• WWW.GREGTANGMATH.COM
  This all-in-one website has everything you need to inspire learning and a love for math.
• Kakooma Addition
  Help your students master their addition facts. No counting, no fingers, just kids doing thousands of problems in their head.
  Kakooma matata!
• Kakooma Negatives & Fractions
  Give students all the practice they need in these two problem areas for kids.
• Kakooma Times
  There’s no better way for kids to master their times tables. Kakooma for multiplication – brilliant!
• BreakApart
  These quick-thinking games teach the most important arithmetic strategies and focus on the Common Core Standard for Operations & Algebraic Thinking.
• Math Limbo
  Teach your students to break numbers apart using bothaddition and subtraction. Master sums to 10 and sums to 100.
• Numskill
  Master addition while learning to solve problems quickly and systematically.
• Grapes of Math Series
  Animation and interactivity make these best-selling books even more effective for developing
  important grouping skills.

What You Will Learn:

• How technology can be used to teach critical computational strategies and meet the Common Core Standards
• How to give your students the repetition and practice they need for mastery – and at the same time encourage a love for math
• How to develop strong computational, problem-solving, and algebraic thinking skills – all at the same time
• How to transition your students from concrete to abstract thinking – the key to generalizing and the secret to being smart!

Who Should Attend?

All K-6 Classroom Teachers, Elementary Math Teachers, Resource Specialists and Curriculum Co-ordinators should attend.

Cancellations/Substitutions:

Substitutions may be made at any time. All cancellations received the day of the seminar or afterwards are subject to a $15 service charge.

This Seminar Includes:

• Morning Refreshments
• Lunch
• Door Prizes
• Resource Handbook

University Credit:

½ unit of credit from Humboldt State University is available for an additional charge. These credential/licensure courses offered are designed primarily for elective or professional development purposes. Clock hours may also be available - please check at the workshop. Verification of hours of participation will be provided for continuing education or recertification.

How To Register:

Call (800) 841-5193 ~ Or Use Our Online Registration Form: Either Mail, Fax, or Use Your Credit Card on Our Secure Server. MasterCard and Visa Accepted (US funds only).

Summer for me means incredible travel and it has been amazing already.  Started in Granbury, Texas with amazing teachers working on implementing my new 10 Block Schedule for Math Fact Fluency!  Then did two days with Salina, Kansas.  So enjoyed returning to work with the teachers there.

Puerto Rico was our next destination!  It was our first trip and it was fabulous!  The most amazing teachers in the most amazing school.  We loved the trip.  Got there on a Saturday from Kansas.  Had Sunday to explore the forts and Old San Juan.  Worked on Monday and Tuesday sharing math.  Got to do a little exploring of the island but can’t wait to return.

Flew Wednesday to another new destination!  Had a great audience in Hagerstown, Maryland!  Had a super group including teachers from West Virginia, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and other parts of Maryland.  The group was huge and we had such great days.

We spent the weekend touring New Orleans and Baton Rouge on our way to two weeks in Texas.  I do feel so fortunate to see so many places and meet so many incredible teachers on this journey!

Am enjoying training the 10 Block Schedule for Math Fact Fluency.  More to come…..

Mathematically yours,

Here comes something new!  Everywhere I go, I hear the same message, “Our children do not know their facts!”  My response is always the question, “What is your plan?”  Then I hear that students should work on it at home!  I agree that would be helpful but I am afraid that ship has sailed!  We have to have a plan!  Five to nine minutes of dedicated time each day is the recipe.

Drill and practice programs fail when students just randomly practice mixed facts.  The most success will happen if each strategy is practiced ten times……… make sure they know them!

10 Block Schedule for Math Fact Fluency!  Let’s go!

Kim

January 2, 2011

Happy New Year!  Trying hard to make several resolutions!  One needs to be to enjoy writing more!  I certainly struggle with it!

What a busy 2010!  For me personally, it was filled with extreme highs and lows but made it through.  2011 promises many opportunities for all of us.  Many state are facing the new Common Core Standards.  I am excited about the place value emphasis in these standards.  I know that if you are reading this, you have heard my rants about the importance of place value!  I am excited that we are about to announce the new Aerobic Place Value Cards in colors that match my place value dice!  That is such an important connection for students!  Also we will be carrying the decimal dice in tenths and hundredths!  With all of that, I will be featuring a new class next school year on teaching place value!

Think about constantly assessing what understandings your students have about place value!  Textbooks gloss over this and yet knowing what a number is the most important part of mathematics!

Just some thoughts while waiting for a flight in SF to Colorado Springs!  Take a walk and breath before it all begins again!

Mathematically yours,

What a thrilling couple of weeks!  Had the privilege of teaching students in Omaha, Nebraska and Springdale, Washington!  Love those opportunities and always learn lots…… worked with 5th graders in Springdale on long division.  Used the “repeated subtraction” method working with taking out groups of 10 of two-digit divisors.  Students were very engaged and eager and you can not ask for more than that!  It always reminds me to present a concept in more than one way.

Worked with third graders on rounding numbers.  Their inspiring teacher had done a super job on rounding two-digit numbers to the nearest multiple of ten!  They proved their understanding to me!  Then we tried to move to three-digit numbers.  I certainly do not have a magic wand!  We worked several different ways to move to rounding three-digit numbers to the nearest hundred.  They struggled and that was a reminder every step is a challenge!  A mountain can not be moved in one day!  Try, try again…..

Isn’t it humbling to be a teacher?  Always more to learn… 

Mathematically yours,

Motivating & Meaningful Activities To Strengthen Your Mathematics Program

Fee for the workshop is $209 per person. Groups of 3 or more $199 per person.

Lunch is included.

• Please check back for updated workshop information.

Do you struggle with motivating elementary students to know their basic facts? The teaching of intensive math content is often hampered by basic fact fluency! There are three steps on the road to fluency with basic facts:

• Teach for understanding with two models for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
• Teach the computational strategies.
• Practice, Practice, Practice!

Does your classroom have a plan for the five to nine minutes a day for practicing the basic facts? This intensive workshop for teachers K-5 will address how to achieve proficiency with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and motivate students to feel excited about achieving this goal.

Kim Sutton will share exciting methods to motivate students with whole class and small group instruction. These “ready to go” activities go beyond timed drill. Kim has created special math choice activities for drill and practice in small groups. She will share how to create a “we” approach to learning basic facts. You will learn how to manage “Drills that Thrill” students with organization and management strategies so minutes are not lost in the elementary classroom.

Come experience the motivating style of Kim Sutton as she shares practical strategies that differentiate instruction for math fact fluency!

What You Will Learn:

• How to teach two models for each operation.
• Strategies for the transition from manipulative understanding to fluency of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts.
• Dynamic drills that build mathematical confidence and independence.
• How to use the appropriate “tools” to improve fluency with basic facts.
• Effective use and management of drill and practice activities.
• How to improve the “visual” aspect of your classroom.
• Exciting new games, songs and activities to motivate students to learn their facts.
• How to measure the success of your drill and practice program.

Program:

• 8:00 a.m. Registration and Morning Refreshments
• 8:30 a.m. Introducing the Three-Step Process for Math Fact Fluency
• 9:00 a.m. Strategies for the transition from manipulative to fluency for basic facts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• 9:45 a.m. Exciting games that motivate students to learn their facts
• 10:15 a.m. Break
• 10:30 a.m. “Drill and Practice” songs that help students imprint basic facts for needed fluency
• 11:00 a.m. Using “tools” of drill and practice the right way in the learning of math facts
• 11:45 a.m. Hosted Lunch
• 1:00 p.m. Creating a “Ten Block” cycle for basic fact fluency as a classroom or school wide plan
• 2:00 p.m. Variety of practice opportunities—how to use generic strategies for any operation
• 2:30 p.m. Managing and organizing your drill and practice activities
• 3:00 p.m. Adjourn - Drill Like a Champion!

Who Should Attend?

All K-5 Classroom Teachers, Resource Specialists, Curriculum Co-ordinators and Administrators should attend.

Cancellations/Substitutions:

Substitutions may be made at any time. All cancellations received the day of the seminar or afterwards are subject to a $15 service charge.

This Seminar Includes:

• Morning Coffee/Pastries and Lunch
• Door Prizes
• Extensive Resource Handbook

University Credit:

½ unit of credit from Humboldt State University is available for an additional charge. These credential/ licensure courses offered are designed primarily for elective or professional development purposes. Clock hours may also be available - please check at the workshop. Creative Mathematics is an approved Texas CPE Provider.

How To Register:

Call (800) 841-5193 ~ Or Use Our Online Registration Form: Either Mail, Fax, or Use Your Credit Card on Our Secure Server. MasterCard and Visa Accepted (US funds only).

Marcy Cook

Fee for the workshop is $209 (U.S.). Groups of 3 or more is $199 (U.S.) per person.

Lunch is included.

• Houston, TX ~ February 7, 2012 ~ Site Information
• San Antonio, TX ~ February 8, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Raleigh, NC ~ March 20, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Charlotte, NC ~ March 21, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Cincinnati, OH ~ March 23, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Birmingham, AL ~ April 12, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Atlanta, GA ~ April 13, 2012 ~ Site Information

Creative Mathematics is very excited to be offering classes presented by Marcy Cook. Marcy is one of the top math presenters in the nation and we are thrilled to be offering her classes to you! In this lively and information-packed seminar, for teachers grades K-6, Marcy will share her effective hands-on activities. You will learn how to successfully organize daily math lessons and plan independent task time. A day with Marcy will be a day well spent!

Join Marcy Cook’s new class Create a “Live” Mathematics Classroom for an inspirational day filled with innovative hands-on math activities to get your students actively involved with math. She will show you quick and effective daily 5-minute warm-ups to begin your math time. She’ll demonstrate a variety of mental math strategies that develop Reasoning, Number Sense, Computation and Problem-Solving skills. And you’ll learn how to use multi-level activities to reinforce learning during independent task time. Come spend a day with Marcy, a day you’ll never forget!

Program Highlights:

Make It Count! 5 Minute Math warm ups

• See “hands on” starters which actively engage every student
• Observe questioning techniques that promote divergent mathematical thinking
• Participate in rich number sense activities
• Engage students with estimation and risk taking on a daily basis
• Deal with place value and communication skills simultaneously
• Incorporate mathematical vocabulary into each day’s activities
• Engage in 100 chart activities to reinforce mathematical

Basics At Their Best: Develop Mental Math Skills

• See how to develop a strong math foundation….while having fun!
• Build computation competency without using a pencil
• Incorporate “if…then…” reasoning into your daily routine
• Participate in activities to boost kids number sense and logical thinking skills
• Engage in a variety of mental math activities which focus on communication
• Constantly assess students thinking with the expectation that all participate

Independent Task Time That Meets The Needs of All Kids!

• Learn how to use independent task time to maximize learning
• See how multi-level math activity centers can be used for individual reinforcement and enrichment
• See independent activities focusing on algebraic and geometric thinking
• Extend quality math learning time: practical management tips that make centers work for you without a lot of work from you

What You Will Learn:

• Build math skills with Marcy’s 5-minute warm-ups
• Plan hands-on activities that make math more meaningful
• Present lessons that teach and reinforce addition, subtraction, multiplication & division
• Differentiate your math instruction with multi-level activities
• Use independent task time to reinforce math concepts
• Develop Number Sense for a strong foundation
• Teach your students Strategic Problem-Solving skills
• Use questioning strategies to let kids show what they know
• Build vocabulary and skills using the “100 chart”
• Quickly assess students’ math understanding
• Use math manipulatives as alternatives to drill and practice

Who Should Attend?

All K-6 Classroom Teachers, Resource Specialists, Curriculum Co-ordinators and Administrators should attend.

Cancellations/Substitutions:

Substitutions may be made at any time. All cancellations received the day of the seminar or afterwards are subject to a $15 service charge.

This Seminar Includes:

• Morning Coffee/Pastries and Lunch
• Door Prizes
• Extensive Resource Handbook

University Credit:

½ unit of credit from Humboldt State University is available for an additional charge. These credential/licensure courses offered are designed primarily for elective or professional development purposes. Clock hours may also be available - please check at the workshop. Verification of hours of participation will be provided for continuing education or recertification.

How To Register:

Call (800) 841-5193 ~ Or Use Our Online Registration Form: Either Mail, Fax, or Use Your Credit Card on Our Secure Server. MasterCard and Visa Accepted (US funds only).

Another summer come and gone…. hope the beginning of the year is filled with excitement and promise!  I had a super summer of great workshops and loved each and every one.  Think I need to consider becoming Texas and Kansas residents since I am spending so much time there!  Learned lots and had such great times.

On a personal note, we moved this summer.  We had been in our house 23 years and it was difficult to leave a place where our daughter was born and raised.  Have to give my husband lots of credit!  He arranged and managed the move.  I was not even there.  It has been crazy!  Part of reason I have not blogged this summer.  If an email you sent went unanswered, please try again.  We are experiencing lots of trouble with email at this new place out in the country.

On a professional note, lots of amazing new happenings at Creative Mathematics!  We are so excited to have my friend, Marcy Cook presenting for us!  Her workshops are so practical, high energy and dynamic!  If you have not been to a Marcy Cook workshop, put it high on your “to do” list!  You will be energized and filled to the brim with practical strategies.

Greg Tang is a “man on the move” with lots of exciting new ventures.  He is presenting a new class for us on Math Learning Centers this fall.  Look at the exciting description for this!  His approach to teaching math is always “mind stretching!”

I have been busy implementing my new drill and practice program.  Last year I hinted at this project but kept quiet about it…… more to follow about this.

September is always the month to use apples in math.  Check out the “Apple Choices” at my Online Store.  You will find students love the activities!

Mathematically yours,

One Day Math Seminar

Fee for the workshop is $209. Groups of 3 or more is $199 per person.

Lunch is included.

• Nashville, TN ~ February 23, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Memphis, TN ~ February 24, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Houston, TX ~ March 22, 2012 ~ Site Information
• Dallas, TX ~ March 23, 2012 ~ Site Information

As a classroom teacher you are asked to respond to the needs of all your students! These students have diverse learning styles and abilities due to prior mathematical experiences and socio-economic levels. The challenge for teachers is therefore the challenge of teaching all students to be mathematically competent and confident. To meet this challenge it is critical for teachers to equip themselves with a large and diverse collection of strategies.

When we think of intervening and supporting all learners we must think of how to provide students having difficulty with support as well as extend those students who are mathematically promising. What a job!

Barbara Novelli’s one-day seminar for teachers K-5 will make the difficult a little less complex by focusing on her “Seven Essential Elements” for a successful mathematics classroom. Here are the elements:

• Students should devote 10 minutes daily to fluency of basic arithmetic facts
• Students should have opportunities to work with concrete manipulatives and visual representations before moving on to abstract concepts or procedures
• Curriculum should focus on whole numbers and operations in Grades K-3, then move to rational numbers in Grades 4-8
• Students should be provided with diverse models for solving problems including models of easy and difficult problems with accompanying teacher think alouds and opportunities to solve problems in groups.
• How to make differentiation simple by thinking VTAK (visual, tactile, auditory and kinesthetic learning)
• Planning proactively for all learners
• Using critical tools and models to support all learners

To help teachers in achieving these goals, Barbara will share a “Must Do list for your Math Program” which will include daily Must Do’s, weekly Must Do’s and monthly Must Do’s. She will also provide teachers in this seminar her suggestions for weekly and monthly planning for your math period.

As always Barbara will share wonderful literature, great songs, and games to engage students in mathematical learning! In this seminar she will also focus on how learning centers can help.

What You Will Learn:

• Easy and motivational ways to use 8-10 minutes daily to increase the fluency and understanding of basic math facts
• How to move from concrete materials to representational (visual) to the abstract — effectively with your students
• Ideas on how to proactively plan for all learners using a daily and weekly schedule- planning template
• How to select and use critical math tools and models to increase understanding of math concepts for your grade level
• Effective strategies to use with your students to help them solve problems: think alouds, journal use, group work strategies, and poster talks
• How to use learning centers to help you teach and assess your students understanding •
• Great music, literature, games and activities to use in your math classroom
• Ideas about how you can use calendar to support your math program

Program:

• 8:00-8:30 a.m. Registration
• 8:30-9:15 - How to use calendar, and Kim’s Number line daily to increase math fact fluency, understanding of number relationships and problem solving
• 9:15-10:15 - The importance of going from concrete representation, to abstract sequence and the use of critical math tools, and models
• 10:15-10:30 - Break
• 10:30-11:45 - How to use learning centers in your classroom
• 11:45-12:45 - Lunch
• 12:45-1:00 - Planning proactively using Barb’s Must Do list, and weekly planning template
• 1:00-2:30 - Experience a vignette of primary and intermediate math days
• 2:30-3:00 - Tackling problem solving in a different and powerful way

Who Should Attend?

All K-5 Classroom Teachers, Resource Specialists, Curriculum Co-ordinators and Administrators should attend.

Cancellations/Substitutions:

Substitutions may be made at any time. All cancellations received the day of the seminar or afterwards are subject to a $15 service charge.

This Seminar Includes:

• •Morning Coffee & Pastries and Lunch
• Door Prizes
• Extensive Resource Handbook

University Credit:

½ unit of credit from Humboldt State University is available for an additional charge. These credential/licensure courses offered are designed primarily for elective or professional development purposes. Clock hours may also be available - please check at the workshop.

What To Bring:

Scissors, marking pens, scotch tape, glue stick, stapler and camera (optional).

How To Register:

Call (800) 841-5193 ~ Or Use Our Online Registration Form: Either Mail, Fax, or Use Your Credit Card on Our Secure Server. MasterCard and Visa Accepted (US funds only).

Greg Tang

Fee for the workshop is $209 (U.S.). Groups of 3 or more is $199 (U.S.) per person.

Lunch is included.

• Please check back for updated workshop information.

Is there a way to teach math that’s intuitive, grounded in common sense, engaging for children, and most importantly, highly effective? The answer is yes!

At last, Greg Tang is applying everything he’s learned – after more than 1,300 workshops, conferences, and school visits in the past 10 years – to create a brand-new, supplemental math program that includes math learning centers for your classroom. Your students will not only develop strong computational and problem-solving skills, they’ll develop true algebraic thinking skills – the key to being smart.

In this new workshop, Greg introduces Smart Centers – carefully planned and meticulously designed math centers that give you the freedom to incorporate group work in your daily lessons. You’ll gain the confidence of knowing that your students are mastering important math skills whether they’re working directly with you or cooperatively in small groups.

As part of this workshop, you’ll receive a comprehensive activity book that allows you to incorporate Greg’s strategies and lessons immediately in your classroom. It includes worksheets that teach strategies and assess critical skills, activity sheets that leverage Greg’s picture books, game sheets that provide hours of fun and practice, and puzzle sheets that will challenge both you and your students. Math centers will never be the same!

Program Highlights:

1. Clever Counting - Move kids from “counting all” to “counting on” strategy
2. Doubles Play - Use doubles strategies to “cure” kids of counting on their fingers
3. Math Limbo - New pegboard game teaches kids to add & break apart numbers
4. Smart Sums - Add using the Make 10 strategy, then generalize to larger numbers
5. Smart Subtract - Subtract using the Make 10 strategy, then generalize to larger numbers
6. Book Smarts - New supplemental worksheets for use with The Grapes of Math & other Greg Tang books
7. Great Times - Multiplication strategies that teach basic facts and generalize to double-digit numbers
8. Great Divide - Division strategies that teach basic facts while preparing kids for fractions & long division
9. Numskill 3, 4, and 5 - Teach problem-solving & arithmetic while developing number sense; leveled for all ages
10. Numskill 4×4 to 9×9 - Challenging puzzles reinforce addition and multiplication skills; leveled for all ages

What You Will Learn:

• How to use math centers to differentiate instruction and encourage cooperative learning experiences in your classroom
• How to design math centers that are effective, integrated, and easy to implement for a wide range of skill levels and situations
• How to develop strong computational, problem-solving, and algebraic thinking skills – all at the same time
• How to transition your students from concrete to abstract thinking, the key to generalizing and being smart!

Who Should Attend?

All K-5 Classroom Teachers, Elementary Math Teachers, Resource Specialists and Curriculum Co-ordinators should attend.

Cancellations/Substitutions:

Substitutions may be made at any time. All cancellations received the day of the seminar or afterwards are subject to a $15 service charge.

This Seminar Includes:

• Door Prizes
• Lunch
• Resource Handbook

University Credit:

½ unit of credit from Humboldt State University is available for an additional charge. These credential/licensure courses offered are designed primarily for elective or professional development purposes. Clock hours may also be available - please check at the workshop. Verification of hours of participation will be provided for continuing education or recertification.

How To Register:

Call (800) 841-5193 ~ Or Use Our Online Registration Form: Either Mail, Fax, or Use Your Credit Card on Our Secure Server. MasterCard and Visa Accepted (US funds only).

Been thinking about retirement lately!  Not for myself but for my dear friends who are retiring.  What remarkable careers they have had and continued all the way to the finish line!  Being an educator is such a calling.  My dear friends have dedicated themselves to being the best at educating children ending their careers with the same enthusiasm as they started.  May all their wishes come true!  

Have to say congratulations to our daughter, Halley who graduated from UC Santa Cruz on June 12th!  As her kindergarten and third grade teachers retire, she is starting her career this week!  It hardly seems possible.  I so clearly remember her first day of school as if it were yesterday………. what wonderful memories!  We are so proud of you, sweet daughter.

Mathematically yours,

Been thinking about retirement lately!  Not for myself but for my dear friends who are retiring.  What remarkable careers they have had and continued all the way to the finish line!  Being an educator is such a calling.  My dear friends have dedicated themselves to being the best at educating children ending their careers with the same enthusiasm as they started.  May all their wishes come true!  

Have to say congratulations to our daughter, Halley who graduated from UC Santa Cruz on June 12th!  As her kindergarten and third grade teachers retire, she is starting her career this week!  I so clearly remember her first day of school as if it were yesterday………. what wonderful memories!  We are so proud of her.

Mathematically yours,

In the state of shock…. have not written in so long!  I could make a list of excuses but that is either worth a snooze or would sound pathetic!

Seems that every year about this time, we say how fast the year has gone.  What changes did you make in how you teach math from the previous year?  What was difficult?  What was easy?  What worked?  What did students respond to?  Seems like reflecting on those questions is easier to do in summer than during the school year…..

Last week at NCTM in San Diego, I had the opportunity to hear one of the best speakers I have ever heard.  I attended a session done by Dr. Marcia Tate!  She was amazing and so inspirational, I could listen to her every day.  I have her books.  Her book, Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites is so important.  If you do not own it, buy it!  The message is so valuable and timely…. more is coming on this.

Mathematically yours,

We had the time of our lives at the Winter Olympics!  WOW!  A huge “shout out” to the country of Canada, province of British Columbia and city of Vancouver!  What an amazing show!  Still can not believe that we were there!

Our Olympic trip began in a less than desired way.  On Wednesday evening the 17th of February we had my mom and a dear friend for dinner.  We were supposed to fly early the next morning.  United called at 8:30 pm to announce our 6:00 am flight on Thursday was cancelled.  We looked at each other and tried to decide whether to drive north or south.  Our home is halfway between Portland and San Francisco.  We drove south to SF leaving home at 10:00 pm and arriving in the fee hours of the am but made our flight from SF to Vancouver.  

Arrived at South Poplar Traditional School in Abbotsford for setup.  Much to our surprise was a BIG screen playing the hockey game!  What a treat!  Visited a great pub for dinner with staff and watched the Canadian Hockey team in a pub environment!  Very cool!  We set up while watching the Olympics!  Could not have asked for a better workshop on Friday.  The teachers were amazing.  Suzanne and her staff were fantastic hosts.  I love the school and what a great learning environment.  Woody is a wonderful principal!  I could so teach for him.  He presented an ending to the day that was amazing.  He created a slide show/video to the song, “Simply the Best!”  It was played as we finished and participants packed up.  What a day!  What fabulous teachers!  The link to this is up on my website….

The weekend brought us to our dear friend, Donna’s beautiful home in Vancouver.  That became our base for our Olympic weekend.  Can’t even begin to describe all the amazing aspects of our trip.  Visited Granville Island and did lots of walking and mass transits to see all the sights of the Olympic venues.  Visited an igloo, saw Tom Brokaw at dinner at the Pan Pacific, visited the flame in awe and soak in all the nations represented in the folks walking around!  It was so wonderful!

Sunday morning Donna gave us a ride to the Pacific Coliseum for 7 am seats to watch the Ice Dancing dress rehearsal!  OH MY GOSH!  Our seats were right behind the teams and coaches!  They were in full dress and makeup and it was so grand.  After they finished we saw two groups of women before our seats expired at noon.

The afternoon brought up to the ferry for a trip to work in Victoria!  Monday was a great day!  Enough of my gushing but this definitely was a trip of a lifetime!  BC and Vancouver you have done yourselves proud!

More math coming tonight!  Have not been good about keeping the blog up, life got in the way.

Mathematically yours,

Kim

I am always reminded in January how hard travel is!  Late flights and not knowing when you will return home!

Still, a trip like yesterday reminded me all the terrific places there are in the world!  Got to do my favorite workshop yesterday (Roadmap to Mathematical Success) in Vancouver, BC.  The day with the teachers was fantastic!  Have a few words to say about the city!  I am so excited about the Olympics being in Vancouver and surrounding areas!  What an incredible city!  They have done the best job getting ready for all that is coming.  I will be back to enjoy all there is to offer!

The Olympics remind me of the classic math/science activities from Project AIMS—”Mini Metric Olympics.”  What a great time to do these incredible measurement, estimation, data analysis, graphing activities!  Your students will be amazed and so excited!

These activities are from the first AIMS book, Math + Science = A Solution.  Enjoy!

Thank you dear friend, Barry, for your birthday call!  So many years ago I was your teacher and we found out we had the same birthday.  I was dating Jeff who brought a birthday cake for us that day!  I always think of you and the fine man you have turned into.  Thank you for reminding me that I have the best job in the world!!!

Mathematically yours,

January 19, 2010

Are You Thinking About Basic Facts?

Are you spending five to nine minutes daily on basic facts?  I have to ask the question because I hear so many complaints about students not knowing basic facts!  I talked about this on a previous blog but is it happening in your classroom?

There are three steps on the road to fluency with basic facts:

•  Teach for understanding!

•  Teach the strategies!

•  Practice!  Practice!  Practice!

I like to start the practice each day with a song from Ron Brown of IntelliTunes!  He is the most talented musician I have ever heard of!  If you have not tried his music, I recommend it!  The CD to start with is his “Math Concepts I and II.”  You will be convinced!  The CD has such a great mix of songs that will change your classroom—skip counting by twos, threes, fives, and tens.  It also includes three place value songs along with do many songs that works every math concept!

I am teasing you a little bit!  I am about to unveil my newest project concerning basic facts…… just a little tease!  More to come later.

First grade teachers, are you working on doubles?

Traveling to my next destination….

Mathematically yours,

January 10, 2010

Shake Rattle and Roll!

Oh my gosh!  My area really got hit hard yesterday.  We had a 6.5 earthquake!  It hit yesterday afternoon at about 4:30 pm.  The problem with my part of the world is that we do not have freeways, tall buildings or lots of people so it lasts about 5 minutes on the news.  

I was not there.  Left on the 3rd for Pearland, Texas.  After working for the district there flew to Birmingham, Alabama to work with Trussville teachers.  Flew that night to San Antonio.  Worked three days there and flew to Omaha on Friday night.  It had warmed a bit.  Tried for two hours to get my dear 84 year old mother.  Jokingly said to my husband, “Gosh, I hope we did not have an earthquake!”  Could not get her.  Finally my brother called to say the phones and power were out.  

All my family and friends are fine but I have to say it is scary.  My mom says this is the hardest one she has ever felt.  Two of my girlfriends had lots of disarray, broken glass and chaos ……. we are just grateful that our community made it without any lost lives!

What a time to “count blessings!”  Thanks to all who emailed with concerns!  All is fine!

Mathematically yours,

Merry Christmas!  Happy holidays!  Hope this break is giving you a much needed rest.  How fun to spend time with family and friends.  My daughter has repeatedly reminded me that I need to write this…… I needed the push since our time has been all about family.  I am quite behind.

As the year draws to a close, it is time to reflect what tough times we are living through.  Education budgets have been cut in some states to unbearable levels.  I am wondering how we can stay positive and focused when things are this tough.  Have no answers but think about this constantly……. less will become more.  We must continue to make more with fewer resources.  

Make the New Year about mathematics by using a simple tool:  the calendar.  January is a natural time to focus in on the calendar.  Plan on making “My Calendar Booklet” next week from my book, Making Math Books with Children.  It will draw instant attention to the patterns that occur.  Try doing “Arrow Math” with the calendar.  If you are not sure what that means, check it out in two of my books, The Powerful Numbers 0-100 or Math Focus Activities.  Both will explain.

Take any month and box in a two by two matrix of numbers.  Have the students add the diagonals and compare the sums!  Magic will happen!  Have them add horizontally and compare the sums.  Add vertically and compare the sums.  Notice any relationships with the numbers?  Does it always work?  What will happen with a three by three matrix?  Does this change on a hundreds’ chart?

Read the book by Stuart Murphy, Pepper’s Journal!  This book will enhance the calendar activities!

Play the game called, “The Calendar Game.”  This is described in my book Math Focus Activities.  It is simple.  Divide the class into two teams.  The date is used for the number.  Each team will contribute an equation equaling that number.  Older students will be awarded points based on the number of operations used.  The game is fast-paced and will encourage students to think of how many ways to decompose a number!

Teach your hearts out!

Wow!  This has been a wild week in Greensboro, Atlanta and now Nashville.  The NCTM Regional in Nashville was attended by more than 5,000 teachers and it was very exciting!  We have discovered that Nashville is one of our favorite cities.  Got to enjoy some sightseeing on Saturday and it has been beautiful…. 

Please check out a new tool for Monday and Tuesday.  I posted a glyph for next week for you to download.  It is a cornucopia for Thanksgiving and will give you two days of data analysis with your students.  Remember that a glyph is a picture where the details tell a data story!  You can modify my questions based on your situation.  

After each glyph is completed, pick one of the questions to graph with your students.  I always like to have the students move the glyphs into a graph.  Then each group will describe what else they know from the data within their groups.

Several different graphs can be constructed changing the questions!  I like to take a picture of each graph. Students will love to look back at the monthly glyphs in your classroom.  This activity will push the students to analyze all the data!

Enjoy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Rest and relax!

Mathematically yours,