Text reads: A complete guide to math menus. Behind, math games and a math menu are scattered on a white background with counters, unifix cube, and dice.

How to Use Math Menus in Fifth Grade

Looking to use math menus or choice boards for math? Here are must-do and may-do math menu activities I offer in my fifth grade class. I’ll also explain how I structure my block and assess the work my students do when we use menus for math!

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First week of school day plans for baclk-to-school

First Week of School Day Plans for Back-to-School

Planning as a First-Year Teacher I remember the first year I had my own classroom. I’d proudlyplanned out my first week early on in the summer (even before I had a job linedup) but once the school year began, it became evident that I had not plannedenough. Kids were consistently

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Division games for 4th grade

5 Division Games for 4th Grade

One of my goals is to play and create more math games. I’ve been trying to come up with math games that are fun and that allow students time to practice the specific skills that we’re working on. Here are five fun math division games for 4th grade that you can use as math stations instead of assigning more division worksheets!

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Powerful Social Studies Activities

19 Powerful Activities to Teach Grade 5 Social Studies

Grade 5 social studies is one of my favourite subjects to teach, but would you believe it was one of my least favourite subjects as a student? Well, 99% of the time I was in an elementary social studies class, we were reading a textbook and answering questions about it. I love reading, but even I found that boring! Reading comprehension is not what social studies is about.

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Text reads: "anti-racist teaching & linguistic superiority"

Anti-racist Teaching Means Ditching Linguistic Superiority

A few years ago, I was teaching kids how to translate patterns. One boy was really struggling with it. I asked if he spoke another language, thinking we could use translating words as a jumping-off point. He said he spoke Mandarin but admitted that he didn’t “feel right” or “comfortable” speaking it at school. He turned to a friend and asked – “are we allowed to speak our language at school?”

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Hi, I'm Larissa!

I’m a grade five teacher in beautiful B.C. I love teaching fifth graders because they’re old enough to have big conversations but still eager to have fun and use their imaginations. In the classroom, I love talking about social justice, engaging in hands-on math, and sharing great books. At home, you can probably find me creating resources for teachers, reading in a chair by the window, or buying more books.