It’s no secret that I love teaching math.  It’s also no secret that I believe kids learn best when they’re having fun.  That is exactly why I love math games.  When is the best time to use a math game ? It’s the beginning of the year and you want to see …

One of the nice things about living in Denver is the proximity of several companies that house rocket scientists.   Even better is when rocket scientists have a conference and invite teachers!   I was fortunate to attend the AIAA Science Conference in 2009, …

I’ve had some really good teammates over the years.  They’ve mostly been amenable to my *great* ideas.  I had one teammate, when he was still relatively new to the team, ask, “How do you tell Pam, no?”  I’m really not used to hearing that word, but I guess…

This Teacher Tip is all about getting your students organized and their brains engaged, ready to learn, with morning bell ringers (I call them warm ups. 😎)  Picture first thing in the morning – For me, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.…

I love using RAFTs with kids. It's the ultimate in "let's pretend..."  That said, I'd like to introduce you to a fun twist on the staid research report.  Animal RAFT   happened, as so many of my units do, borne out of a genuine need t…

Let’s face it, teaching is hard work.   So if I’m going to work hard, I’m darned sure going to have fun doing it!   Visualize the end of the school year.   Testing is over. Spring Break is over. Kids are done! It’s time to pull out all the stops and keep th…