Bridges Blog Archive for Tip

How do you ensure engagement from all students? On Lesson Cast, you'll find a 2:24 minute video called "Every Student Response Strategies." In it, you'll find pictures and descriptions of several techniques designed to generate responses from every student, including:

First grade Bridges students are preparing to "visit" penguins! If you're a first grade teacher and want a little inspiration, take a peek into some other classrooms...

Blog guest, Alison Fox Mazzola, is a Math Specialist leading her school through the first year of Bridges at St. Matthew's Episcopal Day School in San Mateo, California. Here she reflects on first year implementation in an independent setting. [Photos are from her school.]

Question: How did you first introduce Bridges?

K-1 teacher Misti Simmons of Evansville School in Casper, Wyoming, loves to play the guitar during transition times, integrating movement into warm-ups. Even as children hang up their back packs they know to look to the Smart Board to see what's rockin' today. No down time in this K-1 classroom!

Misti sent in the extensive collection of links for songs and activities that she uses with her kids. The blog will feature them over the next several months, by content. Warning: After listening to these, I've been known to walk around for days, chanting the lyrics. They're catchy!

This past summer in a Getting Started Workshop, we discussed ways to balance student participation. In the Number Corner books, it suggests putting each child's name on a craft stick.

Last month, Shelly Scheafer shared an inspiring math moment from her first grade classroom in Bend, Oregon. Here are a few follow-up questions with this Bridges teacher.

Question: Your students show a high degree of mathematical confidence. How do you grow and maintain that confidence?

Bill Alsdurf Jr. teaches second grade at Epiphany School in Seattle, Washington. After his summer Getting Started with Bridges class, he chose to take a close look at Number Corner in the following reflection. Notice all the creative touches he uses to personalize NC for his specific classroom needs. What a beautiful example!

Bill writes...