4 Books To Help You Become A Better Math Teacher

March 4, 2019

Becoming an instructional coach has provided me with many opportunities for specialized professional development in elementary Math. It’s been an exciting year of learning. Since I have yet to conduct my own research, I often rely on the research of others when coaching math. I first implement strategies from books with my third grade class, and I forward the information that “passes the test” to the teachers that I coach! These four books are universally loved by both new and veteran teachers at our school. They’re not only extremely informative, but they’re designed to save teachers energy and time when implementing new strategies!

1. Number Talks: Whole Number Computation, Grades K-5

Number talks are my favorite part of the elementary Math block. Number talks are used as a designated time slot when students typically solve a problem through conversation, rather than using paper and pencil individually. I always wanted to try them and watched countless youtube videos, but still had no idea where to start. The book Number Talks: Whole Number Computation, Grades K-5
not only provided a starting point for me, but also included the exact problems to use. When coaching, I often encourage teachers to use Number Talks before beginning the math block, but now some teachers in our school feel comfortable enough to also use them during small group intervention and enrichment, which I love to see as well! Teachers who feel comfortable with the structure of number talks will most likely enjoy the fourth book on this list, which extends the discourse from number talks and integrates it throughout the math block.

2. Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students’ Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching

There’s a big push to use “Growth Mindset” as a teaching tool, yet schools provide very little and sometimes inaccurate training supporting it. Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students’ Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching includes a foreword by Carol Dweck, the psychologist behind the phenomenon. This book includes everything you need to authentically use growth mindset in the math classroom. There are examples and tools given for everything from creating assessments that allow for a growth mindset, to ways to encourage girls and students of color in mathematics instruction.

3. Why Before How: Singapore Math Computation Strategies, Grades 1-6

This book has a more constructivist approach and helps children understand the why behind addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This book provides quick 1-2 page lessons on helping children understand the four basic operations. I’ve had this book for years, but didn’t open it until starting Eureka Math/ Engage NY when my students were having difficulty understanding the lengthy approach to problem solving. This book helped me find some great mini lessons and additional strategies to use during whole group instruction. I can’t imagine why I didn’t use it sooner! The strategies take a bit longer to implement, so they would be most useful during small group time or if you have flexible time in your schedule.

4. Talk Moves: A Teacher’s Guide for Using Classroom Discussions in Math, Grades K-6

This is a newer edition of “Classroom Discussions in Math”, as pictured above. The title changed, but the content inside is the same! This is a great book to look into if you’re ready to move beyond number talks and into including classroom discussions throughout your math block. There are helpful video lessons and like Number Talks, there are plenty of examples to get you started! My favorite chapter is “troubleshooting”, which helps you work through the reasons why students may not be participating.

I could go on and on, but those are definitely my top 4 favorite K-5 Math books at the moment. What are some of your favorites? Feel free to share in the comments!

Book Lists

8 Essential Books for New Teachers

January 29, 2018

Starting your teaching career is fun, yet complicated. Your first few years will be spent settling into your classroom, spending late nights on Pinterest, and constantly thinking “Am I doing this right?”

Whether you’re entering an empty classroom or trying to manage some sticky behaviors, there’s a book out there to help you. I’ve narrowed down my long list to the 6 must-read books for student teachers and first year teachers. I hope this list saves you time so you’re prepared to rock your time as a new teacher!

PS- I’m always looking for new suggestions, so feel free to drop a comment if you have read any other great books that will help new teachers (and myself!)

Your First Year: How to Survive and Thrive as a New Teacher
• Teacher’s Field Guide: 7 Truths About Teaching to Help You Start off Strong, Avoid Burnout, and Stay in Love with Teaching
• The First Six Weeks of School
• The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher (Book & DVD)
• Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids: (and the rest of your class, too!)
• The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers
• Number Talks: Whole Number Computation, Grades K-5

The Teacher Version of “What To Expect”

1. Your First Year: How to Survive and Thrive as a New Teacher

This book is essential for: bite-sized advice for situations you’ll encounter as a new teacher.

This book was published last year and I borrowed it from a new teacher at my school. It’s the shortest book on the list and is a good book to read while student teaching or the summer before your first year. It touches the surface of basically every aspect of what being a first year teacher entails so you know what to expect. Read this one first for background information on what the other books take a deeper dive into.

The Best Book for Work/Life Balance

2. Teacher’s Field Guide: 7 Truths About Teaching to Help You Start off Strong, Avoid Burnout, and Stay in Love with Teaching

This book is essential for: avoiding burnout in your first few years.

This book is a new release that I wish existed during my first year! The author is a US Senate recognized Master Teacher who knows her stuff. I read this cover-to-cover in two days and couldn’t put it down. It has a lot of graphs, infographics, and doodles that make it a pleasurable read. The biggest game changer for me was a section about recognizing and preventing burnout before it occurs.

Schedules and Lesson Plans for the First Month of School

3. The First Six Weeks of School

This book is essential for: planning and executing the first few weeks of school.

I used this book word-for-word during my first two years of teaching. Now, I still use it as a skeleton and give myself a little more freedom to suit my needs. It’s basically the teaching bible. It plans the first six weeks for K-5 down to the minute! Even if you have set curriculum, it will prevent situations you never saw coming, like their first adventure with scissors. It also has insanely good advice for teaching procedures for centers!

The Ultimate Guide of Procedures and Routines

The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher (Book & DVD)

This book is essential for: ensuring you have all bases covered Day 1.

This book was given to me by my district my first year AND by an experienced teacher in another district. Ask any great teacher, and they’ve read this book. It may look “old school” but don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s solid, practical advice without the fluff.

The Best Book for Behavior Management

5. Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids: (and the rest of your class, too!)

This book is essential for: managing tricky behaviors.

Behavior management is my least favorite part of teaching. This book has really helped me minimize problematic behaviors that arise during the school day and every year it slowly gets better. I especially recommend this to anyone who has a student with an emotional/behavioral impairment.

The Best Book for Teaching Reading

6. The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers

This book is essential for: engaging readers and increasing test scores.

I love this book because it has a wide variety of lesson plans for kids at all levels. I use this along with Jan Richardson’s guided reading books since I teach at a school with a Scholastic leveled book room. This is based on Fountas and Pinnell reading levels, so if your school uses DRA, Scholastic Guided Reading, or Lexile levels be sure to use a conversion chart.

The Best Book for Teaching Writing

This book is essential for: explaining why modeling is critical for writing, and providing steps for instruction.

Before attending Kelly Boswell’s PD in person, I was teaching all wrong. I would pre-write samples and show the kids. Kelly’s book provides concrete steps for modeling every step of the writing process with kids, so they understand what a writer’s thought process looks like. She also recently published Write This Way from the Start: The First 15 Days of Writer’s Workshop (Capstone Professional: Maupin House), which I’m dying to get my hands on!

The Best Book for Teaching Math

This book is essential for: developing strong number sense for K-5 learners.

This book is pricy, but honestly so critical for math instruction. It includes videos and step-by-steps of introducing pretty much any math lesson you’ll ever teach. It even gives you sample problems to get you through your first few days of lesson plans on a topic. It has made planning for math SO much easier, even with our district’s scripted curriculum. There’s also a rental option if you just want to try it out a few times in the classroom!

Thanks for reading! If you have any other suggestions of titles for new teachers, please comment with the title! I’m always looking for new books to read and improve my instruction, and I especially love ones that I can share with other teachers!

Book Lists

Books To Read Before A Test

March 12, 2016

School-wide testing can be stressful for teachers and students alike. The disruption of daily routine, stamina required to endure the test, and pressure to succeed can be especially stressful for elementary students. These books will help you get through the day while addressing the feelings that children may be experiencing.