MLC Bug

The Math Learning Center Blog

Our team offers insights and happenings in elementary math education and the Bridges in Mathematics curriculum. 

Page 1 of 2

Using Math at Home in the Classroom

Don’t let “at home” in the name fool you. The Math Learning Center’s Math at Home website has evolved into a robust collection of tasks and games that can be used on the playground, in the supermarket, or just about anywhere else—including the classroom. Though originally designed for use by families forced inside by the pandemic, teachers can use the familiar routines to launch a lesson, provide...
Patrick Vennebush, Chief Learning Officer
Kim Markworth, Director of Content Development

Utilizing MLC Apps to Enrich Learning

Physical manipulatives are locked away in classrooms, so teachers, students, and families are turning to The Math Learning Center apps to support understanding of visual mathematics in a remote learning environment. Usage of these free virtual manipulatives and models has tripled over the last six weeks. On Friday, May 1, more than 500 educators attended an MLC webinar on how the apps can be used...

Review Finds Bridges 100% Aligned to CCSS

Learning List , a K-12 instructional materials evaluation service, recently released independent alignment reports and an editorial review of Bridges in Mathematics second edition. Each grade level K-5 was found to address 100% of the Common Core State Standards. Number Corner second edition was also reviewed. Grades K-5 were found to address on average 95% of the Common Core State Standards...

Dan Meyer: Math Class Needs a Makeover

Dan Meyer, former high school math teacher presented a TEDtalk titled “Math class needs a makeover.” In this witty examination of a typical high school math lesson, Meyer outlines his teaching techniques which are anything but typical. Restructuring textbook math problems to contain far less helpful information has helped his students engage in real world math conversations, and most importantly...
Jami Smith

The Number Frames App

The Number Frames App is now available for download! Here's a quick overview of how the app works. Click here to download Number Frames. Jami Smith is a media specialist for MLC.
Jami Smith

MLC at NCTM New Orleans

We are excited to be attending the NCTM Annual Meeting in New Orleans this year! In addition to showcasing Bridges Second Edition and our growing collection of virtual manipulatives, we will be hosting five presentations on various topics. Tiers, not Tears, for Early Numeracy Support Pia Hansen and Laurie Kilts Thursday, 12:30 pm–1:30 pm Room 214 in the Convention Center Racks, Lines, and Pieces...
Jami Smith

Family Math Night

I recently helped co-host a S’more Math Family Night event that was a hit for all involved. We started by having students and their families meet in the school's multi-purpose room, where I introduced some of the new visual models and strategies students would employ this year. After our brief chat, everyone headed off to a classroom where students led some of the Work Places currently in play...

CCSS Math Lessons and Activities

Watch this short video to learn more about free downloadable lesson plans and student activities available from The Math Learning Center. Or, click here and start downloading now!
Jami Smith

Developing Computational Fluency, part 1

Computational fluency means more than quickly producing correct answers. It requires conceptual understanding and is exhibited through efficiency, accuracy, and flexibility. As you guide your students to mathematical fluency, you will give them many opportunities to construct relationships among numbers to make sense of basic facts and be able to retrieve them. Students who attain fluency with...
Hannah Chandler

Shifting to the Core, part 4

The Common Core State Standards identify eight mathematical practices that characterize the ways in which mathematically proficient students engage with mathematics. The content standards describe what students are doing in mathematics, and the practices describe how they are doing it. For many teachers, these practices represent a dramatic shift in how their students are expected to learn and...
Martha Ruttle