Moore Math Messages
Elementary Math September 2025
Mathematicians Being Proactive (For Students)
Ada Lovelace Proactive Example: She imagined how machines could do more than just math, even before computers existed! She wrote the very first “computer program.”
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Katherine Johnson Proactive Example: She checked and rechecked her math for NASA rocket launches, making sure astronauts were safe. She didn’t wait to be told what to do—she took initiative to double-check important work.
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Albert Einstein Proactive Example: Even as a kid, he asked lots of questions and solved puzzles on his own. He didn’t just accept answers—he searched for better ones.
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Srinivasa Ramanujan Proactive Example: He taught himself advanced math using old books when he didn’t have teachers to help him. He kept practicing and sending his ideas to professors until someone listened.
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Hypatia of Alexandria Proactive Example: She became one of the first women mathematicians and teachers. She shared her knowledge with others, making sure people had the chance to learn.
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Benjamin Banneker Proactive Example: He built a working clock out of wood and used math to help plan the city of Washington, D.C. He didn’t wait for someone else—he solved problems himself.
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Maryam Mirzakhani Proactive Example: She didn’t give up when math problems seemed impossible. She kept working step by step, creating new ways to solve very difficult geometry problems.
Below is a poster you can print for your classroom or insert on your canvas page. (Click the image to get the link.)
Updates
Update - The Grade Book now sorts assignments by last to first (most recent to oldest).
Modifying Practice: You have had the ability to edit assessments (video tutorial), and now you can edit/delete an assignment after assigned and even add students to the assignment.
(To do this, click on the word dashboard at the top of the screen. Then select Assignment. There are 3 dots to the right of the assignment name. Click those and select either edit or remove.)
Auto-submit: You can have all assignments and assessments auto-submit on the due time and date. You must select the auto-submit button when you are assigning. You can assign old assignments and assessments and select auto submit to push out to students now.
(Assignments that were created and never submitted will not have that.)
Clear Cache & Cookies: The platform has updates frequently. In order to ensure that you and your students are working in the most updated version of Myada, YOU & YOUR STUDENTS need to clear your cache & cookies weekly (make it a Monday morning habit).
Question Banks: Items are frequently being added and updated. You must search "By Standard" when you add items to a practice. The Lesson Practice will not change (as it matches what is in the textbook).
Customize Practice with Check Answer: Also know as "multiple attempts". Teachers can customize practice with check answer options. This document will show you how.
Modifying Practice: You are able to edit assessments (add/delete problems). You can watch this video tutorial to guide you.
Extra Help: You have a BIG IDEAS HELP button at the bottom right corner of every screen. A lot of your questions can be answered quickly if you access this feature.
Reporting Errors & Issues: PLEASE email me with any errors or glitches found within Myada. I am submitting tickets on your behalf - and if you don't tell me, I can't help!
Need more help or a refresher on training?
Visit Big Ideas Learning Academy by clicking the button below.
Let's Change Things Up a Bit
During our spring meetings, we discussed lessons that needed more time, and some lessons that needed less (or none at all). Below is a short synopsis of the changes that were made for each grade level. Please examine your pacing guide carefully to see all the changes.
Special note for 2nd - 6th: Pacing guides were created in June before the Star calendar was finalized. There may be a day for a star test in October in your pacing guide, but we DO NOT have a star window open in October so please use that day for whatever you need.
All grades: If you have more than one day in "Games, Practice, and Centers" those days are meant for flex days, catch up days, or report card assessments.
Kindergarten -
- Focus on numbers 1 -10 in first semester
- Moved 2D shapes before Christmas break.
- Composing/Decomposing 0 -10 after Christmas break.
- More time on 11- 20.
- Less time in chapter 8 (since most do this during morning meetings anyway)
- Coins introduced in chapter 4 with additional days during chapter 8.
Morning meetings: Please work on number representations, coins, graphs, counting, time, and shapes daily.
1st -
- More time in subtraction.
- "Optional" lessons when several strategies are taught. We need to teach multiple strategies, but we do not need to teach ALL the strategies if it is too confusing. (See ch. 4)
- More time on fact families.
- Introduction/Mini-lessons on coins with counting my multiples lessons. (ch. 6)
- Chapter 11 moved after ch 7 to allow more time to work with time and money.
- Money can be used in stations after chapter 6 for the remainder of the year.
Morning meetings: Please work on place value representations, coins, graphs, counting, time, addition/subtraction, and shapes daily.
2nd -
- Chapter 1 - Arrays are moved.
- Start with odd/even then move to chapter 2. 3.
- "Optional" lessons when several strategies are taught. We need to teach multiple strategies, but we do not need to teach ALL the strategies if it is too confusing. (See ch. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
- More time on regrouping (addition and subtraction). Students may not "Master" regrouping during this time, so they will still need to practice throughout the year.
- COGAT - 3 days inserted in pacing guide. COGAT may not actually take place on the dates that are in the calendar, but it accounts for 3 days so that you can put them where you need them.
- Mini-lessons on coins inserted as a review when counting by multiples.
- Skipping 11.3 - above our standards.
- More time added to money and time.
- Number of the day document link to use for morning meeting (linked on each page of the pacing guide)
Morning meetings: Please work on place value representations, coins, graphs, addition/subtraction, time, and rounding daily.
Third -
- Teach coins and time all year long. Make these topics a problem of the day.
- Teach graphs all year - one graph a week.
- More time (Games, Practice, Centers) in several chapters for additional days where needed.
- Skipping several lessons in multiple chapters - Above grade level.
- Some performance tasks are optional.
- More days in chapter 7 (Place Value)
Morning Meetings: Please work on counting coins, telling time & elapsed time, and graphs
4th -
- Teach time all year.
- Skipping several lessons in multiple chapters - Above grade level/not needed
- More time in division (Chapter 4)
- More time in measuring angles.
- More time in area of shapes.
Morning Meetings/Problem of the Day: Please work on elapsed time and counting money all year.
5th -
- Skipping several lessons in multiple chapters - Above grade level/not needed
- Supplemental lessons inserted for interpreting remainders
- More time in multiplication. (Ch. 4)
- More time in division (Ch. 5)
- COGAT - 3 days inserted in pacing guide. COGAT may not actually take place on the dates that are in the calendar, but it accounts for 3 days so that you can put them where you need them.
- More time on simplest form.
- More time on adding/subtracting mixed numbers.
6th -
- More time on converting measures.
- Move chapter 7 in before chapter 5. (Integers before algebra).
- More time on factoring (chapter 5).
- Less time on in chapter 8.
- More resources in chapter 8 to use. The book does not align with our standards.
Benchmarks
We will be starting something new for this year to help you find out how your students are progressing - IXL Benchmarks.
What are they?
- Quizzes that will be sent to your students 3 times a year through IXL.
- The quizzes will cover the chapters that you have taught in class.
How will the kids get to them?
- They will be assigned through IXL directly to your student.
- Students will have the entire week to complete it.
- It will take the place of the 30 minutes of IXL for the week.
- Students can only work on them during school hours. The quiz will not be available after 4:00.
When do they happen?
- October 6 - 10
- December 8 - 12
- February 23 - 27
What do teachers need to do?
- Nothing! Scores will be available to you at the close of the benchmark on Friday.
Polypad
Welcome to Polypad! Polypad has a wonderful variety of virtual manipulatives all at your fingertips! They have free access to manipulatives, templates, and lessons. Check out how you can use polypad!
Spark Studio
We have access to Spark Studio this year, and it could be a way to make those boring, ho-hum worksheets more fun. There is no end to how you can use Spark Studio. You can create games in less than 5 minutes! You can create themed worksheets or crossword puzzles in just a few minutes. Jump in and have some fun!
Time for a Laugh!
Why was the math book sad?
Because it had too many problems!
Why were the teacher's eyes crossed?
She couldn't control her pupils!
Why did the boy eat his homework?
The teacher told him it was a piece of cake!
Roll and Count
Matching Coins
Take a look at this coin counting matching game. This is appropriate for 2nd - 4th
Money Match
Roll and Show
This is a partner game. Students roll the die. The move that many spaces. The number they land on is the amount they show in the piggy bank. Alternatively, players can draw a model or use coins.
Grab, Count, Compare
Students grab 2 handfuls of coins, count them, record the amount and use < or > to compare.
Kinder and 1st can limit to single coins types.
Spin and Cover
This is a great coin value identification game. Students spin the spinner and cover the amount.
Make it Three
Make it Three is a great number sense routine, but we can make it for coins!
Since coins have different values, different coin combinations can produce the same amount. For this activity, students build numbers using 3 different coins.
Money Bingo
A classic game of BINGO with coins. Students count the coins on the BINGO card and cover the amount on their BINGO board. The first person to get 3 in a row wins.
Grab and Sort
Students grab a handful of coins and sort them. They record how many of each type of coin they grabbed.
Roll and Answer
Something about adding in some dice makes a math center just a bit more engaging. These roll and answer math centers are perfect for computation review. The directions stay the same and only the math changes which allows students to focus on the math and not learning a new center each week. There are activities in this resource for 3-5 (a review for 6th too).
Task Card Central
Math task cards are very versatile resources to use in math centers. They can be used as a partner math center, an independent math center, or a small group math center. Use them on their own or pair them with a board game for extra engagement.
Some of these task cards can be used for grades 4-6. The multiplication and division of decimals should be reserved for 6th.
Link to Activities for Decimals (4th - 6th)
Link to Division of Whole Numbers Task Cards (4th)
Choice Boards
Giving students choice is always a great idea! Using math choice boards as a math center is a great way to offer choice while still ensuring students are practicing grade level math skills and at the rigor needed.This resource includes one reading and one math choice board for 3rd - 5th grade.
Dotted Cards
Dotted cards are made with index cards and colored dot stickers. I made a card for each number 1-10, with the numeral written beside the dots. Children count aloud verbally as they place each math counter on each dot. They use these when they are beginning to learn counting to help them place the correct amount of math counters on the card. Download printable dot cards.
From: Prekinders.com
Fruit Counting
I put sticker dots on disposable plastic plates and covered the middle with clear contact paper. Each plate has a different amount of dots. Children count the dots on the plate, say the number, then count out that amount of fruit to place on the plate. Any type of counters can be used if fruit counters are not available. These are similar to the dotted cards above, except that I did not write the numeral beside the dots because in this game, the objective was counting and one-to-one correspondence only, rather than identifying the numeral.
From: Prekinders.com
Path Games
Children roll a game die and count the amount of spaces to move their game piece. Path games can be designed to accommodate different skill levels in the same way as the grid games.
From: Prekinders.com
Number Book
The photo shows a spider counting book we made. The children identified the numeral then stamped that amount of circles on the page with a bingo marker. They drew the legs and eyes with a pencil. I always make sure the children are comfortable counting with manipulatives before doing a number book so that they won’t get frustrated trying to make the book without mistakes.
From: prekinders.com
Mystery Socks
Children work with a partner to play this game. They will need one sock and 5 flat floral marbles (the flat marbles work great for math manipulatives because they won’t roll away). One child places an amount of marbles into the sock. The other child reaches into the sock without peeking, counts the marbles by feeling them, and says the number. The children can then take the marbles out of the sock to see if the answer was correct.
From: prekinders.com
Jewel Strings
Jewel strings are strings of colored plastic jewels that are cut into segments with 1 jewel per string, 2 jewels per string, 3 jewels per string, and so on (through 10). Each child needs one set of jewel strings with jewels 1-10, and a set of numeral cards 1-10. The children take one jewel string at a time from their container, count the jewels on the string, and match it to the correct numeral card.
From: prekinders.com
Please Reach Out
My entire job is to help you in whatever capacity you need.
- Off on the pacing and need help getting back on track?
- Lesson just flopped and need some ideas?
- Have a small group of students still struggling and don't know how to help?
- Need help with the curriculum and how to use it?
- Had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day and just need to vent & talk?
These are just some of the ways I can help. Please reach out when you need some help, ideas, or just a shoulder to lean on.