September 2022 Practical Practices

As educators, we anxiously anticipate that first day of school with our students and understand the importance of welcoming our learners with open arms.  Getting that first day right or that first week right can hold all the promise for a successful school year.  The first week of school is such an important time to establish expectations, develop standard operating procedures and solidify how learning and math happen in the classroom.  This is a crucial time to build relationships, create a safe, positive learning environment, and perhaps repair a few student relationships with mathematics.  With that being said, we’ve curated a few resources to support this strong start.  We are leaning on some of our favorite tried and tested activities from YouCubed, NCTM, Sara VandeWerf, Dan Meyer, and Sarah Carter.

YouCubed Week of Inspirational Math

The Week of Inspirational Maths (WIM) resources are free lessons and videos about math and mindset designed to inspire students. They are ideal for the first week of school, to get students excited for the year ahead, but can be used any time. One of our favorites is called The Four 4's and is an excellent resource for learners of all ages.

Week 1 Blog Sara Van Der Werf

Sara has written 15+ blog posts about the first week of school, further emphasizing the importance of a strong start in our math classrooms.  A couple of our favorites include 100 Numbers to Get Students Talking and First Week Feedback Name Tents.  

NCTM Back to School Resources  

These targeted grab and go resources from our NCTM community will work to support us in key areas and will help us to stay more connected as we share our questions and ideas through MyNCTM, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook using the hashtag #NCTMBacktoSchool. Join us as we work, share, question, grow and thrive together in this endeavor!


Dan Meyer FirstWeek Wiki

Go through several, get-to-know-you activities. First, the students tell me about themselves. Then, they find out about each other.

Math Equals Love 30+ First Week Activities

More than 30 first week of school activities to help you choose the perfect activity for your classroom. The first day of school is one of the highlights of my school year, and I look forward to crafting a fun and engaging experience for my new students each year.

First Week with Boaler's Norms (copy of Laura Wagenman's google doc)

Boaler's norms will give lots of ideas to help build classroom collaboration and activities/strategies to help students build confidence in math.

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