IM Certified® Blog
The Problem of “Fewer”: Using Centers and the 5 Practices to support students in their production of complex math vocabulary
By Margaret Betts, IM Certified® Facilitator If story problems are your teacher kryptonite, you aren’t alone. Story problems are mathematical situations expressed with words. The element of reading creates an added layer of complexity which in turn makes it more...
Centers in Kindergarten: Purposeful Play and Authentic Assessment
By Cheryl Fricchione, IMCF and Implementation Development Team Member A quick Google search for “kindergarten math centers” produces over 20 million results: everything from tips to make centers work to theme-based printables. It brings to mind a vignette about an...
Representations in the Story of Mathematics
By William McCallum, IM CEO co·her·ence noun the quality of being logical and consistent. the quality of forming a unified whole. One of the things I am proud of about IM K–12 Math™ is its coherence. This shows up in many ways: it follows a logical and pedagogically...
Looking back at 2022: Year-End Closeout Message from Bill McCallum
2022 was a remarkable year of growth and achievement at IM. Our employees are energetic, inspired, and committed to our vision of a world where all learners know, use, and enjoy mathematics. I couldn't be more proud of what we have achieved this year. And I am so...
Counting on Counting Collections
By Sara Baranauskas, IM Lead Curriculum Writer, Grade 1 and IM Certified® Facilitator Counting Collections is an engaging and playful mathematical routine that supports and builds students’ sense of mathematical identity and develops a joy for doing mathematics. Young...
Help Students Know, Use, and Enjoy Quadratics
By Joseph Koelsch, IM Certified® Facilitator “I’ve said it before: equations are the devil’s sentences. The worst one is that quadratic equation, an infernal salad of numbers, letters, and symbols.” - Stephen Colbert Did you ever feel the same way? I know that I felt...
Supporting Teachers During Implementation of Illustrative Mathematics: Big Ideas For Coaches and Teacher Leaders
By Sonja Twedt, IM Certified® Facilitator, 6–12 Special Projects Course Assistant Are you an instructional coach or teacher leader in a district that is adopting Illustrative Mathematics? If so, you’ve likely found yourself thinking about how to best support your...
Exploring Ratio Reasoning with Student Work
By Tashana Howse, IM Certified® Facilitator The relationship between fractions, ratios, and proportions is introductory to students' development of the study of Algebra. Therefore, it is important for students to engage in ratio reasoning that positions them to reason...
Strategies for Instituting Equitable Math Instruction
Dionne Aminata, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, Marketing, Illustrative Mathematics Rolanda Baldwin, Vice President of Mathematics, UnboundEd Illustrative Mathematics and UnboundEd both agree that achieving racial justice in math education starts with the...
Illustrative Mathematics and IM Certified Partners featured at NCSM and NCTM 2022
Members of the Illustrative Mathematics team recently attended two national conferences for math educators: NCSM (Sept 26–28, 2022) in Anaheim, CA, and NCTM (Sept 28–Oct 1, 2022) in Los Angeles. We enjoyed meeting so many thoughtful educators over the course of the...
