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Structures in Use

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Tales of a Fourth Grade Teacher: Using SoE to Help Students with Math Number Stories

Jasmin, a 4th grade teacher from Durham, NC, shares the highs and lows with implementing Structures of Equality in her classroom. You don’t want to miss this interview.

Do your ELL students struggle with reading comprehension?

Comprehending number stories can be challenging. For students who are ELL, there’s an added layer of difficulty. But there are strategies that help.

The Math Main Idea: how to find the main idea of a number story

Finding the math main idea of a number story is an important part of helping students understand what problems are asking.

Why are units important in math and for understanding number stories (aka word problems)?

The idea of unit is foundational to math. Learn why they’re also critical to comprehension of number stories.

Solving multiplication and division word problems with the Repeated Equal Groups Structure

Number stories that include multiplicative relationships can be a challenge. The Repeated Equal Groups (REG) structure helps students understand what’s happening in the problem.

How to solve word problems with comparisons using the Compare SoE structure

The Compare structure helps students visualize the comparison relationship that occurs in some number stories. Find out how to use it.

A deep dive into the Parts Equal Total (PET) Structure

Parts Equal Total helps us model math stories that describe composing 2 or more parts to form a total. Learn how to introduce and use them.

A teacher’s journey to help students solve word problems

Meet Jasmin Nabors, a 4th grade teacher in Durham, NC. She’ll share her struggles and successes with SoE, along with a few tips.

SoE and the Standards for Mathematical Practice

We know that mathematically proficient students engage in the practice standards consistently. Learn how all 8 are embedded into SoE.

importance of equality

The Importance of Equality in Math: an introduction to the line of equality

All Structures of Equality have 3 components: values, labels, and equality. Learn about the line of equality and why it’s important.

strategies to improve word problems

Strategies to improve word problem understanding 

Structures of Equality takes the best of bar models and CGI and adds in a few key elements to help students visualize what is happening in story problems.

Comparison word problems can be tricky. But they don’t have to be.

Updated 8.13.2025 We recently looked at how keywords can cause confusion when students are given a problem with a comparison situation. Today, you’ll see two word problem strategies side by side: CUBES, a procedural method, and Structures of Equality (SoE), a framework for comprehension. Here are 3 ideas to consider while you look at the […]