the Structures of Equality book is now available!

Practical Ideas for Elementary Math Teachers

Classroom-tested strategies for word problems, number sense, and making math meaningful.

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The right answer doesn’t tell you whether a student understands. Student-drawn models do. Here’s what to look for and how to respond

May 27, 2026

Why Students Need to Draw Models (Even When They Get the Right Answer)

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Do your students struggle to write equations from models? Here’s how to help them translate.

April 29, 2026

Why Students Can Draw Math Models but Struggle to Write Equations 

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When students label their thinking precisely, their understanding becomes visible. By requiring the unit and the descriptor, we help students show meaning with their models.

December 3, 2025

Moving Beyond Traditional Bar Models

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When students come across questions like “How many more does Jordan have than Emma?”, the comparison relationship often confuses them. This blog talks about how the Compare structure helps them see the relationship between the values.

November 12, 2025

What’s the Same, What’s Different: Comparison in Elementary Math Word Problems

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Sometimes it feels like your students are playing a guessing game when it
comes to number stories. Learn how SoE helps them understand and the research that
backs it.

April 2, 2025

The “why” behind SoE: rethinking wordproblems

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Are your students struggling with the PET structure? Use manipulatives and visual representations to gradually build their confidence and understanding.

February 26, 2025

Helping Students Understand the Total Bar in a PET Structure

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Struggling to help students with word problems? 1st-grade teacher Matt Spirakus shares how Structures of Equality transformed his approach.

November 20, 2024

Why this 1st-grade teacher is all in on Structures of Equality

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The main idea is as critical in math as it is in literacy. And it’s a key component of Structures of Equality.

October 16, 2024

Finding the main idea in math?

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Watch Valerie Faulkner connect what students know about composing and decomposing numbers to solve with a Parts Equal Total (PET) structure.

May 29, 2024

Using bar models to support students with solving number stories

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Bar models are the foundation for SoE. Learn how they’re enhanced through the structures.

September 20, 2023

Word Problem Instruction Reinvented

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