Structures of Equality book coming summer 2026!

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A resource for caregivers to help their child make sense of math word problems. Learn how to spot the math main idea and support understanding at home.

January 21, 2026

Helping Your Child Make Sense of Word Problems

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CGI teaches students to think, not just memorize, but what if there’s one key piece missing? Learn one small shift for a huge impact. (And no, you don’t have to abandon your CGI problems!)

January 14, 2026

What’s Missing from CGI? 

This post explores how to select or adapt number stories that invite sense-making, honor students’ experiences, and align with instructional goals.

November 19, 2025

Choosing High-Quality Elementary Math Word Problems 

Fractions confuse students not because they can’t calculate but because they don’t truly understand what fractions represent. This article unpacks the most common fraction misconceptions, why they occur, and how teachers can shift from rules to reasoning with stories, visuals, and models.

October 15, 2025

When Fractions Don’t Make Sense

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Productive struggle isn’t about frustration. It’s about giving students the right kind of challenge, paired with structure and support, so they can reason, make sense of problems, and build confidence.

September 3, 2025

Why Productive Struggle Matters and What It Looks Like in Math

The Parts Equal Total structure isn’t a shortcut for solving; it’s a way to understand what’s happening in the story. This blog explores how PET supports comprehension from the earliest grades through more complex problems.

August 20, 2025

Why Parts Equal Total Isn’t Just Addition or Subtraction

A reflection on how Pam Seda’s work validates my mission to bring equity, comprehension, and deep thinking into math classrooms.

June 11, 2025

A Shared Language of Equity: How Pam Seda’s Work Affirms the Vision Behind Structures of Equality

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Many students struggle with math not because of computation, but because they don’t know where to start. Learn how Structures of Equality (SoE) helps students decode word problems and build confidence in problem-solving.

April 23, 2025

Making Math Make Sense: The Role of Reading Comprehension

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

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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