Structures of Equality book coming summer 2026!

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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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The questions we ask during word problems shape how students think about math. Here’s what to ask instead and why it changes everything.

April 22, 2026

Better Questions for Math Word Problems

Most teachers ask the same questions during word problems: “What operation do we use?” or “Are there any keywords?” These questions feel helpful. But what if they’re pulling students away from the very understanding we’re trying to build?

April 15, 2026

Why the Questions We Ask During Word Problems Work Against Understanding

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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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

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 

After three years with Structures of Equality, fourth grade teacher Jasmin isn’t just trying it out, she’s all in. Her story offers insight into what changes when comprehension leads and scaffolds support real thinking.

September 10, 2025

Three Years In: A Teacher’s Journey with SoE

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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

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

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Two educators. One goal: help students understand word problems. Discover how the Structures of Equality (SoE) framework came to life, and why it works.

April 9, 2025

The Story of Structures of Equality: Two Perspectives

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