Mathematizing Your School

Learn the secrets to getting your entire school excited about math! This
book from acclaimed author Dr. Nicki Newton and experienced instructional
specialist Janet Nuzzie shows you how to integrate engaging math
instruction at every level, from the small group project to the school-wide
assembly. With contributions from math coaches, district leaders, and
classroom teachers, this book will give you the practical tools you need
to boost student proficiency, encourage collaboration between staff
members, and make math an important part of school life.
You’ll also learn how to:

• Create a safe and inviting environment for mathematics

instruction;
• Devote adequate amounts of instructional time to help students
develop their skill set as proficient mathematicians;
• Use real-world contexts and hands-on instruction to boost
engagement;
• Give students the tools and opportunities to be confident, to
question, to take risks, and to make mistakes;
• And much, much more!

Nicki Newton has been an educator for 30 years, working both nationally and
internationally, with students of all ages. She has worked on developing Math
Workshop and Guided Math Institutes around the country. She is also an avid
blogger (www.guidedmath.wordpress.com), Facebooker (Guided Math 123),
tweeter (@drnickimath), Pinterest pinner (www.pinterest.com/drnicki7), and
YouTuber (Dr. Nicki YouTube channel).

Janet Nuzzie has served teachers and students at the campus, regional, and
district level for 23 years. She is the Instructional Specialist for Kindergarten-
Grade 4 Mathematics in the Pasadena Independent School District (TX) and
works to share the work of her district via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and
YouTube (PISDMathematics).
 Also Available from Dr. Nicki Newton
(www.routledge.com/eyeoneducation)

Math Problem Solving in Action:

Getting Students to Love Word Problems, Grades K-2

Math Problem Solving in Action:

Getting Students to Love Word Problems, Grades 3–5

Guided Math in Action:

Building Each Student’s Mathematical Proficiency
with Small-Group Instruction

Math Workshop in Action:

Strategies for Grades K-5

Math Running Records in Action:

A Framework for Assessing Basic Fact Fluency in Grades K-5

Math Workstations in Action:

Powerful Possibilities for Engaged Learning in Grades 3–5

Daily Math Thinking Routines in Action:

Distributed Practices Across the Year
 Mathematizing
Your School
Creating a Culture for Math Success

Nicki Newton and Janet Nuzzie

First published 2019
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

© 2019 Taylor & Francis

The right of Nicki Newton and Janet Nuzzie to be identified as authors of this
work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or

utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered

trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book has been requested

ISBN: 978-1-138-32322-3 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-138-32323-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-44915-4 (ebk)

Typeset in Palatino and Formata

by Apex CoVantage, LLC
 Contents

Meet the Team ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������vii

Foreword (by Dr. Karen Hickman) ��������������������������������������������������������������� xi
Preface ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������xiii
Acknowledgments ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� xv

 1 Introduction�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1

  2 Mathematizing Your District: Developing a Common

Language ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 5

  3 Mathematizing Your District: Building on Shared

Knowledge�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 33

  4 Mathematizing Your Staff������������������������������������������������������������������������ 73

  5 Mathematizing Your Campus �������������������������������������������������������������� 101

  6 Mathematizing Your Classroom ���������������������������������������������������������� 129

  7 Mathematizing Your Students�������������������������������������������������������������� 185

  8 Mathematizing Your Intervention and Enrichment ������������������������ 205

  9 Mathematizing Your Parents���������������������������������������������������������������� 223

10 Action Planning �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 245

  ◆ v
 Meet the Team

Editors

Nicki Newton has been an educator for 28 years, working

both nationally and internationally, with students of all ages.
She has worked on developing Math Workshop and Guided
Math Institutes around the country. She is also an avid blog-
ger (www.guidedmath.wordpress.com), Facebooker (Guided
Math 123), tweeter (@drnickimath), Pinterest pinner (www.
pinterest.com/drnicki7), and YouTuber (Dr. Nicki YouTube
channel).

Janet Nuzzie has served teachers and students at the campus,

regional, and district level for 23 years. She is the Instructional
Specialist for Kindergarten–Grade 4 Mathematics in the Pasa-
dena Independent School District (TX) and works to share
the work of her district via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and
YouTube (PISDMathematics). Janet has presented mathemat-
ics professional development sessions at the district, regional,
and state level and has held leadership roles in state math-
ematics organizations.

Contributors

Mariana Breaux has been an elementary school educator for

8 years. She taught first grade and third grade before becom-
ing a Mathematics Instructional Coach for Grades PK–4 in the
Pasadena Independent School District (TX). She works closely
with teachers and students to foster a deep understanding
and love of mathematics. She enjoys sharing reflections of her
journey, lessons learned, activities, and tools via Twitter and
her blog (www.chroniclesofamathcoach.wordpress.com).

◆ vii
 Samantha Cortez is a first-grade bilingual teacher in the
Pasadena Independent School District (TX). She encourages
her students to be proud mathematicians by identifying their
strengths and differentiating her instruction to help make
them successful. Samantha has presented mathematics pro-
fessional development sessions on her data binder and dif-
ferentiated workstations at the district, regional, and state
level and helps write mathematics curriculum for her school
district.

Debra Garcia currently serves as the Intervention Teacher

for an elementary campus in the Pasadena Independent
School district. Before serving as an Intervention Teacher,
Debra taught for 13 years in first-grade, third-grade, and
fourth-grade bilingual classrooms. She has presented confer-
ence sessions for mathematics at the district, regional, and
state level.

Jessica Garza is a second-grade bilingual teacher in the Pasa-

dena Independent School District (TX). She avidly works
alongside students, parents, and her community to develop
and encourage all mathematicians. Jessica has presented
mathematics professional development sessions on her inter-
active journals at the district, regional, and state level and
helps write mathematics curriculum for her school district.

Rogelio Guzman has worked in elementary education for

23 years, with the last 21 years being at the same elemen-
tary campus. He served as a fifth-grade teacher, then as a
third-grade teacher, and currently serves as the Mathematics
Instructional Coach for Grades K–4 mathematics in Pasadena,
Texas. He shares his passion for mathematics with teachers
and students at his campus.

viii  ◆  Meet the Team

Jacquelyn Kennedy is Mathematics Instructional Coach for
a PK–4 campus in the Pasadena Independent School District
(TX). Jacquelyn works to inspire the teachers on her campus
and throughout her district by sharing her love and passion
for mathematics. She looks forward to learning and growing
with the outstanding teachers she works with now and in the
future.

Kirsta Paulus is a third-grade teacher in the Pasadena Inde-

pendent School District (TX). She works to engage her stu-
dents in their learning to foster their sense of understanding,
capacity, and enthusiasm for mathematics. She has presented
mathematics professional development sessions about her
work with anchor charts and interactive notebooks at the
district, regional, and state level and helps write mathematics
curriculum for her school district.

Lara Roberts has worked in elementary education for

19 years. She began her career as a third-grade and fourth-
grade teacher. She is currently a Mathematics Instructional
Coach for Grades PK–4 in the Pasadena Independent School
District (TX). She works closely with teachers and students,
and her efforts center around mathematics instruction and
planning.

Meet the Team  ◆ ix

 Foreword

With the current emphasis on STEAM education and with so many math-
ematics- and science-focused jobs going to folks from outside the U.S., an
immediate change is needed regarding how we educate our students in
these content areas. We need to have a sense of urgency regarding how
we can best prepare our students for these future jobs. Many reports and
research findings indicate that employers need employees who can problem
solve and find solutions using both innovation and creativity. This shift to
create mathematically minded students starts in the elementary classroom.
Embedding and instilling the love of mathematics, reading, writing,
science, social studies, healthy living, and the arts in our students can be
overwhelming for educators. Finding a balance between teaching all of
the curriculum standards while meeting all of the individual needs of our
students can be a challenge for teachers, school administrators, and central
office leaders who have traditionally had extensive training focused on the
literacy standards and minimal training focused on the standards in other
content areas. Just as literacy in reading is critical for our students’ success,
literacy in mathematics and science is also essential for the success and
well-being of our students.
Mathematizing Your School paints a picture of the work focused on devel-
oping our students’ mathematical literacy and delineates in detail the excit-
ing work that is going on in the Pasadena Independent School District (TX)
to promote mathematics. The authors include Dr. Nicki Newton, whom we
have worked closely with over the course of the past few years, our math-
ematics specialist, and some of our mathematics coaches and teachers who
describe the professional learning journey that has led to a change in the
mindsets of our teachers and students regarding mathematics and math-
ematics instruction. The evolution of instructional practices across our dis-
trict is allowing our students to realize their potential in mathematics and
their capability to become successful mathematicians both in school and in
life. Through this work, mathematics continues to grow as an educational
priority in the district, on campuses, and in our classrooms.
Pasadena ISD is blessed that our elementary mathematics program is
led by a visionary specialist, Janet Nuzzie, who continually dreams of and
focuses the district on how things could be regarding mathematics and
mathematics instruction. She definitely has a growth mindset, not just for
herself, but for all of us around her! She has the ability to utilize systems
that are in place to focus the energy around structures such as Math Work-
shop in order to change the culture of our mathematics classrooms. Janet

◆ xi
understands the strength of using professional learning opportunities to
empower mathematics coaches and teachers to consider needed refine-
ments to their practice, becoming a champion of those changes, encour-
aging continued personal growth, and sharing the lessons learned with
others. As Janet likes to say, “Mathematicians learn and grow together!”
As our district has worked to refine our practices regarding mathemat-
ics instruction, Dr. Nicki Newton has collaborated with our district to help
us in our professional learning journey. It is so rare and yet so refreshing
to find a consultant who truly has partnered with a district, whether that
is through continued face-to-face professional development opportunities
or online professional development opportunities, and maintains relation-
ships with administrators, specialists, coaches, and teachers. Dr. Nicki
Newton has continually inspired changes to the instructional practices of
our teachers and the climate and culture of our elementary schools regard-
ing mathematics and mathematics instruction. This was a much-needed
change, and we are forever grateful for her and the support that her many
resources have provided us with our efforts.
In this book, the authors share the victories and challenges that come
with change, as well as the needed next steps for our mathematics journey.
We have not completed the journey, but I am inspired by where we are now
compared to where we once were. I hope you enjoy each chapter as real
practitioners share about the implementation and use of resources such as
curriculum documents, book studies, anchor charts, math journals, math
stations, data binders, Math Labs, and family math nights to mathematize
our district. Let’s also not forget about Mathematician Street and Mathema-
tician of the Month . . . two initiatives that are finding their way onto other
campuses in our district and helping us mathematize our schools! I love
the pictures that display the work of our teachers and students and hope
that these practical suggestions and supports will help you in your journey
to mathematize your school and/or district. We hope that the quotes from
administrators, coaches, teachers, and students will inspire you to roll up
your sleeves and begin mathematizing the world around you. Enjoy!

Dr. Karen Hickman

Deputy Superintendent of Academic Achievement
Pasadena ISD (TX)

xii  ◆ Foreword
 Preface

The lyrics are “Come along and ride on a Fantastic Voyage . . .” those words
from a song in the early ’80s by Lakeside come to mind when I think about
this book. I was in Pasadena, Texas, filming about Guided Math and Math
Workshop, and I saw the most amazing things! Math was everywhere, and
everyone loved math!
Wow! I immediately asked them to write about it because I think GOOD
PRACTICES are contagious. It’s our responsibility to spread the news! That
is exactly what this book does. Several amazing educators have gotten
together, written together, and now published this book about mathematiz-
ing schools (which really means making math important). Several different
people wrote this book, from many different perspectives of mathematiz-
ing a school. We hear from teachers, math coaches, and district specialists
all talking about how to make math an important part of school life. I am
more than honored to be able to co-edit such a phenomenal book with Janet
Nuzzie! Here is how we have organized it:
Chapter 1 is the Introduction. We discuss the blueprint of mathematiz-
ing your school and discuss the general components of who, what, when,
where, and how.
Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 focus on “Mathematizing Your District.” The
overall conversation is about how important the district can be in promot-
ing and supporting math for ALL! The district sends messages loud and
clear about what is important in the curriculum, and when they are on
board, everybody benefits. In Chapter 2 Janet centers her discussion on
“Developing a Common Language” using curriculum documents, meet-
ings with campus administrators, and district-wide professional develop-
ment. Chapter 3 explores how book studies, social media, opportunities
for teacher leaders, and campus spotlights provide everyone with ways in
which to support the goal of “Building on Shared Knowledge.”
Chapter 4 focuses on mathematizing your school staff. In this chapter
Lara and Jacquelyn talk about the joys and challenges of getting everyone
on board. It ain’t always easy, but it is definitely worth it! Everybody can
teach math with a little help from the Math Coach!
Chapter 5 focuses on “Mathematizing Your Campus.” In this chapter
Mariana discusses how she first started out mathematizing her school. She
discusses the joys and challenges of making it happen. She also gives us a
checklist of things to think about and ways to get started.
Chapter 6 focuses on mathematizing your classroom from the teacher’s
perspective. In this chapter three amazing teachers, Kirsta, Jessica, and

◆ xiii
Samantha, describe different things that they do to make math important.
We will learn about math anchor charts, math journals, Math Data Binders,
differentiated workstations, and more.
Chapter 7 focuses on mathematizing the students in your school! In this
chapter Mariana teaches us how to get the kids in on the excitement! Her
brilliant idea of Mathematician of the Month (a school-wide initiative) is
definitely going to go viral! This is so amazing, and she tells us exactly how
to do it! Get ready to get excited!
Chapter 8 focuses on “Mathematizing Your Intervention and Enrich-
ment.” Debra and Rogelio describe this amazing Math Lab that they run.
They talk about the importance of student’s self-monitoring and the gami-
fication of mathematics for deep engagement and long-term learning, and
they also give us the specifics of how to do it!
Chapter 9 focuses on “Mathematizing Your Parents!” In this chapter we
explore what it means to engage our parents so that they too are excited
about math, have the tools to help their students learn it, and also have
knowledge base to discuss the math that their students are learning.
Chapter 10 focuses on “Action Planning.” A goal without a date and
actionable steps is a dream. You have to sit down and really plan for the
specifics. Throughout the book we give you time to think, reflect, and start
planning as different ideas are introduced. However, in this chapter we
want you to look at the big picture and think about exactly where and how
you are going to get started. We give you ideas, reflection prompts, and
some planning templates to start the work!
So, let’s get started on this fantastic voyage! You are going to learn and
see so many amazing things that will change your mathematical school
lives! We sure have. Even as we wrote together and discussed ideas, we
continued to learn so many things from each other.

xiv  ◆ Preface
 Acknowledgments

Dr. Nicki: I thank God, my family, my friends, and the many colleagues
I work with on this great journey! Special thanks to all the educators in
Pasadena ISD who worked with me on this project. I am humbly honored
that you came along with me on this journey!
Janet Nuzzie: I would like to thank the teachers, mathematics coaches,
and administrators in Pasadena ISD who inspire (and humble) me with
their willingness to learn and grow as mathematicians. I would also like to
thank my parents who worked to provide me with so many opportunities
in life, my sister for her continued guidance in my journey as an educator,
and my husband who finds a way to make me smile each and every day.
Mariana Breaux: I would like to thank God, my amazing husband, and
my family for their constant encouragement and support. I would also
like to thank the amazing mathematics teachers at Richey Elementary for
embarking on this journey with me!
Samantha Cortez: Thank you Mom for always being my number one
supporter and for teaching me how to be the best person I can be. Thank
you Dad for always pushing me to be my best and never letting me forget
that God is always with me. Thank you also to my loved ones who are
always by my side supporting me and encouraging me!
Debra Garcia: Thank you to my administrators and colleagues at
LF Smith Elementary and Pasadena ISD for the inspiration, encourage-
ment, and guidance throughout this journey. Thank you to my amazing
family and friends for their love and support! Thank you Mom and Dad
for all the sacrifices you made to make sure I had opportunities just like
this one!
Jessica Garza: Thank you God, my truly incredible husband, family, and
friends for your endless love and support. Thank you Mom and Dad for
teaching me the value of hard work and inspiring me in more ways than
you can imagine.
Rogelio Guzman: I would like to thank God, my amazing wife, my
boys, my parents, and family for their unconditional love and support.
I would also like to thank my administrators, students, and co-workers for
inspiring me to grow into the educator I am today.
Jacquelyn Kennedy: I would like to thank all of the amazing mathemat-
ics teachers who have inspired and nourished my love for mathematics.
I would also like to thank God, my family, especially my mom, Linda, and
my friends who have encouraged me to learn and grow every step of the
way!

◆ xv
 Kirsta Paulus: The biggest of thank-yous to my family for their con-
stant encouragement and support. Thank you to my school family and my
students, who help me see mathematics in a new way each and every day.
Lara Roberts: I would like to thank God, my husband, and children for
their support. I would also like to thank my parents for instilling in me the
importance of working towards your goals.

xvi  ◆ Acknowledgments
 1
Introduction

We love mathematics! And it is our mission on earth to get everyone else too
as well! Too often we hear, “I don’t like math!” or sometimes we even hear
“I hate math!” from our colleagues! So we wrote a book to show how math
can be so amazing in your school. We want to talk about how to develop a
level of comfort with mathematics, how to honor our students and teach-
ers as mathematicians, and how promoting mathematics in our schools can
support the development of a mathematical mindset in all stakeholders. We
want to discuss ways to encourage all teachers and students to start liking
and possibly even loving math. We want to show ways to promote math-
ematics throughout the school in different ways, from having a Mathema-
tician’s Street to having a Mathematician of the Month from every grade
level. We want our schools to be mathematized!

What Is It?

Mathematizing your school is about Making Math Front and Center. It sits
right alongside the Literacy Movement (not behind it)! Mathematizing your
school means that everyone is on board (administrators, teachers, students,
parents, school staff) with making mathematics accessible (and enjoyable!)
to all learners. Mathematizing your school means . . .

Mathematizing your school is about creating a safe and inviting environment for
mathematics instruction.

Mathematizing your school means fostering a mindset that mathematics is not

about getting a right or wrong answer, but it is about different ways of getting
the answer . . . it is about thinking . . . the students’ thinking!

Mathematizing your school means that students receive adequate amounts of

instructional time to develop their skill set as proficient mathematicians.

◆ 1
 Mathematizing your school is about clarifying what the end goal is for each stu-
dent as a mathematician . . . rather than the end goal being solely to pass a test!

Mathematizing your school means that each student is provided with ample
opportunities to develop number sense and their own mathematical identity!

Mathematizing your school is a MINDSET shift. It means having expectations

that ALL students can be proficient with mathematics. It means that students
develop perseverance when tackling challenging problems.

Mathematizing your school means that students understand the role of persever-
ance in mathematics and use grit and determination when tackling challenging
problems!

Mathematizing your school means building a community where mathematics is

spotlighted in classrooms and all areas of the school.

Mathematizing your school means that students are a part of a “math move-
ment” where perseverance with mathematics is both welcomed and celebrated!

Mathematizing your school is about empowering all stakeholders to share ideas

about how to encourage students as mathematicians and using those ideas to
create a positive mathematical environment on the campus.

Mathematizing your school is about getting EVERYONE (students, teachers,

campus coaches, campus administrators) to embrace mathematics!

Mathematizing your school creates an environment where mathematics skills are

explored through hands-on instruction using real-world contexts.

Mathematizing your school means that mathematics is displayed throughout

the learning environment and sends the message that mathematics is valued at
your school!

Mathematizing your school means sharing a vision where all students are capa-
ble of learning mathematics and finding ways to spark a love for mathematics
within administrators, teachers, students, and parents.

2  ◆ Introduction
Mathematizing your school means giving students the tools and opportunities
to be confident, to question, to take risks, and to make mistakes.

Why Do It?

Mathematizing your school empowers everybody to believe that they

are mathematicians. It provides a space where everyone can be comfort-
able with mathematics and confident in their ability to do mathematics.
Everybody loves reading, but a lot of folks fear math. Mathematizing your
school addresses that phenomena. We need to mathematize our school
because . . .

We need to mathematize our school so that each and every student is empowered
to see himself/herself as a mathematician.

We need to mathematize our school so that students recognize their ability to

learn mathematics and are enabled to do so in different ways with different
strategies!

We need to mathematize our school so that students develop a love of mathematics!

We need to mathematize our school because we want our students to be inspired

by mathematics and the opportunities that mathematics creates in their future!

We need to mathematize our school so that students understand that mistakes

are a part of the learning process and that feedback is provided to help students
redirect their learning.

We need to mathematize our school in a way that the environment allows stu-
dents to feel safe to take risks during instruction.

We need to mathematize our school because problem solving is all around us and
students need to see that mathematics is more than a subject . . . that mathematics
is a life skill that will serve them in their daily lives.

We need to mathematize our school so that all stakeholders recognize the value
that the campus administrators and teachers place on the students’ learning of
mathematics.

Introduction  ◆ 3
 We need to mathematize our schools because a child who is able to think criti-
cally, find different strategies, and listen and share ideas can change the world!

Summary

In this chapter we have introduced Mathematizing Your School. We have

set out to show how school should be a safe space to learn mathematics.
Teachers, students, administrators, and parents should understand that it
takes perseverance to do mathematics well and that mistakes will definitely
happen along the way. Mathematizing your school is about creating a liv-
ing, breathing, positive environment for mathematics to be promoted and
celebrated by all stakeholders in the school and district. Mathematizing a
school requires a plan and a coordinated effort that will pay dividends for a
lifetime. Mathematizing your school is about creating and fostering a mind-
set that everyone can and will be successful at math. If we want to truly
educate and prepare the next generation to be productive citizens and live
successful lives, mathematizing your school should be a non-negotiable for
every learning space in our school districts.

Questions to Consider

1. How important is mathematics in your school right now? Do all

stakeholders (the students, the teachers, the administration, the
school staff [secretaries, cooks, custodians], the parents) realize
how important mathematics is?
2. Does your school celebrate teachers’ and students’ achievements
in mathematics? Why or why not? What can be done to further
celebrate the efforts of the teachers and young mathematicians?
3. What is one thing about mathematics/mathematics instruction
that you would like to change in your school?

4  ◆ Introduction