166: Kickstarting Problem Solving from Day One

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It’s back-to-school season, and if you’re running on caffeine and sheer willpower, this episode is for you. The copy machine is acting up, your prep time is shrinking, and yet—you’re slowly building something amazing with your new class. 

In today’s episode, we’ll talk about launching word problems in math from the very first week to set the tone for a year of problem-solvers, not just answer-getters.

Feeling overwhelmed by planning? I’ve got you covered with my First Week of Word Problem Workshop resources for K–2 and 3–5. These ready-to-go plans include SEL connections, sample problems, prompts, and teacher questions so you can focus on teaching—not reinventing the wheel. Grab them here:

• First Week of WPW K–2
  
  
• First Week of WPW 3–5

🎧 Listen to the full episode of the Math Chat Podcast for the stories, strategies, and teacher gems that will help you kick off problem-solving right.
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