Resources for Middle Grades (6-8)
The North Carolina Collaborative for Mathematics Learning (NC2ML) brings together math educators to support each other with resources developed from significant research and practical experience for classroom success. Together, we create a network of support; give teachers, leaders, families, and students a voice in the future of math education; and, most important, develop enthusiastic math learners.
The VISIONS Project: Leadership tools to support teachers with a shared instructional approach that helps each and every student flourish
Specially designed resources for middle school-based mathematics coaches
Whether they realize it or not, students in the Middle Grades are shaping their identities every day. Everyone can flourish mathematically, and it is our responsibility as mathematics educators to provide opportunities for each and every student to flourish, especially students from minoritized populations who should be supported and know their thinking is valued.
The resources below were designed to enable school- and district-based coaches as well as school administrators in charge of mathematics instruction to support each and every mathematics teacher to implement NC Mathematics Standards using High Quality, Equitable Mathematics Instruction (HQEMI). This short video shares our vision of HQEMI.
There are three main categories of inter-related resources below. We encourage mathematics instructional leaders to choose resources that fit their context. Having said that, we believe that developing teacher empathy for each and every student is an under-explored topic and serves as the foundation for professional development.
Empathy, Mindsets, and Characteristics
Teacher Empathy for All Mathematics Students
School-based instructional leaders will learn how to support their teachers to have empathic interactions with students so that each and every student feels a sense of belonging in mathematics class
Growth Mathematical Mindsets for All
School-based instructional leaders will develop a mathematics mindset in themselves and/or teachers so that the joy of doing mathematics spreads throughout the school
Characteristics of High Quality and Equitable Mathematics Instruction
School-based instructional leaders will have access to multiple resources to aid in defining and identifying characteristics of high quality and equitable mathematics instruction
Teacher Empathy for All Mathematics Students
Overview of entire set of materials. As the Overview indicates, there are two Options for implementing the Empathy Materials. Please read the Overview to help you decide which Option fits best for your context.
Option 1: Yearlong Experience
Option 2: Choose Your Own Experience
Book Club
Sense of Belonging Activity
Portrait of a Student: Creation Activity
Portrait of Students: Analysis Activity
Empathy Video Analysis
Empathy Plays
Champion a Student
Growth Mathematical Mindsets for All
Overview of the entire set of materials. These 5 tasks do not need to be completed in any particular order or in their entirety. This module is designed to support each participant in the best course of action for their own professional growth with regards to their individual mathematical mindset.
Growth Mathematical Mindset
Math Mindset Self-Assessment
Math Mindset: Documentary
Trace Your Path to Becoming a Mathematician
Growing Your Mindset (General Audience)
Growing Your Mindset (Math Teacher Audience)
Characteristics of High Quality and Equitable Mathematics Instruction
There are 5 equity-based practices for instructional leaders and educators to explore; Going Deep with Mathematics, Leveraging Multiple Mathematical Competencies, Affirming Mathematics Learners’ Identities, Challenging Spaces of Marginality, and Drawing on Multiple Resources of Knowledge. Each practice is explained in a 2-page brief, with a slide deck to use in a professional learning setting, and suggested tasks to implement in the classroom. ** Be sure to look in the notes sections of the slides if you choose to use those resources.
Characteristics of High Quality, Equitable Mathematics Instruction
Going Deep with Mathematics
Leveraging Multiple Mathematical Competencies
Affirming Mathematics Learners' Identities
Challenging Spaces of Marginality
Drawing on Multiple Resources of Knowledge
How to integrate NC’s revised mathematics standards
A library of resources, by teachers for teachers
What do you need to know about revisions to NC DPI’s Math Standards and how should you integrate them to achieve high-quality, equitable math instruction? These are the questions that the NC2ML team — educators, district leaders, and researchers — takes on to ensure that teachers have support. We continue to refine support materials based on teacher feedback. Within this website, you can access these resources to ensure adherence to North Carolina standards while achieving your instructional goals.
In addition to instructional frameworks, we’ve put together a set of tools to address common challenges and areas of opportunity in high-quality math instruction. In the links on the right, find resources designed to help you better understand the NC math standards in a way that can make all the difference in your instructional planning and creation of classroom experiences.
Additional 6-8 Resources
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This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant DRL – 2100895 awarded to East Carolina University, DRL-2100903 awarded UNC Greensboro, DRL – 2100947 awarded UNC Charlotte, and DRL – 2100833 awarded to Appalachian State University. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the principal investigators and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
NC2ML would like to thank the following mathematics educators who worked on these materials: Susan Davis, Katy Gash, Samantha Haislip, Anna Jarrett, Janet Jenkins, Lance Kanter, Katie Martin, Shelby Morge, Betsy O’Hara, Amy Preston, Premkumar Pugalenthi, Melanie Richey, Alisan Royster, Shonette Simmons, Jenni Thompson, Catherine Walston, Jonee Wilson, Toni Witherow, Stacy Wozny, Tisa Futch, Jennifer Neel, Lanre Oriowo and Andrea Wright