Getting Organized

In planning to teach CMP, the most important thing you need to do is become familiar with the content and the way the concepts, reasoning, and skills are developed. As you prepare, try to anticipate your students’ thinking and assess where difficulties might occur. The following section provides suggestions you can use as a guide as you plan to teach CMP.

As you prepare to begin your school year, setting the stage for a collaborative learning community of middle school mathematicians is crucial. Garnering student enthusiasm for their learning begins in the opening days of school. Posing the question, “What would make this an ideal class?” followed by, “How can we make it happen?” can set the stage for developing classroom norms for your school year. You can further foster that environment by creating a space that welcomes students and has plenty of room to display the products of their learning. Organizing your classroom space as well as preparing a plan for student organization and for your own organization is very important.