Help your students feel more confident and prepared for testing with this activity guide and interactive notes page!

Hi, I'm Holly 💛

If you’ve ever looked at the way math is taught now and thought, “Wait… this is not how I learned it,” you’re not alone.

So many teachers and parents feel frustrated trying to make sense of “new math.” They want to help their students but aren’t always sure how to explain it in a way that clicks. It can feel overwhelming, confusing, and discouraging.

I’ve been there too.

As a 5th grade teacher, I quickly realized that teaching math through memorization and steps wasn’t enough. My class felt chaotic and math lessons didn't flow like I wanted them to. That’s when I learned about Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), which completely changed the way I view math and how I teach it. I began to see that my students didn’t just need the answer - they needed to understand the why and the how behind their thinking.

Now, I focus on a classroom where student thinking leads the learning. Discussion, math vocabulary, collaboration, and problem solving are at it's heart. The goal isn’t just about test success - it’s about real understanding and confidence in the real world.