Watch this space for an evolving set of resources designed to support teachers and educators in thinking about issues of equity, access, identity, and agency in the Investigations classroom. The Investigations staff is collaborating with consultants whose work focuses on these issues.

Excursions

Excursions are sets of related 4-6 activities that encourage students to apply the math they are learning to the contexts of their own and others’ lives and communities. Six Excursions are available for download on the Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics. While designed for classrooms using any math curriculum, recommendations for Investigations 3 classrooms are given in the parentheses:

• Favorite Foods: K-1 (Teach KU7, Investigation 1, then begin with Activity 2 of the Excursion. Or, teach before 1U5.)
• Quilts: 1-2 (Teach during or after 1U2 or 2U2.)
• Buildings: 1-2 (Teach during or after 1U8 or Investigation 1 of 2U2.)
• Languages: 3-5 (Teach after 3U2, 4U2, or 5U5.)
• Quilts: 4-5 (Teach after 4U4 or 4U6; or after 5U8.)
• Temperature: 5 (Teach after 5U5.)

Teacher and Student Reflection Tools

Three reflection tools designed to support teachers in bringing about more equitable participation in their classrooms are available for download on the Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics.

• Teacher Reflection tools — one for whole class discussions and one for small group/pair work — help teachers keep equitable participation at the forefront as they plan for and engage students in whole class discussions and in small group and pair work
• A Student Reflection tool supports teachers in incorporating students’ reflections on math and math class into their practice

The Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics

The Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics is a website for reflecting on and discussing equity, access, identity, and agency in the K-5 mathematics classroom. Its goal is to provide resources, publications, and professional learning opportunities to broaden and deepen perspectives on equity and to open up discussions among educators as we seriously and passionately pursue equity in mathematics learning for elementary students.

• Explore a framework that supports reflecting on equity
• Read blogs about various aspects of equitable learning communities, including the importance of teacher and student reflection
• Download a tool designed to make student reflection a regular part of a teacher’s practice
• Download tools that help teachers keep equitable participation at the forefront as they plan for and engage students in whole class discussions, small group work and pair work
• Register for a 2-day online summer workshop focused on creating and sustaining equitable math learning communities

Developing an Equitable Math Learning Community in Unit 1

Establishing and maintaining an equitable learning community requires explicit attention and planning, starting at the very beginning of the school year. The documents below offer suggestions for how three key structures—whole class discussions, Math Workshop, and partner work—can develop and support identity and agency in all students, particularly those who have been historically marginalized in mathematics.

There are two documents/grade that offer ways to begin this work in Unit 1. One presents equity opportunities by Session. The other organizes the same information (also by session) in three separate sections—focused on Discussions, Math Workshop, and partner work.

• K Unit 1 by Session, K Unit 1 by Topic
• 1 Unit 1 by Session, 1 Unit 1 by Topic
• 2 Unit 1 by Session, 2 Unit 1 by Topic
• 3 Unit 1 by Session, 3 Unit 1 by Topic
• 4 Unit 1 by Session, 4 Unit 1 by Topic
• 5 Unit 1 by Session, 5 Unit 1 by Topic

Blogs about Issues of Equity

The Investigations 3 team has been writing blogs about issues of equity, access, identity, and agency in the Investigations classroom.

• Discussions: A Structure that Supports Equity (2/5/25)
• Announcing a New Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics (9/13/23)
• Teacher Reflection Fosters Equitable Learning Communities (2/18/22)
• What Do Students Think about Math? Ask Them and Find Out! (1/21/22)
• A Space for All of Us: Setting Up the Classroom Environment (11/5/21)
• Developing Classroom Agreements in the Inv3 Classroom (10/25/21)
• A New Class, A New Year: The Role of Classroom Agreements (10/11/21)
• Establishing an Equitable Learning Community (10/4/21)
• A Framework for Reflecting about Equity (9/27/21)

Gender-Specific Language

As part of our commitment to supporting the development of equitable learning communities, and to recognizing the diverse learners in Investigations classrooms, our staff examined the curriculum to identify instances of gender-specific language. Those places, along with suggested adaptations, are detailed in the attached table. Edits in grades 1-5 will appear in the digital assets (e.g., e-text, digital student pages etc.) on Savvas Realize by late fall 2021 and will be reflected in the print materials in future printings. All Kindergarten edits are currently pending.

A Framework for Reflecting about Equity in the Investigations Mathematics Classroom

This framework lays out the territory for potential action, as our staff takes up questions about how Investigations can be a tool for anti-racist work and better support students who have been historically marginalized, especially Black and brown students, to be doers of mathematics. We offer it as a resource for reflecting on issues of equity, identity, and agency in mathematics learning and teaching, both for ourselves and for school-based educators.