The Robertson Program
@robertsonprog.bsky.social
Collaborating with educators and researchers to create inquiry-based math and science resources. Part of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, U of T.
Students recreate images composed of base ten blocks using base ten blocks and calculate the sum of the blocks used in this teacher led activity. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Base Ten Block Quick Image
Students recreate images composed of base ten blocks and calculate the sum of the blocks used.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
November 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Students recreate images composed of base ten blocks using base ten blocks and calculate the sum of the blocks used in this teacher led activity. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
3 paper “snakes” and “magic pellets” are at the centre of this story-based, early years patterning lesson. What theories do children come up with for how many pellets each snake must eat? Do they recognize the patterns created?
Free lesson + printable: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free lesson + printable: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Growing Patterns
Through a story about magical snakes, children think about numerical patterns.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
November 7, 2025 at 6:11 PM
3 paper “snakes” and “magic pellets” are at the centre of this story-based, early years patterning lesson. What theories do children come up with for how many pellets each snake must eat? Do they recognize the patterns created?
Free lesson + printable: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free lesson + printable: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Of all the early assessments, a child’s ability to accurately map numbers onto a number line is a robust predictor of their achievement in mathematics," @oise prof Zack Hawes. Number lines support children’s understanding of ratio, proportion and scaling.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
The Power of the Number Line: A Model that Scales | The Robertson Program | Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Number lines make explicit and build upon pre-existing spatial-numeric intuitions, support children’s growing understanding of ratio, proportion and scaling, and help students to construct and interna...
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 31, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Of all the early assessments, a child’s ability to accurately map numbers onto a number line is a robust predictor of their achievement in mathematics," @oise prof Zack Hawes. Number lines support children’s understanding of ratio, proportion and scaling.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
Get students using spatial language at the beginning of math class with this quick activity you can use over and over again. Students improve visualization and communication skills over time!
Free slides with prompts in presenter's notes for teachers: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free slides with prompts in presenter's notes for teachers: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Can You Draw This?
Students are briefly shown a series of designs inside a square and must recreate them from memory.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 30, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Get students using spatial language at the beginning of math class with this quick activity you can use over and over again. Students improve visualization and communication skills over time!
Free slides with prompts in presenter's notes for teachers: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free slides with prompts in presenter's notes for teachers: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
A 2-part lesson from @JackmanICS lab school that gets students practicing how to measure height, circumference & weight. Non-standard measurements pave the way for standard units.
Free lesson plan w Ontario curriculum connections! www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
@OISEUofT #mathteacher
Free lesson plan w Ontario curriculum connections! www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
@OISEUofT #mathteacher
Pumpkin Math: Part 1
A 2-part lesson exploring the relationship between a pumpkin's circumference, height, and weight.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 24, 2025 at 1:43 PM
A 2-part lesson from @JackmanICS lab school that gets students practicing how to measure height, circumference & weight. Non-standard measurements pave the way for standard units.
Free lesson plan w Ontario curriculum connections! www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
@OISEUofT #mathteacher
Free lesson plan w Ontario curriculum connections! www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
@OISEUofT #mathteacher
This easy-to-set-up partner game gives primary-level students practice working with 2-digit numbers. Who can strategize to fill in a row or column on their 100-frame first?
Free lesson + print-out: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free lesson + print-out: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
100 Frame Bingo
Students will practice arranging place value to compose two-digit numbers in this variation of Bingo.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 22, 2025 at 8:09 PM
This easy-to-set-up partner game gives primary-level students practice working with 2-digit numbers. Who can strategize to fill in a row or column on their 100-frame first?
Free lesson + print-out: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free lesson + print-out: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Get students using spatial language at the beginning of math class with this quick activity you can use over and over again. Students improve visualization and communication skills over time!
Free slides with prompts in presenter's notes for teachers:
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free slides with prompts in presenter's notes for teachers:
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Can You Draw This?
Students are briefly shown a series of designs inside a square and must recreate them from memory.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 21, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Get students using spatial language at the beginning of math class with this quick activity you can use over and over again. Students improve visualization and communication skills over time!
Free slides with prompts in presenter's notes for teachers:
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free slides with prompts in presenter's notes for teachers:
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Common manipulatives, such as popsicle sticks and wooden cubes, serve well as symbols for mathematical ideas! Learn about the 4 guidelines for using manipulatives in classrooms developed by Laski and colleagues to improve student learning.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
Math Manipulatives: How do they aid student learning? | The Robertson Program | Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
How do they aid student learning? With insight from practicing teachers, Dr. Julie Comay explores how math manipulatives — both physical and virtual — may help and hinder mathematical development .
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 16, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Common manipulatives, such as popsicle sticks and wooden cubes, serve well as symbols for mathematical ideas! Learn about the 4 guidelines for using manipulatives in classrooms developed by Laski and colleagues to improve student learning.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
All you need is a few decks of cards and you can challenge your students to create an equation that is closest to a target number. Differentiation options let you modify this game for both primary and junior students! www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Going for Gold
Students use three cards to try to get as close to 15 as possible without going over.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 15, 2025 at 8:45 PM
All you need is a few decks of cards and you can challenge your students to create an equation that is closest to a target number. Differentiation options let you modify this game for both primary and junior students! www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Check out our recent monthly challenge exploring order of operation word problems! Easy activities that can be implemented in classrooms to assess addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills for primary and junior students! www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/mo...
Monthly Math Challenge
Each month, we are offering sets of engaging math challenges tailored for both primary and junior students. Designed to ignite classroom discussions and foster deep mathematical thinking, these challe...
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 9, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Check out our recent monthly challenge exploring order of operation word problems! Easy activities that can be implemented in classrooms to assess addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills for primary and junior students! www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/mo...
All you need is a deck of cards for this cooperative game! Students work to get rid of all their cards by devising math statements that equal 7. Start w/ addition/subtraction for primaries; challenge juniors to include multiplication/division.
Free lesson: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free lesson: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Lucky 7s
In this collaborative game, students create math equations with various mathematical operations to achieve target outcomes.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 9, 2025 at 1:55 AM
All you need is a deck of cards for this cooperative game! Students work to get rid of all their cards by devising math statements that equal 7. Start w/ addition/subtraction for primaries; challenge juniors to include multiplication/division.
Free lesson: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free lesson: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Learn about the importance of symmetry in play and development, in spatial reasoning, and resources that can be implemented within the classroom to improve understanding. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
Symmetry: A foundational concept in STEAM | The Robertson Program | Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
The drive for symmetry is already apparent in the play of young children, who show growing inclination and ability to create spatially regular and patterned forms with art or construction materials an...
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 3, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Learn about the importance of symmetry in play and development, in spatial reasoning, and resources that can be implemented within the classroom to improve understanding. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
Once students can multiply numbers between 1 and 6, challenge them to expand their skills with “Evens & Odds.” This 2-person game extends into multiplying larger numbers, exploring probability, and recognizing prime and squared numbers.
Free lesson: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free lesson: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Evens and Odds
A collaborative game encouraging students to recall and demonstrate multiplication facts in order to remove all their game chips before their opponent does it first.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
October 1, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Once students can multiply numbers between 1 and 6, challenge them to expand their skills with “Evens & Odds.” This 2-person game extends into multiplying larger numbers, exploring probability, and recognizing prime and squared numbers.
Free lesson: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Free lesson: www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
We love the math possibilities found in a deck of cards! 99 is an adding/subtracting game challenging students to determine a strategy to keep their total score under – you guessed it! – 99!
* All you need: A deck of cards
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
* All you need: A deck of cards
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
99
In this collaborative game, students try to keep the cumulative total under 99 until the deck runs out.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
September 29, 2025 at 3:21 PM
We love the math possibilities found in a deck of cards! 99 is an adding/subtracting game challenging students to determine a strategy to keep their total score under – you guessed it! – 99!
* All you need: A deck of cards
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
* All you need: A deck of cards
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Water provides many paths to learning, including earth sciences, chemistry, geology and biology. Grade One Teacher Zoe Donoahue is leading her students on an inquiry into water while sharing her journey with The Robertson Program.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Exploring Water: A Grade 1 Science Inquiry
Grade One Teacher Zoe Donoahue is leading her students on an inquiry into water and she is sharing the journey with The Robertson Program.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
September 18, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Water provides many paths to learning, including earth sciences, chemistry, geology and biology. Grade One Teacher Zoe Donoahue is leading her students on an inquiry into water while sharing her journey with The Robertson Program.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Use math to gain new perspectives on the history and impact of residential schools. Combine data, maps, and personal stories to spark meaningful classroom discussions and deeper learning in our new blog. #TruthAndReconciliation #MathEd #IndigenousEducation
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
Reflecting on Orange Shirt Day: Using Math to Deepen Understanding | The Robertson Program | Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Use math to open new perspectives on the history and impact of residential schools. Explore lesson ideas that combine data, mapping, and personal stories to inspire meaningful discussion and learning.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
September 16, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Use math to gain new perspectives on the history and impact of residential schools. Combine data, maps, and personal stories to spark meaningful classroom discussions and deeper learning in our new blog. #TruthAndReconciliation #MathEd #IndigenousEducation
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
There are many ways to practice becoming fluent with place value and understanding the relationships between digits. But there is the only game you need to help children gain a conceptual understanding of numbers.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
The only game you need to teach place value | The Robertson Program | Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
There are many ways to practice becoming fluent with place value and understanding the relationships between digits. But this is the only game you need to know to help children gain a conceptual under...
www.oise.utoronto.ca
September 11, 2025 at 6:31 PM
There are many ways to practice becoming fluent with place value and understanding the relationships between digits. But there is the only game you need to help children gain a conceptual understanding of numbers.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/bl...
Students learn to sort, classify, and display a variety of concrete objects, and begin to explore the concept of probability in everyday contexts using beads and pipe cleaners.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Beading and Graphing
For students to sort, classify, and display a variety of concrete objects, collect data, begin to read and describe displays of data, and begin to explore the concept of probability in everyday contex...
www.oise.utoronto.ca
September 10, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Students learn to sort, classify, and display a variety of concrete objects, and begin to explore the concept of probability in everyday contexts using beads and pipe cleaners.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Students learn to estimate, compare, and simplify fractions in this online activity as they race to place their fraction cards accurately on a number line. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Fraction Race
Estimate, compare, and simplify fractions as students race to place their fraction cards accurately on a number line.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
September 9, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Students learn to estimate, compare, and simplify fractions in this online activity as they race to place their fraction cards accurately on a number line. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Welcome back! Kindergarten teacher Carol Stephenson brings us inside her @JackmanICS classroom to share how she fosters inquiry-based learning at the beginning of the school year. In this video, see how her students are eager to learn as they investigate "mini beasts":
youtu.be/mKRkYSsvP78
youtu.be/mKRkYSsvP78
Insight on Inquiry: Starting the Year in Kindergarten
YouTube video by The Robertson Program
youtu.be
September 8, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Welcome back! Kindergarten teacher Carol Stephenson brings us inside her @JackmanICS classroom to share how she fosters inquiry-based learning at the beginning of the school year. In this video, see how her students are eager to learn as they investigate "mini beasts":
youtu.be/mKRkYSsvP78
youtu.be/mKRkYSsvP78
Students analyze a class-generated list of historical figures to explore patterns of representation, and discuss the social factors that reveal issues of power, racial and gender inequality. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Historical Figures in One Minute
Students generate and analyze data to reveal issues of power, racial and gender inequality.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
June 19, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Students analyze a class-generated list of historical figures to explore patterns of representation, and discuss the social factors that reveal issues of power, racial and gender inequality. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Students learn to sort, classify, and display a variety of concrete objects, and begin to explore the concept of probability in everyday contexts using beads and pipe cleaners.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Beading and Graphing
For students to sort, classify, and display a variety of concrete objects, collect data, begin to read and describe displays of data, and begin to explore the concept of probability in everyday contex...
www.oise.utoronto.ca
June 16, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Students learn to sort, classify, and display a variety of concrete objects, and begin to explore the concept of probability in everyday contexts using beads and pipe cleaners.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Students explore the factors that influence one’s ability to access food in remote areas by estimating and calculating transactions and sales tax. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Comparing Food Prices: Food Insecurity Part 1
Students use math to explore how explore the factors that influence one’s ability to access food.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
June 12, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Students explore the factors that influence one’s ability to access food in remote areas by estimating and calculating transactions and sales tax. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
In this fraction-focused twist on Sudoku, students use equivalent fractions—as well as improper and mixed numbers—to complete the board. Students must reason about fraction size and equivalence while applying logic to solve the puzzle.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Fraction Sudoku
Develop skills in fraction recognition, comparison, and logical reasoning. Students practice analyzing patterns and applying problem-solving strategies collaboratively.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
June 10, 2025 at 1:35 PM
In this fraction-focused twist on Sudoku, students use equivalent fractions—as well as improper and mixed numbers—to complete the board. Students must reason about fraction size and equivalence while applying logic to solve the puzzle.
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Using the four basic operations, players take turns asking opponents for cards that will create a whole number up to and including 50. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...
Go Fish
Using the four basic operations, players take turns asking opponents for cards that will create a target number.
www.oise.utoronto.ca
June 9, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Using the four basic operations, players take turns asking opponents for cards that will create a whole number up to and including 50. www.oise.utoronto.ca/robertson/le...