How to Successfully Teach Eureka Math (Engage NY Math): Concept Development

Once you are finished going over the application problem, the next step is usually to start the Concept Development, which is the meat of your lesson.

You will find that the concept development is pretty scripted out already - however, this is meant to just be a guide for you to follow, and not necessarily to be read word for word.

​Prior to teaching the concept development, make sure you have read through the lesson and have gathered all your materials. It helps to have prepared ahead of time so you aren’t wasting any time during the actual lesson!

Typically, the concept development starts with modeling, then moves to a more guided practice, and finally to independent practice. You will also notice that the problems tend to progress from easier to harder as the lesson continues. 

​Students may start out with reviewing a related skill that they have previously learned. The teacher will then demonstrate the new skill, talking through the process and asking questions as they go.

I found that if I taught the content completely and with fidelity, my students consistently made dramatic improvements in their mathematical abilities. I really think this program is amazing. However, I found it incredibly difficult to remember the nuances and specific order to teach the material, so I decided to make PowerPoint presentations to help guide me during my lessons. 

Engage NY Math/Eureka math does a really nice job of outlining what a lesson should sound like in the teacher's manuals and I included all of that in my presentations. Of course, I don't read them like a script, but it was incredibly helpful to have everything there in case we got off on a tangent (which almost always happened). Additionally, I found that my students (yes, my 2nd graders) began to take the lead in some of our lessons, because let's be honest - as an older teacher, this is not how I learned math. I've included a few examples above of concept development slides that I use.

Once the teacher has modeled the concept development skill, the teacher and students will then work together to complete several problems. It is up to you as the teacher to determine when the students are ready to tackle independent practice. You will notice in the lesson that several sample problems are provided for you to use; however, you can of course opt to use different problems, or use more or less than what is provided. 

The concept development also provides many talking points that you as a teacher may wish to go over with your students. Again, this is easily customized and you should decide how much explanation to provide based on your students’ level of understanding. 

The concept development requires the most preparation and customization, so here’s what you should consider as you are preparing for this portion of the lesson:

• What specific problems will you have your students work? 
• Which problems will you model?
• Which problems will you work WITH the class?
• Which problems will you assign for independent practice?
• How will you use (or have your students use) the materials listed?
• What areas of the lesson does your class already have a good handle on?
• What areas of the lesson might your class need more practice with?​

Answering these questions will help you be better prepared for when you actually teach the lesson. Of course, some decisions will have to be made on the fly depending on how your students respond to the lesson, but thinking through these things ahead of time will help make those decisions easier.

Once you feel your students have a good grasp on the material, it is time to move on to the second part of the concept development - the Problem Set. We will go over this - as well as the Debrief and Exit Ticket - in the next few posts in this series.