Join us on May 4 & 5, 2023 in Saskatoon for two days packed with professional learning opportunities!
The Saskatchewan Understands Math (SUM) conference is for mathematics educators teaching in Grades K-12 and all levels of educational leadership interested in mathematics curriculum, instruction, number sense, problem-solving, culturally responsive teaching, and technology integration, and will bring together international and local facilitators to work in meaningful ways with participants in a variety of formats.
This year, SUM is proud to welcome keynote presenters Geoff Krall, Author of Necessary Conditions: Teaching Secondary Math with Academic Safety, Quality Tasks, and Effective Facilitation, Nat Banting, winner of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM and Hema Khodai, Advocate for Anti-Oppressive and Anti-Racist Mathematics Education.
If you are interested in facilitating a 30-, 60-, or 90-minute session, submit a proposal here.
Pre-Conference Workshop with Geoff Krall
May 4, 2023 | 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. | STF Building | $150
Register Here
Cost
$150
SUM Conference
May 4 and 5, 2023 | Delta Hotel, Saskatoon SK | $200
Opening Keynote on May 4 | 7:00 p.m. -8:30 p.m.
Keynotes/Break Out Sessions on May 5 | 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Register Here
Cost
$200 (regular)
$40 (Student / Intern)
ATOM (A Taste of Mathematics) is a series of booklets published by The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS). The series is designed for secondary school students and their teachers. The CMS is in the process of making all the volumes in this series available for free from their website at: https://cms.math.ca/publications/atom-booklets/
The latest volume, by Susan Milner, is on mathematical puzzles. Milner, along with two of the ATOM editors, wrote an article in the free CMS problem-solving journal Crux Mathematicorum about the topic of the first chapter of the upcoming volume of ATOM — the puzzle Rectangles. You can check out that article (and find the puzzles) here (Teaching Problems number16): https://cms.math.ca/publications/crux/issue/?volume=48&issue=4
A draft of chapter 2 from the upcoming ATOM, on the puzzle Three in a Row is available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GKxuzgTQk_zbek1uZi_xipQME9mlxyHx/view?usp=sharing
Please visit the ATOM website listed above to learn more about the series and to download the full version of the booklet when it is available shortly.
Any questions about the ATOM series can be directed to the ATOM Editor-in-Chief, Shawn Godin, at godinmathstuff@gmail.com.
the subscript
Bite-sized ideas for your math classroom.
- Janice Novakowski and the British Columbia Reggio-Inspired Mathematics Project have created a monthly digital newsletter. Subscribe for new routines, games, and other resources for early math learners.
- The February issue of M Magazine by Marian Small features Kirsten Dyck (SMTS vice-president) as Educator of the Month. The first three issues of this digital magazine are free, and each issue has plenty of videos and articles for Canadian math educators.
- Scott Westwell shares great ideas for establishing classroom culture during the first days of a secondary math course in this Twitter thread.
- Games offer children a great way to develop mathematical reasoning through logic and strategy. The curators of Show Me Your Math have compiled a great list of logic games here.
- Jennifer Barker describes an all-ages routine called “Tell Me Everything” in this short and sweet blog post. Watch the routine in action in a Kindergarten classroom in this video.
- In their new podcast, Regina math teachers Kyle Webb and Dean Vendramin share stories from Saskatchewan teachers using Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classroom framework.
- Shawn Godin’s Alternate Angles column on problem solving, previously published in The Variable, has a new home on the SMTS website. Check out his latest post, Slicing Squares.
the subscript is compiled by the executive of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society. Suggestions are always welcome! Email president@smts.ca.
the subscript – Nov. 2021
Bite-sized ideas for your math classroom.
– British Columbia teacher Janice Novakowski shares her work with primary learners and Numicon blocks in this short blog post (that includes some task cards she created).
– Graham Fletcher shares how he encourages productive struggle with the popular Open Middle math prompts.
– Ontario high school teacher Andrea Biro shares her prompt to introduce the distributive property to her Grade 9s in this Twitter thread.
– Listen to this podcast episode where SMTS director Lana Steiner talks about capturing evidence from conversations and observations in the math class.
– The Making Math Moments Virtual Summit is being held on November 13th-14th, and the SMTS PD Series continues with SMTS director Anita Hamm leading a virtual workshop on November 18th: Making Connections in Math Class. Both events are free!
– Looking to get involved with the SMTS? All members are invited to attend the virtual SMTS Annual General Meeting on November 17th at 7:00PM. (Check your email for meeting link and AGM package)
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the subscript is compiled by the executive of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society. Suggestions for inclusions are always welcomed! Email: president@smts.ca

Volume 6, Issue 2 of The Variable, periodical of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society, has just been released! From Kindergarten to Grade 12, there is something for everyone.
In this issue, Jeff Irvine shares a favourite lesson on domain and range (“Teaching Domain and Range of a Function Through a Constructivist Lens”, p. 4); Candace Joswick, Douglas H. Clements, Julie Sarama, Holland W. Banse, and Crystal A. Day-Hess explain how executive function demands may be increased or decreased in high-quality mathematical activities to meet their individual needs (“Double Impact: Mathematics and Executive Function,” p. 20); and Glen Aikenhead differentiates between in- and out-of-school mathematics, and encourages us to consider the positive implications of inviting Indigenous mathematizing into the classroom (“Out-of-School, Applied, In-School, and Indigenous Mathematics,” p. 29). You will also find our regular features, including Shawn Godin‘s “Alternate Angles,” which takes an in-depth look at intriguing problems and their solutions (p. 15); “Intersections,” which will bring you up to date on upcoming professional development opportunities (p. 40); and “Tangents,” which highlights extracurricular opportunities for K-12 students interested in mathematics (p. 42).
Last but not least, this issue features the latest installment of “Math Ed Matters by MatthewMaddux,” a column by Egan Chernoff telling “slightly bent, untold, true stories of mathematics teaching and learning.” In this issue, Chernoff reflects on the ways in which different generations think about the teaching and learning of mathematics, and posits implications for the mathematics classroom of the future (p. 47).
To access this month’s issue, head to http://smts.ca/the-variable/, where you will find this and all issues of The Variable free to read and download.