#127 The First 5 Minutes Can Transform Student Engagement in Your Math Class

What if the most powerful way to shift your math class didn’t take a new curriculum—just the first 5 minutes?

In this episode, we’re exploring how to kick off your class period with warm-ups that build relevance, confidence, and classroom culture. You’ll learn how to use thinking routines and real-world tasks to engage students before the lesson even begins—and how to structure those warm-ups to support meaningful math talk.

✅ In this episode:

• Why traditional warm-ups miss the mark—and what to try instead
• 4 powerful warm-up strategies that build buy-in from the start
• How to create structure and routine for productive math discourse
• One free guide to help you map out your first few weeks
  
  
  

🔗 Resources & Links:
📘 Download the Project or Practice Expert Guide – your free step-by-step tool to plan engaging, student-centered math tasks from Day 1
 👉 Download Now

🎧 Subscribe to the podcast here: https://pod.link/1692336821

💡 Key Takeaways:

• A strong warm-up is more than review—it’s a ritual that builds trust, curiosity, and critical thinking. The best way to start student engagement in the day!
• You don’t have to start with a big project. Small, intentional moves make a big difference in student engagement.
• With the right guide and a few simple routines, you can transform your class in the first 5 minutes.

Let’s talk. Send me a message with your email and I’ll get back to you!

This podcast is a member of the Teach Better Podcast Network. Better Today. Better Tomorrow. And the Podcasts to Help You Get There.

Connect with Kristen:

• Follow on Instagram @moorethanjustx
• Join the Facebook Community: The Modern Math Teachers Movement

More About the Modern Math Teacher Podcast

Kristen Moore, classroom teacher and instructional coach at Moore Than Just X, empowers modern secondary math teachers to transform the student experience with the strategies and the confidence to implement project-based learning, mastery-based assessment, and student engagement strategies in their classrooms.

Whether you're a math education newbie or a seasoned veteran, you'll find something new and inspiring in every episode. You’re already a listener, why not join the Movement inside ✨The Modern Math Teachers Movement Facebook group. Join the community of math teachers who are not afraid to shake things up and make math class the best part of the day for our students. So tune in each Tuesday, have some fun, and let's elevate our math teaching game together!

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