This resource is a remix from Illustrative Mathematics (https://goopenva.org/courses/3-md-how-heavy). This resource encourages student collaboration and allows students to have a mathematical dialogue as express their understanding of units of measure. Teachers can use objects found around the house to demonstrate mathematics in the real world. I like how this resource adds flexibility in instruction, as it allows teachers to creatively add diverse manipulatives or real-life items on the balance scale. This activity scaffolds the learning process allowing students an opportunity to experience active hands-on learning to strengthen their understanding of mathematical concepts, which provides a diverse learning experience. This resource is a valuable part of building background when introducing units of measure or equations in the early elementary years of mathematics education as it provides students a concrete example of building an equation with concrete objects.  Suggested Modification - A student recording sheet with illustrations has been added to the resource to allow all different types of learner to learn from a concrete idea to strengthen conceptual learning about building an equation. 

1.)Literature should be puzzling, magical and mystifying. The best literature hinders easy interpretation and compels return visits. Poetry serves this purpose perfectly. Poetry is not meant to be solved. The ambiguous nature of the poem is one of the reasons it is not a favorite of the majority of class, but rather the minority.Poetry allows me to teach my students how to write, read, and understand any text. It also provides a healthy outlet for swelling teenage emotions. Some of the most empathetic and trusting moments in the classroom community for me over the past twenty years has come from students sharing their original work, to say nothing of the speaking and listening SOLS that are often overlooked in high school English. This lesson is for the discovery of poetry.