Using a discovery lab to introduce students to the Pythagorean Theorem was an amazing way to kick off my Pythagorean Theorem unit. I’m excited to share with you exactly how we got hands-on with the Pythagorean Theorem proof and how it helped my students really understand this geometry concept. I’ll also share with you how I used foldable notes to introduce this unit to my students. [Read more…] about Teaching the Pythagorean Theorem Proof through Discovery
Teaching Pythagorean Theorem with I Can Statements
Using I Can Statements when teaching about the Pythagorean Theorem has helped me really plan out my teaching while giving students a clear map of their learning. The Pythagorean Theorem is one of the culminating standards in my 8th grade class. It takes some of the other topics and concepts that we’ve learned and brings it all together. It involves concepts like square numbers, formulas, triangles, and coordinate graphs, among others. There are 3 Common Core standards dedicated to this theorem. Plus, it’s something that 8th graders can really get!
When I am planning my teaching for this topic, I like to chunk it out step by step with “I Can” statements. Then, I use those with students to help them keep track of their progress. Below I’ll share with you the “I can” statements I used to prepare & teach this unit, and how my students used them in their math interactive notebooks to reflect on their learning. [Read more…] about Teaching Pythagorean Theorem with I Can Statements
10+ Ways to Add Valentine’s Day to a Middle School Math Classroom
Valentine’s Day and middle school and math- what an interesting combination!
Before middle school, Valentine’s Day is all about candy, cards, and pink frosting. But when you get to middle school, Valentine’s Day takes on a different meaning and can leave some kids in heartbreak.
What does all this mean for math class? I try to keep out the drama and add a little fun around Valentine’s Day. Here are a few simple ideas and activities that you can use to add a little holiday fun to the math classroom without getting into all the craziness of the week of Valentine’s Day.
8 Tax, Tip, and Discount Activities for Math Class
I’m excited to share with you some ideas for tax, tips, and discount activities for your math classroom. If you’re looking for ideas on how to plan for teaching this topic, you can read more here. Teaching tax, tips, and discounts is a great topic for activities because it’s a real world topic from top to bottom. And 7th grade students get great review with proportions in real world applications. The activities in this post are excellent for independent practice, bell ringers, anticipatory sets, homework, math centers, etc.
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Teaching Tax, Tips, Discounts, and Interest using I Can Statements
Teaching about tax, tip, discounts and interest is a fun, real world topic. As I was teaching it I noticed that my 7th graders don’t actually know much about spending money. Their money spending experience is very limited and that led to some pretty awesome conversations. Like most topics, they entered the learning as essentially blank canvases. I love topics like this because they don’t have a whole lot of misconceptions when we start learning. So, to get started with planning this unit, I first chunked out the unit by writing our learning goals as “I Can” statements. These become the backbone of my lesson planning and guide us through the lesson and practice (check out 8 Tax, Tips, and Discounts Activities).
Everything starts with the answer to the question, “What do I want my students to be able to know and do?” Below I will share how I used “I Can” statements to chunk out the learning for working with tax, tips, and discounts.
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