Idea Galaxy

Adventures in Junior High and Mathematics

Rachel

Enjoying Halloween Math Activities in Middle School

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Quick question for you: Where does a ghost go on Saturday night?

Answer: Anywhere he can boo-gie!

Ah, it’s that time of year again! Piles of candy, fun costumes, spooky stories, and if you’re really lucky, cheesy Halloween jokes. With all this fun and excitement going on, it can be tough for students to stay focused on the math world of integers, slope, and graphs. But with just a few adjustments, we can help students stay on top of math while having fun. Use these Halloween math strategies and resources to enjoy the season while staying on track with the math. [Read more…] about Enjoying Halloween Math Activities in Middle School

5 Ways to Use QR Codes in the Math Classroom

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I discovered the world of QR Codes last year and they have quickly found their way into heavy rotation in my classroom. I was initially hesitant because they seemed like they might be too difficult or too complicated, but it turns out that my fears were unfounded. Here are  5 ways that QR Codes can be used in the math classroom. [Read more…] about 5 Ways to Use QR Codes in the Math Classroom

Graph of the Week: Getting Students Thinking Critically

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This summer I was looking for ways to help my 8th graders really understand what graphs mean. Not just how to graph a line with a certain slope and y-intercept, but understanding what that line on the graph might actually represent. I came across this concept of a “Graph of the Week”, similar to a popular “Article of the Week” from Kelly Gallagher in language arts. On Kelly Turner’s website she shares several years worth of experience of using graphs of the week with her high school math students. Immediately intrigued, I spent time digging into her website. It turned into a really great way to get students in my class grappling with math and making sense of data. I’m so excited to share my “discovery” and reflections on using the Graph of the Week so far!Using Graph of the Week to get students thinking critically about graphs. [Read more…] about Graph of the Week: Getting Students Thinking Critically

Teaching Scientific Notation: 4 Questions to Help Students Understand

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When teaching students how to convert numbers from standard notation to scientific notation and back the other way, it’s a common practice to teach them the steps. However, this approach risks reducing this concept to a series of steps that students may or may not remember later. Instead of approaching converting with scientific notation as a set of procedures, I find that teaching students how to think about the process really helps it stick.

Here’s how I use 4 questions when teaching scientific notation to get students thinking about numbers and converting between standard and scientific notation.

4 questions that will help students understand and REMEMBER converting in scientific notation!

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End of the year activities in the math classroom

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The school year is winding down for me, and for my students it marks the end of their junior high experience. I have a hard time with the end of the year. I get sad knowing that it’s the end of my time with these students. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them and seeing them grow over the year. I’ve loved our inside jokes and the silly idiosyncrasies that every class tends to have. I wish we had more time together- there’s always more I would have liked to have done. And yet, they’ve worked so hard this year and I know they’re ready for the next chapter in their schooling. And I’m ready for a break to recharge my batteries. 

So if the school year is going to end, how can I make sure we go out in style? How can we close out the year in a way that honors the students’ learning time, celebrates our time together, and helps us all keep our sanity? For the end of this school year, I want to share my four main goals with you, some fun end of the year activities, and show you what the last few weeks looked like in my classroom.

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