Idea Galaxy

Adventures in Junior High and Mathematics

Blog

8 Activities to Make Graphing Lines Awesome

by

When you teach pre-algebra or algebra there are some skills that students just need to be good at. Graphing lines falls into this category. Some students really struggle to see the connection between the equation and the line on the graph.

I find that they need to keep seeing this many times and in different ways. Also, it helps a lot if they talk about what’s happening. Sometimes as math teachers we don’t have students explain things enough and we assume that they understand because they get some problems right. So, I’ve put together this collection of activities that will get students lots of fun practice with graphing lines. [Read more…] about 8 Activities to Make Graphing Lines Awesome

10 Activities to Practice Linear Functions Like a Boss

by

Slope and y-intercept make up the crux of the 8th grade math standards. We spend 5 full weeks on learning slope and y-intercept and how to apply them, not to mention all the other time throughout the year getting ready to learn about them and then reviewing and applying them. It still surprises me how complex it all becomes. When you come to think of it, students have to identify slope and the y-intercept in various way. They also have to create them in various forms, and they have to be able to interpret them in many forms as well. It can reach a point of overwhelm for both the teacher and the students. Every year I pledge to myself that I will do better to help students reach the understanding they need to have and every year I get closer to that goal. In this post I’ll share ten activity ideas that get students lots of practice with using equations  of linear models to solve problems. [Read more…] about 10 Activities to Practice Linear Functions Like a Boss

11 Activities to Make Comparing Functions Engaging

by

The cornerstone of 8th grade math is learning about slope and y-intercept. Basically, it’s all things functions for the majority of 8th grade. What I realized a few years ago is that comparing functions is a multi-faceted beast. It seems simple at first, just find the slope on both functions and compare. Then, I realized that students have to be able to find slope in at least 4 different ways. As a part of that they have to recognize if it is positive or negative. Then, you introduce y-intercept in its many representations and they have to understand that they aren’t related to each other. So, in this post I’ve compiled ten activities that help students get lots of practice comparing functions in several different ways. [Read more…] about 11 Activities to Make Comparing Functions Engaging

10 Activities for Finding Area and Circumference of a Circle

by

Area and circumference of a circle often gives our students their first taste of geometry during the year. Also, it seems like students see formulas for the first time when learning this topic. Usually, they don’t come to us understanding how to plug values into formulas. That means that we have to teach the idea of using formulas to them as well as how to find the area and circumference of a circle. Even though that can feel daunting, though, the great thing about circles and geometry is that they lend themselves to application pretty easily. We definitely have the opportunity to let students see area and circumference in a hands-on way. This post is full of engaging, fun area and circumference activities for secondary math students. [Read more…] about 10 Activities for Finding Area and Circumference of a Circle

12 Activities to Practice Multiplying and Dividing Integers

by

Multiplying and dividing integers doesn’t seem like such a difficult topic, but for some students they can’t seem to keep it straight. Sometimes, it feels like they get it wrong every time (hooray for consistency, I guess?!). We use a couple of different strategies at my school, and we try to work with our 7th graders until they get it. Lucky for us, we have many opportunities to teach this and then reinforce it throughout the year. I’ve put together 12 multiplying and dividing integers activities that are perfect for teaching students, getting them the practice they need, and then reviewing their skills.
[Read more…] about 12 Activities to Practice Multiplying and Dividing Integers