Idea Galaxy

Adventures in Junior High and Mathematics

Interactive Notebooks

How to teach scientific notation with interactive notebooks

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I love teaching scientific notation. It’s so organized and it helps to conceptualize really large and small numbers. I mean, these are the numbers scientists use in real life and you get to talk about space. All of those things just make my little math heart burst with joy. We don’t teach scientific notation until December, but it’s something I look forward to every year. I know that my students can feel my enthusiasm, and we just have a lot of fun with it. [Read more…] about How to teach scientific notation with interactive notebooks

How to Teach Irrational Numbers using Interactive Notebooks

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I love teaching students about irrational numbers. In 8th grade math we focus on identifying irrational numbers and approximating them on a number line. This concept is so fun for me to teach because it blows their minds. They’ve never considered that a number could be approximate and have no exact location on the number line. Some of my students get it and believe it right away. Other students resist and don’t want to believe it. Luckily, by teaching them this concept you can blow their minds without crumbling their world view- seriously, so fun! Another great thing about identifying irrational numbers and approximating them, is that this topic is very gettable. It can be a real win for struggling students. That’s what makes it one of my favorite to teach. In this post I’ll walk you through our entire interactive notebook unit that goes from identifying what irrational numbers are to approximating irrational numbers. [Read more…] about How to Teach Irrational Numbers using Interactive Notebooks

Teaching Similar Triangles and Slope in an Interactive Notebook

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I love the math that we teach in junior high. Honestly, I was made to be a middle school math teacher. The topics that we teach came easy to me the first time around, and I’ve spent a lot of time figure out how to break things down for students. That is why I love this standard of using triangles to teach slope. It breaks down what slope is and uses something like triangles that students are already familar with. Some years we haven’t given this standard the attention it deserves because of time, but when we do take the time, it really helps students understand slope better. [Read more…] about Teaching Similar Triangles and Slope in an Interactive Notebook

How to Teach Solving Multi-Step Linear Equations with Interactive Notebooks

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I’ve spent many years working exclusively with 8th graders who struggle with math in some way or another. Sometimes they struggle because they lack background knowledge. Other times they struggle because they aren’t ready to understand, and sometimes their own fixed mindset holds them back. Teaching solving multi-steps equations can bring out the worst for struggling students. There are a lot of steps students need to keep track of and even more details. [Read more…] about How to Teach Solving Multi-Step Linear Equations with Interactive Notebooks

How to Teach Parallel Lines Cut By a Transversal Using Interactive Notebooks

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I suppose it’s fair to say that I don’t really love geometry. I mean, I find some of the topics interesting, but there are other topics that don’t do anything for me. Of course, you can’t let the students know which topics are which! But, between you and me, my favorite geometry topic has to be teaching students about parallel lines cut by a transversal. It’s probably because you can easily add algebra concepts to it, we get to color lots of angles, and it just makes sense to my pattern-seeking brain. [Read more…] about How to Teach Parallel Lines Cut By a Transversal Using Interactive Notebooks