Finding the shape that results from cutting a three-dimensional shape is a fun topic. Students really enjoy this topic. When you look for ideas for teaching this topic, you’ll inevitably find an introductory activity using play-doh. Students make the 3-D shapes out of play-doh and then cut them with a string of some sort. But there’s other ways to help students see and understand this topic, so I’m sharing 12 other activities today (but you can see some different versions of this play-doh activity here and here). [Read more…] about 12 Activities to Practice Cross Sections of 3D Shapes Like a Ninja
Math Teaching Tips
Math Review Game That Works: Whiteboard Football
Are you ready for some football?
This football game gets students mentally into math review. In fact, this is the best team game I’ve ever played with students. It students working together in a way I’ve never seen before. And from a preparation standpoint, this game is simple to prepare for and easy to explain to students. It’s quickly become one of my go-to review activities in my math classroom. Let me break down exactly how we play math football in my classroom, and share some extra game resources with you. [Read more…] about Math Review Game That Works: Whiteboard Football
11 Activities that Make Practicing Scatter Plot Graphs Rock
Sometimes we get to teach things in 8th grade math that don’t have a lot of calculations and that have very real applications. That happens to be the case with scatter plot graphs and I love to teach it. Also, students learn a lot about slope and y-intercept and now they get to put it together with real world things. The downside is that we don’t get very many days in our schedule to teach it, so I try to pack a lot of fun and engagement into a few days. Today I’m excited to share with you 11 great activity ideas and resources to use when teaching and practicing with scatter plot graphs. [Read more…] about 11 Activities that Make Practicing Scatter Plot Graphs Rock
10 Awesome Activities for Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Like Denominators
Fractions seem to get a lot of bad press. So many students get turned off by fractions and think that they aren’t good at fractions. I’m not exactly sure why this happens, but I know that if we give kids more positive experiences with fractions that we can change this. In my classroom we use a lot of games when we’re practicing and I find that students get really engaged when something is presented as a game. This works especially well with topics like adding and subtracting fractions. So, I’m super excited to share with you 10 awesome games and activities to help students become pro at adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators. [Read more…] about 10 Awesome Activities for Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Like Denominators
12 Activities that Make Practicing Two-Step Equations Pop
In middle school it seems like we do a lot of equations. Students learn to solve one step, two step and multi-step equations. The cool thing about doing all of these types of equations is that they build on each other. Once students get going, two-step equations can become a rote skill that students know how to do almost without thinking. They can get to a point where they solve equations pretty automatically. In order for them to get to that level, they need a lot of practice over time. So, I love to practice solving two-step equations throughout the year. I plan in review during sponge time, fast finisher time, and on those days when students (and teachers) need something fun. The activities in this post are perfect whether students are just learning how to solve two-step equations, or if they’re honing their skills throughout the year. [Read more…] about 12 Activities that Make Practicing Two-Step Equations Pop
