We all know that the week before winter break can be hectic! It’s so tempting to pop in a movie and call the last day or two a movie day. But in the middle school students often have 6+ classes and watching movies all day can create their own set of problems. Students get silly. Parents get annoyed that all their kids did was watch a whole bunch of random holiday movies. And we’re giving away a chunk of our limited instructional time. So, if you’re looking for an alternative to the Christmas movie, we put together this video to share 5 Christmas activity ideas to consider: [Read more…] about Christmas Math Activities: 5 Ideas for the Week Before Winter Break
Math Teaching Tips
Teaching Area and Circumference of Circles through Discovery
A highlight in my math class during this past month was teaching area and circumference of a circle. I’m excited to share with you a twist on the traditional teaching of this topic that made a huge difference for my students. One thing that has thrown my students for a loop in previous years was getting the area and circumference of a circle mixed up. Over the unit I often heard this chorus of questions: What was that formula again? 2 pi r squared? Which one is this again- circumference or area? When do I have to square the unit?
So, this year I wanted to start off by preemptively addressing those common misconceptions. How did I do that? By building students’ conceptual knowledge before we ever talked about formulas and calculations. I started with a discovery lab approach to get them to explore circles. (I’ve talked about the discovery lab approach before here). They would draw conclusions and build their understanding before using any formulas to solve problems. And as we near the end of the unit, I haven’t heard the same questions that were so common last year. Hooray! [Read more…] about Teaching Area and Circumference of Circles through Discovery
Enjoying Halloween Math Activities in Middle School
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
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
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!
[Read more…] about Graph of the Week: Getting Students Thinking Critically
