Often, the time for review for district or state tests rolls around at the same time of year that you’re ready to stop introducing new topics. It feels like you’ve taught so much and you’re not sure if the students remember everything. At this point in the year I just want an activity that we can do everyday that I know will review concepts for students.
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9 Activities to Practice Rational versus Irrational Numbers
Since students were in kindergarten they’ve been taught about numbers being a certain way. Then they hit middle school, and BOOM! in walks irrational numbers. Everything was concrete, but in that moment that certainty goes by the wayside. As students start to wrap their heads around these new classes of numbers, we start simply. At first, we just want students to see two categories of numbers: rational and irrational. That’s where these nine activities come in.
[Read more…] about 9 Activities to Practice Rational versus Irrational NumbersHow to Teach Comparing Functions with Interactive Notebooks
When we talk about comparing functions in 8th grade math, we’re really focusing on slope and y-intercept in multiple representations. I’ve found that it can become very confusing and complicated for students if we go too fast or if we skip over key information. Because teaching students to compare functions has so many parts for students to understand, this unit is one that takes more time than most.
Overall, we want students to be able to read graphs, tables, coordinate points, equations, and written descriptions and identify the slope and y-intercept in all those forms by the end of the unit. So, how do we introduce all of this? In this post I’ll break down step-by-step what this unit looks like in my students’ interactive notebooks. [Read more…] about How to Teach Comparing Functions with Interactive Notebooks
How to Teach Functions with Interactive Notebooks
We introduce the word “functions” to students in 8th grade math. They, of course, have worked with functions in earlier grades. However, functions were previously referred to as input/output tables. Often teachers show input/output tables as a machine with a rule giving students their first introduction to the topic. But just because students should have some background with the concept of functions, it definitely doesn’t mean that you don’t have to teach this topic to students. They need to have a deeper understanding of functions before going into comparing functions and unit rates later on. Today I’m sharing with you the step by step way that I use interactive notebooks to introduce functions and activate students’ prior knowledge. By the end of this unit, students are prepared for other 8th grade topics with functions.
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How to Teach Irrational Numbers using Interactive Notebooks
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
