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.
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How to Make Adding Integers Stick Forever
Students spend their whole lives working with positive numbers. Then one day we’re like, “Hey, guess what guys? Some numbers are negative. Surprise!” We then wonder why they have such a hard time acclimatizing to this newfound knowledge. How can we break this sad cycle? I find that for many students, if you want them to really understand what they’re doing with adding positive and negative integers, you have to do a lot of background building and even some unteaching from what they’re used to. [Read more…] about How to Make Adding Integers Stick Forever
Teaching Adding Integers through Discovery
Working with positive and negative integers is something that can throw students off at first. One of my favorite ways to introduce new topics is with a discovery lab. Why? Well, these activities help students face their misconceptions head on. Discovery labs are an ideal way to start a new topic because it helps students build their own conceptual model right from the get-go. Then, when you start the teaching and modeling, they have a place in their brain to put that new information. Today I’ll share with you how my students get introduced to adding positive and negative integers through a discovery lab approach. [Read more…] about Teaching Adding Integers through Discovery
12 Engaging Ways to Practice Adding Integers
Do your students have a difficult time remember how to add and subtract integers? Isn’t it maddening? I could get on my soap box and go on and on about how we should teach integers, or how we should start with negative numbers in kindergarten, but this is not a soap box kind of post 😉. Therefore, I’ll stick to making a list of amazing activities that will give your students a whole boatload of practice with adding and subtracting integers. [Read more…] about 12 Engaging Ways to Practice Adding Integers