Foldables

To teach students to solve equations I had them create a foldable. They took a regular 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper and folded into a brochure. Holding it horizontally the front in the first step: simplify by combining like terms to one side using inverse operations. The students open the first flap where they will write step 2: undo addition or subtraction then they fully open the foldable where step 3 will be: undo multiplication or division. They are required to bring it to class everyday and they use it as they solve various equations. It has worked really well for many students.

Website- www.learningupgrade.com

Our grade level, in math, recently received a grant in which membership to a website was purchased. The website is www.learningupgrade.com, and they have a free 7 day trial for those interested.
The kids love the website. It starts with basics as a review and moves up to the more complicated objectives. They use fun songs, tutorials, and then practice on this interactive site.
We just started a remediation process each afternoon with each student using self paced lessons. The format keeps the students engaged and even the most hard to keep focused students are focusing. The company uses graphics and themes that appeal to middle school aged kids, yet the explanations are simple enough to grasp.
Give it a try if you can find the time.

www.Quia.com

Check this site out. Your technology person should have a free login and password (otherwise $55/yr). I am trying to spend some time concentrating on vocabulary. With this site you can create a hangman, concentration or matching game just by entering the information once. With this site I enter in a definition and have the students play hangman to solve for the term. The students enjoy this and don't really realize that they are practing or reviewing vocabulary.

Crunch Time

It is April and spring break is over. It is now time to make sure everything you taught your students is still there and ready to be used on the SOL's or EOC's. But wait a minute, the adults in your professional life also want more attention. What do you do to make sure your students are ready and keep the powers that be happy? How do you decide which group is more important? I try to find a happy medium where everyone can get some of what they need. I will be happy when the only group that matters is the student group. By the way, I do know the adult group have the children in mind. I just think they are unaware of the time that is taken away from planning for the students when another report is requested.

The Great Circle Hunt

Sixth Graders need to be able to calculate circumference and area of a circle when given either the radius, diameter or circumference. I do a "circle hunt" activity to help them calculate these. I have taken about 30 "circles" (paper plates) and labeled them with either a diameter, a radius, or a circumference. I also have placed a number on the back of each circle. The students all receive a circle hunt paper with different plates that they have to locate. Their papers have radii, diameters and circumferences listed on them. The object is for a student to find a circle and calculate the two measures that are not given. For example, a radius plate would need the diameter and circumference calculated and a circumference plate would need the radius and diameter calculated. Therefore, the students can't just pick up a plate and find a match, they have to actually apply the formulas and show their work. Each student has to make 10 matches. Typically, they have to check and calculate more than just 10 out of 30, so it gives them a lot of practice.

Our school has an enclosed courtyard, so when it's nice outside, I scatter the plates across the courtyard for an added element of difficulty. The kids really like it and they seem to get a lot from it.

I have two different circle hunt activities one for circumference, radius and diameter, and then another one for area. I also have several different versions of each sheet, so the students aren't all looking for the exact same 10 plates. If you're interested in this activity, I can email you the activity sheets. You're on your own with the plates though!

Student Teacher

I currently have a student teacher in my room (which is a great blessing and she has been wonderful!). It is amazing though how funny our students are when it comes to something new in their environment or any type of change. It was interesting to watch how slowly they were willing to accept her into their lives. They were very skeptical at first – they were rebellious and rude at times. They asked me several times “why can’t you teach us anymore” when she officially took over the classes. I worked with her to create opportunities to earn trust which helped, and they eventually came around and now love her (most of them J).

It made me think about how over whelming that was for them, and that when we experience similar bouts of rebelliousness or rudeness in other parts of our teaching, that maybe we should consider some of the possible things that cause those behaviors that have absolutely nothing to do with us. Middle Schoolers (the only ones I have experience with) have lots going on in their bodies, brains, and lives outside of school. It just made me open my eyes to the fact that we may not always give them credit for all of those things when we must deal with these behaviors.

Area of Polygons

We recently had a half day of school which dramatically decreased our class time. As a good review before their exam, students were given a polygon and asked to measure it, and to construct a poster including the area formula and showing all the work of how they "plugged" in their measurements into the formula. Extra credit was given to those students who decided to also compute the perimater. All materials were supplied by the teacher.