What I love so much about inequalities are the infinite solutions. For so much of students’ previous math experience, there is one exact answer. When it comes to inequalities, it is fun to push students to think of their answers beyond “x<4” and brainstorm all of the infinite solutions that x can be and then connect it to the graph. Can x be 3.9999?Can x be 4?Can x be ...
How to Use MTM Standardized Test Prep Unit
Test prep and review season is upon us! Maneuvering the Middle’s test prep unit literally saved me for the 4 years I used it, so I thought I would share what’s included with some ideas for using it in your classroom.Hopefully, these components will help streamline your test prep for state assessments and keep students engaged at the same time. What's Included There is SO ...
Concrete Representational Abstract Sequence
The CRA framework is an instructional strategy that stands for concrete, representational, and abstract; it is critical to helping students move through their learning of math concepts. To fully understand the idea behind CRA, or concrete representational abstract, think about a small child learning to count. They may learn counting to 10 by memorizing a song. Then, these numbers ...
Essential Math Manipulatives
Math manipulatives are some of the best ways to introduce a new mathematical concept and are the foundation of the C-R-A. They help to form a solid mathematical foundation as students move from concrete understanding to representational to abstract. By providing the opportunity to concretely work with the manipulatives, students are able to develop a conceptual understanding rather ...
The October Slump: Survival Tips
October is just around the corner! While there are so many fun things that autumn brings, it can be a challenging month to be a teacher. Let’s dive into some ways that we can thrive during this month. LISTEN ON: APPLE PODCAST | SPOTIFY Why is October so challenging? October is just days away. Labor day was 16 work days ago, and Thanksgiving is approximately 30 work days ...
Organizing a Substitute Binder
Preparing for a substitute used to be so easy! Ha - I am joking, of course. We had no idea how easy it used to be. Now with COVID, quarantining, and technology, it is pretty complicated. Schools have a variety of procedures regarding substitutes, and I also know that you might be lucky to even have a substitute. There are schools out there that rely on teacher’s planning periods ...
Teacher Desk Supplies You Need to Survive
Teachers spend 8-10 hours a day at school. We need to be prepared for anything and everything. We also want to keep students from having to make unnecessary trips to the office for things that we can easily store in our classroom. Maybe you will use these items never or 100 times. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared! (Check out the comments for some more great suggestions.) Listen ...
Are Digital Interactive Notebooks Right for You?
Let’s talk about interactive notebooks - both physical notebooks and digital notebooks! Do you use them with your students? I tried an interactive notebook one year while teaching math, and I couldn’t handle the glue consumption. Now that I am seeing so much talk about digital interactive notebooks online, I want to ask the question -- are they right for you? Are Digital Interactive ...
20 Must Have Teacher Supplies
If I had to draw one broad generalization about teachers, it would be that teachers love school supplies. To this day, I am exhilarated by walking down the school supply aisle. I have compiled a list of my favorite teacher supplies, all priced under $20. These are all supplies that I have found useful in my classroom, along with some great ideas for incorporating them. Some supplies ...
Teaching Proportional Relationships
Proportional relationships are ingrained in our everyday. While most students pick up on the process to solve proportions fairly quickly, there is so much foundational conceptual knowledge that we do not want to skip over. Today, I am sharing how proportional relationships go far beyond just solving for a missing number and how to set a foundation for success in Algebra. Here ...