It doesn’t matter the exact number of students, managing large classes is a challenge. Let's talk about how to be the best teacher to a big class and not lose your voice in the process. Tips for Managing Large Classes 1. Maintain high expectations but be reasonable In order for a large class to function, it is important for you to maintain the same high expectations you would ...
3 Math Review Games to Get Students Moving
During a very long professional development, my principal looked at her watch and said, “We have just hit 75 minutes -- the length of a class period.” I was shocked at how much my body just wanted to escape my chair for a walk or a stretch break. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Movement increases the heart rate and stimulates brain function, ...
8+ Ideas for Using Study Guides
When preparing my students for an upcoming unit assessment, I consider it due diligence to spend at least one day reviewing the material from the unit. Our unit study guides make review days so much easier! Here’s why: Marissa breaks down some of her best practices for using the study guide: Here are some (more) ideas from the teachers in our community (and a few from ...
Solving Equations in Middle School Math
Solving equations is foundational for middle and high school math. Students actually have been doing this since first grade! However, students can make careless errors or struggle when it comes to following the many procedural steps required to solve an equation. The Standard In 6th grade CCSS, students are asked to solve one-step equations with positive whole numbers (6.EE.7). ...
Utilizing Learning Styles in Math
Our classrooms are full of diverse students who learn math in a variety of ways. For some students, they excel when they can converse about math with a partner. For others, they need to see the concepts they are learning about. Lastly, there are students who need to physically move to engage in math. As teachers, we can use and blend auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning ...
8 Tips for Student Teaching
Calling all student teachers and mentor teachers! Today we are discussing how student teachers can make the most of their student teaching experience, and how mentor teachers can provide an environment for feedback and flourishing. If you are about to become a student teacher OR if you are about to mentor a student teacher, check out these 8 tips for making the most of this ...
Getting Started with Math Stations
Math Stations, when done correctly, can solve many classroom challenges. Math stations can meet the needs of various learners, provide practice on spiraled concepts, and it puts the responsibility of learning on the students. Seems like a win-win! In addition, technology has made personalized learning easier than ever! You may be eager to try math stations (or math centers), but are ...
Seating Charts for Middle School
Seating charts for middle school classrooms are essential! They are the foundation of classroom management. Be prepared for day 1 of school with a completed seating chart. Let’s talk about why. Why Should You Have a Seating Chart In a perfect world, all students would be successful no matter where they were sitting in your classroom. We don’t live in a perfect world or ...
3 No-Prep Checks for Understanding
A CFU, or check for understanding, is a formative assessment and a crucial part of instruction. Are students ready to move on to working independently? Are students ready to move on to more rigorous problems? A check for understanding can answer these questions as well as help you identify which students need additional support. What makes an effective CFU? A check for ...
How to Juggle Multiple Preps
Most teachers juggle multiple preps. No matter your content or grade level, if you have been teaching for any length of time, it is inevitable. We asked our Facebook group how many preps they taught, and one teacher said 7! Wow! Let’s talk about some of the ways we can manage teaching multiple preps. Keep scrolling to learn about something HUGE that Maneuvering the Middle is ...