The end of the year will be here before we know it! Summer is soooo close. With the end of the year approaching, the time for reflection is upon us. Let’s dive into student surveys – why we love them, how to implement them, and how to grab our free middle school survey (+ Google Form option too!)WHAT IS A STUDENT SURVEY?A student survey is a great tool to get students thinking about ...
Ideas for Teaching Transformations
Transformations is a big meaty unit in 8th grade math that students will revisit in Algebra 1 with quadratic functions. Let’s talk about all the ways you can help your students succeed with transformations!CCSS and TEKS StandardsLet's take a look at what the standards actually say regarding transformations:Released STAAR Question from 2019Backwards planning (looking at how a question has ...
Properties of Exponents
There is a great paradox in teaching math: the more simple a topic, the more likely it will cause complete confusion in your classroom. Cue - properties of exponents.If you have experienced students mixing up all the laws of exponents or if you are about to teach them for the first time, then you are in the right place.Laws of Exponents StandardsThe standards are pretty clear. Note: In ...
Tips for Using Math Activities with All Access
Classroom activities are where math comes alive! Personally, I loved the discourse, the teamwork, and the application that occurred with my students when working through an activity. Here are some broad stroke tips for how to implement activities in your math classroom.Filter the Activities On the New PlatformThe All Access platform makes finding aligned activities easier than ...
Unit Overviews in All Access
Our All Access Unit Overviews received a makeover this month! At Maneuvering the Middle, we strive to create AND update resources that teachers use for planning and teaching. Let’s talk about what is new, what has been removed, and some tips for implementing the unit overviews in instruction.FEATURES OF THE UNIT OVERVIEWThe unit overviews serve as a comprehensive guide to each unit, and ...
Accommodations that Reach All Learners
Middle school math students come to your class with varying needs and abilities! Accommodations are adjustments made to the environment, curriculum, or assessment that make it possible for students to learn and succeed.How is this different from a modification?Years ago, the special education teacher on my campus, Ms. Mease, explained the difference between accommodations and ...
10+ Decimal Activities and Lessons
Decimal activities are crucial to the practice necessary to master decimal operations. There are so many real-world applications. Today I am listing all of the decimal lessons and activities I found after scouring the internet, and of course, Maneuvering the Middle!Adding and Subtracting DecimalsTeaching Adding and Subtracting Decimals blog post - Before you start teaching adding and ...
Questioning Strategies for 100% Engagement
With the new school year upon us, let’s discuss some ways to level-up our questioning strategies we are using in our instruction.What are questioning strategies?Effective questioning is a skill or practice that a teacher employs to gauge the understanding of material from students at any given time during her lesson. Simply put, teachers drive student understanding through their ...
Lesson Planning Using Our New Platform
Our All Access subscription has moved to an incredible, new platform! With new technology comes adjustment, so I thought it would be pertinent to explain how the new platform was designed with teachers who are lesson planning (and very busy) in mind!The New Platform is Search-FriendlyThe new platform is much more user-friendly! Gone are the days of opening several tabs or previewing a ...
Teaching Adding and Subtracting Decimals
Are your students struggling with adding and subtracting decimals? It can seem so straightforward to us teachers, but it is a skill that has many misconceptions to combat. Let’s discuss common misconceptions and tips for teaching decimal addition and subtraction.CCSS and TEKS Let’s check out what the standards say about decimal addition and subtraction:The Common Core State ...