We encounter math on a daily basis, but it can be a challenge for students to connect what they learn in class to the outside world. Here are 4 (update: 5!) ways teachers can engage students by making math relevant to their lives. LISTEN ON: APPLE PODCAST | SPOTIFY 1. Share Your Enthusiasm The key to modeling what it looks like to be a math person is to share your excitement! ...
Factoring Polynomials with Special Cases
If you haven’t had a chance to read part 1 Teaching Factoring Trinomials, then go back and do that before reading anymore. Today we are going to discuss Factoring Polynomials with special cases. Factoring Trinomials When A>1 I hesitated to put a>1 in this blog post since it isn’t necessarily a special case, but I considered that you probably would teach this AFTER you teach ...
Classroom Routines and Procedures for the Spring
January is here, which means the spring semester has started! After a long winter break, students need to be refreshed on how your classroom runs, so let’s talk about teaching (or reteaching) those beloved routines and procedures. Is this really necessary? You know your students and what is happening in your classroom best. For me, it was always a yes. I didn’t go into nearly as ...
Coordinate Plane Activities to Try
The coordinate plane is a personal favorite of mine. It is hands-on, reinforces the ordering of rational numbers, and spans all of secondary education. If there is a unit that I look most forward to - it is this one! Today I will share some tips for teaching the complexities of this grid and some engaging activities that you and your students will love. Three Tips for ...
Tips for Successful Co-Teaching
Co-teaching is a great opportunity to reach more students by having an additional educator in the classroom. Let’s talk about ways to create a successful co-teaching relationship! Note: These tips are more general in nature. Please follow any guidelines provided to you by your school or district. Inside of the Classroom Be Inclusive My first experience in co-teaching was ...
Math Activities to Survive December
The end of the semester is upon us! While the energy in your classroom may be brimming with anticipation, there is still math to be taught and deadlines that loom. Here are some December math activities that will get you to winter break. Math Activities to Survive December Business as Usual - Perhaps, you have timed it perfectly; the end of the unit or your midterm falls on the ...
Finding Percents Activities
Finding percents can be difficult for students - they are conceptually rigorous and typically found in a word problem. The solution? Strong instruction and plenty of practice. Here are a few tips and activities for calculating and finding percents. Make Percents Visual Percents are perfect for visual representation! There is no better way to do this than using a tape diagram. In ...
Mastering Order of Operations
Order of Operations is a student and teacher favorite! Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally might be the most common mnemonic device to ever exist, so let’s chat a little bit about how to make order of operations engaging for your students. What is/are the Order of Operations? Order of Operations is the rule provided to standardize how to solve any problem involving multiple ...
Self-Checking Activities in Math
One of the best classroom procedures that you can teach your students is the routine for self-checking work. Self-checking activities and self-checking routines were a game changer for me! Does this sound familiar? You just sit down with your small group when you see a raised hand. You vacate your small group table to check on this student when they point to their first ...
The Benefits of Math Projects
In my classroom, students would respond with an emphatic, “YES!” when I announced the start of any type of math project. Despite that unanimous affirmation from students, I found projects were a challenge to plan and implement. Fortunately, Maneuvering the Middle has been hard at work to do this heavy lifting, so teachers and students can enjoy projects! We are so excited to ...