One thing that I love about being a teacher is that you instantly bond with another teacher. Whether it be the line at Starbucks or your spouse's holiday party, when you meet another teacher there is no shortage of conversation topics. This I have found to be true with all teachers around the globe. I have personally loved getting to meet other teachers through blogging and ...
Developing Math Confidence
You can see it on their face during a new lesson. It is obvious in the way they show their work on a page. Some students exhibit math confidence and other have yet to have it fostered. Some people have brains that think in numbers. If you are math teacher, you are likely one of them. Is developing math confidence within a student possible? I believe the answer is ...
Math Interactive Notebooks and Vocabulary
Math interactive notebooks are a great hands-on tool to engage students in the content and process. It has been noted by researchers that interactive notebooks allow students to systematically organize information. Typically the right side of the notebook is teacher guided note taking, often in the form of a graphic organizer, foldable, or cut and paste. The left ...
5 Tech Tools for the Classroom
Technology can be the difference between a smooth and engaging lesson and a disaster of a day. Any teacher can relate to the difficulties that are associated with classroom technology. "The computer won’t let me login,” and “I can’t find the file I saved yesterday” are just two of the common phrases I hear when utilizing technology. It can be infuriating! However, today I am sharing ...
Utilizing Parent Volunteers in Middle School
Parent volunteers in middle school can be tricky to find. I admit that I was jealous of my elementary teacher friends. They had classroom parties, room moms, and parent volunteers for field trips. I mentioned this to a friend, and she asked, "Have you asked them? Just make a quick sign up form." So I did. I asked parents to return the form with various ways they would help checked. ...
I love Back to School
Yesterday, I wrote about how Back to School is daunting. Today, I am writing that I Love Back to School. Call me crazy. I do love Back to School. I do love an opportunity to save money. I do love awesome resources that save me time. I do love when my students are engaged and have "fun" in math. Not too much fun, let's not get any crazy ideas :) I do love an August TpT ...
Back to School Prep
When I think of "Back to School", I immediately feel a dark cloud come upon me. Kind of like those cartoons. Not because I don't enjoy setting up a classroom or because I don't have an affectionate relationship with school supplies, but because it is so daunting. The to-do lists are insane, the expectations are high, and my personal experience tells me that you don't get a re-do of day ...
Implementing a Strategic Math Review
There is an enormous amount of content to teach. It can feel overwhelming to try and put all of the standards on the calendar and often feels like we are flying through the curriculum hoping students are catching on. When students have a deep understanding of the content, they are able to apply it, use it, and make connections between the classroom and real life. It wasn't until I ...
4 Reasons to Explicitly Teach the Number Line
The elusive number line. Students have seen a number line since they first entered the kindergarten classroom. That famous border that goes around the room. What really is the number line? Why do we ask students to use it? Why should we as teachers use it? I will admit that until I saw my mentor teacher use and explicitly teach the number line, I did not see it as valuable. ...
How to Have a Successful First Week of Middle School
Middle school is awkward. Never will your students be as quiet as they are on the first day. If you have a loud one, be forewarned, that is not a good sign. But what do your middle school students really need from you that first week? They need to trust you. They need to know that you care about them. They need to know that you are on their side. There is incredible power in ...