Multiplication facts are pivotal to middle school math! I saw firsthand how my students' lack of fluency slowed them down in regards to simplifying fractions, proportional relationships, and solving equations. If that sounds like your classroom, we have compiled teacher-generated practices to help your middle school students catch up and internalize their multiplication ...
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6 Strategies for Multiplying Decimals
There are so many ways to successfully teach multiplying decimals. This skill is introduced in 5th grade, so let’s talk about 4 strategies to make sure this concept is understood beyond the standard algorithm (which I love too). If you want to jump straight into the standard algorithm and call it a day, I think you will most likely feel a little frustration when students struggle ...
Creative and Free Incentives for 5th Grade
What motivates a 5th grade student? They are still eager to please, but are developing their own unique tastes and interests. They love adult praise, but also want to be accepted by their peers. And we all know that providing incentives for 5th grade can add up quickly, so when brainstorming this list, I only chose ideas that can be implemented without spending any money and without ...
Teaching Probability in 7th Grade
Probability is a great way to end the school year! There are ample opportunities for hands-on practice, experiments, and the computation is fairly simple. Let’s talk about tips for making the most out of this 7th grade skill. Note: I found so many great probability activities as I was researching that I am going to put together another blog post dedicated to just that, so be sure to ...
10 System of Equations Activities
System of Equations - there is so much to cover that it can feel overwhelming! Let’s keep this substantial math concept light and bright with some fun and engaging activities for your 8th grade and Algebra 1 students. I will be honest, I did not expect all of this goodness to exist out there for Systems of Equations! While I will definitely be linking to our fantastic resources, I am ...
Read Before Teaching Pythagorean Theorem
Let’s talk about my favorite theorem, Pythagorean’s! Though it ranked 4 out of 100 in mathematicians, Paul and Jack Abad’s, list of 100 Greatest Theorems, I know it ranks number 1 in most middle school math teachers’ hearts. Vertical Alignment Before I jump into any topic, I like to see what students already know. Our units are complete with vertical planning, so I don’t have to ...
6 Tips for Math Small Groups
If adding small groups to your math instruction is a goal for the new year, then this post is for you. We are breaking down the 6 most critical tips for implementing a successful small group. Check out the video here. In case you can’t watch the video, here are some tips on how to implement small group instruction. In case you can’t watch the video, here are some tips on how ...
MTM Team’s Favorite Things
With the Holiday season right around the corner, I compiled a favorite things list from our Maneuvering the Middle team!! You will find that these items are not exclusive to the classroom and would make perfect gifts for your friends and family (or yourself!) 1. Alexa Smart Plugs "These little guys are simple but one of our best purchases lately. They allow you to set up custom ...
5 Multiplication Strategies
Do your students often make mistakes using the standard multiplication algorithm? Then this post is for you! Here are 5 alternative multiplication strategies for your upper elementary and middle school students. 1. Open Area Model The area model demonstrates that when multiplying two numbers, you can find partial products and add them together to find the overall product. The ...
Ideas for Homeroom
Advisory or homeroom is a perfect place to build relationships with your students in a non-academic setting! It can also be the time that turns into chaos because you don’t have a plan for it. Homeroom is often the last thing I think about, but I have found that my school day and school year is so much more successful when I have taken the time to make the most of my homeroom. ...