Every year at this time, the pressure of the the spring, the lack of breaks, and then the lingering of the standardized test starts to set in. Here in Texas, students take the STAAR test in March, April, and May. Today, I wanted to share 6 STAAR review ideas to help get you geared up and to help prepare your students. This is the last of three posts about test prep, so ...
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Determining What to Review
March 1st always brings about two things: the impending countdown to spring break (yay!) and the daunting task of test prep review (eek!). In my years of teaching, testing season began immediately after spring break. Different grades and subjects were state tested towards the end of March and throughout April. First and foremost, I support best teaching practices, which involve ...
Are your 5th graders ready for the middle school transition?
If you are a 5th grade teacher wondering how to best prepare your students for middle school, then reader, keep reading. The middle school transition is drastic! Many 5th grade students will transition from straight lines in the hallway to moving freely from class to class. Not to mention - lockers, locker combinations, and making it to class on time! It is an exciting time, but it ...
Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Models
If your students would rather convert fractions to decimals then add and subtract fractions, then this post is for you! I don’t blame students for being more comfortable with decimals - I am too! But anytime I am confronted with a sewing or home improvement project, and I need to use a standard ruler, I am grateful that I can add and subtract fractions with ease. Let’s see if some of ...
3 Math Review Games to Get Students Moving
Students do so much sitting in a day. 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 ...
Student-Centered Math Activities
Planning student-centered math activities takes work! There is the actual planning and creating that takes time, but then there is also the actual classroom time to squeeze the activities into. I have five 7 favorite activities that are fun and engaging, but also help scaffold the learning. I think that is why I love math so much; it can be broken down into smaller components. The ...
5 Tips for Implementing Performance Tasks
The first performance task that I ever implemented was district provided and meant to replace the standard benchmark assessment. It did not go well; students felt defeated and I felt frustrated. Here is what I should have done: Before I begin, let’s talk about what a performance task is: “A performance task is any learning activity or assessment that asks students to perform to ...
School and District Information
ACCOUNT PRICING + FEATURES MANEUVERING THE MIDDLE FOR SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS MATH RESOURCES TO MEET STUDENTS' NEEDS AND EMPOWER TEACHERS IS YOUR SCHOOL OR DISTRICT LOOKING TO... Boost the confidence and effectiveness of your math teachers? Equip new teachers with content knowledge and ...
Using a Word Wall in Middle School
Word walls can feel like one more thing to maintain in the classroom, but when I see a student reference the word wall for help, then the word wall is well worth the extra effort. Here are a few tips I have for creating, maintaining, and maximizing the use of a middle school math word wall. Keep reading to check out Maneuvering the Middle's new Middle School Math Word Wall. 1. ...
Ideas for Organizing Math Intervention
If you are a classroom teacher, then you are probably very familiar with documenting student data and progress. Documenting the differentiation you are providing for every single student while also teaching said students can feel impossible. Hopefully, these tips for organizing your math intervention documentation will make it all more manageable. Plus, there are a few freebies to get ...