Tag: Math

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30 Ways to Say “Show Your Work” (Without Saying “Show Your Work”)

If you’ve ever told a student to show their work and been met with blank stares, scribbled-down numbers, or complete avoidance, you’re not alone. The truth is, many students don’t actually know what show your work means—or why it matters. To them, it sounds like just another rule, a hoop to jump through. But what if we reframed it?

The key is helping students see that showing their work isn’t about writing things down just because we said so—IT’S ABOUT MAKING THEIR THINKING VISIBLE! It’s about leaving a trail so they can check their reasoning, catch mistakes, and explain their process. And sometimes, the phrase show your work just doesn’t connect.

So, let’s rethink the way we ask students to document their thinking. Here are 30 different ways to say ‘show your work’ that might resonate more with your students:

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Easy-to-Use SAT Math Practice Sheets for Teachers and Students

Did you know that the average SAT math score is barely above 500 the past few years? Preparing for the SAT Math Test can feel overwhelming for both students and teachers. With so much content to cover, finding resources that are comprehensive, easy to use, and effective is essential. That’s why I’ve created my SAT Math Practice Sets—a collection of worksheets designed to target the key areas tested on the SAT. These practice sheets are a powerful tool for students preparing for test day and for teachers looking to build confidence and skills in their classrooms.

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Points of Concurrency: Connecting Geometry & Algebra

As educators, we’re always juggling – trying to cover a mountain of curriculum while making sure our students really understand the core concepts. And sometimes, we stumble upon those topics that make us wonder, “Is this really essential?” Points of concurrency and special segments in triangles often fall into this category. They can seem a bit intimidating, and let’s face it, we’re often pressed for time. So, should we teach them? Skim them? Skip them entirely?

Let’s explore this geometric puzzle, considering curriculum needs, the value of these concepts, and some practical strategies for teaching them effectively.

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10 Practice Questions for the Math Portion of the ACT

ACT math prep is essential for students looking to improve their scores and enhance their college applications. The ACT math section covers a variety of topics including algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and statistics. Effective preparation means not only practicing problems but also grasping the underlying concepts and mastering test-taking strategies. Using resources like practice questions, study guides, and prep bundles can help students identify their strengths and weaknesses. Consistent practice builds familiarity with the test format and can increase accuracy and speed. Teachers provide valuable support by offering guidance and resources to help students reach their highest potential

If you’re a teacher or a student gearing up for the math portion of the ACT, I’ve got just the thing for you—10 practice questions that mirror the ACT format with five multiple-choice options each. This set includes a mix of algebra, geometry, and probability to help gauge understanding and proficiency. An answer key is provided at the end to check the answers and see if students are on the right track. If more practice is needed, there’s a list of additional resources at the bottom of this post. Go ahead and take a look!

  1. What is the value of 3x2 – 5x + 2 when x = 2?
    A) 4
    B) 6
    C) 8
    D) 10
    E) 12
  2. In a right triangle, one angle measures 45 degrees. What is the measure of the other acute angle?
    A) 30 degrees
    B) 45 degrees
    C) 60 degrees
    D) 75 degrees
    E) 90 degrees
  3. Solve the equation: 2(x+1) = 16
    A) 2
    B) 3
    C) 4
    D) 5
    E) -2
  4. What is the area of a circle with a radius of 5 units?
    A) 15π square units
    B) 20π square units
    C) 25π square units
    D) 30π square units
    E) 35π square units
  5. Simplify the expression: √12⁄27
    A) √2⁄3
    B) √3⁄2
    C) 2⁄3
    D) 3⁄2
    E) Not Here
  6. If f(x) = 2x2 + 3x – 5, what is the value of f(4)?
    A) 17
    B) 23
    C) 29
    D) 35
    E) 39
  7. What is the y-value for the system of equations?
    2x + 3y = 7
    4x – y = 0
    A) y = 2
    B) y = 1
    C) y = 0
    D) y = -1
    E) y = 1⁄2
  8. A box contains 5 red balls, 4 blue balls, and 3 green balls. If one ball is randomly selected, what is the probability of selecting a blue ball?
    A) 1⁄3
    B) 1⁄2
    C) 4⁄11
    D) 3⁄10
    E) 8⁄9
  9. The sum of three consecutive even integers is 42. What is the smallest of the three integers?
    A) 10
    B) 12
    C) 14
    D) 16
    E) 18
  10. A triangle has side lengths of 5 cm, 8 cm, and 10 cm. What type of triangle is it?
    A) Equiangular triangle
    B) Acute triangle
    C) Obtuse triangle
    D) Right triangle
    E) Isosceles triangle

If you would like to have a PDF copy of these questions, then I will provide the link to the resource in my store. The store copy is slightly different. Question 4 has been changed to a higher difficulty and there are three bonus questions. The resource link is the last resource on this page. Scroll to the bottom.

Here’s an answer key with explanations:

  1. To find the value of the expression, substitute x = 2 into the expression:
    3(2)2 – 5(2) + 2 = 12 – 10 + 2 = 4
    Therefore, the answer is A) 4
  2. In a right triangle, one angle is always 90 degrees. The sum of the angles in a triangle is 180 degrees. Therefore, the measure of the other acute angle would be:
    180 – 90 – 45 = 45 degrees
    Therefore, the answer is B) 45 degrees.
  3. One way of solving this equation is turn 16 into 24, then set up the following equation and solve: 2(x+1) = 24 x+1 = 4 x = 3 Another way of solving this equation is by taking the logarithm (base 2) of both sides, we get:
    (x+1)log2(2) = log2(16)
    x+1 = log2(16)
    x+1 = 4
    x = 4 – 1
    x = 3
    Therefore, the answer is B) 3.
  4. The formula to find the area of a circle is A = πr2, where r is the radius. Substituting r = 5 into the formula, we get:
    A = π(5)2 = 25π square units
    Therefore, the answer is C) 25π square units.
  5. To simplify the expression, we need to find the square root of the fraction. Simplifying the fraction first, we get:
    √4⁄9
    Taking the square root of the numerator and denominator, we get:
    √4⁄9 = 2⁄3
    Therefore, the answer is C) 2⁄3.
  6. To find the value of f(4), substitute x = 4 into the function:
    f(4) = 2(4)2 + 3(4) – 5 = 32 + 12 – 5 = 39
    Therefore, the answer is E) 39.
  7. To solve the system of equations for y, we can use the method of substitution or elimination. By eliminating the variable x, we can find the value of y:
    Multiply the first equation by -2:
    -4x – 6y = -14
    4x – y = 0
    Add the two equations together:
    -7y = -14
    y = 2
    Therefore, the answer is A) y = 2.
  8. The probability of selecting a blue ball can be found by dividing the number of blue balls by the total number of balls:
    Probability = Number of blue balls / Total number of balls
    Probability = 4 / (5 + 4 + 3) = 4⁄12
    Simplifying the fraction, we get:
    Probability = 1⁄3
    Therefore, the answer is A) 1⁄3.
  9. Let’s assume the smallest even integer is x. The next two consecutive even integers would be x + 2 and x + 4. The sum of the three consecutive even integers is given as 42. Set up an equation:
    x + (x + 2) + (x + 4) = 42
    3x + 6 = 42
    3x = 36
    x = 12
    Therefore, the answer is B) 12
  10. Use Pythagorean Theorem to classify the triangle. If a2 + b2 = c2, then the triangle is a right triangle. If a2 + b2 > c2, then the triangle is an acute triangle. If a2 + b2 < c2, then the triangle is an obtuse triangle.
    52 = 25, 82 = 64 and 102 = 100
    25 + 64 < 100 or 89 < 100
    Therefore, the answer is C) Obtuse Triangle

Here’s a BONUS Question for Trig Practice that I grabbed out of my ACT 5 Week Test Prep:

Students should remember SOH CAH TOA in order to tackle this problem. If the question asks for cosine, then look adjacent to A, which is 8, and then look at the hypotenuse, which does not have a measurement. Since TA needs a measurement, use the Pythagorean Theorem to find that the answer. 62 + 82 = TA2. Square the 6 and 8 then add them to get 100. The square root of 100 = 10, so TA = 10. Now, Cos(A) would be 8⁄10 and would reduce to 4⁄5, which is answer choice D.

I hope these practice questions prove helpful. Consistent practice is key to improving skills and boosting confidence for the ACT. For additional resources, check out the links provided. Good luck on preparing!

All these individual resources are part of the ACT Math Success Prep Bundle. Whether you need to focus on specific objectives or want comprehensive practice, I’ve got your covered.

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Math Events and Phenomenon in 2024 For Your Secondary Classroom

In our pursuit of enhancing math education, let’s look into engaging activities that bring real-world events into your classroom. I’d like to explore some noteworthy occasions in 2024—Leap Year, Pi Day, and the Total Solar Eclipse (to name a few) — and how to seamlessly integrate them into your math lessons.

Leap Year

Leap years serve the purpose of aligning our calendar with Earth’s orbit around the sun. Picture this: a year clocks in at around 365.25 days. Without those periodic additional days, our calendar would gradually veer out of sync with the solar orbit.

Leap Year is on a Thursday so it would be a perfect time to throw in some real-life math that day. Here are three suggestions:

  • Leap Year Calculation and Discussions: (I pulled this from https://www.almanac.com/when-next-leap-year) A year may be a leap year if it is evenly divisible by 4.Years divisible by 100 (century years such as 1900 or 2000) cannot be leap years unless they are also divisible by 400. (For this reason, the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, but the years 1600 and 2000 were.)
  • Average Year Length: Examine the average length of a year, accounting for those crucial leap years. For example, if we take a four-year period (which includes one leap year), the average length of a year would be: (365+365+365+366) divided by 4 = 365.25 days
  • Birthday Probability: Inject some practical math by examining the probability of being born on February 29th. The chances of a baby being born on Leap Day is pretty slim: about one in 1,461, as Feb. 29 only comes around once every 1,461 days. And if a baby is born during a Leap Year, the chance of their birthday falling on Feb. 29 is a one in 366 chance (but of course, it all completely depends on when the baby was conceived).

Pi Day and More

Another event early in 2024 is Pi Day. Each year math enthusiast celebrate this event because of the numbers on the calender: 3/14, but did you know about these other celebrated, but not as well known math days?

  • “e” or Euler’s day which would be on 2/7
  • Palindrome Days which will occur in April in 2024, such as 4/2/24 or 4/21/24 etc.
  • Fibonacci Day: 11/23

My neighbor worked at Lockhead Martin for years and it was a thing to bring pie on Pi Day each year. Of course the engineers at Lockhead would think of that! People in general have embraced Pi Day, so it’s a fun event to celebrate each year.

Here is the activity that I do for Pi Day to refresh area and circumference of circles: Area and Circumference of Circles Coloring Activity

A good activity for Euler’s Day would be one where compounding continuously is explored. I have this activity called: Compound Interest Activity. In my Log Unit, there’s a section on dealing with natural logs, so that would be a nice activity as well.

I have never celebrated Palindrome Days before, but it would be really great to do that in April of 2024. Palindromes’ in general could be explored: words, phrases or numbers.

  • Examples of word palindromes: racecar, level, rotator, civic
  • Example of phrase palindromes: A Santa lived as a devil at NASA
  • Example of a palindrome math problem: 121 X 11 = 1331

Total Solar Eclipse

Now let’s discuss the Solar Eclipse that occurs on April 8, 2024 in North America. The path starts in Mazatlan Mexico, passes from Texas to Maine and into the far east of Canada. You can view the path on the NASA site here.

April 8th is a Monday. Start now and think about how you can take advantage of this phenomenon. If you love STEM activities, the sky is the limit (literally)!

If you are planning to take your students outside to see the event, you might want to start journaling about the event. My husband created an Eclipse Journal. The journal helps students explore thought-provoking questions, research tasks, and engaging activities. My husband is a biology teacher and an eclipse enthusiast.

If you aren’t the journaling type, then what can you do on April 8th? Here are some ideas:

1) If you are in the path and have permission, take your class to watch. You must take safety precaustions. Either purchase eclipse glasses, or make eclipse viewer.

2) Not in the path, but still want to watch? Here’s where to see past eclipses and future ones: Exploratorium.

3) Here’s a math challenge called Pi in the Sky from NASA. I hope you find all of this interesting. I know your plate is full, but real life events are a perfect time to show students how math can be used outside of the classroom.

Let’s gear up for a an exciting year in our classrooms. We’ve explored Leap Year, Pi Day, and the Total Solar Eclipse in 2024, but there’s another cool date in the not so distant futre… mark your calendars for a unique mathematical celebration on July 24, 2025 – Pythagorean Theorem Day! No matter where in the world you are or how you write the date, the sum of the squares of the first two digits (7 and 24) perfectly aligns with the square of the year (25). It’s an opportunity to explore the wonders of Pythagoras’ Theorem in a fun and memorable way with your students.

Here’s to a year filled with hands-on learning, real-world connections, and the joy of discovering the wonders of math in everyday life. Wishing you and your students a fantastic and mathematically enriching journey!

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Mental Math in Secondary Math Classrooms

Let’s talk about mental math, a skill that holds immense value for our secondary students. Elementary teachers work with students on mental math but in middle school and high school it becomes limited because we have such a broad curriculum to cover and time becomes an issue. As experts in the field of math, we have a unique opportunity to equip our students with the tools they need to thrive academically and in real-life scenarios.

As a high school math teacher, the lack of mental math can become apparent. Here are a few ways that I know a student struggles with mental math:

  • They reach for the calculator to do simple tasks.
  • They struggle with positives and negatives.
  • They do not know multiplication facts.
  • They do not have confidence and avoid responding.
  • They struggle with estimation.
  • They have a lack of number sense.

The SAT is removing its “no calculator section” in 2024, and calculators are becoming increasingly common in everyday life. So why should we still teach mental math?

  1. Mental math is a valuable skill that can help students in many ways. It can improve their speed and accuracy in calculations, and it can also help them develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.
  2. Mental math can help students become more strategic thinkers. When they are faced with a math problem, they need to be able to decide whether to use a calculator or to solve the problem mentally. This requires them to think about the problem carefully and to consider the best way to solve it.
  3. Mental math can help students become more independent learners. When they are able to solve math problems in their head, they don’t need to rely on a calculator or on someone else to help them (this is a dream for a math teacher). This can give them a sense of confidence and accomplishment, and it can also help them become more self-reliant.
  4. Mental math can simply be fun. It can be a challenge to try to solve math problems in your head, and it can be satisfying to be able to do it successfully.

How do we convince students that mental math skills will help them beyond the classroom? The best way is to give them some scenarios of things they could face. The number one thing to get across is that if students do not have good mental math skills, then they can easily be taken advantage of. Mental math can be used in many situations. This is a list of 15 ways students might use mental math in their future endeavors.

  1. Shopping: When shopping, mental math allows you to calculate discounts, estimate total costs, and compare prices to find the best deals without relying on a calculator.
  2. Financial Transactions: Whether you’re receiving change at a store or checking your bank balance, mental math helps you verify that you’re getting the correct amount and avoid errors.
  3. Cooking and Baking: In the kitchen, mental math enables you to adjust recipe quantities, convert measurements, and quickly calculate cooking times.
  4. Budgeting: Mental math skills aid in budgeting finances, helping you track expenses, allocate funds, and plan for future financial goals.
  5. Tip Calculation: When dining at a restaurant, you can easily calculate tips based on percentages, ensuring accurate gratuity without the need for a calculator.
  6. Time Management: In time-sensitive situations, mental math allows you to quickly estimate durations, plan schedules, and manage your time effectively.
  7. Travel Planning: When traveling, mental math helps you convert currency, estimate distances, and calculate time differences between different time zones.
  8. DIY Projects: In home improvement projects, mental math allows you to measure and cut materials accurately and estimate the required quantities of materials.
  9. Fitness and Health: Mental math is useful in keeping track of workout routines, counting repetitions, and monitoring health-related data like calorie intake or heart rate.
  10. Navigation: When driving or navigating through unfamiliar places, mental math aids in estimating distances and travel times between destinations.
  11. Tax and Tip Calculation: While dining out or shopping, mental math helps you quickly calculate total bills, including taxes and tips.
  12. Sharing Expenses: In group settings, mental math facilitates the fair division of expenses among friends or colleagues.
  13. Home Management: In household chores, mental math assists in determining the appropriate quantities of cleaning products, cooking ingredients, or household items to purchase.
  14. Career and Business: In various professions, mental math aids in analyzing data, making financial decisions, and calculating costs, profits, or margins.
  15. Emergency Situations: During emergencies, mental math enables you to quickly assess situations, calculate available resources, and respond effectively.

Let’s talk about how to incorporate mental math into an already busy math curriculum. As a secondary math teacher with limited time, you can efficiently incorporate mental math into your classroom routine with a little planning. Here are a few suggestions.

  • Start each class with a quick mental math warm-up, offering a mix of problems to reinforce concepts and challenge students.
  • Engage your class with math game sessions that focus on mental math skills, making learning fun and interactive.
  • To make mental math relevant, integrate it into real-life scenarios such as budgeting and trip planning.
  • During lessons, include quick discussions and estimation exercises to promote critical thinking.
  • Add an extra station for mental math if you are already doing stations.
  • During transitions times, have students work on a mental math.
  • Talk about mental math on a regular basis!

By nurturing mental math skills, students become strategic thinkers and independent learners. They gain confidence, self-reliance, and a sense of accomplishment. Beyond the classroom, mental math equips them to handle real-world challenges and prevents them from being taken advantage of. From shopping to cooking, budgeting to travel planning, mental math proves indispensable in numerous situations.

Incorporating mental math into our already busy math curriculum requires thoughtful planning and creativity. Utilizing warm-ups, game days, real-life applications, discussions, and peer collaboration, we can seamlessly integrate mental math practice into our lessons. With these concise strategies, we empower our students to master mental math, making them more adept at handling mathematical challenges and better equipped for success in their academic and future endeavors. Let’s embrace the importance of mental math and inspire our students to unlock its power for their benefit and growth.

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Making Mistakes in Math

Say this to yourself: “I make math mistakes and it’s ok!” Most of the mistakes we make as teachers are probably because of being careless. Our minds are processing 20 different things while we are teaching. We are wondering if the students are understanding or if Susie is on her phone or if Johnny is ever going to come back from the restroom. 

Make it known from the beginning of the year that you WILL make mistakes and you need the students to catch those mistakes. If they catch the mistake, then give them bonus points or a sticker or some reward to let them know it’s important that they notice your mistakes. Also tell your students that you do not know everything about math. That might shock them. You need to show vulnerability so that the students feel comfortable about their own mistakes. When you make a mistake and a student points it out, say THANK YOU!

Something that I have said many times this year is that I want the students to be wrong… a lot. I want them to mess up. I want them to make mistakes. I want them to leave the class and say, “Well I made a lot of mistakes today in math.” Weird, I know…but if they can say that, then they worked hard in class. Mistakes are a part of learning. Mistakes mean effort. No mistakes will probably mean no work. 

Have you asked a student a question and they say, “I don’t know?” Tell them they can’t say that anymore. Do not let them write IDK for an answer on a paper. That’s a big no no. I tell the kids to “Fake it until you make it.” Act like you know. Put something down or give some sort of answer. Who cares if you are wrong! 

Next week when you are teaching, look at your students and see who is just sitting. Walk the room. Who has a blank paper. Don’t let this happen. Get the students involved and teach them to be ok with math mistakes. Mistakes are necessary! 

(Here is a gift to you. A digital display poster of Mistakes are Necessary. This is from my Google Drive… if you cannot open it, try from your personal email and not your school email.)

This post was a newsletter first. This is the kind of content that I like to write for my email subscribers. If you’d like to be a part of my email list, sign up here. My goal is to provide tips, ideas and resources for the busy secondary math teacher or tutor. If that’s you, please join.

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7 Reasons to use Bell Ringers in High School Math Classes

I’ve used bell ringers (sometimes called Do Nows or Warm-ups) my entire teaching career until the pandemic. For over a year, I quit using them. I was juggling too much to add bell ringers to the mix, but I’m happy to say that I’m using them again. I debated over whether to start using them because I do have a few cons that bother me.

One of my cons for using bell ringers is that it requires a transition from one task to another and sometimes transitions in a classroom are hard to deal with. Another con is that you have to think of what you want your bell ringer to be and that requires time which we as teachers have very little time.

The pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to bell ringers. I have 7 reasons why I feel like bell ringers are worth the struggle. It makes sense to me to continue using them because of what bell ringers provide.

  • #1 – Get the students busy from the start! As a teacher, the beginning of class is a chaotic time. We need to get the students settled and do attendance. If students are in a routine to come into the class and get started on the bell ringer, then the chaos is limited and the teacher has time to get organized.
  • #2 – Use bell ringers to recycle information or to review information. Maybe you want to review the first grading period during the second grading period using bell ringers. I’ve learned that 3 or 4 problems is the limit. A quick way to create something is to use material that you were not able to use during the first grading period. You might have run out of time to do a worksheet or maybe you did not get to go as deep as you wanted. Divide that worksheet into days and give it to your students at the beginning of the week. Students get the worksheet out at the start of class each day and work on it. (I have my students tape everything into their journal so they do not lose it.)
  • #3 – Use bell ringers as a quick check to find out what students know. For instance, before a lesson on the properties of exponents, you decide to see if students remember how to use integer operations or if they remember that 5^3 really means 5*5*5. Before any lesson, think about what might cause some issues. Do not assume that students remember their math from past grades. Give them some problems and see what they remember. This will guide you to take a moment to reteach some concepts before you get started.
  • #4 – Bell ringers can simply be a way to get your students thinking or “get the wheels turning” as they say. Some teachers call bell ringers warm ups. That’s a good name! Before you run, don’t you warm up. You want to get the blood flowing and the muscles stretched. The brain is no different. It’s great to have students focused and thinking before you begin a lesson.
  • #5 – This reason is related to #4 above… Use bell ringers as a lesson opener. To get the “wheels turning” use a problem to spark interest in the topic you are about to teach. Real-life problems are a great thing to use. It really doesn’t have to be anything but a picture or a simple question. For instance, before a quadratic lesson you could have a picture of a football player throwing a pass. You could ask students to predict if the throw is accurate or how many yards the ball will travel. The great thing about this kind of question is that anyone can answer it. All kids are on an equal playing field. All students can be successful on these types of questions.
  • #6 – Here’s a biggie… Use bell ringers to fill in gaps. Welp, we all know how important that is at this time. Think about the students you teach. What’s missing in their learning. What did they NOT learn the past few years that you can practice through bell ringers? You could literally pull material from the previous grade level and reteach it. If your state has standardized testing, go pull from old tests. You could even go back a couple of grade levels. Think of the good this would do!
  • #7 – Use bell ringers to prepare students for standardized tests. Not all math teachers think about preparing students for college entrance exams or college placement exams. Your students will be taking tests such as the ACT, SAT, PSAT, TSI or ACCUPLACER. Why not give them a taste of what they will see on these tests? Students are not familiar with the questioning used on these types of tests. What a great service you would be doing for your students if you helped prepare them for what they might see on college entrance exams.

I hope I’ve given you some ideas. To me, bell ringers are another learning opportunity. To provide the best thing for your students, you need to think about your particular groups. My Algebra students need something different than my Geometry students most of the time. The only time that I may give them the same bell ringers is if I’m in the mode of preparing them for the TSI or PSAT.

My biggest concern for my Geometry students is how much Algebra they lost last year. I created an Algebra bell ringer resource just for them. When I’m doing these bell ringers with them, I’ll ask them to raise their hand if they remember certain things. It’s terribly disappointing how little they learned last year. I’ll link this resource below if you are interested, but here is a freebie related to those bell ringers. Each day there are four problems. I work two with them and then they do two on their own.

Your next question might be, should you grade bell ringers? I usually grade on completion. I have students keep the bell ringers in their journals, so sometimes during a journal check, I might refer back to certain bell ringers and ask them questions about them.

I’ve attached some of my bell ringers below that are in my TpT store. Half the battle is having time to create them. Remember, bell ringers do not have to be something you create. It can be an old worksheet that you didn’t get to or it can be review material that you have. I’ve used my TSI material a lot as bell ringers. I’ll pull a page out of a lesson and it will become my bell ringers for the week. The great thing about TSI or ACCUPLACER material is that it covers a variety of content that students should know from past math classes.

Here’s what I’m currently using with my Geometry Classes:

These next two resources are for college entrance exams:

I use any of my TSI resources to pull from for various reasons. I recently pulled from this activity for my Algebra class bell ringers to help recycle previous concepts:

I have all of my bell ringers including in one bundle so you can save:

If you like my ideas and tips, then consider joining my email list. If you chose to do that, then you will receive a free exponential function hands-on activity. Join Now!

Good luck with your bell ringers. If you are not on board, I understand. I have my reservations at times too. You need to do what is best for your situation.

Please follow me at my TpT Store so that you know when I upload new resources. All my new resources are 50% off for 24 hours.

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Take A Picture, It Will Last Longer And Be More Effective For Your Math Lesson

Real-life examples in math are super important, but it takes time to think of examples and to prepare a lesson using your examples. A quick way to make a lesson interesting and tied to a real-life situation is to take a picture then pose a question. This gets students to analyze details of a situation.

In the next few weeks, I will be talking to my Algebra students about arithmetic sequences and direct variation. I have a great blog post titled, “Examples of Real-Life Arithmetic Sequences.” Check it out if you’d like. I love all the pictures in that post, but I thought I’d take a new picture that I could pose a question to see what the students would say. Below is the question and picture. Feel free to use it yourself if you like it. 

(Yep, that’s my dishwasher in the background😂)

I’d give students a little time to think and jot their thoughts down. Next, I’d ask for feedback. Finally, my plan is to let them create a table using height of cups vs. number of cups for each situation. We will create equations and graphs and talk about the similarities and differences. Students will pay more attention to the details and take part in this activity. All the students will need is some grid paper and the picture which I will post on the board and in Canvas for them.

As a side note, I took this picture with my iPhone, then I used a free app called Layout from Instagram to create the collage. I used another free app called Typorama to add the question. Very simple and easy once you’ve done it a couple of times. I save all my photos in Google Photos which is easy to get to via phone or computer. 

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Get Your Math Students Engaged!

How is it going in your classroom? If it seems that your students are not paying attention and just not getting the concepts you are delivering, could it be that you are not engaging them? When school really gets going and you are super busy, it seems like we go into survival mode. The way we survive is lecturing because we really don’t have time to plan and be creative. I’m going to give you some ideas that turn a dull boring lesson into an engaging lesson without much prep.

Here are 5 Easy Ideas:

1) Get the dry erase boards out and dust them off! Kids love to draw on the boards, so give them equations to solve, equations to graph or shapes to draw. Maybe you had a worksheet planned. Don’t do it the traditional way, instead call out the problems and let them work them on the board then raise the board up to show you. You can make corrections and help kids that are struggling. You can have students show their partner and talk about which person may or may not be correct. Dry erase boards are a savior for me. I get them out anytime I feel like I have a boring lesson and it really spruces it up. 
2) Find a related Desmos lesson. Desmos is easy to use and can be something quick to search and find quick lessons or activities for your students. If you are teaching exponential functions soon, I have a good activity from Desmos that I created. I would say to do this with Algebra 2 rather than Algebra 1. It’s called “The Towers“. I love the Tower of Hanoi and I use it in my Exponential Functions Stations. 
3) Another quick way to gain interest in note taking is make the notes colorful or turn it into a graphic organizer. If you have 4 things the students need to know, then create a paper folding graphic where students write on the outside 4 flaps and they open to reveal answers, definitions or a diagram. 
Here’s two examples of using colored pencils or using a foldable:

4) Let the students partner up and go to a spot on the board or use poster paper. Ask them to write everything they know about a topic. I recently did this and the students did not realize how much they actually knew. I kept adding stuff and reminding them of a few things along the way. Before they knew it, they had a ton of concepts on the board. 
5) Turn the lecture into a game. One way is to make it a Bingo Game. Create a list of things you know you will be saying that day and put it on the board. The students will be given a blank bingo card and can write the words randomly into the boxes. As they hear you say the phrase or word, they cross off that box. If they bingo, you will take off a couple of problems on the homework to shorten the assignment. 

If you look up from a lecture and you have kids falling asleep or looking at their phones, you know you’ve got to do something to change the dynamics of the class. Try implementing one or two of these ideas in the next few weeks and let me know how it goes!