End of Year Activities and After State Testing Ideas
The big end of year tests are finished, but we still have several days or weeks of school left. The struggle to keep students engaged is getting tougher. Planning time is lacking.
I’ve gathered some of my favorite end of year activities. These require little or no prep. They are interesting and fun for students. Most can be used for any subject area as well as elementary, middle, or high school students.
Spring Bulletin Board Ideas
Spring is a great time to give those bulletin boards and classroom decorations a fresh look. Maybe you are looking for a motivational quote to inspire students or a growth mindset theme. Or maybe you just want something that is bright and colorful. Whatever you are looking for, I’ve gathered some of my favorite bulletin board kits to save you time. Most of these are not subject-specific and could work for elementary, middle, or high school. I’ll share a few math related ones at the end!
Can we break the order of operations?
The order of operations, they are such a straight-forward math topic, right? Or are they?
Students are capable of thinking about math. What if we show them multiple paths to simplifying expressions and let them discuss if they agree or disagree? This practice will help them think flexibly when simplifying expressions.
Math Classroom Decoration and Bulletin Board Inspiration
The moment students step foot in a classroom they get an idea of what that class is all about. Let’s try to get them excited about math with some meaningful classroom decorations. I’ve gathered some ideas for bulletin boards, signs, and useful decorations that are perfect for middle and high school math classrooms.
Back to School Ideas for Middle and High School Math
Ideas for the first day of school to help you get to know your students and do some math! These activities are sure to engage students right from the start.
Why We Shouldn't Use Gradual Release Often in Math Class
Gradual release is a method of teaching where the teacher starts out by showing how to do a procedure. (I do.) Then, the class works on a problem together. (We do.) And then finally students do a problem themselves. (You do.) The teacher is gradually releasing the responsibility to the students, the responsibility of getting an answer.
If we look at the Standards for Mathematical Practice, gradual release is not conducive for most of them.
Ideas & Resources for End of Year Math Review
It’s the end of the year, and we hope students remember all the math skills and content from the year. How should we revisit topics we have already taught and see what students know? I have gathered some of my favorite ideas and resources that will give us insight and push student thinking!
5 Tips to Make Math Tasks Successful
A math task is an in-depth problem we present to students centered around one (usually real world) scenario. A math task may have several questions or parts, but they are all related. It requires a deep level of thinking as students make connections and problem solve. In this blog post, I give my 5 best tips for math teachers to help make tasks successful!