Systems of Equations

Friday, February 26, 2016

I love systems of equations. I like solving for unknowns and the feeling you get when you know you've solved a system correctly! The easiest way for me to do systems is through substitution but the coolest way to do them is through graphing. It is neat because you can actually see why your solution is correct through the graph.

Freebie! Slope Race Activity!

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

I have a very competitive group of boys in my class and they love challenging each other. I created a Slope Race activity for them to complete in math and they had a blast! You can download it FOR FREE HERE.


Messy Handwriting Math Trick!

Monday, February 22, 2016

I do not know about you but some of my middle schoolers have horrendous penmanship. This can be detrimental in math! I too often see bright students who happen to have messy handwriting get deducted points on math tests. They performed the steps to solving properly but they misread their own handwriting.

I shared a trick with my students that some of them have adopted. When you are showing work for math, turn your paper so the lines are running down instead of across. I have a few students who have really taken to his and they say it helps them.

I'm sure many teachers know about this "trick" but I would expect this trick is performed mostly in elementary schools. I encourage you to just let your class in on this trick. Even if it only helps one of your students, it will be worth it!



Classroom Theme Ideas?

Sunday, February 21, 2016

I am currently in my first year of teaching 8th grade math and science. I am already looking forward to next year! I was an emergency hire so I did not have the opportunity to prepare or design my classroom.

I am very excited to put my classroom together for the next school year and I have some theme ideas but I would love some suggestions:

1. A Series of Unfortunate Events: I could hang black paper birds on a wire throughout the classroom, my news bulletin board could be called The Daily Punctillio...

2. Harry Potter: I read a great buzzfeed article about a teacher who had a Harry Potter themed classroom and it was magical. Click here to read the article.

3. Alice in Wonderland: Im a little "iffy" about this one. I have a 9:1 boy/girl ratio this year and who knows about next year. Is this still a viable classroom theme?

Does anyone have other ideas? I will be grateful for any suggestions. Thanks!!

Throw Back to Japan: Photo Diary part 2













Throwback to Japan: Photo Diary part 1

I started my first year of teaching in August 2015. I was placed in an emergency position to teach 8th grade special education math and science. I had no time to prepare and my first few weeks were incredibly stressful and I was brought to tears more than a few times. However, after about a month, I started to get the hang of teaching, writing IEPs, etc. Things are still hectic but I have adapted to it... Sort of.

During the Christmas break, I went to Japan. I had never been out of the country before and I was looking forward to going all through the second quarter. The trip was life-changing and it was an awesome opportunity for me to reflect on the first semester and get hype for the second. Now it's the third quarter and I'm missing Japan. I was there for two weeks and I flew into Hokkaido, caught the train to Osaka, Kobe, Tokyo, and caught the train back up to Hokkaido to fly out. I should also mention that I am from Hawaii and I had only been in snow once in my life when I was 10.