Some good tech resources...

Would You Rather?

A site that provides some interesting math tasks.

All The News That's Fit to Math

A blog that posts interesting articles that relate to math.

Symbaloo Math Resource page

Includes some nice tech resources.

Discovery Education Wiki

Math targets and Common Core Standards (Page 1)
Math Practice Standards, Grade Level Progressions (Page 2)
Tasks (Page 3)
High Leverage Instructional Practices (Page 4)

Answer Garden

Site that allows students to respond to a question via a message board.

Video - Illustrates what happens when we don't teach problem solving skills.



Flip Snack 

Create a virtual spiral book from a PDF.

Math Sites

Bill Reed has posted some sites Google+ that are resources for Math instruction.

You can get to his post by clicking here.

Here is a part of what the post includes. If you want to see the whole list, click on the link above.

Math Game Sites

This is from Bill Reed at the DOE...

Adapted Mind site

Math Resources - Share My Lesson

Order of Operations - Good reviews and comments. Everything from Special Ed to 8th grade teachers.

Quadratic Equations - 8th Grade might want to save for end of the year.

Common Core index

NCTM Problem

Here is a link to a PDF copy of that NCTM problem I send out earlier this week in e-mail.

NCTM Pinterest Board

Did you know that the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) has a Pinterest board for Middle School Math lessons? Neither did I, until today. Here is the link.

Resources

Denise Harvey found this one...

Click here to go to the site!

And this one was found by Natalie Ramsey...

Click Here to go to Coloring Squared

Thanks for sharing, Ladies!

Number Line Activity

Here is a short video that you can use to help you further understand how to do a number line activity.

Note: Remember that if you have the same representation of a number (such as the number 1 and the fraction 4/4, these occupy the same space on the number line.

Site of the Week

Sometimes the best sites are ones that are by teachers in the trenches. This site is from a 6th Grade Math teacher. If you look at what she is dealing with right now, a lot of it has to do with variables.

Here is the site: http://cindywhitebcms.blogspot.com/

Hope you find something useful!

Math Fun

 Try This...

1. Take the 1st 3 digits of your (any) phone number (not including the area code)
2.  Multiply by 80
3. Add 1
4. Multiply by 250
5. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number
6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number (again)
7. Subtract 250
8. Divide the answer by 2

Did you come up with your phone number?

Try this with your students! Algebra Teachers: Have them show you why it works!

Answer: You took the original number and multiplied it by 80, then added 1 and multiplied the result by 250. In essence, you have multiplied the original number by 20,000 and added 250 to it. Then you add the last 4 digits twice. So your sum at this point is the first 3 numbers times 10,000 and doubled, the last 4 digits doubled, and an extra 250. all you need to do is take out the extra 250, then halve the number. Since the first 3 digits are still multiplied by 10,000, they end up in front, and the last 4 digits are in the final 4 place values.

Success Time - Ratios

More ideas for week 3 (Bar Models and Tables lessons) (Click here for PDF)

Keep in mind that our standard is 6.1.6, "Use models to represent ratios"

Fractions are another model that represents ratios. And clocks are a great way to represent fractions!

 

Website of the Week - Khan Academy

3 Reasons to find out more about Khan Academy...

• Tons of instructional videos. Use them in the classroom, watch them yourself, get your students signed up and they can watch them at home.

• Practice pages for students to work on their skills. Also gives helps and hints when they are struggling with something.

•  It's free, and free is good!

Here is a review from PC Mag.com (Click on pic to see full review)

Problems without Figures

I ran across this sheet in my Thinking Math materials from last year. The idea is to promote a mathematical understanding without looking at finding a specific answer. In other words, students must show a process for answering rather than an answer to a problem. Here is the sheet...

(Click on sheet for a PDF file)

A similar sheet could be used for developing an understanding of rates and ratios.

Link to PDF of Ratio Problems without Figures.

Link to Word Document of Ratio Problems without Figures.

This would be a great Success Time activity that could be done on multiple days!

Website of the Week!

The website of the week is worksheetworks.com

I found this site several years ago, and have shared it with as many as possible since. Great activities for all subject matter. These worksheets can be created to suit many different needs as they allow you to set some of the parameters. Then, it generates a new worksheet each time, even if you leave the parameters the same. These are then given as a PDF file with the answer key.

Great for subs, Success Time, or to reinforce a specific lesson!

Ratio Games

Ratio Blaster

In this game students must "blast" ratios that are alike before the space ships land. After the game is over it gives them information on how they did, and what errors they made.

Ratio Rumble (Mathsnacks.com)

In this game you must create the correct potion (based on the given ratio) before your opponent.

Bar Model with Rates and Ratios

Using Decomposing Numbers to Solve Problems

Click on the video to view.

This lesson could be used as a fill-in when your regular math lesson ends before class time is up. Or it can be a lesson on days that you want to supplement your Agile Mind. Or even as the start of a Success Time lesson.

A lesson like this is helpful for something as simple as students who are struggling with their multiplication facts as it builds their number sense and provides strategies for problems they have not yet committed to memory. It is also helpful for building mental math strategies for larger problems.

Math Activity - Today's Digits

Download PDF file.

Download Word file.

Great activity for Order of Operations. Can be differentiated in many ways. (Use 3 OR 4 numbers, Use only specific operations, modify to find specific answers only, etc.) Can also be used to build number sense and specific operations skills.