Questions, myths and answers

It’s a new month and a new theme! November will be dedicated to differentiated instruction and the Common Core State Standards.

I am kicking off the series with a blog post on Edutopia contributed by John McCarthy. His short piece on myths addresses misconceptions of [read more…]

Architects in the classroom

Edutopia is “to the rescue” once again in providing wonderful resources for a unique product that can be used to teach and assess in the differentiated classroom: an architectural model. Students in Eeva Reeder’s geometry class must develop a site plan, a scale model, floor plans, a perspective drawing, a cost estimate, and a written proposal. This short article provides a detailed description of the architecture project, the many types of assessments used, and the ways in which she encourages [read more…]

Creating cell models

This month, I am focused on differentiated products. Every day of October, I will be sharing a product that students can create to show what they know. I will feature a range of ideas including games, posters, written materials, pieces of art and more.

To kick off the series I am blogging about Amy Alvis, a creative middle school teacher who blogs about several different subject areas on her site, Math, Science, Social Studies…Oh My. You will love her detailed descriptions of lessons and the many snapshots of student work.

I found many posts appropriate for [read more…]

Marshmallows in math class?

What can you do with spaghetti, masking tape, string, and a little collaboration? You can take the marshmallow challenge! Over at Middle School Math Rules, Ms. Nackel, describes how she used this game to engage in classroom team building and to teach her seventh-grade math students about communication and problem-solving. She provides a really nice Google slide presentation that explains the challenge step-by-step. Essentially, the game involves [read more…]

“All about me” for everyone

Anyone in the midst of an “all about me” unit? If so, you will want to visit Mrs. Lee’s Kindergarten blog. Not only does she share a whole host of ideas, she includes several photos of the lessons. This unit contains lessons and activities that will speak to every type of learner. She has name pictures for [read more…]

DEFINE “VERTEX”

Math teachers often find that active learning techniques are hard to implement into their lessons. This one at Ramblings of a Fifth and Sixth Grade Teacher, however, is designed for the math classroom. Word ball is fun and easy to set up and helps students develop a stronger vocabulary that can be accessed across math lessons and units.

This game can, of course, be used in any [Read more…]

BULLETIN BOARDS FOR THE SECONDARY MATH TEACHER

There are few materials on the web to help middle and secondary teachers differentiate instruction or create a more responsive classroom. Therefore, when I stumbled upon this teacher educator’s collection of interactive bulletin boards for middle school and high school math teachers, I was impressed. The Kutztown University site offers options for [Read more…]

It’s time to (groan) assign a group project

Do your students dread working on group projects? Do you spend too much time trying to figure out who will and won’t work well together?  We found this great visual on Math Teacher Mambo’s blog; it provides a rationale for group work and some gentle encouragement to practice communication and social skills. We think this tool is a great way to break the ice and help your anxious, shy, or reluctant students deal with the anxiety or uncertainty of [Read more…]

Students as test authors

The featured post today is written with college students in mind, but you can use it with almost any grade level. At The BOK Blog, they are suggesting that educators “flip” test prep and have students write and discuss their own proposed test questions as a way to [Read more…]

Quick DI tips for math learners

Don’t you just love differentiation tips that are quick, easy, and thoughtful at the same time? Check out this post on Teaching to Inspire in 5th for a nice visual (and explanation) featuring a [Read more…]