Glogster Experience

I am a huge fan of doing projects in math. I try to come up with at least one small project for each unit. It allows me to see what the students understand in a way other then on tests and quizzes. My 8th graders really struggled with a recent unit on System of Equations. I knew I needed to come up with a project that allowed them to review the material as well as show me their understanding. I decided to put them in three groups to make a Glog about each of the three methods for solving systems. This allowed them to go back into their notes and textbooks to really delve into how each method was applied and when it should be applied. My kids LOVED using Glogster and the results are wonderful! Check out them out!

8th Grade System of Equations Glogs

New Orleans Learning

I'm currently in warm and sunny New Orleans for the NCTM National Conference. I spent today with a fellow teacher going to a variety of workshops, but found the last workshop of the day to be the most interesting and enjoyable. It focused on the importance of teaching students multiple methods for computations. 

With the shift to Common Core there has been some concerns about the way students are taught how to complete basic computations - like adding and subtracting. The Common Core focuses on students developing an understanding of these basic skills - I think this is great! Students are taught different methods, such as breaking numbers apart or drawing a model, to develop this understanding before being taught the standard algorithm. The workshop I attended today emphasized how these different methods relate to each other and how they can be used to explain the standard algorithm we all learned in school. 

Some time was spent during the workshop talking about how we would go about solving different problems. For example, the problem 24 x 6 was presented. My first thought was to multiply 20 x 6 = 120 and 4 x 6 = 24 and then add 120+24 and get the solution 144. Another person in the workshop explained that he multipled 25 x 6 = 150 and then subtracted 6 and got 144. There were other methods explained, but what was most interesting is that no one said "I took out paper and pencil and used the standard algorithm." 

In our day to day lives as adults we don't use the standard algorithms we were taught in school; we use number sense and mental math to find the answer. We need to teach our students how to be able to do this same thing. We need to help our students develop number sense so that they too can find the easiest way to complete computations in their heads. By teaching them multiple methods for these basic computations we are helping them to develop this number sense so that they can effectively and efficiently work with numbers in their heads. 

A Little Late...Happy Pi Day!

These last few weeks have been quite hectic at school so I'm just getting around to writing a post about our Pi Day celebrations from March 14th! All of my middle school students are fascinated by the value of pi and the fact that it goes on and on forever and never repeats (even those who aren't studying pi yet!). So March 14th - Pi Day - is quite an exciting day in my classroom.

This is their favorite poster in my room! If you look very carefully, it lists as many digits that can fit on the poster in the background.

We started the day by having two of the eighth graders read a chant over the intercom during announcements to let the school know that today we are celebrating Pi Day.

A copy of the chant read during announcements.

 

 

And then begins the fun Pi Day activity! I found on Pinterest last year a great idea for making Pi Day Bracelets. You buy 10 different color beads and assign each color a digit. As the students go through the digits of pi, they use the corresponding color bead to put together a bracelet. Even though my 7th and 8th graders made bracelets last year, they were still very exciting to make bracelets again this year - in fact, they asked if we were doing it again this year! The 8th graders made their bracelets on their own, but the 7th graders helped the 1st graders make bracelets before making their own. It was great to see the 7th graders work with the younger students and explain to them why pi was such an important numerical value. The 6th graders worked with the 4th and 5th graders and made bracelets with them. Again, it was great to see my students working with students from a different grade level.

 

Here is my Pi Day Bracelet. We used initial beads to represent the decimal point.

Here are some of the color-number match ups that students used to make their bracelets:

3 = red

1 = orange

4 = green

5 = purple

 

Overall, we had a great Pi Day and the kids loved it! I love being able to celebrate math in a fun way with my students. 



Yes, I am the ONLY Math Teacher!

I teach in a very small Connecticut town in an equally small school. The school is a K-8 with about 100 students. There is just one class for each grade level and, therefore, only one teacher from each grade K-5 and each subject 6-8. So when I say I'm the middle school math teacher, I really mean I'm the middle school math teacher - I'm the only math teacher in the building. There are both challenges and benefits to this situation. There have been many times recently that people have commented either "that must be really nice to have the same students for 3 years!" or "that must be a lot of work to plan for 3 different grade levels!" Both are very true, so I thought I'd write about what I saw as the challenges and the benefits related to my very unique position.

Let's start with the obvious challenge - all the planning. Your typical middle school or high school math teacher plans for two or three different class because he or she probably teaches at least one of those classes two or more times a day. For example, when I was student teaching I had four class of 7th grade math and one class of Pre-Algebra - so I really only planned for two different classes. This year I am currently planning for six different classes each day - 6th grade math, 7th grade math, 7th grade Pre-Algebra, 8th grade math, 8th grade Algebra I, and Geometry (for an advanced 8th grader). So, yes, I do spend a lot of time planning and grading for each of those classes - definitely a challenge.

Another challenge is that my lessons are only taught once a year. While student teaching, since I taught 7th grade math four times a day, I could adjust a lesson if during 1st period it didn't go quite as I had expected. I could reflect during/after the lesson and determine what I could do differently to make it successful for the next classes coming in. Since I only teach each lesson once a day in my currently job this can't happen. It certainly can happen for the next year when I teach that lesson again, but not immediately.

Now on to the benefits! The relationships! At the end of each year teachers can reflect back on what great relationships they have formed with their students from that year - but at the end of each year I can reflect on the relationships that have formed and look forward to how much more those relationships are going to grow the following year. My current 8th grade class is the first class that I have had for three years. The connections I have with those students are so strong and so important to me. We are now the point where I can predict what they are going to say or do before they do it (and they can sometimes do the same for me). They know my expectations and exactly how to meet them. At the beginning of the year we can dive right into math content and not spend time going over rules and procedures because they already know them. I think forming connections with students is one of the most important thing we do as teachers and I love the fact that my position has allowed me to form deeper connections over a three year period.

Another benefit is the mathematical content. Since I taught them in 6th grade and in 7th grade when we get to a new topic in 8th grade that relies on a previously learned concept I know they learned it and I know exactly how they were taught. They can't pull the typical "we never learned this" line with me because I know they did. (I also work very closely with the 5th grade teacher so my 6th graders can't pull that line either.) I can also use this benefit to pull up previous knowledge by reminding them of an activity or game that we played. It also allows me to move forward with a curriculum when a certain class is full of fast learners. I know exactly where the curriculum is going in future grades so I can start to help them make those connections a year or two early.

I mentioned earlier the challenge of only teaching a lesson once a  year - I think this is also a benefit. I love teaching something different each period. It makes my day so much more exciting and interesting. Although I loved being able to adjust my lesson based on previous periods while student teaching it got quite boring teaching the same thing four times a day. There certainly is nothing boring about teaching something different each period! It keeps me on my toes and keeps me entertained all day long!

There certainly are many other benefits (and some other challenges) but I find those to be the ones that stand out the most. The challenges may seem like very big things, but to me the benefits definitely outweigh the challenges. I love that I know exactly where they came from mathematically and where they are going! I love teaching a different thing each period and how it makes my day more exciting! And, most importantly, I absolutely love the relationships and connections I have formed with each and every one of my students because of the extended time I get to spend with them! People may say that my job sounds challenging, and it can be, but I love my challenge and all the benefits that come with it! 

The Most Important Lessons

When I first started teaching I found out some surprising news a few months in, our school has a ski program. At first I thought it must be something like a "ski club" where the kids are bussed up to the ski slopes after school for skiing, that's cool! This didn't surprise me since there is a ski slope right in town down the road from our school. But no, this ski program is much more than that. The first five Fridays after winter break, at 12:20, all 4th through 8th grade students get on the busses and head over the ski slopes to ski for the rest of the school day. They take ski (or snowboard) lessons for about an hour and then are given some free ski time.

My first reaction as a teacher - you mean they're missing five afternoons of school to go skiing?? My first reaction as a non-skiier - you mean I have to go skiing too?? Students are given three choices: downhill skiing, snowboarding, or cross-country skiing/skating. I wound up joining the cross-country/skating group.

I went into this whole ski program experience very apprehensive, but can now say they are some of my favorite days at school. First of all spending the afternoon outside on the trails or at the rink is wonderful, it is nice to get out of the classroom for a while. But even more important is seeing a whole different side of the students. Our group this year was made up of thirteen students from grades 5, 6, 7, and 8. It was wonderful to see them interact with students who are not in their class or even students from their class that they may not typically interact with.

Being outside of the classroom they even interact with myself and the other teacher in a different way. One student who is quiet, shy, and very focused during class came to life through this program. She laughed and joked around telling me that I tied her skates too tight, despite my explaining that figure skates must be tied tight. And when it was time to leave, she whined about not wanting to leave. Seeing a side of her that felt comfortable to complain and whine (in a good way) was a sight I never thought I'd see. Another student who is also shy and has very low confidence went into cross-country skiing telling me she was going to fall and she just couldn't do it. The second time out on the skis she was happy to announce "Miss Krueger, I only fell five times!"

I love the relationships I have formed with my students inside my classroom, but the interactions that have occurred because of this ski program are some of my fondest memories. Sometimes the most important lessons happen outside of the classroom - maybe on the ski slopes, maybe on the cross-country trails, or maybe on the ice rink.

Be...

When I first starting teaching I noticed that the two bulletin boards in the middle school hallway were quite bare. The smaller one had a calendar hanging on it and the larger one had a map of the world. When I asked one of the other teachers if the bulletin boards were used throughout the year, she responded, "no, the map is just there to cover some 'inappropriate' language left by past students." And that is when I took on the job of making our hallway warm and welcoming by decorating the bulletin boards.

The small one was easy. It is a simple "FYI" board where we post our school expectations and any flyers with information for the students. The bigger one is a bit more tricky. At the beginning of the school year I post each grade's schedule, but that can only last so long. It can be quite challenging to come up with a "inspirational" bulletin board for middle schoolers. I wanted to make sure it was something that could be left up for a long time (possibly the rest of the year), so anything seasonal was out. It couldn't be anything too "cheesy," because we're talking about middle schoolers. I was stumped! So I turned to Pinterest, because where else can you go to find tons of great ideas! I was really inspired by the one idea that I was saw several times which incorporated a ton of positive adjectives. So I gathered a bunch of adjectives, typed them in fun fonts, printed them on bright colored paper, and pieced them all together to make a bulletin board I'm very proud of. It encourages students to be positive citizens and reminds them that the most important thing is just to "be you!"

I made a Animoto video of parts of the bulletin board - I hope you enjoy it!


Be...

Remembering Those "Gold Medal" Moments

With these past few snow days I've been getting school work done, spending time with friends, reading, and watching the Olympics. I'm always amazed by the stories they tell of these Olympic athletes that train for hours every day just for that one moment that comes every four years.

It got me thinking about teaching and what our "gold medal" moments are. Our "gold medal" moments are the moments when a student looks up at you during a lesson and you know right then and there he has finally got it! He just made that connection that you've been trying your hardest to make him see. You've practically been jumping up and down in front of the class hoping to get their attention long enough that something you're saying will sink in and, even if it's just one student, it has finally paid off! Does this happen everyday? No, not necessarily, but thank goodness it happens more often then every four years!

No I'm not saying we, as teachers, are Olympic athletes, but we certainly train just like do. We may not spend hours skiing down a hill going close to 80 mph or sliding head first down a tunnel made of ice, but we do spend hours preparing lessons and grading papers. We may not look back at our latest training run and figure out what needs to be adjusted next time hoping to scrape off just a second or two, but we do look back at quizzes and tests and try to figure out what exactly those students didn't understand. Then go home and create a whole new approach for the next day hoping to reach those students we didn't the first time. We may not learn how to change our triple loop into a quad loop, but we do attend workshops and network with other teachers hoping to learn and share new ideas for helping our students learn and be successful. We may not have the Olympics every four years to stand up and show the world what we've been training for, but we have those "gold medal" moments occurring in our classrooms all the time that make it worth all the time and energy. We don't have to share those moments with anyone else, sharing it with our students is enough.

No, we may not be Olympic athletes, we're teachers.

Hi, I'm Miss K!

I'm a third year teacher in a little town in Connecticut. I work in our middle school and teach math to grades 6, 7, and 8. I teach a general 6th grade math class, a general 7th grade math class, an advanced 7th grade pre-algebra class, a general 8th grade math class, and an advanced 8th grade Algebra I class. I have found my niche in middle school and couldn't imagine myself anywhere else!

I love math and love to find ways to make it fun for my students. We learn through activities and discovery and often play games to practice our mathematical skills! We apply our learning to authentic tasks that make our math learning come to life.

You might have noticed I said we - we, my students and I, work together in the learning process. They are not the only ones learning in my classroom, I am too.