Miss Math Dork makes Middle School Math Fun!
If you teach upper elementary or middle school math, you MUST check out
the amazing work of Jamie, a.k.a….Miss Math Dork! I was lucky enough to
scope out some of her incredible products and I’m so excited to be able to post
about it as part of the MAGICAL PRODUCT SWAP hosted by Jessica Stanford of Mrs.
Stanford’s Class.
the amazing work of Jamie, a.k.a….Miss Math Dork! I was lucky enough to
scope out some of her incredible products and I’m so excited to be able to post
about it as part of the MAGICAL PRODUCT SWAP hosted by Jessica Stanford of Mrs.
Stanford’s Class.
If you look at Jamie’s blog and at her products, you can tell she knows upper
elementary and middle school kids. It takes a special teacher to reach
these unique creatures, and clearly Jamie has the creativity and energy to make
her classroom come alive with engaging lessons and activities. Browse her
blog,
and I guarantee you will leave with at least one great idea to use in your
classroom tomorrow!
SO as part of the magical product swap…..I was lucky to have a chance
to check out her product entitled:
to check out her product entitled:
Figure that?! Finding AREA and PERIMETER of irregular figures BUNDLE
PACK
PACK
and it totally rocks! (Check it out here)
There are certain things
that I’m looking for when I search out classroom materials online. I
usually want something that is “print and go” and that is going to
make for an engaging learning task for my kiddos. What makes this product
a great purchase for any math teacher?
that I’m looking for when I search out classroom materials online. I
usually want something that is “print and go” and that is going to
make for an engaging learning task for my kiddos. What makes this product
a great purchase for any math teacher?
1) It matches the common
core requirements for geometry. The questions are of appropriate
difficulty and you can be sure you are giving your students the review,
practice and rigor they need. For 6th grade teachers, the perimeter
cards make for great review and reinforcement (possibly a learning center)
and the area cards can be used supplement new learning for 6th grade.
It is perfect that these two come together in one bundle.
core requirements for geometry. The questions are of appropriate
difficulty and you can be sure you are giving your students the review,
practice and rigor they need. For 6th grade teachers, the perimeter
cards make for great review and reinforcement (possibly a learning center)
and the area cards can be used supplement new learning for 6th grade.
It is perfect that these two come together in one bundle.
2) It is professionally
organized and super easy to print and use. When I buy a TpT product, ease
of printing is a big selling point for me! The cards are included in
black and white AND color. The colors, font and borders are really cute
(but not too cute for middle school kids), and if you don’t have access to a
color printer or need to make copies for multiple sets of the cards, the black
and white cards turn out really nice.
organized and super easy to print and use. When I buy a TpT product, ease
of printing is a big selling point for me! The cards are included in
black and white AND color. The colors, font and borders are really cute
(but not too cute for middle school kids), and if you don’t have access to a
color printer or need to make copies for multiple sets of the cards, the black
and white cards turn out really nice.
3) It includes an
accurate, easy-to-use answer key. Hello….huge time saver for the busy teacher!
accurate, easy-to-use answer key. Hello….huge time saver for the busy teacher!
4) The task cards allow
for TONS of uses in the classroom, so you are getting a lot of bang for your
buck! (learning centers, whole group and small group games, take-home
reinforcement tasks…the list goes on and on)
for TONS of uses in the classroom, so you are getting a lot of bang for your
buck! (learning centers, whole group and small group games, take-home
reinforcement tasks…the list goes on and on)
Here is what one of the
two sets included looks like printed out…
two sets included looks like printed out…
Task Card Relay Game:
My favorite way to use the
cards is with relay teams! The students get up and moving and I get a
chance to assess the whole class understanding of the concept. For this
strategy, the class is divided into teams of 3-4 students. Each team is
given a whiteboard and asked to create a team name. A set of cards is
copied for each team. (I recommend copying them on different colors so
the team cards don’t get mixed up. I didn’t have enough colors so I just
used different color highlighters to outline each card.) Since I’m not teaching math this year, I had one of my colleagues use the cards for a game with her class and her students absolutely loved it!
cards is with relay teams! The students get up and moving and I get a
chance to assess the whole class understanding of the concept. For this
strategy, the class is divided into teams of 3-4 students. Each team is
given a whiteboard and asked to create a team name. A set of cards is
copied for each team. (I recommend copying them on different colors so
the team cards don’t get mixed up. I didn’t have enough colors so I just
used different color highlighters to outline each card.) Since I’m not teaching math this year, I had one of my colleagues use the cards for a game with her class and her students absolutely loved it!
The way the game works by giving each team 1 task card at a time. They must solve it
correctly on the whiteboard (showing ALL steps) and bring it to the “relay
captain” (teacher). If approved (correct showing all steps with a
label), they trade the task card in for the next card and race back to their
desk to complete the next problem. This is where the colored-coded cards can
be helpful so that you give each team the correct card! Each time a new
card is given, a new member of the team must solve the problem on the
whiteboard and race it up to the teacher, which helps encourage all students to
participate.
(On a side note, my students LOVE task card relays and are always asking to
play again. Today it is snowing…Blah! I’m hoping the weather gets
nice in the coming weeks because as long as it is not windy, it is fun to get
them outside to play task card relays to review for final exams.)
correctly on the whiteboard (showing ALL steps) and bring it to the “relay
captain” (teacher). If approved (correct showing all steps with a
label), they trade the task card in for the next card and race back to their
desk to complete the next problem. This is where the colored-coded cards can
be helpful so that you give each team the correct card! Each time a new
card is given, a new member of the team must solve the problem on the
whiteboard and race it up to the teacher, which helps encourage all students to
participate.
(On a side note, my students LOVE task card relays and are always asking to
play again. Today it is snowing…Blah! I’m hoping the weather gets
nice in the coming weeks because as long as it is not windy, it is fun to get
them outside to play task card relays to review for final exams.)
So, take a minute to check
outand all that her blog has to offer. Each post is unique
and leaves me thinking about how I can be be a better teacher. Here are
two of her recent posts that I recommend reading:
out
and all that her blog has to offer. Each post is uniqueand leaves me thinking about how I can be be a better teacher. Here are
two of her recent posts that I recommend reading:
I love her March 3rd post “Sorting Through Tricky Situations,”
about how kids struggle to decipher between geometric situations. She
shares a great strategy and product for this common
difficulty. I believe that great teachers don’t just teach a concept, they
observe closely how students apply the concept and relate it to their prior
knowledge. Clearly Jamie does this in her classroom.
about how kids struggle to decipher between geometric situations. She
shares a great strategy and product for this common
difficulty. I believe that great teachers don’t just teach a concept, they
observe closely how students apply the concept and relate it to their prior
knowledge. Clearly Jamie does this in her classroom.
In her March 27th post she
shared some great research from her experience attending a lecture
entitled “Understanding the Digital Generation.”
This really got me thinking about how I approach planning for my
students, especially when it comes creating note sheets and visuals. I
never really considered how the way our students approach new learning, may be
been impacted by the digital age.
shared some great research from her experience attending a lecture
entitled “Understanding the Digital Generation.”
This really got me thinking about how I approach planning for my
students, especially when it comes creating note sheets and visuals. I
never really considered how the way our students approach new learning, may be
been impacted by the digital age.
I assure you, there is
nothing dorky about Miss Math Dork….Her work is pretty awesome. So check it out.
I think you will be as impressed as I am!
nothing dorky about Miss Math Dork….Her work is pretty awesome. So check it out.
I think you will be as impressed as I am!
Happy Teaching…
