Monday Must Reads: Volume 15
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Happy Monday! It’s the Monday after Fall Break here in Oklahoma which means that school is back in session whether we are ready for it or not. I’m ready to get back into the action of things and push my kids as we move towards our next big break: Thanksgiving break. We didn’t make quite as much progress as I would have liked in Algebra 1 during the first quarter of the school year, so I’m hoping to make up some ground before Christmas!
As I do almost every Monday, today I’m sharing ideas I have found inspiring from both my twitter feed and my rss reader.
Math Alphabet
Sara Vanderwerf‘s Math Badges inspired me to create my Math-y Welcome Banner that has become of one my most favorite classroom decorations ever. Two other math teachers have helped to fill out the rest of the math alphabet. And, they’ve freely shared their creations so you can use them to spell out whatever word you would like!
Jessica Strom‘s Math Alphabet (Download Full Alphabet Here)
Kim McKee‘s Maths Alphabet (Download Full Alphabet Here)
Secondary Number Talks
Nanette Johnson tweets a fun number talk idea from How We Teach for secondary students.
Modifying the Function Auction for Visually Impaired Students
Sarah Newton inspires with her willingness to go the extra mile to help a visually impaired student be able to participate in an upcoming function auction!
Teaching is too complicated for answers.
David Butler sums up so much of what teaching is in one short tweet.
Atomic Decorations
Kate McNabb‘s classroom looks fab with her new student-created atomic decorations.
Door Number Line
Gwen Bergman engages her students from BEFORE the moment they walk in her classroom by challenging them to answer a question to gain entrance to the classroom. I love how she created a number line on her door to help students with their questions!
Illustrating the Real Number System with Bags
I’ve seen plenty of teachers model the real number system using boxes before. But, Jim Olsen is the first teacher I’ve seen to use bags. Brilliant!
DIY Classroom Decor
Megan Schmidt encourages teachers to make their own classroom decor. What a beautiful piece of math art!
Chromatography Trolls
Leyla Pattison takes chromatography up a notch by having students create chromatography trolls. How cute!
Movin on Up Bulletin Board
Liz Mastalio shares one of the best bulletin board ideas I have ever seen. I love the emphasis on celebrating student perseverance. Also, you MUST read Liz’s recently blog post titled Put Down the Pencil.
We are Mathematicians Banner
Kate Owens continues the trend of inspiring classroom decor with her “We Are Mathematicians” banner.
Monty Hall Problem with Linking Cubes
Katherin O’Hara has her students model the Monty Hall problem using actual items and doors made of linking cubes. LOVE it!
Illustrating Exponents with Crazy Fort Pieces
Katherin has also convinced me I need to invest in a set of Crazy Fort pieces
Student Feedback on Peers Work
Morag Chambers asks her students to be “nudgers not judgers” when giving feedback. I think we all need to follow suit.
Geometry Conditional Story Books
Deb Bulin not only has her geometry students write book using conditionals, but she has them read their creations to elementary school classes!
Mathematician Bulletin Board
Emmy Bennett shares an inspiring bulletin board design.
Jumping Frogs Puzzle with Origami Frogs
Kimberley Hunt makes the jumping frogs problem come alive with origami frogs.
Sampling vs Census Activity
CCYD_Nature shares a great idea for introducing sampling vs. taking a census.
Paper Plate Awards
Jacqueline Richardson shares a creative idea for the end of the quarter/semester: Paper Plate Awards..
The Mathematics of Renting a Banquet Hall
Laura Wheeler takes an interesting approach to a math problem involving renting a banquet hall.
Does Beyonce Write Her Own Lyrics?
Luke Wilcox shares an interesting statistics task that begins with an intriguing question: Does Beyonce write her own lyrics?