All Blog Posts (181)

A few of us have taken the A4A course this summer. I know the course has been offered in a few different versions. Having gotten some technology with it would have been nice ;) but it has been nice to work through the class when I have more time-summer, not during the school year. I, personally, could have used some more training with graphing calculators, but I certainly know more than before I took the class.

Although we have not had a chance to try any of the activities in class,…

Wow the Common Core has so much to it! Lesson plans, formative assessments, performance based tasks, online evaluations, response to intervention, universal design for learning, etc.



Anyone else trying to stomp through the muddy water of starting this up to get the reward of higher standards and deeper student understanding?



All of us of course, while we try not to lose our minds.



As I sit here on this rainy afternoon…

When it comes time to reviewing for a test, I have found that doing a walk-a-round activity is very helpful.  I take their review and create a PowerPoint with each question on a slide.  On the bottom right corner of the slide, I put the answer to one of the other questions.  Students can work in pairs or on their own to work out the problems.  I put the different slides around my room or we use the end hallway that has no classes in it.  Students start at different slides and work out the…

  $46 

SALE  Texas Instruments - TI-Nspire Graphing   not sure how long sale is running posted 5/7/12

See these two links:

http://dealnews.com/Texas-Instruments-Nspire-Graphing-Calculator-for-46-free-shipping/573821.html…

  If anyone is looking for a Geometry resource to aid in flipping their classroom, iTunes is providing 20 free video clips.  These can be viewed on your PC as well as any Apple product. 



  This is the link:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/geometry-core-concepts/id507498391



  Good luck!…

Puzzles and Brainteasers, Set 8

Puzzles and Brainteasers, Set 4

5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions

this site includes help for 83/84 and Nspires

General Info - Algebra 1 - Statistics 1

Algebra 2 - Trigonometry - Statistics 2…

Here is a link to an article called Let Me Learn My Own Way

This is taken from the ASCD Smart Brief

ASCD Smart Brief

"Education consultant Jane Kise's recent study showed that learners with different cognitive styles have significantly different approaches to math. But what does this mean for teachers? Kise answers…

Here is a link to an article on Math Anxiety.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/05/18/31math_ep.h30.html?tkn=PZCCgIX4PjXZW2XdpIIG1LKJMVCQUHHr57gf&cmp=clp-sb-ascd

I have noticed in my classroom that students with higher levels of anxiety are the also very focused on their grades.

I think the ideas that…

Here is the worksheet and rubric for my activity.  It took my class of ninth graders two days to complete. 

Kelly Kroft

A4AProject.doc…

How do you manage notebooks in your math classroom. Are they graded? And if yes, then how do you grade them? What items are kept in student's notebooks? Are they worth the time and effort to keep up with them? How much class time to you spend on notebook upkeep? I am interested in hearing your view points. Please include the grade level and type of math class you teach in your response.

Last week, my morning classes from our Knabusch Mathematics and Science Center were supposed to go to Sterling State Park to plant some trees and do some beach clean-up (a yearly activity). Due to the weather, we were unable to go and I was left scrambling for an activity that I could do with both my geometry class and algebra class the day before spring break. The week prior, one of my afternoon students had wondered how many students you could fit in the classroom.

So, I…

Does anyone feel that students ability to retain material is not what is used to be?  I have been teaching for 16 years now and it seems that when a student is exposed to a new lesson, it goes in one ear and out the other.  They are really good with it during class, but when they walk out of the building it all goes away.  I have heard so many kids come in the next day and ask me what we did the day before.  Also, if I tell them we are having a test the next day, they show up without a…

Well, it's a sure sign of spring when the snow has melted, the kids have gone absolute stir-crazy for summer, and my colleagues and I gathered for our last Algebra for All After-School meeting.

This time, we had so many things to talk about - there wasn't much time to waste.

First on the agenda was the upcoming final project for our last face-to-face meeting in May.  I came across an astounding lesson in the Connected Math series that we tweaked and adjusted…

I just finished reading the book "Focus" by Mike Schmoker.  It it a great book for any curriculum, not just math. 

The first part of the book explores general teaching strategies and the importance of keeping things simple, providing clarity and prioritizing the curriculum. 

The second half of the book explores different curriculum areas: English, Social Studies, Science and Math.  Obviously, I concentrated on the math section of the second part.  The…