Make it Middle School

Vertical learning can transform a math classroom. When students get out of their chairs and work on non-permanent surfaces, they start to communicate and think more effectively. The following set of 67 problems are examples of activities I use to engage student thinking. The problems allow students to approach math from more than one perspective. As my school year progressed, I would randomly use different problems to review concepts taught earlier in the semester. These problems and this approa

Vertical learning can transform a math classroom.  When students get out of their chairs and work on non-permanent surfaces, they start to communicate and think more effectively.The following set of 80 problems are examples of activities I use to engage student thinking.  The problems allow students to approach math from more than one perspective.  As my school year progressed, I would randomly use different problems to review concepts taught earlier in the semester.  These problems and this app

These algebra riddles are a great way for kids to think creatively and imaginatively about algebra, variables, and equations.  There are 25 different puzzles, labelled as either easy, medium, or difficult. With medium and difficult puzzles, students may need to go through guess and checks, or they might need to rework equations and substitute into other equations. These puzzles serve as models for your students to create their own.  Although it’s algebra, the themes are meant for kids to have f

This video reviews how to determine the general term of a sequence (the algebraic expression). Students review how to set up a table of values and then solve for the general term by determining the multiplier and constant for each pattern. The final example before the video quiz also goes over the strategy for solving a decreasing linear pattern. As with other videos in my distance learning series, music and GIFs are used to help with student interest and engagement.

This video reviews how to graph a linear pattern. Two different patterns are placed on the same graph so that students can see how the slope changes depending on the pattern rule. The lesson concludes with a brief introduction to the run and rise of a line created by graphing a linear pattern. As with other videos in my distance learning series, music and GIFs are incorporated to make the instruction more engaging for students.

This video uses models to come up with patterning rules. The video goes over the difference between multipliers and constants, and how a table of values is used to determine a linear pattern rule based on repeated addition. Like other videos in my distance learning series, GIFs and music are used to make the material more engaging for students