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OptimizED for Learning

Rated 4.91 out of 5, based on 576 reviews
176 Followers
Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
About the store
My experience is reflected in my mission. To create the best materials for optimizing teaching and learning. After years of working with poorly formatted content, created by corporations, I found myself settling for whatever come closest but either the quality or content was lacking in some capacity. Using over a decade of teaching experience I began creating what has now become OptimizED. The creations started with guided notes that were visually appealing and easy to follow, quickly summarizing the main ideas. Using real-world feedback from students and my own experiences with implementation, I would continuously edit and rework until everything was just right. Likewise, I began formulating activities that addressed specifically what needed to be taught, in a fun exploratory way. Then, I tackled the homework side of the equation. I created concise differentiated assignments with plenty of space to show work. These questions were directly correlated with the tests I created, to show evidence of mastery. I even invented a new feedback system for quick grading, combined with a student self-reflection component, using a standards-based approach. After years of reworking and editing all of this content, I decided to share my creations. It has become my mission to give teachers something that students positively respond to, created by someone in the profession. In essence, materials that will optimize a teacher's impact on student learning.
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Preview of Strategies for Comparing Ratios Activity

Strategies for Comparing Ratios Activity

This activity will help your students develop several different tools for solving ratio and rate problems. Your students will use tables, equivalent fractions, unit rates, and double number lines to determine the best deal on cans. The same tools are again used when comparing the ratio of boys and girls in a class. This activity will demonstrate that all of these methods can be used to solve vastly different ratio problems. Works well as a self-guided activity or a group activity for the purpos
Preview of Best Measure of Center Investigation

Best Measure of Center Investigation

How do you decide between using the mean, median or mode to represent your data? This investigation presents students with three very different data sets and asks them to find measures of center. They will also be asked to manipulate the data and see how that affects all three measures of center. Ultimately, this self-guided activity will lead your students to an understanding of how to select the best measure of center. The investigation is set up to organize your students' work/thinking and
Preview of Simplify Fractions Using Prime Factorization

Simplify Fractions Using Prime Factorization

A great use of prime factorization! Have your students break apart numerators and denominators into their prime parts. Explore the simplicity of simplifying fractions by eliminating matching primes! A sample problem is provided and simple directions are clearly marked. Can be used as either a warm up or an interactive class/group activity after learning about prime factorization. The license is intended for one teacher and all of their classes. Please purchase additional licenses for each addit
Preview of Penny Problem: Exponential Growth

Penny Problem: Exponential Growth

A spin on the classic problem of exponential growth. Students explore the amount of money to be made in a month if they receive 1 penny, double that amount the next day, etc. Works great as a warm up, the hook to a lesson, or an investigation. It has easy to follow directions, colorful pictures and an organized space (chart) to show the progression of money from day to day. This was specifically designed to show the power of knowing a general rules versus a rule. More specifically, going fro
Preview of Order of Operations: Monster Problem

Order of Operations: Monster Problem

This is one HUGE math problem! It includes all four operations, exponents, parenthesis, brackets, and a fraction bar. This is meant to challenge and motivate students learning how to correctly apply the order of operations. Works great as a warm up, the hook to a lesson, or a way to challenge students who think they have mastered the order of operations. Note that the license for this activity is intended for use in single class. Please purchase additional licenses, at half price, for each addi
Preview of Tape Diagrams Investigation

Tape Diagrams Investigation

Explore how to use tape diagrams to find the percent of a number in this interactive, self-led investigation. Students will have fun completing the student-centered activity, allowing you to provided the supportive role as the teacher. Through scaffolding, students begin with a simple example and specific steps to follow. Most importantly, student will finally understand what their answers mean and how it makes sense within the context of percents. The second component of the investigation has
Preview of 6th Grade Math - Full Year Curriculum Bundle

6th Grade Math - Full Year Curriculum Bundle

Major 2020 Updates! Perfect for virtual learning, remote learning, distance learning, eLearning, etc. This complete bundle will greatly reduce your anxiety about the uncertainties surrounding the 2020-2021 school year due to COVID-19. These materials have built in support for remote instruction and learning, unlike anything else you will find online. After a decade of development and use with thousands of students in my district, I can personally speak to the power of these materials. As une
Preview of Best Measure of Center - Home Prices Activity

Best Measure of Center - Home Prices Activity

A great introduction to selecting the best measure of center! Use real estate to get your students to understand how the median can sometimes be a better representation of the data. Outliers can greatly affect the mean value and an overly expensive home in a neighborhood is a great representation of that fact. This sheets will help your students organize their work/thinking and allow them to thoughtfully share data with their peers. I generally use this sheet along with online videos of extreme
Preview of Proportions Set Up Investigation

Proportions Set Up Investigation

Explore how to use proportions to solve percent problems. This includes finding the percent of a number, missing percents or missing totals. Students will have fun completing the student-centered activity, allowing you to provided the supportive role as the teacher. In this investigation students begin by identifying what they know and what they need to find out for various types of problems. Next students use this knowledge to set up proportions that will help them solve such problems. Your st
Preview of Box Plot Investigation

Box Plot Investigation

Box Plots can be really confusing for students. This investigation allows students to create their very own box plot in a fun, interactive, kinesthetic, non-intimidating way. Students will be asked to survey the students in their class and organize it to allow for easy graphing on the next page. Using scissors they will cut out their organized data set and manipulate the paper to easily find the median and quartiles of their data prior to graphing. The detailed step-by-step instructions make thi
Preview of Speed Typing Challenge - Rates and Ratios Activity

Speed Typing Challenge - Rates and Ratios Activity

A fun self-guided activity that focuses on converting rates, including unit rates. Students begin by analyzing my typing speed, converting it into different unit rates (words per minute or words per second) and the implications it has on the amount of time it takes me to complete various writing tasks. The second part of the activity has students test their own typing speed and do similar calculations. Simply scanning the QR code will direct your students to a site with a speed typing test. Get
Preview of Ratios Survey - Would You Rather

Ratios Survey - Would You Rather

A fun and interactive survey that will get your students excited about ratios. Students will ask their classmates three questions starting with, "Would you rather...". After tallying the results, students can share their results with the class using a variety of ratios. All instructions are included in the activity. Sit back and watch your students' creativity kick in as they discover the power of ratios! These sheets will help your students organize their work/thinking and allow them to though
Preview of Powers and Exponents Partner Coaching Activity

Powers and Exponents Partner Coaching Activity

A great activity to get your students talking, cooperating and learning! This partner coaching game is a great way to practice powers and exponents in an interactive way. To use it, simply have students work in pairs, giving each a different paper (1 and 2). Each student will have their partner's answers. The goal is to have the person with the answer key guide / coach the other person through the activity. Then the students switch roles and the other person becomes the guide / coach. This pro
Preview of Aspect Ratio Activity - Future Screens

Aspect Ratio Activity - Future Screens

A great hook for your class to discuss ratios! TV screens and many mobile devices have a widescreen aspect ratio due to the ratio that the majority of video content has been recorded. Future technologies promise flexible displays nearly the thickness of a piece of common paper. However, is the aspect ratio of a piece of paper compatible with the common 16:9 aspect ratio we use today? Explore this real-world scenario with the "Question of the Day" included in this document. Works well as a warm
Preview of Rules Vs General Rules: Exploring Number Sequences

Rules Vs General Rules: Exploring Number Sequences

This activity is a student centered exploration of the differences between rules and general rules when looking at number sequences. The use of "term" and "term number" are used to address differences between a number on the list (represented by the variable t) and it's location in the list (represented by the variable n). Besides exploring the various number relationships that exist in a number sequence, students will be shown how to communicate that relationship in the form of an equation. An
Preview of Variables and Expressions Practice: Distance Learning Enhanced

Variables and Expressions Practice: Distance Learning Enhanced

Free tutorial video now embedded right on the page! Simply scan the QR code to check for accuracy and understanding. Great for remote teaching and eLearning as well. Students can learn the math content by completing the practice pages along-side the video or simply use it as a way to check for accuracy. Looking for an assignment regarding variables and expressions, that's more than a basic skills practice? This practice has students plug in values for variables to find the solution. It includes
Preview of Multiply Decimals Investigation

Multiply Decimals Investigation

Explore how to multiply decimals in this interactive, self-led investigation. Students will have fun completing the student-centered activity, allowing you to provided the supportive role as the teacher. Through scaffolding, students begin with simple multiplication questions and progress towards a deep understanding of multiplication with decimals. Most importantly, student will finally understand WHY moving the decimal point is necessary and how it makes sense to do so. Using a story-type
Preview of GCF and LCM Investigation

GCF and LCM Investigation

A visually appealing investigation your students will love! Get your students actively involved in discovering Greatest Common Factor and Least Common Multiple. The investigation begins with the traditional listing method for finding the GCF and LCM. The second part of the investigation has students using prime factorization and Venn diagrams. A free help video is provided for this second portion. Simply scan the QR code and a video will guide the students through the remainder of the investigat
Preview of Percent of a Number Investigation

Percent of a Number Investigation

Explore how to use fractions and decimals to find the percent of a number in this interactive, self-led investigation. Students will have fun completing the student-centered activity, allowing you to provided the supportive role as the teacher. Through scaffolding, students begin with simple examples and specific steps to follow. These steps will help your students understand how fractions and decimals can be used to calculate the percent of a number. In the second component of the investigatio
Preview of Light Bulb Best Buy Investigation

Light Bulb Best Buy Investigation

The long-term cost of different bulb types is explored in this investigation. Making a decision between LED, Incandescent or Fluorescent bulbs involves using tables and graphs to make an informed selection. Get your students involved in discovering how their understanding of rates and ratios can help them solve such real-world problems. Works well as an assignment or an interactive class/group activity. These sheets will help your students organize their work/thinking and share with their peers
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About the store

Experience

My experience is reflected in my mission. To create the best materials for optimizing teaching and learning. After years of working with poorly formatted content, created by corporations, I found myself settling for whatever come closest but either the quality or content was lacking in some capacity. Using over a decade of teaching experience I began creating what has now become OptimizED. The creations started with guided notes that were visually appealing and easy to follow, quickly summarizing the main ideas. Using real-world feedback from students and my own experiences with implementation, I would continuously edit and rework until everything was just right. Likewise, I began formulating activities that addressed specifically what needed to be taught, in a fun exploratory way. Then, I tackled the homework side of the equation. I created concise differentiated assignments with plenty of space to show work. These questions were directly correlated with the tests I created, to show evidence of mastery. I even invented a new feedback system for quick grading, combined with a student self-reflection component, using a standards-based approach. After years of reworking and editing all of this content, I decided to share my creations. It has become my mission to give teachers something that students positively respond to, created by someone in the profession. In essence, materials that will optimize a teacher's impact on student learning.

Teaching style

Differentiated, efficient and student-centered.

Awards & shining teacher moments

One of only two hundred educators selected nationwide as part of the Learnzillion Dream Team in 2013 to create online lessons. Consultant for companies such as McGraw Hill, Smarter Balanced, and Tang Math.

My own education history

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education Masters in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis

Additional biographical information

Quality and results come standard.