The Math Toolbox

Negative "Math Talk" is a common occurrence in the math classroom. As we all know, attitude impacts success, so it's important to address students' attitudes toward math. In this getting-to-know-you activity, students have the opportunity to creatively share their feelings, both positive and negative, in a fun way! This is a great activity for the beginning of the school year, and works well with students from the upper elementary grades all the way through high school.

October is Pastor Appreciation month. Help children write a meaningful thank you letter to their pastor using this template.

In this project, students will create a "face" with at least 8 different functions from 4 different function families. Students will use what they know about the shapes of basic function families, function transformations, and domain restrictions to graph their face on a TI graphing calculator. As students use trial and error to get their face "just right," they will begin to take ownership of the function transformations.

In this activity, students will practice multiplying a fraction by a whole number to determine how many ornaments to draw on a Christmas tree. A "work space" is also provided to encourage students to make a pictorial representation of the problem in addition, or instead of, using the standard fraction multiplication procedure. Check out my TpT store, The Math Toolbox, for other great resources!

Algebra Students will practice graphing linear equations with this short activity. Equations are written in different forms and students can rewrite them in slope-intercept form before graphing. Each line also has a restricted domain (or range) that students will use to create a Thanksgiving-themed picture. Great practice for the day before break! Note: In the thumbnail the lines on the coordinate plane do not all appear. They will appear in the downloaded file.

This math experiment packs in a variety of algebra concepts! As students seek to find the ramp slope that will allow a matchbox car to travel the longest distance, they are required to make slope calculations, find averages, create a scatter plot, find a function of best fit, find a maximum value, and reflect on where the longest distance is seen on the graph. There are two different versions of the data analysis, written summary, and rubric: one for pre-algebra, and one for algebra. Check ou

In this activity, students are given a problem that they may or may not be able to solve. Students are then guided through five different problem solving techniques to help them solve the problem: solve a simpler problem, draw a picture, make a table, look for a pattern, and write an "input-output" rule. This activity provides scaffolding for struggling students, and at the same time challenges high-achieving math students to go beyond solving the original problem, into finding an algebraic r

In this activity students will practice multiplying a fraction by a whole number to determine how many ornaments to place on the Christmas tree. For this activity, I have modified my “Trim the Tree” worksheet (multiplying fractions by whole numbers) to be used with stations around the classroom. You can place multiple cards at each station, or just one. Use the “Work Space” table to draw pictures to represent and solve each problem. You may wish to encourage students to use simple shapes

Holiday themed practice with writing and evaluating algebraic expressions at the Algebra 1 or Algebra 2 level. After evaluating the expressions, students will color in the answers on a hundreds board to create a picture. If you like my material, please follow my TpT store, The Math Toolbox. I am continually adding new content.

This activity is a great introduction to working with patterns, sequences, or fractals. Having students create the Sierpinski triangle is a great way to motivate "math-shy" students, and provide a visual connection to a pattern of numbers. The triangles also look great hanging around the classroom: use them on the walls, as a border on a bulletin board, or string to create a pennant banner. If you like this activity, please take time to write a review and follow my store: http://www.teachers

Want to give your math students a math-related Valentine? "Be My PASCALintine!" is an opportunity to encourage your math students to explore pattern's in Pascal's Triangle while earning a few bonus points. To earn the bonus points, students must first identify and complete the pattern, and then color all of the even numbers red.

This is a multiple choice quiz that focuses on the vocabulary associated with function graphs. It includes twelve vocabulary words: asymptote, x-intercept, y-intercept, maximum, minimum, increasing interval, decreasing interval, slope, constant slope, varying slope, zeros, and symmetry. Students match the word with a picture or short definition. Domain and Range are not part of the quiz.

This holiday themed self-checking worksheet includes practice with the following skills:  -Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Unlike Denominators  -Multiplying and Dividing Decimals  -Changing Mixed Numbers into Decimal Form  -Solving 1-Step Equations (all Operations) with Decimals Students solve the problems and then color in the answers to create a path from Santa to the Christmas Tree. Common Core Standards: 5.NF.1 – Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators. 6.EE.7 – So

For some students, fluently converting between fractions, decimals, and percents can take multiple years to master. Adding a bag of m & m's can provide some fun and motivation! In this activity, students will write a fraction to represent the “part of a whole” for each color in their bag of m & m’s. They will then convert each fraction into a decimal and a percent. The final step is to create a circle graph from their percentages.

If you’ve taught math for any period of time, you’ve probably heard students say something like, “I started my homework and I couldn’t remember what to do.” Many of these students took notes during class, but the example problems they wrote down were unorganized and completely meaningless by the time they got home and started working on homework. This handout provides some examples on how students can better engage with math procedures during the classroom note-taking process.