The Blog for Math Teachers Who Want More Than Just Right Answers
This is your space for rethinking what math class can look like. Find real world activities, creative lesson ideas, and strategies that help students develop skills they’ll actually use far beyond your classroom.
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6 Mistakes Parents Make When Helping With Algebra Homework
Your child sits down with a math assignment, stares at the first problem, and says, “I don’t get it.” So you sit down beside them and try to help, but quickly realize the way you learned algebra 15 or 20 years ago isn’t necessarily the way your child is learning it now. Maybe the teacher…
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10 Student-Approved Halloween Math Activities for Algebra 1
Halloween is the perfect excuse to bring a little extra fun into your Algebra 1 classroom without sacrificing your curriculum pacing. Whether your students need to review a skill, work through a real-world application, or need something different from another worksheet, these Halloween math activities are guaranteed to add some variety to your lessons this…
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Math Journals in Middle and High School: Do They Really Work?
If you’ve ever thought, “My students barely want to solve math problems. Why would I ask them to write about math?”, you’re not alone. Math journals often get a bad reputation in middle and high school classrooms. Teachers worry they’ll take too much instructional time, create another stack of papers to grade, or turn into…
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5 Math Bell Ringer Topics and Ideas for Middle School Math
That first five minutes of class sets the tone for everything that follows including your pacing, expectations, and the overall energy in the room. When students walk in and immediately have something meaningful to do, it eliminates downtime, reduces off-task behavior, and signals that learning starts right away. On the flip side, when a math…
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6 Engaging Solving Multi Step Equations Activities
Solving multi step equations is one of the most important skills students learn in 8th Grade Math and Algebra. From multi-step equations with variables on both sides of the equation to equations with the distributive property, students need plenty of meaningful practice to build confidence and fluency. But if your lessons rely on the same…
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5 First Week of Algebra 2 Activities for Back to School
The first week of Algebra 2 can feel a little intimidating for both teachers and students. Some students walk in confident and ready to go, while others are already nervous about the word “Algebra” being in the course title again. On top of that, many classes include students coming in with very different skill levels…
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Stuck on Algebra Problems? How to Help Your Child From Home
Get tips for helping your child with their math homework when they inevitably get stuck on algebra problems.
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7 Activities for High School Math Sub Plans
Writing high school math sub plans can feel harder and take longer than planning your actual lessons. You need something meaningful enough to keep students engaged, but structured enough that it runs smoothly without you there to guide it. Sub plans don’t have to be busywork or a throwaway day. With the right approach, they…
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8 Middle School Math Skills Students Should Know Before Algebra 1
Algebra 1 has a reputation and not always a good one. For many students, it’s the first time math starts to feel truly difficult. Concepts become more abstract, problems require multiple steps, and the margin for error feels smaller. Here’s the part that often gets overlooked: most Algebra 1 struggles don’t actually start in Algebra…
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Performance Tasks in Math Class Shouldn’t Just Be “Extra”
Performance tasks in math class shift the focus from memorizing steps to actually thinking, problem-solving, and making sense of math in real situations.
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14 Middle School Math Performance Tasks for the End of the Year
Middle school math performance tasks feel different from other assignments. Students need to understand the situations presented first, then solve each problem.
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4 Math Exit Tickets That Actually Show Student Understanding
Math exit tickets have the potential to be really impactful forms of assessment, but sometimes they feel rushed and thrown together for the end of a class period. You ask a quick question, students turn something in on their way out, and… it doesn’t really tell you much. Did they understand the concept? Or did…